NEWS

The Strasburg Express created a buzz last season after advancing to the 2013 Valley Baseball League playoffs behind the momentum of a four-game winning streak. The Express, under former manager Butch Barnes, then fought all the way to the VBL championship series before losing the series 2-1 to the Waynesboro Generals.

The Express will look different from last year’s runner-up team, but also return five players from the previous two seasons. New manager Ben Moore (N.C. Wesleyan ’09), an assistant coach at Randolph-Macon College, has joined the team after Barnes stepped down to become the team’s vice president of baseball operations.

Moore “knows his baseball,” said general manager Jay Neal told the Northern Virginia Daily in September. “His philosophy in handling players is what we were looking for.”

Strasburg will have to find ways to manufacture runs with a relatively short supply of power hitting. However, Strasburg has solid contact hitters on the 2014 roster. “We didn’t go out and find huge power guys, but we’ve built our team around speed and defense,” said director of baseball operations Parker Neal.

However when the Express have runners on, look for big offense out of probable first baseman Joe Camp (Potomac, Md.), who hit .364 this spring for Concord University with 14 doubles and 43 RBI. Camp hit only one HR in 50 games, but batted.469 with runners on base this spring.

Strasburg has both West Virginia State senior Anthony Payne (Hurricane, W. Va.), and Samford University junior Jared Watson (Jacksonville, Fla.) listed at catcher. However, look to see Watson, who hit .306 this spring, in the outfield for the Express. “Watson is a utility guy who can bounce around from the outfield to behind the dish,” said Neal.

Payne has a unique honor of being first in NCAA Division II baseball for being “toughest to strike out,” with only 4 K’s in 180 at-bats. Payne hit .333 with 9 doubles and 19 RBI this spring for the Yellow Jackets. However, “the main reason we brought Payne back was for defensive reasons. He’s got a strong arm,” said Neal.

Another notable position player for the Express is middle infielder Kevin Baron (LaSalle University/Towson, Md.). Baron hit .297 in 49 games with 11 doubles and 17 RBI this spring.

The key pitcher in the starting rotation for the Express will be Florida Tech’s Scotty Ward (Port Orange, Fla.), who went 5-2 in 12 games as a starter this spring. Ward had team-best 1.98 ERA and was named to the All-Sunshine State Conference second-team.

Senior left-hander David Hafer (Rider University/Pine Grove, Pa.) will be the first-ever third-year returner for the Express. Look for Hafer, who had a 5.13 ERA with a 4-3 record in 47 innings, to split time in the starting rotation and the bullpen.

Another big arm for Strasburg may come out of California in Division III Chapman University right-hander Braden Riddle (San Clemente, Calif.). Riddle was 7-2 with a 3.12 ERA this spring while earning Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Association first-team honors.

The Express open their 2014 season on the road against the Staunton Braves on Friday at 7:30 p.m.

 

—Brian Reese

 

Photo courtesy of Haymarket Joe Photography