Gaston College completes fall drills and enters 2023 spring season with high expectations

When Gaston College's baseball program began with 2021 fall drills and scrimmages, the Rhinos' quickly gained respect in the region with their talent and success.

Following that up with a historic 41-9 season that included a regular season title and the school's first-ever national ranking, head coach Shohn Doty's team just completed a second successful fall schedule.

The Rhinos completed the season with an intrasquad scrimmage matching teams led by assistant coaches Jacob Rand (Team Rand) and K.J. McAllister (Team Mac).

"I felt like going into this fall our level was expectation was high," Doty said. "We knew that we were going to have a talented team and that's proven out by the number of guys who have committed in the early signing period."

Six Gaston College players have signed to play at four-year schools during the early signing period - shortstop Enrique Wood with North Carolina A&T, outfielder Wade Kelly and first baseman Preston Hall with Gardner-Webb, pitcher Nolan Straniero with Elon, pitcher Jaxson Mangum with Lenoir-Rhyne and pitcher J.D. Everett with UNC-Wilmington.

With a fall schedule that saw Gaston College participate in jamborees at Lenoir-Rhyne, Gardner-Webb, Campbell, USC Upstate, High Point and North Carolina A&T in addition to hosting games at the school's home field (Gastonia's Sims Legion Park), Doty said he felt his team developed the kind of attitude that pay future dividends.

"I think this team went through some growing pains early in regard to not having a couple of guys on the field that were difference-makers," Doty said in reference to rehabbing pitcher-outfielder Konni Durschlag and catcher-designated hitter J.D. Yakubinis. "And there's a difference between having a talented team and a good team.
"And I think the first four or five weeks of our fall schedule we were a talented team. In the last three weeks, I really think we turned the corner in the process of becoming a really good team and learning how to compete."

After being ineligible to compete for National Junior College Athletic Association honors as a first-year school year last season, the Rhinos are set to compete in the always-competitive Division I of Region 10 this season.

Doty has established winning the regular season title, which would mean Gaston College won host a national district tournament that sends its winner to the NJCAA World Series in Grand Junction, Col., as a preseason goal.

"There's no doubt that this team will have a chance to compete at a high level," Doty said. "The question becomes execution and the small things that really gives us a chance to compete for things that matter in May."

Fall hitting standouts included outfielder Andrew Muraco (.404 average, 3 home runs, 11 RBIs), first baseman Freddie Oliver (.400 average, 6 doubles, 2 home runs, 10 RBIs), Kelly (.380 average, 2 home runs, 8 RBIs, 10 stolen bases), outfielder Trey Truitt (.380 average, 6 doubles, 2 home runs, 13 RBIs), Hall (.354 average, 1 home run, 13 RBIs), outfielder Trenton Snyder (.347 average, 5 doubles, 9 RBIs), catcher Pierson Gunnell (.300 average, 7 doubles, 2 home runs, 14 RBIs) and third baseman Matthew Dobson (.275 average, 5 doubles, 8 RBIs).

Fall pitching standouts included Everett, Straniero, Mangum, David Sande and Shane Thorson.

"It takes a little while to learn our process and particularly for kids coming from different program," Doty said. "And the learning curve wasn't quite as quick as I would've liked. But I do think that by the end of the fall I could tell a huge difference from the start to the end.
"Again, there's a fine balance between having talent and having a good team."

Gaston College officially returns to practice on Jan. 9 as it prepares for its Jan. 29 regular season-opening doubleheader against Roane State at Sims Legion Park.

"The biggest difference this fall from last fall in the pitching is that we're deeper. I feel really good about eight, maybe nine guys right now. And we've got some guys like Evan Lewis, possibly Gabe Hernandez and Konni coming back in the spring.
"We identified the fact that we weren't deep enough and we went out and solved that issue.
"In the field, we do have a chance to be special. We have about 13 position players that are going to be battling for a chance to start."

Given last year's success that saw Gaston College climb as high as No. 2 in one of the national polls, Doty and his team understand they'll have to deal with expectations when they navigate a challenging Region 10 and non-league schedule of games.

"We realize that coming into this spring, we won't be sneaking up on anybody. I would expect us to be fairly high in the preseason polls," Doty said. "The talent level is better but the consistency has to get better. We have to a better job as a coaching staff to make that happen."