By Kevin Farr
Murray State Sports Information
Although they lost several key contributors a season ago, Murray State baseball coach Sam Bjorling has high anticipation for the 2024 campaign with what he calls the most dynamic pitching staff the Aggies have had in his seven-year tenure.

With that rotation and offensive returnees, Murray State is once again expected to be right in the thick of the conference championship race and begins the season right on the brink of the NJCAA Division II national rankings.

Back at the top of the rotation is sophomore lefty Brody Roe, who will be heading to Kansas State next year. Standout freshman righthander Cash Kuiper is expected to be right in the middle of the weekend pitching lineup along with southpaw Jacob Blackwell, a transfer from Eastern Junior College. Kyndon Lovell is another dynamic lefty out of the bullpen with returnee Nathan Darden penciled in as the team's closer.

Roe had an All-Conference campaign as a freshman, posting a 9-2 record that included two complete games. He fired 72 innings, struck out 79 and notched a 4.88 earned run average. Darden finished 5-0 with three saves in 23 relief appearances, tossing 43 1/3 innings with 39 strikeouts and a 3.32 ERA.

"I think we have the best pitching maybe ever at Murray," Bjorling said. "We go very deep on the mound. Those starters will all be Division 1 guys. Lovell has electric stuff in relief and will likely be our set up guy for Darden. We have a lot of other guys as well in Cooper Ewing, Kaleb Melvin, Javarian Rockmore and Ryan Dugas that will have significant pitching roles and should get some great opportunities for advancement down the line. It's awesome to go into a season with that type of quality depth."

While the pitching staff might get the early accolades, expect the Aggie offense to continue to be one of the most explosive in the country fueled by the return of outfielder Wilbert Espinal and his 16 home runs and 66 batted in while ending third on the team with a .382 average at the plate a year ago.

Toss in Gage Gilchrist, who put up eye-popping numbers early last season and finished with a team-high 19 doubles to go along with three triples, six homers and 39 RBI. He finished with a .280 average and showed a great eye at the plate in drawing a staggering 53 walks.

Trace Necessary also returns after batting .309 with 11 doubles, 14 home runs and 52 batted in along with Jaxon Gless at catcher with a .271 average, 11 doubles, a triple and three homers as well.

"We lost some firepower but I feel like we will still have one of the better offenses in the country," Bjorling commented. "Some of the new guys just have to step in and prove themselves when it counts. Ethan Rone saw limited time a year ago behind an All-Conference guy but will start at second base and was one of our best overall hitters in the fall. Espinal is one of the top hitters in the entire country. We also love freshman Austin Haley at shortstop, and he has outstanding stuff on the mound if we need him in a pinch as well."

"Obviously you want to be playing your best at the end of the season and we're going to show up every day and pay the price that baseball demands. If we can do that, we'll have a chance. We put together a tough schedule for a reason. We know when it comes down to tournament time, we want to have been tested to see what we are made of. The schedule has been designed to show what kind of team we have."

The Aggies will have a chance to test their wares early on with a three-game festival at Abilene Christian starting Friday where they will meet Grayson County and Navarro College. A road trip to perennial NJCAA Division 1 contender Connors awaits next week before Murray State's first home action on Monday, February 12 at The Ranch.