There was one key component North Carolina A&T baseball coach Keith Shumate was expecting to have back from his 2005 MEAC Championship team when the Aggies hit the field in 2006. There was also one key player he didn’t expect to play so much. Both of those setbacks have been fixed as the Aggies go into the 2007 season.

 Jeremy Jones, the 2005 MEAC Player of the Year and a Brooks Wallace Watch candidate prior to the 2006 season, missed all but one game after breaking his wrist in batting practice. Despite Jones missing most of the season, the Colorado Rockies still drafted the Fayetteville, N.C., native in the 25^th round of the 2006 Major League Baseball draft.

 JJ’s BACK

Jones’ selection left Shumate facing the same problem he had in 2006, no Jones to go along with fellow power hitter and first-team All-MEAC performer Charlie Gamble. But Jones, a preseason third-team All-American prior to the 2006 season, had a change of heart. The last thing Jones wanted to do was start his minor league baseball career without seeing live pitching for an entire season.

 Education also played a part in Jones’ return. The fitness and wellness major is close to completing his degree at N.C. A&T, which is a great addition to a beautiful swing, a golden glove and a promising career. 

 “I felt like I owed the team another year,’’ said Jones. “It didn’t feel right leaving A&T now, it didn’t feel right leaving A&T after coming off of an injury. Coming back for another year gives me an opportunity to work with Shumate on various aspects of my game.”

 CUTTING BACK HIS HOURS

With Jones back in the mix, Shumate had to correct his other issue. John Primus, a Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American in 2005 as a pitcher, had to pull double duty last season as the Aggies second baseman and No. 2 starting pitcher.

 Primus gave an outstanding effort in both areas. He hit .280 with 12 RBI and was an 27-for-81 at the plate (.333) with the bases loaded. On the mound, he was 6-6 with a 4.51 ERA over 109.2 innings pitched. Those pitching numbers were down from his 7-3 record, seven complete games and 3.25 ERA as a freshman.

 Michael Hauff, the Aggies ace for the past three seasons, had his four-year eligibility come to an end last season. With Hauff pitching in the Kansas City Royals organization, that leaves the No. 1 pitching slot to Primus. Shumate in no way wants his ace pitcher doing two jobs this season, so Shumate brought in some infield help to assure it doesn’t happen.

 “Primus did some great things for us on the mound and at the plate last year,’’ Shumate said. “But we think it better serves our team if he is only thinking about pitching when his time in the rotation comes up. We feel like we added to our infield depth tremendously, which will keep Primus on the mound, where he can help us most.”

 SPEAKING OF THE MOUND

The Garner junior can not pitch every game for the Aggies, however. One of the biggest question marks surrounding the Aggies this season is their pitching. Who will step up and be the solid No. 2 guy? Chris Eggers is one of the major candidates. Eggers started his Aggies career 3-0 before lingering back problems cut his season short.

 He still finished 4-3, but with an ERA of 6.23. He is back this season, healthier and leaner. His stiffest competition for the No. 2 slot is UNC-Asheville transfer Timothy Johnson, a left-hander out of Statesville, N.C.  Johnson was a two-year starter for the Bulldogs and helped them win a Big South Championship.

 The other likely starter for the Aggies is freshman Nick Rogers. Rogers, a Greensboro native, was a three-time all-conference performer at Northwest Guilford.           John Primus

 OH, WHAT A RELIEF IT IS
Shumate will likely turn to Ronald Phelps when the Aggies need to hold a slim lead in the ninth inning. Phelps got off   to a horrendous start last season as a freshman, but settled down once Shumate turned him into the Aggies closer.

 He had a 3.37 ERA over his last nine innings pitched last season and concluded the 2006 season with four saves. While Phelps prospered toward the end of the season, the rest of the Aggies bullpen struggled throughout the season. Five Aggie relievers had ERAs over 10 runs last season. 

 With greater numbers this season, the Aggies should be able to find the arms to relieve his starters. Junior college transfer Marquis Frink looks to see a lot of innings out of the Aggies bullpen along with Phelps. Sophomores Cyril Daniel and Chris Watson are the Aggies other two right-handers coming out of the pen. The lefties are headed up by Ryan Sellers, who missed last season with an injury. Jody Calloway, Kyle Harvey and Jasper Smith provide Shumate with more left-hand options and some of his lefties could earn starts during various parts of the season. Sophomores Chris Mullins, William Sunderland, Jerel Wilson and freshman Taylor Choplin will compete for spots and provide much needed depth.

 

ROOM FOR ERROR
Phillip Brewington

Aggie pitchers will have a little room for error this season if the Aggies offense is as good as it looks on paper. Jones will be a huge part of the Aggies power surge. Jones’ numbers from the 2005 season were remarkable. He hit .402 with a then team-record 82 hits. He knocked in 46 runs and had a slugging percentage of .588. Amid all the offensive numbers, what got lost was Jones’ outstanding defense as a center fielder.

 He made just two errors on the season and has made just three errors his entire career for a career .984 field percentage. Joining Jones in the outfield is veteran left fielder Phillip Brewington.

Brewington, a junior out of Sanford, N.C., had his best year at the plate last season. He hit .276 and recorded nine extra base hits. If he can continue to give the Aggies that kind of production and C.J. Beatty brings the offense he is expected to bring, the Aggies could be lethal to opposing pitching.

 Beatty is Winston-Salem, N.C., native who earned All-State honors as a senior and was a four-time all-conference player, including winning conference Player of the Year. “All three are capable of playing center field,’’ said Shumate. “Each one has a great arm and they all have tremendous speed.”

Redshirt freshman Justin Howard will provide depth in the Aggies outfield. Shumate will likely use a few utility players in the outfield as well, but for the most part, Jones, Brewington and Beatty will man the Aggies outfield.

 POWER NOT ONLY RESIDES IN THE OUTFIELD
As powerful as the Aggies outfield looks, the infield is even more imposing. Charlie Gamble, Joe McIntyre and Patrick Oates were the Aggies top three hitters last season. They hit a combined .351 with 27 home runs and 129 RBI. They accounted for more than 50 percent of the Aggies home run production and nearly 50 percent of their RBI production.

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