After getting a taste of the playoffs last year, the Bears are not only aiming to make a return to the postseason, but also a deeper run. In order to do so, Southwest will have the task of replacing several sophomores who contributed heavily last season.
The 2024 Bears will have a near-even mix of 16 freshman (two redshirt) and 15 sophomores (one redshirt) on the roster.
"We're really excited. We feel like we have a really great group of guys," Southwest head coach Jack Edmonson said. "We're looking forward to this season."
Among some of the key returners for the Bears, offensively, are Tyler Otts, Marcus Jackson and Colson Thompson who were regulars in the starting lineup last year. All three were among the top 8 on the team in hitting last year. Otts finished with a .267 average with 43 hits, 4 doubles, 38 runs scored and 28 RBIs. Thompson provided power as he was second on the team in home runs with 4 to go along with 17 runs scored and 12 RBIs. Jackson brings a combination of both small-ball hitting and power as the switch-hitter led the team in doubles with 14, was third in home runs with 3 and was tied for first in stolen bases with 22. He also carries over an active streak as he wrapped the 2023 campaign with 33 straight games of appearing on base.
Another key contributor last season was Nolan Walther who provided plenty of offense while flashing his versatility playing both catcher as well as infield positions.
As far as pitchers, the Bears return key contributors. Luke Lirette led the team in wins (6), strikeouts (56) and complete games (2). He recently signed with Southeastern Louisiana. Another returning pitcher expected to make noise is Matthew Bienvenu who, among starters, had a stellar strikeouts per nine innings mark with 11.51. He also recently signed with a four-year school as he will join Lirette in the Southland Conference at the University of New Orleans.
Expectations are also high for Myles Green who pitched both as a starter and as a reliever last year. Edmonson adds that he wants to see who will step up more consistently on the back end.
"We feel like we have a really talented group of arms, especially on the front end," he said. "Our biggest question mark is who is going to pitch the last 1-3 innings of a game."
With a number of freshmen on the roster, Edmonson put a lot of stock into the fall season to see which newcomers could be big contributors in the spring. He adds that he like what he saw.
"I think our freshmen are farther along this year than they ever have been because we were able to play so many dates in the fall," he said. "This is the first year that we are able to do that. We got some really good experience this fall. At this point in the year the gap between freshman and sophomores isn't as big as it was in August."
One freshman that shined in the fall was Jake Meilstrup. Edmonson believes he could be a name that Bears fans will definitely know about by the end of the season.
"I think Jake Meilstrup from Brookhaven High School, he has a chance to be that guy for us," Edmonson said. "He's a guy who is one of the last ones that we took and we are really glad that we have him. He is a left-handed hitter that's done everything that we have asked him to do."
A trait that Edmonson loves in a player is versatility and he believes that he has a very versatile group this season.
"Several of our position players are going to be some of our really good arms too, that we are going to count on," he said. "Gage Hinnant is going to play center field for us but he is going to see innings on the mound. Davis Knight has a very good chance to start at first base and he is a bullpen arm that we can count on."
Many of the sophomores will be looked upon for leadership but recently, Otts, Hinnant and Trace Dearman were all named team captains as they will be looked upon the most.
Edmonson adds that his team uses the word 'process' to best described who they are and what they are about. "It is an acronym that we go by," he said. "The 'p' is for present, I think that it is important that you are present. The 'r' is for respect and we talk about respecting ourselves first then respecting everyone. The 'o' is for optimism and we think that is a choice that you make everyday to be optimistic. 'C' is for character and that is about character-building. 'E' is for energy and we think that is like optimism. We want to have positive energy. The first 's' is for service and I think that we are put on the Earth to serve. The last 's' is for selfless and that is willing to put the program ahead of ourselves."
Returning to the coaching staff for his third year is Tyler Graham who will work with catchers and coach third base. Joining the team this season is pitching coach Nate Oswalt from Petal and Danny Shomaker from Washington, both of whom bring years of experience.
The Bears are scheduled to open their season Friday with a noon contest against Southern Arkansas Tech and a 6 p.m. game against John Melvin University.
