Boasting Series’ best BA, Lee has no problem scoring in bunches
By Josh Wright
Mark Brew spent four years as Trevecca Nazarene’s closer, two more as an assistant at his alma mater and a decade molding young arms as Lee’s pitching coach. So in his first year after replacing his longtime boss, the Flames have relied on their pitching staff to reach Lewiston, right?
Well, not exactly.
The Cleveland, Tenn., club is rich in quality arms, but its M.O. clearly has been the constant presence of a dynamic, unrelenting lineup.
“Our pitching has been good enough to win,” said Brew, who took over for Dave Altopp, “and our defense has been pretty good, too. But, at the plate, we really do a good job. (We’ve) found a way to score a lot of runs and have big innings. It’s been the key to our season all year.”
The best example of the Flames’ explosiveness came in the Atlantic South Super Regional, when they hammered St. Thomas, an at-large Series qualifier, for 40 runs in three games.
Lee has flashed an especially torrid touch, though, for the entire postseason. In the 11-game span, it’s averaged almost 10 runs per game.
The sixth-seeded Flames, who sit third in the nation in team batting average (.367), are a vastly different squad than their 2005 counterpart that advanced to the Series. That team depended on pitchers B.J. Church and Jon Kirby to keep it in games.
Against Lewis-Clark State in the ‘05 opener at Harris Field, Church’s heroics only went so far. He left after the eighth inning with a 4-2 lead, then watched as the Warriors scored three times to win.
“We were basically all pitching and not a lot of hitting,” Brew said. “This year, I feel like we’re a lot more balanced across the board than we were in 2005.”
Leading the charge is Lance Zawadzki, a senior transfer from San Diego State. The switch-hitting shortstop, who was drafted in the 15th round by St. Louis last year, is hitting .477 with 70 RBI and 37 stolen bases.
Behind him in the cleanup spot is first basemen Aaron Simmons, who leads the team in RBI (72) and is second on the club with a .424 average. Beyond his gaudy numbers, Brew said, Simmons is Lee’s quiet but integral presence in the locker room.
“He’s had an absolutely unbelievable year for us,” the coach said. “He’s been one of the best defensive first basemen I’ve seen. … He always seems to come up with the big hit when we need it.”
Left fielder Jeremy Hutslar (.409, 33 stolen bases) and leadoff man Andrew Shaver (.500 on-base percentage) have also flourished at the top of the order.
On the mound, the Flames are sparked by Gabe Seten (8-4, 1.58 ERA) and Cody Campbell (10-2, 4.37). Either one of those upperclassmen will probably get the start tonight.
Campbell, along with fellow hurler Joel Matthews, is another transfer from San Diego State.
Lee’s top reliever, Matt Montgomery (1.95 ERA, six saves), is in his first year from Alabama Southern.
With those arms and a wildly successful offense, the Flames are certainly capable of improving on their 0-2 showing two years ago. Getting past L-C tonight is another matter.
