Carson-Newman Baseball Outfielders Position Preview
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – In the second part of a three-part series previewing the 2023 position groups for Carson-Newman baseball, we take a look the outfield group with senior Henry Jackson.
VIDEO: Henry Jackson Interview
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – In the second part of a three-part series previewing the 2023 position groups for Carson-Newman baseball, we take a look the outfield group with senior Henry Jackson.
The Eagles will need to replace two-thirds of their outfield with Gunnar Ricketts and Jordan Griffin graduating. Overall, the top three on the roster in runs scored came from the outfield with Ricketts leading the with 45, tied with Jackson, adding six homers and 32 RBIs. Griffin scored 32 times and finished with a .355 batting average and a team-high 13 stolen bases.
"The narrative has been who's left and who we brought in," Jackson said. "We are really excited with the maturity of the group so far. Those guys were great role models not just in work ethic but in uplifting you through practice and games. Those guys are people that we are going miss not just in run production but in off the field. We have brought in some great guys and some maturity from some of the younger outfielders. We are really deep in that position."
Jackson led the team with 20 multi-hit games last year and recorded a .409 on-base percentage providing 18 extra-base hits and eight stolen bases. He has played in 102 games over the first three years of his career hitting above .300 in each year. Despite missing eight games in the middle of the year, he reached base in 18 of the final 24 games of the year.
"We always like to start hot and be on the road with some adversity," Jackson said. "We have to take it one day at a time with an emphasis on training to perfect the small things that will help us throughout the year."
A few younger players will get their chance to step into bigger roles led by Ryan Potts (Dandridge, Tenn.) who played in 29 games reaching base at a .357 clip with a long ball and six RBIs sprinkling in a four-hit day.
Luke Goforth (Blacksburg, Va.) did not play in a game until March but finished with a .371 batting average posting three multi-hit games in 18 contests. Spencer Williams (Seymour, Tenn.) did not get a start until the end of March but had four hits in his final five at bats.
Dalton McLain (Greeneville, Tenn.) joins the club from Walters State after helping the No. 1 team in the nation to a third-place finish in the Junior College World Series. One of the top hitters on the roster, he swiped 16 bases in 17 attempts hitting .327 with four homers and 40 RBIs. McLain had 13 multi-hit games and 12 multi-RBI games driving in a run in seven of the final eight games of the year.
Adding to the fray, Nelson Smith (Goodlettsville, Tenn.) spent the last three years at Maryville College hitting .332 over 61 games in his career. In 2022, the junior hit .372 with six long balls and 28 RBIs stealing 19 bases in 21 attempts.
The third and final part of the position previews will be released on Monday with a look at the the infield with Zach Boze previewing a group that aims to replace several starters from 2022.
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