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CLAREMORE, Okla. – The Rogers State baseball team has a revamped lineup and an increased focus on the details looking for a breakout campaign in 2016.
 
The Hillcats posted a 19-27 record a season ago, but 17 of those losses came by three runs or less, putting the attention of the offseason on turning those losses into wins. The coaching staff, led by second-year head coach Chris Klimas, brought in 15 new faces via junior college transfers, and is making sure the little things on and off the field put the team in a position to post bigger numbers in the win column.
 
"We did some good things offensively and felt like we took some steps forward, but we still lost too many close games," Klimas said. "The message all year has been better offensive execution and finding a way to push a run across. We have invested quite a bit of time in doing the small things to try and discover methods to give ourselves a better opportunity to win ballgames."
 
An area where fans can expect the most drastic changes will be on the mound as the Hillcats' 13-man pitching staff has been bolstered heading into the season, especially on the back end with the bullpen.
 
"We were pretty shallow on the mound last year, so we really needed to upgrade the pitching staff," Klimas added. "I felt like the guys we had pitching last year really battled and gave us a great opportunity to win. This year, we will have a solid bullpen led by experienced pitchers with prior success of closing out games. I'm excited about our pitching staff and think all the pieces are in place."
 
Zach Tyson brings versatility to the position in what Coach Klimas calls a "swing man" that can pitch in all kinds of different roles and situations. The senior has made 35 appearances in three seasons at RSU with seven starts and a 5-4 career record. He is joined by right-handed newcomers Rusty Huber, Justin Magstadt, and Landon Nealon from California.
 
"Those four guys right there upgrading the bullpen should have a lot to do with the success we expect to have in close games," Klimas mentioned. "We also improved the starting rotation to help our workhorse from last year, Michael Fusselman. He is a guy that's steady and you know what you're going to get from him every single time out he's out to pitch."
 
Fusselman led the staff throwing 80.2 innings in his first season on the Hill after transferring to RSU. He tossed one complete-game shutout in league play against Newman earning him the nod as Heartland Conference Pitcher of the Week.
 
A trio of right handers and the staff's lone lefty, Cole Chandler, will aid what hopes to be an impressive starting rotation for the Hillcats. Blake Roley, Tyler Kruse, and Josh Eclavea are all going to see time starting weekend games bringing junior college experience, while Chandler was a spring semester addition from the NCAA Division II ranks.
 
"Blake will be in the starting rotation with Tyler, who took a couple years off and I think that served him well. I think he's ready to go and has worked extremely hard to get himself back into pitching shape. Then Josh comes in after being the number one at Canada College and logged a lot of innings. He's a guy with a lot of experience in the starting role and someone like Fusselman that is going to pound the zone and give you a chance to win every day. Once Cole is healthy, we're hoping he can be a velocity lefty that can really bring something we didn't have in the fall," Klimas stated.
 
The Hillcats again turn to a few key returners on the offensive end to provide their pitching staff with some run support, while a crew of fresh faces strengthens the roster. Three seniors are vital for RSU, led by Caleb Kohlmeyer, entering his fourth season where his bat remains an anchor in the lineup after hitting .318 as a junior with eight doubles and 21 RBI. Zack Ashford and Cesar Rodriguez return to familiar spots in the field after joining the program prior to the 2015 campaign.
 
"Offensively and defensively, I think we've upgraded all the way around," Klimas said. "Caleb moved from first base to left field where he can show off some of his athleticism. Cesar had a nice year for us last year at second base, had a great fall, and has started off really well this spring, so we expect him to build on what he did last year. Zack is back in right field and has as good an arm as anybody in the league. I think you'll see him use the whole field offensively to complement his defensive game."
 
With Kohlmeyer and Ashford holding the corner outfield spots, the real question mark for the Hillcats lineup will be in center field. Jordan Garr, Cameron Kirk, and Colton Crocker are battling it out for the starting job. Garr comes to RSU from Butte College, while Kirk and Crocker spent the 2015 season redshirting for Coach Klimas on the Hill.
 
The remaining spots in the infield will feature some very talented newcomers with a west coast flavor looking to make a productive transition to baseball at RSU from various junior colleges throughout California. Each guy brings something to the lineup both offensively and defensively that will give the Hillcats a more balanced attack.
 
"At third base, Chris Miguel has a chance to be one of the better players on this team. He's a really good offensive player and he'll anchor our infield. Samuel Davison handles a bat really well, has good hands, and plays really good defense at first base. Then at shortstop, we have Ismael Orozco and Danny Donoghue. Ismael had a really nice offensive fall and spring since he's been here and Danny's kind of the guy that can play any of the infield positions as a plus defender," Klimas added.
 
Behind the plate, RSU turns to a young, but seasoned presence in Garrett Hall, who made 30 starts in 36 appearances in 2015. He posted a .282 batting average and defensively, threw out 12 potential base stealers. The Hillcats also added Jason Marley from Canada College to help share the workload at catcher.
 
"Garrett caught extremely well last year as our number-one catcher as a freshman," Klimas mentioned. "He is a really good 'catch and throw' guy that will continue to develop into a solid offensive player for us. Then to pair with him, Jason comes in after having a really nice offensive sophomore year in junior college. Those two guys will make as good a catching tandem as you'll find in the conference."

The Hillcats enter their third season as members of the Heartland Conference meaning the coaching staff and players have the chance to see teams again, including a pair of preseason nationally-ranked programs in No. 10 St. Edward's and No. 15 St. Mary's.
 
"We have a great group of coaches in the Heartland Conference and everybody plays a little bit different. That's the funny thing about this league, it's so spread out geographically that certain fields play a certain way and certain teams play a certain way. Hopefully, knowing a little more about them, knowing a little more about our personnel, and having a little bit better plan going into those series will serve us well this year," Klimas said.
 
The season gets underway at home at the Diamond Sports Complex Feb. 4 with the first in a three-game series against Hillsdale Free Will Baptist at 2 p.m. RSU plays its first five games of 2016 at home in a three-day stretch where it hopes to get off to a hot start.
 
"Opening day, you never know what to expect, but I think you'll see this team get better as we go because the roster, top to bottom, is definitely more talented than years past. And hopefully that equals more wins. Everybody's bought in and worked extremely hard, represented us extremely well, play the game hard, and I think people will see the reflection of that on the field once we get started," Klimas concluded.
 
Follow the Hillcats' progress all season with coverage at www.rsuhillcats.com and sign up for free email alerts at www.rsuhillcats.com/rsunews.