FORT SMITH -- When University of Arkansas at Fort Smith baseball coach Todd Holland pencils in his opening-day lineup in five days, there will be quite a few new names written down.
It's only natural with more than half of the players on the team new to the program. Looking for UAFS' first winning season since 2020, the Lions return 19 players from last year's 16-28 season along with 24 newcomers seeking to make an impact right away.
"It's a brand new squad with maybe one or two guys playing that were on the field last year," said Holland, who enters his ninth year at UAFS and his 20th overall coaching with a 493-368 record. "There are a lot of new faces out there. Nobody has taken over a role just yet. That's what is good about baseball with opportunities you can always earn a spot with your play. We know guys on this team will step up that we didn't expect to play a big role to start the year."
Despite all the newness with this year's squad, familiar faces return to lead the way on the mound and on the infield for the Lions, who are picked to place 10th in the 13-team Lone Star Conference.
Junior pitcher Brayden Johnson and sophomore second baseman Noah Davis were both named players to watch by the Lone Star Conference ahead of the season, which starts on the road Feb. 3 against East Central University and Feb. 4 against Ouachita Baptist.
Johnson, a graduate of Alma, last year pitched a team-high 49 2/3 innings in 11 appearances with a 3-4 record. He had 43 strikeouts and a 1.89 WHIP to go with his team-best ERA of 6.34.
Johnson was a multisport high school standout but really shined as a football record-setting wide receiver for the Airedales that hauled in 26 touchdowns. When he graduated, he held Alma school records for most receptions in a game (12), most receiving yards in a game (186), most receptions in a season (85), most receptions in a career (220), most receiving yards in a season (1,180) and most career receiving yards (2,926) to go with the longest touchdown catch (98 yards).
The right-hander started his collegiate career playing football, but he is slowly getting sharper with his transition back to the baseball diamond.
"He is just so athletic and is probably more of a position player pitching," Holland said. "He has a live arm and is getting better every day. He played two years of football at Ouachita Baptist and quit baseball after his sophomore year. He took a three-year hiatus from baseball, but it's all coming back to him. I could honestly put him in the outfield and he'd be just fine. He brings a lot of athleticism to this team."
Davis is making the switch from shortstop to second base, which is a more natural position for him after being a standout with the bat. The Bryant native returns to lead the UAFS lineup with team-bests in batting average (.344) and on-base percentage (.460). He also finished with 19 runs scored, seven doubles, a home run and nine RBI as a freshman in 29 games last season. Davis had a pair of three-hit games, nine multiple-hit games and had a nine-game hitting streak.
"He is a Bryant kid, and they usually have it figured out," Holland said. "They have a great program. He brings it every day. He has been really working on his defense after struggling a little with that last year. He has shown he really wants to get better. He is a kid that when you really need a hit, he finds a way for you. He is hard to get out and finds a way to get the barrel to the baseball without overthinking it. He is going to be a big part of the season."
Infielders looking to make an impact include Davis, Fort Smith Southside's Matt Schilling, Jordon Helm, Van Buren's Dakota Peters and Blayse Quarnstrom. Outfielders who project to lead the way include Van Buren's Sammy Seeger, Michael Brinton, Booneville's Brandon Ulmer and Curtis Warren.
The team features plenty of depth at catcher with Kade Brewer, Van Buren's Tanner Callahan, Junior Torres and Nico Patrick guiding the way behind the dish.
Pitching depth was a big issue addressed over the offseason. The team will feature right-handers Brayden Johnson, Van Buren's Trevor Johnson, who is coming off Tommy John surgery, Fayetteville's Luke Davenport, Cameron Duncan, Christian Duncan, Lukas Petross and Jakob Petross. Left-handers in Van Buren's Grant Shankle, Riley Lowry and Jacob Loflin will play key roles, too.
"There are going to be a lot of arms this year vying for positions," Holland said. "It's going to be about who can be good that day. Pitching depth will be a big change from last year, where we had to leave guys out there just to ride it out whether they were pitching well or not. Right now we can make a move real quick if guys can't get the outs."
With snow over the weekend limiting baseball activities heading into the regular season, Holland said many spots were still up for grabs and the team will always look to ride the hot hand of any player who makes an impact. The 2023 campaign is scheduled for 50 games with 48 being in Lone Star Conference play. The Lions will have 12 consecutive weeks of league play with four-game weekends.
UAFS, which has nearly 60% of its roster from Arkansas natives, is set to travel more than 5,900 miles this regular season. Despite all the bus trips, the Lions were much better on the road than at home.
Last year, the Lions finished 11-13 away from Crowder Field while 5-15 at home.
"The hardest part for us is always the travel," Holland said. "It's a 48-game meat grinder. There are no weekends off. You have to be mentally tough to get on the bus and play four games on the weekends and then get back late. There are a lot of positives with it though. You get to see a lot of places that you normally wouldn't. This conference really, really takes pride in athletics, and baseball might be one of our best sports in the conference. There have been a lot of schools that made the World Series. It's never easy, but this team is ready for the challenge."
Former Alma standout Brayden Johnson returns to anchor the UAFS pitching staff after posting a 3-4 mark with 43 strikeouts in 2022. UAFS Sports Information
UAFS infielder Noah Davis will make the transition from shortstop to second base this season for the Lions. Davis batted .344 for the Lions last season. UAFS Sports Information photo
UAFS baseball coach Todd Holland