The defending ASUN champion Liberty Flames baseball team is set to begin another season that many predict will be as fruitful as the last one.
Last year, Liberty rode a 43-21 record to a conference championship and the program’s sixth-ever NCAA regional appearance. The 2019 team set program records for innings pitched, strikeouts, saves, and putouts. Three Flames; Evan Brabrand, Jonathan Embry, and Andrew McInvale were selected in the 2019 draft.
While the graduations of Brabrand, Embry, and McInvale are a testament to the program’s success in the MLB draft (at least one Flame has been drafted each year since 2000), these losses will sting. In addition to the three draftees, Liberty will also be without star first baseman Logan Mathieu in 2020. Mathieu, who tore his ACL over the offseason, led the conference with 52 RBI’s last year.
Despite these losses, Liberty was picked first in the 2020 ASUN preseason poll: edging out Florida Gulf Coast by four votes. Second baseman Will Wagner, outfielder Gray Betts, and pitchers Noah Skirrow and Garrett Price were selected to the preseason All-Conference team. The Flames also return sophomore pitcher Joe Adametz, shortstop Cam Locklear, and outfielder Brandon Rohrer. Adametz was named to the 2019 all-ASUN freshman team, while Locklear and Rohrer earned all-conference tournament honors.
Liberty head coach Scott Jackson will look to Wagner to repeat his remarkable 2019 season. Wagner, the ASUN’s only unanimous preseason All-Conference pick, started 62 games last year. Wagner batted .314 with six homeruns and 42 RBIs to go with 43 runs scored.
In addition to Adametz and Skirrow, junior lefthander Mason Meyer will be a part of Liberty’s 2020 rotation. Meyer, who started 15 games in 2019 and appeared in 21, posted an ERA of 4.28 over 80 innings pitched. Meyer is one of three returning Flames who pitched 75 innings or more in 2019.
Liberty’s 2020 slate begins with three road games. Last year, the Flames were average away from Lynchburg; posting a 14-14 road record compared to a 25-5 home record. Liberty opens the season this Friday, Feb. 14 at Clemson. First pitch is slated for 4:00 p.m. The home opener is next Tuesday against Radford at 4:00 p.m.
