College Fall Report: UNCW

Craig Cozart

Photo: Tanner Thach (UNCW Athletics)

Players Mentioned: Tanner Thach, Kevin Jones II, Aiden Evans, Brock Wills, Alec DeMartino, Trevor Lucas, Ryker Galaska, Zane Taylor, Connor Marshburn, Trace Baker, Cameron Bagwell, Christopher Morris, Baker Cox, Cyle Phelan, Ty Lawson, Mason Murdock, Aubrey Smith, Cooper Allen

Last Spring: Head coach, Randy Hood, has been a fixture in eastern North Carolina for almost his entire life after starring at South Wayne HS and playing collegiately at Campbell University. He would go on to play a few years professionally before starting his coaching career at his alma mater and then made the move to UNCW where he has been since the fall of 2002. After taking over for legendary coach, Mark Scalf, Hood guided the Seahawks to their second consecutive CAA Tournament championship in 2024. They would win 40-games before going (1-2) in the Athens Regional where they shutout Georgia Tech in Game 1.

Carrying Tool for 2025: Hood has long been revered for his ability to get the most out of his players and consistently mold his club into an offensive juggernaut. He blends athleticism and speed as bookends to his lineup and usually can do damage in the middle with plenty of power. The 2025 offense will feature exactly that, and it all revolves around one of the premier left-handed sluggers in the nation in Tanner Thach. The junior is an imposing 6-4/220 and carries a career slash line of .308/.626/.383 with 22 doubles, 42 home runs and 143 RBIs in his career thus far. With five other returning starters supporting Thach, this will be another potent offense. Senior, Bryan Arendt returns behind the dish with 127 career games played and is an elite defender, while slick fielding Kevin Jones II returns at shortstop. Last year, Aiden Evans elevated his batting average by almost 100 points from his freshman campaign and junior infielder Brock Wills is a grinder who does the little things to put his club on the scoreboard. Alec DeMartino has started 111 games in the last two years and will provide some of that pop in the middle of the lineup with 17 career home runs. JUCO transfer, Trevor Lucas, brings a blend of power and speed and should lock down the hot corner and UNC transfer, Ryker Galaska, is showing promise with the stick and could land in center field.

Concerns for 2025: The pitching staff has some questions to answer and will need to figure out the rotation in the non-conference segment of the season. The anchor of the rotation will be senior, RHP Zane Taylor who has made 42 career starts and is the consummate pitcher. He pounds the zone with three quality offerings and reports have his velocity trending upwards, grabbing the mid-90s with his fastball. Outside of Taylor, there are a couple returners who should garner attention for the rotation in 6-6/230 sophomore righty Connor Marshburn and junior Trace Baker. Marshburn works downhill with his sinker/slider combo both with above average traits, while Baker shows more of a power repertoire with a fastball that sits in the mid-90s and a well tunneled slider to go with it. Cam Bagwell, a 6-5 freshman RHP had a lot of heat in to see him last spring but made it to school and it wouldn’t be a surprise if he works his way into the rotation in the latter part of the season. His fastball already rides comfortably in the low-90s, and he shows feel for a tight two-plane breaker that misses barrels often. If senior, DII transfer, Khris Morris can duplicate his success from last year then he could give the Seahawks real depth in the rotation.

Two senior lefties will lead the way for the bullpen in Baker Cox and Cyle Phelan. They both proved their worth last season and have the flare for getting outs in high leverage situations. Phelan has also stepped into the rotation when needed, garnering 18 starts throughout his time in Wilmington. Juniors Ty Lawson and Mason Murdock with sophomores Aubrey Smith and Cooper Allen are all sturdy righties with 90 mph fastballs and quality breaking balls to go with it that will give Randy Hood plenty of options to finish a game.

Season Outlook: The Seahawks have put together an extremely difficult early season schedule with two games against UGA, a road series at Southern Miss and a home series against Charlotte. On top of that, most of their midweek competitions will be against Power-5 in-state programs. This is all a part of the process that Hood uses to get his club ready for the CAA gauntlet. So, as usual, we should expect UNCW to compete for the regular season title and find itself comfortably in the Field of 64 come June.

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