The Liberty baseball team opens the 2024 season on Friday at Liberty Baseball Stadium in Lynchburg, Virginia against Quinnipiac for the first of a three-game series. First pitch Friday is scheduled for 4 p.m. while Saturday’s game is set for 2 p.m. and Sunday is at 1 p.m. All games will be streamed on ESPN+.
The Bobcats are coming off a 2023 season where they finished 30-26 overall and 16-8 in the MAAC, seeing their season come to an end in the MAAC semifinals.
Liberty will be looking to bounce back from a disappointing year in 2023, finishing 27-31 overall and 16-14 in the ASUN, ending a streak of three straight NCAA Regional appearances. It was also the team’s first losing record since 2004. The Flames have been selected to finish second in their first season in Conference USA while Dallas Baptist was the unanimous choice to win the 2024 CUSA Baseball Championship.
POSITION PLAYERS
It all starts for the Flames with preseason All-CUSA selection Cam Foster at third base. Foster started all 58 games for Liberty in 2023, playing 43 games at third base and 15 games at shortstop. He hit .272 with 44 RBI and 40 runs scored. Foster had 12 doubles and 12 home runs while posting a slugging percentage of .512.
Aidan Sweatt transfers to Liberty after three seasons at North Florida. The two-time ASUN All-Conference second baseman started all 55 of the Ospreys’ games in 2023, hitting .320 with 31 RBI and 50 runs scored. He had 12 doubles, four home runs, and stole 16 bases.
Easton Admunson comes to Liberty after two years at Lower Columbia College where he was a 2023 ABCA/Rawlings Pacific Association All-American and West Region MVP. He can play in the outfield but is expected to spend much of his time at first base. Admunson was part of the 2023 NWAC Championship team which posted a 40-14 record. He hit .314 with 10 home runs and 52 RBI in 53 games.
Freshman Tanner Marsh could force his way into the lineup at shortstop. A graduate of Asheboro High School in North Carolina, Marsh was a four-time all-conference player and two-time all state team member. He hit .570 with 28 RBI and 29 runs scored in 2023.
Brian McClellin could also factor in at shortstop this season. He began his career at California where he played in 21 games during the 2021 season. The past two years, McClellin played at San Joaquin Delta College. Last year, he hit .358 with 35 RBI and 41 runs scored in 40 games.
Three Hillier has become a leader for the Flames the past couple of seasons. Originally a catcher, Hillier moved to left field to make room for Gray Betts at catcher. Hillier hit .244 last year with 33 RBI and 39 runs. With Betts moving on, Hillier could potentially slide back to his original spot at catcher but could also factor into the lineup in left field or even as the designated hitter throughout the season. He is currently dealing with an injury and may be sidelined to begin the season.
True freshman Macaddin Dye is a name to watch at catcher who is likely to begin the season starting there. The graduate of Franklin W. Cox High School in Virginia Beach was named to all-state and all-region teams in 2023 as he was also a member of 2023 VHSL State Champions.
In the outfield, Kane Kepley was named to the 2023 ASUN All-Freshman team after playing in 50 games and making 40 starts. He had 29 starts in left field and 11 in center. Kepley, who is expected to anchor the outfield from his spot in center this season, hit .310 wi th 19 RBI and a team-leading 44 runs scored last year after walking a team-leading 39 times.
Camden Troyer started all 58 games for Liberty last season in right field, a position he is expected to fill once again this season. The former Clemson transfer hit .256 with 41 RBI and 43 runs scored with a team leading 17 doubles to go a long with one triple and four home runs.
Transferring from USC Upstate, Noah Rabon played in 141 games over the past three seasons, hitting .308 with 118 RBI and 109 runs scored. He was named Big South All-Conference first team in 2022 and to the second team in 2021. Rabon could slide into the Flames’ lineup in left field.
Other names to watch to make an impact this season include Brayden Horton and John Simmons. Horton was an ASUN All-Conference third team and ASUN All-Freshman team member last year. He played in 48 games with 44 starts, 43 coming at first base. He had a team leading .341 batting average with 40 RBI and 39 runs scored. Simmons was named to the ASUN All-Tournament team last year. He played in 33 games with 28 starts, making starts both at second and third base. He hit .220 with 17 RBI and 18 runs scored.
PITCHING
Tyler Robinson takes over as Liberty’s pitching coach this season, coming over from Campbell. He inherits one of the top pitchers in Conference USA in Garrett Horn who made 15 starts in 2023. Horn posted a 5-5 record with a 4.09 ERA over 66 innings pitched. The two-time ASUN All-Conference second team pitcher struck out 87 and walked 47 while holding opponents to a .214 batting average.
Cole Hertzler went back and forth throughout 2023 as a pitcher and playing in the field. Now, he looks to solidify himself as a weekend starter on the mound for the Flames. Last year, he made 21 pitching appearances, all in relief. He posted a 4-1 record with a 5.40 ERA and 3 saves over 36.2 innings pitched. Hertzler struck out 51 batters and walked 21.
Coach Jackson and Robinson are also expected to give a long look to Nick Moran as a weekend starter. He made five starts a season ago, posting a 1-2 record with a 6.35 ERA over 22.2 innings while striking out 24 and walking nine.
A former NC State transfer, Trey Cooper made 18 appearances last year with 8 starts. He posted a 2-3 record with a 5.79 ERA over 32.2 innings while striking out 32 and walking 34. Cooper could factor into the weekend rotation or serve as a midweek starter.
True freshman Bryce Dolby joins the Flames from Ashburn, Virginia. He posted an ERA under 4.00 and was named a Pro 5 All Star in 2023. He has tremendous potential and could factor into the team’s starting rotation.
Trey Carter, Ryan Butler, Spencer Williams, and Graham Edwards are all names to watch as Liberty looks to solidify its bullpen as the season begins.
SCHEDULE
Following their three-game opening series against Quinnipiac this weekend, Liberty will play at Duke on Wednesday, Feb. 21 before returning home for a three game series against Hofstra, Feb. 23-25.
Liberty will play 11 games against preseason Top 25 opponents including No. 1 Wake Forest. The Flames will also play 20 games against teams that reached an NCAA Regional a year ago. Liberty hosts East Carolina for a three game series March 8-10.
The Flames will open conference play March 22-24 at Middle Tennessee in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. The CUSA home opener is a three game series beginning March 28 against Sam Houston.
The nine-team CUSA will play a 24-game regular season schedule with the top eight teams in the standings advancing to the CUSA Baseball Championship. The 2024 CUSA Baseball Championship will be played May 22-26 at J.C. Love Field at Pat Patterson Stadium in Ruston, Louisiana. The tournament features a double elimination bracket with the winner receiving the conference’s automatic bid to an NCAA Regional.
PROJECTED WEEKEND ROTATION
Friday: LHP Garrett Horn
Saturday: RHP Cole Hertzler
Sunday: RHP Bryce Dolby
PROJECTED OPENING DAY STARTING LINEUP
C Macaddin Dye
1B Easton Admunson
2B Aidan Sweatt
SS Tanner Marsh
3B Cam Foster
LF Noah Rabon
CF Kane Kepley
RF Camden Troyer
