Miners bank on youth, arms to carry load in 2007

Thomas McCormick

The Miners have received most of their production from their youngest players in the last two seasons -- and those players and more new ones are going to be counted on to keep pushing the Miners forward in the Great Lakes Valley Conference.

The team's most valuable player in each of the last two seasons has been a freshman -- catcher Colby Wilson in 2005 and outfielder Thomas McCormick last spring. McCormick, the GLVC's "Freshman of the Year", returns to anchor an outfield that also returns productive performers in Joe Montgomery and Nick Zurweller. Pitching-wise, the Miners will return solid starters Tavish Hill and Matt Campbell, with promising sophomore Mark Phillips being in the mix as well as newcomers Brandon Cogan and Brian Rickert.

The Miners won a series last season over GLVC Tournament qualifier Indianapolis and split four games against conference runner-up Quincy, as well as playing a tight series at the close of the year against GLVC champion Northern Kentucky, with three of the four games being decided by one run.