JACKSON, Miss. - On Friday, Belhaven baseball will begin its 53rd season and the second in NCAA Division III with non-conference contests with Berry (Ga.) and Trinity (Texas) as a part of the Belhaven/Millsaps Tournament this weekend from Smith-Wills Stadium. 

Belhaven's season opener will begin on Friday against Berry at 4 p.m., and after Trinity plays Maryville Saturday afternoon, the Green and Gold will take a swing at the defending D-III National Champions at 3 p.m.

Coming off a 20-18 record and a 10-11 mark in the American Southwest Conference (ASC), the Green and Gold are ready to put the 2016 campaign in the rearview mirror and focus on the journey of the 2017 season.

"We are coming off the worst season we've ever had with losing Devin [McCann] three weeks before the season, and we also lost our No. 1 and No. 2 starting pitchers three weeks into the season due to injury," commented head coach Hill Denson. We did not have the depth last year that we do this season. There are a few guys that can play different positions, and usually by this time, our staff has a feel for who's starting where for the first game of the season." 

One of the two lost pitchers was Tanner Cable, who went down with a season-ending injury after a remarkable start in 2016, posting a 5-0 record, a ERA of 2.70, an opponent batting average of .134, all while striking out 49 in 33.1 innings. 

The Southaven, Miss. native earned national honors as the National Christian College Athletic Association's (NCCAA) National Pitcher of the Week honors for last March 1 after an eight-inning, one-unearned run performance against McMurry in Abilene, where he fanned 14. 

The ASC Player to Watch came to Belhaven after a one-year stint with Delta State, and was originally drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 26th Round of the 2013 First Year Player Draft while he was attending Northwest Mississippi Community College. 

Along with Shane Brown to cover the second rotation spot, others will have the opportunity to step up for the third rotation spot and possible notch a mid-week start for the Green and Gold in 2017.

"It's been one of those things as a coach where you want to have a lot of options, but at the same time, it can be very challenging," said pitching coach Josh Clarke. With Cable and our other veterans coming back is a huge factor for us, both in the starting role or coming out of the bullpen. We have some guys that have been through the fire before. With our newcomers and transfers coming in, we will have a better opportunity to match up late in games."

As a team, the Green and Gold finished fourth in the ASC in ERA (4.69) and allowed opposing hitters to a .263 batting average, good for second behind Concordia Texas. BU finished third in the conference in strikeouts (263), averaging about seven punchouts per contest.

On offense, according to Clarke, there are a lot of guys that can help on the bat. "When the lights come on, we have to see who steps up and takes charge."

One key offensive returner is Terrell Hodges, who led the team with a .397 batting average, good for ninth in the ASC. Along with seven home runs, 26 RBIs and 43 runs scored, the Holmes Community College transfer led the league in stolen bases with 30, good for ninth-best in school history. The Northwest Rankin product was a member of the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) All-West Region Third Team and the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) All-Mideast Region Team.

Seniors Daniel Ammirati and Gabe Veith are expected to help both on the diamond and at the plate. Ammirati, who is scheduled to cover the hot corner in 2017, posted a .331 batting average, and thanks to 19 walks, posted on on base percentage of .420.  

Veith posted great numbers splitting time with Tee Payne behind the plate. The Pensacola, Fla. native recorded a .350 batting average in 22 games and recorded his first career dinger at Concordia Texas last April in Austin. 

Some newcomers BU will look to in 2017 will be transfers Will Costinett and Kreg Garner. Costinett, a LSU-Alexandria transfer, posted a .287 batting average with five bombs and 15 RBIs in 29 games. Garner, who participated with Division I Arkansas State in 2016, attended Pearl River Community College before graduating from Northwest Rankin. 

Preview: Berry College
The Vikings finished with a 27-17 mark in 2016 and made the Southern Athletic Association (SAA) Tournament Championship Series against Birmingham-Southern. As a team, Berry posted a .302 team average, second in the SAA.

The lone returner to Berry's starting rotation is Trey Rampy, who posted a 4-4 record in 15 games with nine starts, a 5.40 ERA and struck out 25 in 47.1 innings pitched. 

Sophomore Casey Whitaker raked .345 in his freshman campaign, while Slade Dale posted a .327 batting average with seven doubles and 33 RBIs. 

Berry fell in its season opener to LaGrange (Ga.), 10-9 at home on Wednesday. Along with BU on Friday, the Vikings will take on UT Tyler and Trinity at Millsaps on Saturday and Sunday, respectively. 

This will be the first time since 2010 that BU will take on the Vikings. The Blazers took two of three games from Berry in a series from Smith-Wills Stadium. 

Preview: Trinity University
The 2017 season will begin in Jackson for the defending Division III National Champions. Finishing with a 44-7 overall record, the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) champions finished second in all of NCAA Division III in hitting (.350) and sixth in ERA (2.97). 

With most of their offense from a year ago removed, Trinity will look to returners Logan Morrison and Jake Martin. Morrison, in limited action, posted a .364 average (4-for-11) with a homer. Martin recorded 16 hits in 47 at bats for a .340 average. 

On the pitching side, Troy Nelson and Chris Tate return with big shoes to fill. Nelson, in 10 starts, posted a 5-1 record with a 4.25 ERA in 2016, while striking out 70 in 53 innings pitched. Tate did his work from the bullpen, posting a 6-0 record with three saves. In 47.2 innings, he posted a 2.45 ERA and fanned 63.

The Tigers will be at Twenty Field on the campus of Millsaps on Friday and Sunday. Friday, they will take on UT Tyler and Millsaps before taking on Berry on Sunday. Sandwiched in between games at Millsaps will be contests against Maryville and BU on Saturday from Smith-Wills. 

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