2018 BASEBALL PREVIEW -- PART THREE WITH COACH JACKSON

(LEBANON, Ill., Feb. 17)--Fans of the McKendree University baseball team will need to make sure and grab a program when they come to home baseball games at Hypes Field this spring. The Bearcats have close to 30 new players who will be taking the field for the team in 2018. 

That especially holds true for the McKendree pitching staff. The Bearcats have just three hurlers on the roster who saw significant action on the mound in 2017. But head coach Danny Jackson has high expectations for the starters and relievers slated to lead the team into the new campaign.

"I believe we have done a good job of stocking talented arms for our team this season," said Jackson. "We feel that we have upgraded both in the rotation and in the bullpen, which is important in the Great Lakes Valley Conference. There are of lot of guys we will rely on to get the job done on the mound."

The McKendree rotation will be led by one of the returnees in senior Nick Yung (pictured above). The right-hander has led the Bearcats' starters in victories each of the last two seasons. In 2017 Yung won three games an posted a 4.18 earned-run average, which was the best in the McKendree rotation a year ago. He also struck out a team-best 48 batters.

Among the newcomers slated to join Yung in the Bearcats' rotation will be junior Ryan Moore and freshman Jack Strieker. Moore went 5-1 with a 3.00 ERA as a sophomore at Olney Central College. Strieker was a standout at nearby Breese Central High School, where he went 8-1 with a 2.70 earned-run average and 70 strikeouts as a senior for the Cougars. Another recruit who will push for time in the starting rotation is freshman Lucas Vallandingham, who registered a 1.36 ERA in his final season with the Maroons. 

A pair of hurlers who were on the Bearcats' roster in 2017 but missed time due to injury are also back and could see important roles in the bullpen. Junior Brian Christiansen was off to a strong start in the first two weeks of 2017 before injury derailed his season. Fellow junior Blake Thompson missed the entire campaign after surgery, but Jackson feels that both will give McKendree depth and flexibility. Also back for the Bearcats from a year ago is junior Noah Kraljev.

Junior Levi Brening, who is also vying for playing time in the outfield for McKendree, is slated to serve as the Bearcats' closer in 2018. Brening was 4-1 with a 2.57 ERA last season at Carl Sandburg College, where he fanned 48 batters. Jackson noted that junior Kraig Gielow will be among those to paly a role in the Bearcats' bullpen, along with a host of freshmen in Jordan Kraljev, Andrew Yancik, Evan Spears, Connor Gilles and Jacob Reinkemeyer.