LITTLE ROCK - Little Rock had high expectations heading into the 2020Â season. The Trojans were coming off a 29-win performance in 2019, 18 of which came in Sun Belt play as the Trojans boasted the second-best league record. Little Rock had also swept the other four schools in the state of Arkansas, and had a solid lineup returning, bolstered by the return of Kale Emshoff from Tommy John surgery.
The 2020 campaign started off strong with wins over NCAA tournament teams Illinois State and Southern Miss and the Trojans were starting to click as the Sun Belt Conference schedule loomed on the horizon.
But as it was with nearly every aspect of life last March, the season came to a crashing halt due to the global coronavirus pandemic, leaving Little Rock with a litany of "what could have beens."
It led into the longest offseason any of the players or coaches had ever experienced, but after nearly 11 full months off, Little Rock is eager to pick up where it left off following the win in Hattiesburg in early March.
Heading into the 2021 season, head coach Chris Curry's team boasts a nice balance of veteran returners, experienced transfers and talented newcomers, all of which have the goal of contending for a Sun Belt Conference championship and an NCAA tournament berth.
COACHING STAFF
Chris Curry returns for his seventh season at the helm of the Trojans, registering 129 career victories and 73 in Sun Belt play, three shy of matching Gary Hogan for the most conference coaching victories in program history. He has seen nine of his former player sign contracts with Major League organizations and his team has qualified for the Sun Belt tournament in four of his first five years.
Curry will be rejoined by assistants Noah Sanders and R.D. Spiehs, both have which have played crucial roles in the Trojans' success. Sanders will be back for his fourth season in the Trojan dugout with Spiehs overseeing the Trojan pitching staff for year number three.
Curry will also have some added assistance from Eric Hansen, Little Rock's Director of Player Development and Data Analytics, as well as former player Christian Reyes in his second season as a graduate assistant and Jacob Caples in his third year as a volunteer assistant coach.
CATCHERS Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
It will be tough to replace the production, both on and off the field, of Kale Emshoff, who led the Sun Belt in a handful of categories through the shortened 2020 season. But Curry has four players on board, each looking to make their mark behind the plate.
The lone returner with game action in a Trojan uniform is John Michael Russ, who saw limited action in three games with one start in 2020 with an RBI.
Curry added three others in the offseason, bringing in transfers Anthony Socci from Lackawanna C.C. and Benton native Jake Wright from Murray State College, as well as freshman Robert Diaz from Saint Cloud, Florida. Each of them saw significant action during the fall season and will provide depth at a crucial position for the Trojans, adding both defensive and offensive threats.
INFIELD
Little Rock returns a handful of starters across the infield, with at least one veteran at each position. Kobe Barnum started 15 of 16 games at first, batting .235 with four doubles, tied for the team lead. He also filled in the designated hitter role, one that should carry over during the 2021 season.
Nathan Lyons played in a number of roles across the infield as Curry has him penciled in as his starting third baseman this year. Lyons was one of the Trojans' hottest bats in 2020, ranking second on the team with a .329 batting average with six RBI, starting all 17 games for Little Rock.
Jorden Hussein started 16 games at short for Little Rock and will be looked to again to be a solid presence in the infield. He provided a defensive presence at short while driving in three runs at the plate.
Eldrige Figueroa saw limited action in 2020, but returns for his fourth season having played 75 career games with 65 starts, boasting a .247 batting average and 19 RBI, playing a variety of positions for Little Rock.
Returners Will Spears and Christian Bernabe each saw limited action in their freshman seasons but had strong fall seasons for coach Curry. Both should factor into the lineup this season in either a relief role, or could contend for starting positions.
Curry also added a pair of veteran graduate transfers in Canyon McWilliams (Ohio Wesleyan) and Chris Prentiss (Jackson State). McWilliams was an All-NABC selection at first base, batting .399 with 31 doubles and 10 home runs in three seasons. Prentiss saw action in 54 games for the Tigers, batting .365 with eight stolen bases and was a first team All-SWAC selection.
OUTFIELD
Curry has the luxury of returning his entire starting outfield, beginning with Miguel Soto, who made the transition to left from the infield in 2020. Soto had a blistering start to the season, registering seven-straight multi-hit games and batting .302 on the year with seven RBI, four doubles and nine runs scored.
Tyler Williams started 15 games in center as a true freshman, hitting .220 with a .360 slugging percentage. Arguably the fastest player on the team, Williams stole four bases and made a handful of athletic plays in center for the Trojans.
