MT. CARMEL, Ill. -- A new era in Wabash Valley baseball begins on Friday.
After 26 seasons and 1,106 wins under NJCAA Hall-of-Famer Rob Fournier, long-time assistant coach Aaron Biddle took the reins after Fournier left to become an assistant coach at Western Kentucky University.
Biddle's first Warrior team opens the 2023 season on Friday at 12:30 p.m. CST in Panama City, Florida against 17th-ranked Northwest Florida State.
Given the proud history at Wabash Valley, ranked eighth in the NJCAA pre-season poll, and regarded as one of the premier junior college baseball programs in the country, Biddle does not anticipate any big system changes.
"Obviously, it's a little different role (for me) with Rob being gone," Biddle said. "But we've done such a good job over at least the last seven years I have been here with Rob, I am not trying to change anything. I am just trying to keep the ship on course.
"We are doing a lot of the same things that we did before. A tweak here, a tweak there. But we're not trying to reinvent the wheel."
Last year, the Warriors were 59-9 and finished fourth at the Juco World Series in Grand Junction, Colorado. Yes, graduation took its toll from that team, but the cupboard is not bare. Far from it.
There are no position starters back from last year. However, four transfers and plenty of returning talent bumps the confidence level the Warriors have going into the season.
The pitching staff is in much better shape as the season unfolds, with a solid core of veterans to build around.
"Pitching will definitely be our strength," Biddle said. "I do feel like we have enough talent offensively. They are just young. They did not play a lot last year."
On the infield, the two corner spots have undergone a change since the spring semester began, with the addition of two NCAA Division I add-ons.
Indiana State transfer Landon Johnson, a left-handed hitting middle-of-the-order type, will start at first base, while Aidyn Coffey, a 6-foot-4 freshman out of Coastal Carolina, gets the nod at third base.
Second base "will be a revolving door," according to Biddle. Nicklas Williams, who will start at second or in left field, is expected to be one of the bigger bats in the lineup. Last year, he hit .333 for the Warriors in 28 at bats.
Another returnee, Isaias Villarreal, who hit .545 with an on-base percentage north of .600 and seven RBIs in only 11 at bats, will also play at second base as well as third.
Georgia Southern commit Luke Odden will start at shortstop. Last year, the switch-hitter from Phoenix, Arizona hit .372. He also stole nine bases without being caught.
Behind the plate, one juco transfer and one returnee will share playing time. Daniel Contreras comes in from Iowa Western, joined by Jorge Rodriguez, who hit .400 with three home runs in 55 at-bats last season.
The outfield has been supplemented with a Big 10 Conference transfer from Ohio State. Left-handed hitting freshman Keaton Mahan will spend most of his time in left field.
Freshman Richard Bonomolo, Jr., from the Bronx in New York, will patrol center, while returning sophomore Zamuarion Hatcher, who hit .207 in 22 plate appearances last year, will get time in right field.
Another Bronx native, Jon Legrande, is listed as the fourth outfielder but could end up at any of the three spots during the season.
Freshman Dalton Fiveash will bring another lefthanded bat to the plate as a designated hitter for the Warriors. He will play at first base when in the field.
There is a bit more certainty about the pitching staff as the top of the rotation is already set.
Lefthanded sophomore returnee Jacob Frost will get the start on Friday against Northwest Florida State. Last year, Frost was 4-1 with an ERA of 2.87. He appeared in 18 games, including one four-inning stint in Colorado, and was a starter three times.
"He commands the baseball. A strike-thrower," said Biddle of Frost. "We expect him to be one of our weekend guys all year long."
One of those weekend guys, or front-line starters, from last year is back. Agnel Miranda was the No. 3 starter on the Juco World Series team and has moved up to No. 2 this year.
Miranda, a 6-foot-5 righthander, was a perfect 8-0 through 13 starts and four relief appearances last year. His ERA was 3.96 in 50 innings of work and led the team in complete games with three and shutouts with two.
He made two appearances on the big stage in Colorado and made one start against San Jacinto, working the first 3 1/3 innings in a game the Warriors eventually won, 10-8.
Mike Sokol, another 6-5 sophomore righty, will be the No. 3 starter for the Warriors. He is a transfer from juco powerhouse Chipola, Florida, where he was 2-0 with an ERA of 4.50 in 16 appearances last year.
In the bullpen, Biddle lists righthander Louis Phillipe Langevin as the likely closer. A 6-2 righthander from Quebec, Canada, he was second on the team in saves last year with four. Langevin was 1-1 with an ERA of 4.20 and threw 15 innings in 11 appearances.
The Warriors will play four games during the weekend-long tournament in Panama City, but Biddle and his staff have not decided yet who will start in Game 4.
As to the rest of the staff, "we've got some guys who we think will fit into roles," Biddle said. "But obviously, they have to do it when we call their number."
Biddle came to Wabash Valley after spending eight seasons at Brescia University, the last five as head coach. He was also an assistant coach for three years at Kentucky Wesleyan and two years at the University of Texas-Brownsville.