24 Former Vols Lace Up Their Cleats All Across The Country On Opening Weekend
Friday, February 14th was the unofficial start to the college baseball season. Sure, some teams have already played for a week or two however the 14th is the start of the Division I baseball season in which many consider the unofficial start to spring baseball.
As the weekend came and went, several former John A. Logan Volunteers suited up with their new teams in hopes of another successful season. We highlight those players below:
Trent Johnson (2016) – Trent is a redshirt senior at Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana. The right handed pitcher and the Green Wave opened their season with three home wins against Florida Gulf Coast.
Josh Scheer (2016) – Josh is a right handed pitcher in his redshirt senior season at the University of Memphis. Josh and the tigers opened up last weekend at home against Xavier University. Scheer made two appearances out of the bullpen on opening weekend going 1.2 innings while striking out three and only allowing one hit.
Dylan Givens (2016) – Dylan is a right handed pitcher who is also in his redshirt senior season at Southern Illinois University. The Salukis are off to a 3-2 start to the season winning a series at Jackson State to open the year. Givens made one appearance out of the bullpen going 4.2 innings and striking out 4.
Taylor Grider (2016) – Taylor is in his redshirt senior season at Bethany College in Lindsborg, Kansas. Taylor has made one start on the mound for the Swedes who are 6-8 on the season with a win over #17 Texas Wesleyan University
Collin Clayton (2018) – CC is in his senior season at Missouri State University. The super utility player has played infield and outfield for the Bears. Missouri State opened the year with a series win over Central Arkansas University.
Jeremy Gaines (2018) – Jeremy is a middle infielder playing in his junior season at Illinois State University. Jeremy played in two games during the Redbirds opening series at University of Arkansas-Little Rock. The Redbirds travel to #23 Oklahoma University this weekend.
Jack Wilson (2018) – JW is in his senior season at Western Kentucky University. The left handed hitting infielder has seen most of his action hitting at the top of the order and playing second base. Jack started all three games in the Hilltoppers’ series win against Valparaiso Univerisity. He contributed three hits with a double and two RBI in his opening weekend.
Cameron Touchette (2018) – Touchette is a left handed hitting outfielder that is in his senior season at Kent State University. Cam started three games in the Golden Flash’s opening weekend. He hit .333 on the weekend with two doubles and three runs scored while playing center field. Kent State opened the season in Port Charlotte, Florida against University of Iowa, Indiana State University and St. Joseph’s University. The Flash will play at the University of Miami and Florida Gulf Coast this week.
AJ Lewis (2018) – AJ is a catcher for Eastern Kentucky University who is in his senior season. AJ was ranked in the preseason top 150 collegiate hitters. He started all three games of the Colonels opening weekend sweep of Presbyterian College. AJ hit .333 on the weekend with a double, homerun and four RBI. Eastern Kentucky will travel to play #11 LSU this weekend.
Shane Peisker (2018) – Shane is an outfielder playing in his senior season at Marian University in Indianapolis, Indiana. The Knights are off to a solid start with a 5-3 record. Peisker is pacing the Marian offense hitting a smoldering .548 with four doubles, nine runs scored and seven RBI. The former Vol has started all eight games for the Knights.
Brenden Heiss (2018) – Heiss is a right handed pitcher in his senior season with the #4 ranked Southeastern University Fire in Lakeland, Florida. The Fire are off to a 10-1 start to their season. Heiss is 2-1 on the season in three starts. The right hander has pitched 13.1 innings and struck out 20 while only allowing seven hits.
Davin Marcomb (2018) – Davin is a right handed pitcher in his senior season at William Woods University in Fulton, Missouri. The Owls are currently 7-2 on the season. Davin has made four appearances out of the bullpen as the William Woods’ closer earning a save in each outing. He has currently thrown 3.2 innings with eight strikeouts and only allowing one run.
