NEWS

The Harrisonburg Turks will return 13 players from last year’s team when they take on the New Market Rebels at home on May 30. Last year, Harrisonburg earned a league-best 32-12 record in the regular season and was ranked as high as seventh in Perfect Game USA’s Summer Collegiate Team Rankings.

Head coach Bob Wease has led the Turks to the league championship series two of the last three seasons, winning the Valley Baseball League title in 2012. Wease and the Turks look to return this year after falling to eventual champion Waynesboro in the first round of the playoffs last season.

The Turks bring back senior leadership in infielder Thomas Smith (Georgia Tech/Fort Pierce, Fla.) and outfielder Eric Kolbfleisch (UNC Greensboro/Pilot Mountain, N.C.).

Smith was a member of the Turks championship team in 2012 and has been an All-Star selection for the Turks for the past two seasons. During the 2013 season, he hit .346 with 10 doubles and 23 RBI, and was named to the All-Valley League First Team.

He recently garnered second-team All-ACC honors for his play at first base, but his versatility will offer the Turks options in the infield this summer. Smith primarily played third-base last year for the Turks, but has started at first-base for Georgia Tech this season while also playing second-base and shortstop in the past.

Although the high level of competition was a key factor in returning to the Valley League, Smith says "the teammates and the people" keep him coming back.

Kolbfleisch, an outfielder, batted a team-high .354 and was named to the All-Valley League First Team. Kolbfleisch was also named MVP of the 2013 Valley League All-Star Game.

Harrisonburg will have a strong pitching staff led by senior right-hander Connor Kaden (Wake Forest/Toms River, N.J.). Kaden, an All-Valley League First Team selection, went 5-0 in eight starts in 2013 for the Turks with an ERA of 2.55.

Another key pitcher for the Turks will be University of Texas-San Antonio right-hander Logan Onda (Houston, Texas). Onda went 4-2 in 2013 for the Turks in 41 innings of work. The second-year returner had 42 strikeouts and only 14 walks on the season, with an ERA of 2.63.

Senior right-hander Brett Morgan (Wingate/Mooresville, N.C.) and junior left-hander Garrett Ford (Georgia State/Loganville, Ga.) should also contribute to a deep rotation for the Turks.

Other notable players include returning senior outfielders Thomas Spitz (Wingate/West Chester, Pa.) and Jace Whitley (Winthrop/Locust, N.C.). Spitz has a .324 batting average for the Wingate Bulldogs this season with ten doubles and a perfect 10-10 in stolen base attempts.

—Brian Reese

Photo by HaymarketJoePhotography.com