The Fall portion of the 2023-2024 Liberty Flames has come and gone. Liberty had 2 scrimmages both of which were power 5 road games against UNC and WVU. The matchup at UNC didn't go well aside from Cooper, Moran & Hertzler all throwing well. The bullpens arm had trouble getting outs and the bats struggled to make hard contact. The Flames flipped the script in Morgantown smashed 6 homers and plated 14 runs in total. The staff limited WVU to just 2 runs through the first 2 which included 2 innings each from Horn Moran & Hertzler. Both UNC and WVU will be in contention to be Top 25 type teams.
At one time it looked like Trey Gibson, Mikey Tepper and late high school signee Keegan Zinn would all make it to campus. All 3 ended up either being drafted or signing MILB free agent deals but the Flames did get Trey Carter back in the fold. That being said, it opened up some spots in the rotation behind Horn & Moran. It looks like Cole Hertzler is going to get a shot to head into the rotation and I would guess Trey Cooper is the early favorite for the 4th spot. However, Bryce Dolby will push for a starting role as well. Hertzler was clearly one of the best arms the Flames had last year but only threw around 30 innings as the Flames had trouble getting to him at the end of of games. I would expect Graham Edwards and Trey Carter to man the back end of the bullpen. Carter had a month and half stretch where he was downright unhittable and Graham Edwards finished the year on a strong note as well. The rest would seem to be up for grabs as far as middle relief and challengers to the bullpen roles. There are several returners like Ryan Butler, Todd Hudson and Talor Grubbs who could take that next step and turn into reliable arms. Lots of incoming guys that will have a shot to make an impact both from the high school & JUCO ranks and the portal. Brandon Dahlman, Garrett Mclaughlin, Ben Robert & Cale Bolton are 4 newcomers that the Flames expect to factor into the bullpen. Roberts & Bolton are sinkerballers that will need to keep the ball down in the zone to be successful. Mclaughlin has a plus slider with elite spin for his out pitch. Dahlman has been up to 92-93 in the fall. It sounds like HS Senior Ty Goodson will enroll early with the Flames and the expectation is that he could challenge for a role in the bullpen as well. He's a big physical recruit of new PC Tyler Robinson who will look to leave a mark early. Josh Swink, Terry Kaler & Ben Blair are 3 freshman that will try to work their way into roles as well. Swink & Kaler are both lefties that sit in the high 80's and rely on location. Blair is a local LCA product that hit 94 and showed a solid change and improving slider when I saw him in person last year in HS. Lots of new pieces and it's always interesting to see how the bullpen comes together. I can promise you one thing, however it starts it won't end that way. At least 1 or 2 guys will come out of nowhere to be critical pieces.
The Flames will be much improved both defensively and offensively. UNF transfer Aidan Sweat has put a stranglehold on the 2B position which the Flames have struggled to find consistency at post Will Wagner. Sweat is a consistent .300 hitter and steady glove. At SS it looks like true Freshman Tanner Marsh is making a strong claim to be the everyday shortstop. Marsh went 3 for 3 at WVU with a homer and a double. He's shown above average speed, glove and bubble power in his early time with the Flames. Juco transfer Brian Mclellin could factor in at both SS and 3B. USC Upstate transfer Noah Rabon could be the everyday LF for the Flames. He's had multiple seasons of a .290 plus BA and plus speed with bubble power as well. Kane Kepley & Cam Troyer return to round out the OF. Three Hillier is back behind the plate and will look to find his sophomore form after a bit of a challenging 2023 offensively. Horton and Dye provide depth behind the plate. Dye has had a very strong fall for the Flames both defensively and offensively. He had a homer and double at WVU as well. Dye is also an early graduate playing in what should be his HS Senior year. Cam Foster is back and likely to be the everyday guy at 3B once again but could see some time at DH and 1B as well. The 1B/DH mix will likely include Horton & Amundson and possibly Hudson. Keeter, Simmons and Waters also provide depth in the middle IF and OF. Brylan Green & Jarrett Crabtree could provide additional OF depth.
Defensively, I don't know if we can get back to leading the nation in fielding % but this group should be vastly improved. The Flames are going to be very strong up the middle and in the Outfield as a whole. Offensively, as usual the Flames are going to have a slew of lefties to take advantage of the friendly confines. They have struggled at times to have enough RH hitters to balance out the lefties and avoid being matched up the last couple years. I don't expect that to be a problem this year with Sweat, Mclellin, Foster, Rabon & Marsh all providing RH options plus Keeter has shown some pop as well from the right hand side. You never know until the real games start but I think this can be the deepest and most balanced lineup the Flames have had in a number of years. I also think the Flames are going to steal a lot of bases this year and put pressure on the opposition. Kepley, Sweat, Rabon & Marsh could all be in that 20 plus stolen base range and Troyer & Hillier have solid speed as well.
Projected Rotation
Weekend: Horn, Hertlzer & Moran
Midweek - Cooper & Dolby
Projected Lineup (no order)
Kepley - CF
Sweat - 2B
Foster - 3B
Amundson - 1B
Troyer - RF
Rabon - LF
Catcher - Hillier/Dye
DH - Horton/Hillier
Notes:
-Highly touted QB Reese Mooney who was set to play baseball as well has departed via the transfer portal.
-As noted earlier Ty Goodson will enroll early and could factor in the bullpen mix.
-Keep an eye on some changes to the staff. Sounds like a well known former Flame could be headed back to the staff.
-The injury bug has stayed away from the Flames for the most part but there are a couple situations to monitor heading in to scrimmages.
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