ST. AUGUSTINE – Flagler College head baseball coach Dave Barnett looks to infuse some talented newcomers with the returnees from last year's club for a run at the Peach Belt Conference crown.

"We have a really good group of players," said Barnett. "I really enjoy going to practice as they are doing what they need to do to get better and they are a solid group." 

The Saints went 17-21 last year, which included a 16-16 mark in the Peach Belt. Barnett, who enters his 35^th season at the helm of the program and is just 18 wins shy of 1,000, welcomes back seven players with experience as a starter, but has brought in a lot of new talent who will be expected to produce right away.

Flagler's infield remains intact from last year, with one exception.

One of those returnees is Jaiden Warde. He played in 37 games last year, but spent the most time at third base. Warde hit a pair of home runs, including a grand slam, and knocked in 19 runs. Newcomer Brad Vondruska will also play a bit at third. He spent the last two seasons at Milwaukee (Wis.) Area Technical College where he earned NJCAA All-America third team honors in 2021.

Barnett will move all-conference utility player Donovan Garcia from shortstop to the outfield. Mason Gray will step in after a great career at Lake City Columbia High. Barnett said Gray had a great fall and likes his instincts as well as his speed.

Matthew Burke started all 38 games last year at second base and is back for another season. He batted .278 and led the team with 102 assists in 2021. Zach Thomas, a redshirt freshman from Fort Myers, Florida will back up Burke.

Coy Phillips, a transfer from Santa Fe College in Gainesville, Florida, is the projected first baseman for the Saints. He hit three triples as a freshman for Santa Fe.

In leftfield will be Myles Colangelo, who played the two corner infield positions on occasion last year. He drove in a team-high 25 runs in 2021. Donovan Garcia will spend time in the outfield, specifically either center or right field. He led Flagler in hitting with a .361 batting average and had a team-high four sacrifice hits. Trey Newland, a transfer from Prince George's Community College in Maryland, looks to be starting in either center of right field. He batted .365 last year and led the team with 13 stolen bases.

Behind the plate will be a healthy John Fiorenza. Injuries limited him to 18 games, but Barnett expects him to be a constant at catcher. Tyler Keith will back up Fiorenza.

Luke Welborn, a transfer out of Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, will be the team's designated hitter. He belted seven home runs last year and also stole nine bases. Ashton Thomas will also compete for time as a designated hitter, but can also come off the bench to pinch hit or play some outfield.

The Saints lost three starters on the hill last year and will look to Ryan Ayrey to lead the staff this season. He posted a 1-1 record and made seven relief appearances for Flagler a year ago. Ayrey also performed well in the fall season. Gage Voorhees will see more time in the rotation as he was a steady reliever for Barnett last season with a 2-0 record. Newcomers Dylan Faulkner (Tallahassee CC), Seth Wysocki (Lake-Sumter State College), and Gabriel Partridge (St. Petersburg College) are expected to compete for spots in the starting rotation after productive careers at the junior college level.

The bullpen will see Nick Phifer, who went 1-0 in nine relief appearances last year for the Saints. Jake Hill pitched in 11 games in 2021 and redshirt freshman Gavin Barnell will join them in the bullpen. A pair of southpaws, Anthony Nofi and Robert Archbold, will come in to pitch in certain situations. Freshmen Ryan Franklin and Steven Reiss will look to provide innings over the course of the season.     
Flagler opens the season this weekend with a three-game series against Queens University of Charlotte. The two teams play a doubleheader on Saturday at noon at Drysdale Field and will conclude the series with a single-game at noon on Sunday.         
      
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