Cats Open Season February 2
Wildcat 2024 Baseball Preview
Coach Rusty Thompson enters his 17th season at the helm for the Wildcats in 2024. The Skipper is 389-328-3 at Bethel.
Assistant Coach Nick Thompson enters his 17th season while fellow assistant Lee Whitaker enters his 7th.
The Wildcats look to improve on an 18-29 season in 2023. The Cats finished 12-15 in the tough Mid-South Conference.
Key Players Lost
The Wildcats will be without Marco Santa. The highly decorated right hander was an anchor on
the staff for four seasons. Santa posted a career 3.94 era in 43 games with a 65 percent win mark as a starter.
Key Returners
The Wildcats will return two weekend starters and also several other key pieces to the pitching staff. Coach Thompson commented, "As a staff we are thrilled to return a lot of guys who have matured on the mound and been highly successful in various roles during their careers." The Wildcats will also return key pieces to the lineup from the 2023 campaign.
Infield
At first base the Wildcats will welcome Zack Griffith to the roster while returning Rivers Moffatt
and Paden New. The middle infield will feature Jose Olmeda who returns for his junior campaign.
Noah Foster returns after a strong freshman season and will add versatility being able to play the
hot corner as well as second base along with newcomer Juan Diego. Senior Luis Aristud will also
return for the Wildcats looking to add depth and leadership to a strong group also including Todd Ethridge.
Catcher
Ivan Vega will return for his third season after catching the majority of games his first two seasons as a Wildcat. Chase Hoover returns behind the plate for his senior year and will look to add experience and leadership to the group. Freshman Juan Diego will also push for innings behind
the plate with the ability to play a number of other positions in the lineup.
Outfield
The outfield will return Bryan Catala and Noah Hawkins for their final seasons in 24. Both have
played a number of innings patrolling the outfield during their careers as Wildcats. Adriel Vega, a
sophomore will make the transition to the outfield and looks to showcase his athleticism after a strong fall in his new role. The additions of junior CJ Thomas, and freshman Jared Hall will look to make a strong group only deeper both offensively and defensively. Sophomore Zayden McCaslin is back and looking to push for time in the outfield along with freshman Cade Pilkinton.
Utility
This year the Wildcats have a few guys who can play a number of positions at a very high level. Junior Wyatt McKee will return and has now logged innings at every position on the field during his tenure for the Wildcats. Brantlee Brasher returns with multiple gloves in his bag as well as newcomer Hayden Hixon for the Cats.
Pitchers
Bethel returns highly touted Alexis Rodriguez to the staff. He has served as a closer as well as a starter during his career at Bethel. Rodriguez will look to close out his strong career and is poised for a great year on the bump. Weekend starters Tyler Proctor and Luke Boswell will return for their senior and sophomore seasons with each logging a number of strong innings last year for the Wildcats. Sophomore Lucas Smith returns after a strong fall and will push for time on the mound along with fellow sophomore Zach Zimmer. JJ Grey and Ryan White both return after logging a number of strong innings in the 2023 season. The Cats will also welcome two junior college arms in Nathan Rhodes and Bishop Woods. Tristan Seputis and Josue Santiago, each freshman southpaws, are also eager to make their Wildcat Park debuts.
Coach Thompson said," Our staff is a very strong group with a lot of dirt under their cleats as a whole. It features a lot of depth and can attack opposing offenses in a number of ways." Thompson added, "We are excited about the season. We have several key returners and some good new talent we are anxious to see."
Along with MSC opponents, the Wildcats face a tough non-conference schedule which features several ranked foes.
For more on the Bat Cats visit:
https://bethelathletics.com/sports/bsb/index