Tim Dixon played in 16 games with 15 starts in right, belting three home runs with three doubles and 11 RBI for a .381 slugging percentage, crossing the plate eight times for Little Rock.
Kenny Rodriguez also saw playing time in the outfield in 2020, appearing in six games with 14 plate appearances. Curry added some depth with a pair of transfers in Noah Dickerson (Stetson) and Marlon Lindsey (Lackawanna C.C.), both of which will be looked to to provide extra power from the plate.
PITCHING STAFF
As experienced as the Trojan bats should be heading into the 2021 season, Little Rock's experience on the mound will be one of the tops in the Sun Belt Conference. The Trojan pitching contingent has combined for 539 innings pitched at the Division I level with a combined 544 strikeouts, boasting a 9.2 strikeouts per nine innings across the Little Rock staff.
One of the breakout stars in 2020 was Aaron Funk, who will return to the weekend rotation for the Trojans. Funk, the preseason Sun Belt Pitcher of the Year, led the league with 31.1 innings pitched with a 2.01 ERA, striking out 37 to rank 26th nationally. He was a two-time Sun Belt Pitcher of the Week with a pair of complete games, tying the league record and the top performance in the NCAA in 2020 with 17 strikeouts against North Alabama on March 1.
Hayden Arnold will also return to the Little Rock weekend rotation after pitching 14 innings with a 3.21 ERA and 24 strikeouts. Arnold is the Trojans' leading returner in both innings pitched (134) and strikeouts (145) with a career ERA of 3.83.
Cole Evans emerged as one of Little Rock's top threats out of the bullpen, posting a 1.98 ERA in 13.2 innings pitched with 21 strikeouts and a save. He should be looked upon to help close out games in the latter innings for Little Rock in 2021.
The Trojans return a pair of fifth-year seniors in Dillon Delgadillo and Eli Sievert, both of which were granted an extra year of eligibility due to the coronavirus pandemic. Delgadillo went 1-1 in 2020, pitching 10.0 innings with 14 strikeouts and a 7.20 ERA. Sievert pitched 15.0 innings, the second-most among the staff last season, with a 5.40 ERA, posting a 1-2 record with 10 strikeouts.
Austin Smith made the most appearances for the Trojans in 2020 with nine as the left hander registered a 2-1 record in 11.2 innings pitched with 14 strikeouts, tallying a 4.63 ERA. Luke Wallner was another strong option out of the bullpen for Little Rock in his Trojan debut season, posting a 4.09 ERA in 11.0 innings pitched with seven strikeouts over six appearances.
The Trojans also saw the newcomer trio of Erik McKnight, Cal Beardsley and Calvin Hunt combine for 21.1 innings and 17 strikeouts in the shortened 2020 season and each will be called upon again in various roles during the 2021 campaign.
A number of new arms were also added to the staff during the offseason to provide depth both as starters and out of the bullpen. Curry added six transfers in Aaron Barkley (Mississippi Valley State), John Boushelle (McNeese), Jack DeCooman (Washington), Reese Lansville (Northeast C.C.), Zane Neves (St. John's River State College) and Sawyer Smallwood (Northeast Texas C.C.), along with freshmen Matthew Davis (Selma, Ala.), Chance Vaught (Mobile, Ala.) and Jacob Weatherley (Jonesboro).
SCHEDULE
If 2020 is any example, we may need to expect the unexpected in 2021 regarding the Little Rock schedule. But should the schedule play out as is, it will be one of the most challenging of Curry's career.
Little Rock is scheduled to face two College World Series participants from 2019 (Arkansas and Auburn), two NCAA Super Regional qualifiers (Oklahoma State and Ole Miss) and perennial tournament teams Rice and Sam Houston State in the non-conference slate.
Additionally, the Trojans are slated to face each of the other in-state Division I schools at least twice each. Little Rock went 8-0 against Natural State foes in 2019, marking the first time in the history of the state a team has defeated each of the other four Division I programs in the same season.
The non-conference should prepare Little Rock for a challenging 24 game Sun Belt Conference schedule, facing Texas State, South Alabama, Louisiana and Appalachian State at Gary Hogan Field with road showdowns at Arkansas State, ULM, UT Arlington and Georgia State.
Little Rock will look to qualify for the 2021 Sun Belt Conference tournament for the fifth time under head coach Chris Curry with this year's tournament taking place in Montgomery, Alabama. The Sun Belt signed a five-year deal to hold the tournament at Riverwalk Stadium, home of the Montgomery Biscuits, as 2020 was suppose to be the first year of the neutral site showdown for the automatic NCAA tournament bid.
#LittleRocksTeam
