Volunteer State Pioneers Baseball 2025 Pre-Season Review
By: Timothy M. Reece, Broadcaster, VolState Sports Network
Volunteer State enters the 2025 baseball season with its smallest and probably its least experienced squad in the four years that Jim McGuire (81-68) has been the Head Coach, carrying a total of 39 able bodied players to start the season. Returning players, who have been with the program at least a year total 20 players, with only 13 of those having logged playing time in 2024. The other 19 players include three transfers and 16 true freshmen.
All good teams start with a solid pitching staff. This year's group will be led by first year Pitching Coach, Trevor Muzzi, from Shaw, MS, who was a RHP at Motlow State, Jacksonville State, and finished at Cumberland University in 2023 for former Pioneer Head Coach Ryan Hunt. Coach Muzzi has seven pitchers back from last year's squad who threw less than 1/3 of the total innings. Parker White (SO-LHP), Chip Harris (SO-RHP), and Max Cassle (SO-RHP), along with King University transfer Eben Hansen (SO-RHP - 2023 TBCA AA Player of the Year from Union County HS) and Drew Morehead (FR-RHP), will be the Starting Pitchers at the beginning of the season. Another possible starter, LMU transfer Ryan Murphy (R/SO-RHP), will hopefully be ready the beginning of March. Jack McLaury (SO-RHP), who led the squad in relief appearances in 2024 (16), Caden Trigg (SO-RHP), Carter Waltz (SO-LHP), and Caden Blackford (R/SO-RHP) will be helped by Braxten Alexander (R/SO-LHP) and RJ Moore (R/SO-RHP) who are coming back from injury. Cumberland transfer Bryant Rascoll (R/SO-RHP) along with Freshmen RHP's Brady Davis, Cobe Ross, Jack Lester, J.D. Speakman, and Nathan Stewart and LHP's Brody Prairie, Dawson Sweetland and Luke Williams will be counted on as well.
Another first year Coach for the Pioneers is Lucas Wilburn, Volunteer Assistant, who will help Coach McGuire with offense and defense. Coach Wilburn is from Gordo, AL, and was a two-way player (OF/LHP) at Lane College in Jackson, TN. He and the Pioneers will rely on six returning position players – Lex Falsone (C), Drew Plummer (UTL), Brady Knepper (MIF), Gage Hoover (OF - 2023 Mr. Baseball from Stewarts Creek HS), Carson Sanders (OF), and Reed Muschinsky (OF), along with Chattanooga State Sophomore transfer Scotty Dean (C/1B), R-SO Devin Thrain (OF) and R-FR Luke Lawson (OF), Cooper Wallace (OF), and JC Menendez (C). Freshmen Hudson Blank (UTL), Easton Denning (1B), Elijah Harris (MIF), and Brody Prairie (OF/LHP) showed promise at the plate during the Fall season, all hitting above .315 and having an on-base-percentage over .440. Blank led the team with 22 hits; Denning, Hoover and Sanders had three homers each; Denning and Hoover drove in 16 runs; Hoover led the team with .438 batting average and .518 OBP; and Thrain collected 10 extra base hits.
Freshmen Tucker Lorenz (SS) and AJ Armstrong (3B) will get a chance to compete for starting positions on the left side of the infield. Fellow Freshmen Jayden Perez (OF), Abe Goolsby (CIF), Cobe Ross (OF/RHP), and Jack Lester (CIF/RHP) hope to contribute at the plate and/or in the field as well.
After a disappointing 20-26 over-all record last year, including a 9th place finish in the TCCAA (8-18), the Pioneers are looking forward to getting off to a hot start with a three-game series at Lawson State (Birmingham, AL) on Saturday and Sunday, February 1st and 2nd. Then, on February 4th, Vol State will travel back to Alabama to take on Gadsden State in a mid-week doubleheader.
The home opener will be a DH on Friday, February 7th, against Glen Oaks CC (Centreville, MI) starting at noon (cst) at the Tim Garrett Baseball Complex on the campus of Volunteer State Community College, Gallatin, TN. Please come out and cheer on the 2025 'Neers or join us on the VolState Sports Network on YouTube where most games will be livestream broadcasted (see the link below). Thanks for your support of Vol State Baseball.