Georgia State baseball coach Brad Stromdahl is a positive guy by nature. On the eve of his fifth season at the school, he’s more bullish than ever.
“Where we are now to where we were when we took over the program in 2019, we are so optimistic,” Stromdahl said. “We’ve done so much work, and we’re so old. From top to bottom we are as deep and poised as we’ve been, and I’m just excited to see what these guys can do.”
The Panthers open the season Friday with a three-game road trip to play the University of New Orleans. Their home opener is at 3 p.m. Tuesday against Georgia.
Last season Georgia State (30-27) qualified for the Sun Belt Tournament and beat rival Georgia Southern in the knockout round. The Panthers lost the next two games in the double-elimination phase, both by one run.
“I don’t want to go crazy, but this team should be able to put up some numbers on both sides and win a lot of games,” Stromdahl said. “My expectations are to vie for a conference championship and to hopefully be able to play in the postseason.”
The Panthers were selected to finish 11th in the Sun Belt in the preseason coach’s poll. Coastal Carolina was the overwhelming choice to win the conference, with two-time Super Regional participant Southern Miss picked second.
Georgia State again will be an offensive-driven team. There is plenty of potential at the plate, even though All-American slugger Max Ryerson (.376, 20 homers) graduated and outfielder/pitcher Cam Jones, a three-time All-Sun Belt choice, transferred to Georgia Tech and is expected to start for the Yellow Jackets.
The heart of the lineup will include first baseman Luke Boynton (.279, 16 homers, 46 RBIs), third baseman Will Mize (.308 nine homers, 49 RBIs), infielder Matt Ruiz (.308, 10 homers, 49 RBIs) and switch-hitting outfielder JoJo Jackson (.319, 13 homers, 41 RBIs).
“On the offensive side, we pretty much understand who we are,” Stromdahl said. “So it’s just a matter of maintaining who we are.”
They will be joined by three transfers: catcher/first baseman Ryan Dyal (Auburn), infielder Max Martin (Rutgers) and Henry Koehler (Davidson).
“Those guys have experience, and that’s the best part of what we have offensively,” Stromdahl said.
The biggest question mark is the lack of proven pitching. The staff lost its two primary starters, including All-Sun Belt selection Ryan Watson, who went 7-2 and graduated as the school’s all-time leader in combined wins and saves. The returning staff members combined for only five of the 59 starts.
“On the pitching side we’re young, but we’re very, very talented,” Stromdahl said. “They’ve been here, they know what it is, and they have something to prove. It’s going to be fun, and I’m excited to see what they can do.”
Holdovers are Brady Jones (2-2, 5.06 ERA in 26-2/3 innings), Quin McMammon (1-1, 5.40 in 15 innings), Davis Chastain (2-01, 6.98 in 19-1/3 innings) and Brian Garmon (1-1, 9.82 in 11 innings).
“They’ve been here, and they have something to prove,” Stromdahl said.
Top new faces include Rob Evans, a left-hander who fanned 70 in 56 innings last season as a freshman at Chipola (Fla.) Junior College, Ross Norman, a 6-foot-6 freshman from Ringgold, and Caleb White, a 6-8 right-hander who transferred from Eastern Oklahoma State.
Georgia State likely will try several different combinations before they settle on a weekend rotation.
“I’m really excited to see what they can do and from a recruiting standpoint what we put together,” Stromdahl said.
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