MONTEVALLO, Ala. – The University of Montevallo baseball team opens the 2024 slate, Friday in Daytona Beach, Florida.

"We have made some great strides so far in the preseason," said Head Coach Chandler Rose. "I've seen a lot of new guys, about half and half. It's been fun to watch their progress since we started in September to now. A lot of learning, a lot of adjustments, and understanding how we play and do things, but it's been fun. I think they're making some huge strides. Really had some good breakthroughs here in the last week or so. Excited to get out there and play somebody else. It'll be a continual learning experience throughout the season for us. That's half the fun of the season and we will keep building as we go."
 
The Falcons begin the year ranked No. 24 in the National Collegiate Baseball Writers top-25, the same spot they finished the 2023 season in.
 
Following last year's 39-win season and trip to the NCAA South Region tournament, Head Coach Chandler Rose's 2024 squad features a group of 25 returners and 22 newcomers.

"This is a new team, and we got to go out and earn it. Those rankings, I mean, it's great for our program, and it says a lot about where we're at as a program to lose that many and still be looked at in that light. But we got to go out and prove it every single day, and it's a new start," added Rose. "For us, the most important thing is the GSC, and getting out there and competing every single day, and just giving our best, and hopefully being in contention at the end of the year."
 
In the Preseason GSC Coaches Poll, Montevallo was picked fourth. Last season UM went 21-9 in conference play and finished second.
 
"We have a lot of guys. We lost a lot of guys, but there's still a good bit back, I think, that gets lost a little bit, especially on the pitching side of things," said Rose. "Evan Liddie and Logan Samuels have been super important but there are some guys like Trey Felker, Michael Morse, Reilly Kirkpatrick and even Barry Eiseman and Luke Mitchell that have been in the program and understand what we're doing that have really helped pass down the culture and our expectations."
 
Preseason All-GSC and NCBWA All-Region selection, Luke Mitchell, highlights the group of returners in 2024, along with a talented group of returning arms on the pitching staff.
 
As a redshirt freshman in 2023, Mitchell, from LeHigh Acres, Florida, was named to the All-GSC Second Team and ABCA/Rawling Second Team All-Region last season. The catcher hit .359 in his first playing season with the Falcons, to go along with 36 RBI, 14 doubles and six homers.
 
On the mound, the Falcons return several key pieces, both in the starting rotation and bullpen. Senior Logan Samuels enters his senior season for the Falcons after recording a team-leading 68.2 innings pitched last season. The Winfield, Alabama native recorded a team-high 74 strikeouts and finished 7-1 on the year. The right-hander finished the season with a dominant performance on the mound against Florida Southern in the regional tournament with six innings pitched from the bullpen and six strikeouts.
 
In addition to Samules, the Falcons return a pair of GSC All-Conference selections from 2022 in Gino Cozzi and Connor Phelan. Cozzi made three starts in 2023 and recorded a 1-1 record on the mound with 18 K's. In 2022, Cozzi had a 3.82 ERA with seven wins on the year and a team-high 83 strikeouts.
 
Phelan returns as a key piece in UM's bullpen after notching five saves last season and six in 2022—the year in which he was named to the All-GSC team.
 
Along with the key returners, Montevallo welcomes 22 newcomers, including three who were named to the GSC Preseason Newcomer Watchlist.
 
Incoming pitchers, Seth Gurr and Adiel Melendez were named to the Newcomer Watchlist along with third baseman Connor Crowson.
 
Gurr, a junior righthander, joins UM following a successful two-year stint at Bossier Parrish Community College. The Coaldale, Canada native was named to the NJCAA South Region 14 team twice.
 
Melendez comes to Montevallo from Alabama State University in Montgomery, Alabama. With the Hornets, the lefthander made eight appearances between the 2021 and 2022 seasons and struck out 17 batters in 19 and a third innings pitched. The junior from Miami, Florida, helped the Hornets to an NCAA Tournament berth in 2021.
 
Crowson, the third and final newcomer recognized by UM, joins the Falcons following a two-year stint at Bossier Parrish Community College. Crowson was a First and Second Team All-Conference selection, All-State selection, and Region All-Star at the junior college level.

"What I really love is everybody's wanting to compete and ready to compete. It's been good trying to help these new guys learn just on the fly because Coach throws a lot at them and a lot at us. It's just been good to be able to be that guy that guys can come to and ask questions," said Senior Evan Liddie.

"It's really nice being able to have the new guys come to you ask questions and being able to answer them and just seeing them learn the ins and outs of what we do and what our standard is," added Logan Samuels.
The 2024 slate features several challenging matchups for the Falcons with three ranked series ahead.

"We have a really challenging schedule, which I'm excited about," said Rose. "That was done purposely, and we try to play the best teams we can every year. Obviously, starting down in Florida with some very good teams in the Sunshine State, and then coming home and playing some good teams as well. I also think our midweeks are really challenging this year, too. Then obviously, the GSC is as good as it gets in the country. You have to go earn it. I think playing a good schedule makes you better. With all these new guys, I thought it was important to go down there and play the best teams we can and let them get a taste of it early so that we can learn, and we can grow, and we can get better."
Montevallo will meet its first challenge against No. 2/15 Rollins College in a double-header on Saturday, Feb. 3. Rollins finished as the national runner up in 2023.
 
Following the opening weekend in Florida, Montevallo will host No. 22/23 Northwood in a three-game series Feb. 16-18 at Kermit A. Johnson Field and Bob Riesener Stadium.
 
Later in the year, Montevallo will host the 2023 GSC Champion, No. 11 West Florida in a three-game series.
 
Additionally, the Falcons face the 2023 Peach Belt Conference Champion Georgia Southwestern in a midweek matchup on Feb. 27 at home. GSW is receiving votes in the preseason top-25.
 
Montevallo kicks off the 2024 season on Friday, Feb. 2 against Embry-Riddle at 2 p.m. in Daytona Beach, Florida.
 
For the opening series, Logan Samuels will take the mound against Emrby-Riddle. Newcomer Adiel Melendez will pitch game one against Rollins and Gino Cozzi will throw in game two of the double-header, Saturday, Feb. 3.