Luke Brown (2019) – Luke is a left handed hitting center fielder playing his junior season at the University of Louisville. The Cardinals were ranked by some as the #1 team in the country entering the season. They opened their season at #15 University of Mississippi. Brownie made three starts collecting three hits and a walk while playing centerfield. The Cardinals will host Valparaiso University next weekend.
Hunter Sullivan (2019) – Sullivan is a two way player in his junior season at Middle Tennessee State University. The right handed pitcher will also see time as a position player at third base or first base. The Blue Raiders opened their season at #19 University of North Carolina with Sullivan playing in two of the three games.
Sam Frontino (2019) – Sammy is a junior infielder playing at the University of Pittsburgh. The Panthers opened their season going 3-1 in Port Charlotte, Florida against Indiana State, St. Joseph’s, Ohio State and Iowa. Frontino started all four games collecting a couple hits, driving in three runs and scoring twice. Pitt will travel to Florida again to play a three game series against Eastern Michigan.
Zach Parks (2019) – Zach is a junior outfielder playing for Quincy University in Quincy, Illinois. The Hawks went 2-1 on opening weekend against Saint Leo University in Saint Leo, Florida. Parks made three starts on the weekend with two hits, a walk and a hit by pitch. Quincy will travel to Mississippi College this weekend.
Hunter Combs & Cooper Trinkle (2019) – Hunter and Cooper are both juniors at Indiana University. Combs is a catcher and Trinkle is a middle infielder for the Hoosiers. Indiana opened their season on the road against #11 LSU earning a win on Saturday. Trinkle played in two games collecting a hit. Indiana will travel to Mobile, Alabama where it will play UT-Martin, #30 South Alabama and Siena.
Sam Zarling (2019) – Z is entering his junior season at Concordia University – Wisconsin in Mequon, Wisconsin. The Falcons will open their season on March 6th in Auburndale, Florida.
Trent Shelby (2019) – Trent is a junior infielder at Missouri Baptist University. The Spartans are 2-4 on the season and will travel to Conway, Arkansas this weekend to take on Central Baptist College. Shelby has made three starts on the year collecting a couple hits with a double and three walks.
Austin Ruesch (2019) – Austin is a right handed pitcher in his junior season at Abilene Christian University in Abilene, Texas. The Wildcats are off to a 4-1 start to the 2020 season. Ruesch got the start on Saturday against Utah Valley. He earned the win pitching five innings, allowing zero runs on three hits and striking out five. ACU will travel to Santa Barbara, California to take on UC-Santa Barbara this weekend.
Jeff Purnell (2019) – JP is in his junior season at Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia. The right hand pitcher earned the start on Sunday against the #2 team in the country in the University of Florida. Purnell allowed three hits in his start with the Thundering Herd. They will travel to Wilmington, North Carolina to take on Butler, Bowling Green and UNCW.
Johnny Ray (2019) – Johnny is a right handed pitcher at TCU. The Horned Frogs completed a three game sweep of the University of Kentucky on opening weekend. Johnny earned the right to be the opening day starter for the Frogs’ 2020 season. He pitched great in his TCu debut. He went 4.2 innings only allowing two hits and one run while striking out seven. Next up the Horned Frogs will host the University of Minnesota.
Andrew Peters (2019) – Andy is in his sophomore season at the University of South Carolina in Columbia, South Carolina. The Gamecocks completed a three game sweep against Holy Cross on opening weekend. Peters has earned the start on Wednesday the 19th against Presbyterian College. South Carolina will host Northwestern for a three game series this weekend.
In addition to these players the current Vols roster includes 13 players that are already signed to play baseball at the next level after their time in a Logan uniform. There will be a handful more that will earn scholarships to the next level as the season progresses. The Vols are currently 7-0 and ranked #1 in the country by The Juco Baseball Blog. Logan will play next on Friday the 21st at 11:00 AM and 2:00 PM in the first two games of the Logan Classic. For an updated schedule visit the Vols website at: www.loganvols.com