BOWLING GREEN, Ky. - WKU Baseball hosted its annual Media Day Tuesday with the upcoming 2015 season set to start Friday in Myrtle Beach, S.C. against No. 14 Maryland. Head coach Matt Myers and his seniors Ryan Church, Ryan Messex and Brennan Pearson chatted with the local media about expectations and goals for the 2015 season.
"It's going to be an exciting year watching these guys play," Myers said of his squad. "There are so many guys who have been contributors the last couple of years and there will be some new names you will definitely get to learn and know right away. We're going right away to that recruiting class."
"I told the guys yesterday, 'The hay is in the barn. The barn door is closed from a physical standpoint. Mentally we're getting ready. The worst thing we can do now is get in your way. The preparation has been done. It's time to turn it loose and have a great year.'"
WKU returns six of its nine hitters from a 2014 group that ranked among the nation's regular-season offensive leaders in hits (18th - 560), doubles (7th - 116) and slugging percentage (26th - .416). One of the leader's of that explosive group is Preseason All-Conference USA first baseman Ryan Church. Church led WKU with 38 RBI and seven homers last year and is likes the way this year's offense is built.
"I think our offense is second to none," said Church. "I think we became faster, I think we became more powerful and I think we became more physical. You're going to see this year that we get after it. We're going to turn singles into doubles, doubles into triples and first-to-third. We'll run balls out of the park and steal some bags. It's going to be a lot different."
One of WKU's offensive leaders who will also play a crucial role in its defensive success is redshirt senior catcher Ryan Messex. The 2014 Johnny Bench Watch list member gives WKU an elite catch-and-throw arm behind the plate and he'll be tasked with catching two new starters and a closer in 2015.
"You just have to learn those guys. You've to learn what they like to throw, how they like to throw it, what count they like to throw certain pitches in," said Messex. "John Harman, Austin King and Ben Morrison all have a lot of stuff that we haven't had here in the past so you've got to learn and work with them every day."
Messex is familiar with senior reliever Brennan Pearson, WKU's active career leader in apperances with 56. Pearson headlines what's expected to be a much improved bullpen in 2015. Pearson told the local media that the biggest difference in the staff this year is the trust the Hilltoppers have behind their starters.
"It's hard to say we're better than last year because we haven't played a game yet but from what I've seen, we're a staff that's not afraid to hand the ball off to the next guy and trust what we have whether it be on the back end or long relief.," said Pearson. "We're ready to give the ball up to the next guy, which I think is big for a pitching staff - to have that faith with the guy coming in to get the job done. I think that's a big step for us this year."
WKU begins the season Friday against the 14th-ranked Terrapins and will go on to face Coastal Carolina Saturday and Canisius Sunday as a part of the Caravell Resort Tournament.
How to follow the Hilltoppers: For more information on WKU Baseball, follow the program via Twitter and Instagram at @WKUBaseball.
