Baseball | 2/3/2012 3:19:00 PM

FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. - The Methodist baseball team had a number of quality wins at 28-16, but finished the 2011 season dissatisfied with the end result. The Monarchs will look to start strong in 2012 with their season opener scheduled against Roanoke College on Saturday.

Head coach Tom Austin's hopes to lead his team to championship success on the way to earning his 1,000th career win. In his 33rd season, Austin stands at 985-414-9 overall and anyone who knows Austin, knows 15 wins and merely reaching the milestone would be a dissatisfying season. The team has had 30 consecutive seasons with 25 wins or more. To follow along with Austin as the Monarchs go for 1,000, track their success here.

Last season, the Monarchs started slow in conference play, but finished with the No. 3 seed in the conference tournament. Methodist ranked third in the conference in batting and pitching while leading the league in fielding. The team had a conference-low 43 errors to finish with a .975 fielding percentage as a whole. The team also defeated rival N.C. Wesleyan on four occasions including an elimination game in the USA South Tournament.

Pitching
The Monarchs will have to replace top pitcher Tre' Britt after Britt wrapped up a successful four-year career with the Monarchs. He finished with a team-high eight wins in 16 starts and racked up 64 strikeouts and a 2.88 earned run average.

Newcomers a year ago, Andrew Womble and Michael Judge earned the second and third most starts a year ago and will look to become even more integral this season. Womble finished 4-4 on the mound including a conference win over the N.C. Wesleyan Bishops. Judge pitched his way to a 6-2 record while earning USA South Rookie Pitcher of the Year recognition.

A number of pitchers supported the Monarchs in relief highlighted by Rusty White's five saves and 2.81 earned run average. Now a senior, White will move into sole possession of second in the Methodist record books for career saves with his next save. Junior Chris Perry proved to be an effective asset on the mound last year picking up two wins in three starts late in the season and Austin expects Perry to become a regular part of the pitching rotation.

Reid Berry saw limited time on the mound last season, but pitched four and two thirds scoreless innings with seven strikeouts over five appearances. Josh Ayers and Rett Lee had 23 and 16 appearances respectively and each notched a win in relief. The pitching staff continues to improve and gain experience and will add five freshmen anxious to contribute.

Infield
The Methodist infield will miss shortstop Brian Inghram and third baseman Shawn Lovette, but Tyler Younger and Dustin Brown return as regular starters at first and second base. Inghram started every game for the third consecutive year hitting .340 at the plate. Lovette was a mainstay at the hot corner with a team-high 37 RBI.

Senior catcher Trey Such has already been recognized with preseason All-American honors after finishing 2011 hitting .307 with 37 RBI thanks in part to 12 homeruns. Such earned second team All-Conference honors and hit three home runs in the conference tournament on the way to being named to the All-Tournament team. Heading into 2012, Such is tied for second in career home runs with 32.

Younger has two years of experience at first and Brown earned Honorable Mention All-Conference recognition as a freshman. There are four new freshmen infielders competing for time in addition to two new catchers. The Monarchs have a number of qualified candidates to fill the vacant positions.

Outfield
In addition to Britt, Inghram and Lovette, the Monarchs will have to replace MU graduate and former centerfielder Tripp Lancaster. He hit .352 at the plate last year and stole a team-high 27 bases for a career total of 84. He wrapped up his career with honorable mention All-Conference honors as well as All-Tournament recognition and third team All-Region honors.

Brandon Thigpen and Matt Quick split time in left field with both players hitting better than .300 in 2011. Thigpen went .362 at the plate with a team-high 37 RBI to go along with five home runs. He earned second team All-Conference honors for his efforts. Quick was .325 at the plate including a 3-for-3 performance against PSU-Abington and 3-for-5 with two RBI versus Virginia Wesleyan College. Both players should earn starting jobs in the outfield with three other newcomers looking to earn a spot on the field.

Designated Hitter
Last season, when Thigpen wasn't in the outfield, he spent some time as the designated hitter. Chris Perry also spent a number of games in the DH spot hitting .275 with 22 RBI. Perry was one of the most versatile players having played catcher, designated hitter and pitcher. The Monarchs have a number of options again this season.

Schedule
There is a lot of anticipation surrounding the 2012 season opener on campus. The Monarchs will host Roanoke in a three-game weekend series before spending the following weekend at LaGrange College. Methodist will be back for their annual Methodist Diamond Invitational Feb. 17-19 followed by two mid-week games and in less than a month, USA South action begins Feb. 25 when the Monarchs travel to Greensboro College.

The team is scheduled to play 23 of their 40 regular season games at home giving fans a number of opportunities to see them in action at Armstrong-Shelley Field. The USA South preseason poll was released in January giving Christopher Newport University the top spot ahead of Shenandoah University and the Monarchs. Both CNU and Shenandoah have been ranked in the top 25 amongst NCAA Division III schools going into the 2012 season and Methodist will have a chance to host both teams this season. The conference regular season wraps up Apr. 7 with the USA South Tournament held Apr. 12-15 in Burlington, N.C.

Methodist alum and former student assistant coach Spencer Martin returns for his second season back as the full-time assistant with Austin. His main duties include serving as the pitching coach, head coach of the developmental team, and coordinating the Monarchs recruiting efforts. Additionally, Michael Morrison will serve as a student assistant coach working with the varsity outfielders, developmental team, and coaching first base.

The Monarchs will kick everything off on Saturday at 1 p.m. Follow along throughout the season with live stats as well as results and news releases posted here at mumonarchs.com.