Year in Review: 2020 Baseball

Ryan Bricker can't be sure, but the senior infielder believes The Master's University baseball team was on to something. 

"To be honest, I think we were about to get hot," Bricker said. "But only the Lord knows."

The Mustangs were, in fact, the healthiest they had been all season when they finished a four-game series with No. 14 William Jessup on the weekend of March 6-7, dates that proved to be an untimely conclusion to a season shortened by the coronavirus. 

The series was TMU's best offensive showing (the Mustangs scored 43 runs on 45 hits) and a clear sign to head coach Monte Brooks that Master's was trending in the right direction. 

"The consensus was, 'Hey man, we are starting to understand how coach likes us to attack offensively,'" said Brooks, whose team ended the year 16-11 overall and 7-9 in Golden State Athletic Conference play. "You could tell our approaches were much more consistent and much more intense."

No one was hotter than Kaleyl Anderson. Against Jessup, the senior went 9-for-17 with two home runs, a double and nine RBIs on his way to GSAC Player of the Week honors. 

For the year, Anderson led the Mustangs with six home runs, a fact that, even with so many games left unplayed, represented a departure from TMU's business model in 2019 when Aaron Shackelford and Anthony Lepre combined for 64 home runs.
The expectation in 2020 was that the Mustangs would separate themselves with their speed on the base paths, and they didn't disappoint. Master's finished seventh in the NAIA in stolen bases (71) and 11th in triples (nine). 

Anderson led the team with 15 steals in 17 attempts. He was also part of an anomaly. Never had so many seniors transferred into the program in one year. 

Anderson came over from the University of Antelope Valley, as did starting shortstop Tyler Van Marter. Brock Bell stepped in at second base after transferring from NCAA Division 1 Campbell University, and Connor Dreyer infused the Mustang bullpen with an experienced presence. Each of the four made a considerable impact in a short time.  

Van Marter provided a sure glove and a hot bat. He hit .382 through the season's first 17 games and produced 10 doubles in all. Bell was rounding into form when the season halted. Against Jessup, the second baseman went 8-for-15 with two home runs and seven RBIs. 

Dreyer, too, was at his best as the Mustangs reached the meat of their schedule. Dealing with illness early in the year, Dreyer didn't show the consistency that made him one of Cal State Dominguez Hill's most reliable arms the year before. 

But in his final five outings of 2020, the righty logged 18 1/3 innings with a 2.45 ERA. 

The group was part of a veteran cast that helped the Mustangs start the year 12-2. Master's won its first five series, punctuated by taking three out of four in early February from a University of Antelope Valley team that was receiving votes. 

Senior right-hander Aidan Stout held Antelope Valley to three hits and no earned runs over six innings. He struck out nine in what was the best outing of a season shaping up to be his finest. 

After a four-year career that saw him transition from the bullpen to a swingman to a full-time starter, Stout struck out 36 batters and walked eight in 30 2/3 innings as a senior. He owned a 2.35 ERA. 

"He was really special," Brooks said. "It was very rewarding to see him develop these last couple of years and to see everything you work on in practice be implemented in the games. His performance was a highlight of our year and a thrill to witness."

Bricker was another senior in the midst of a career year. The utility man — who played every infield position except pitcher and shortstop in college — was batting a career high .349 when the NAIA announced it had canceled the balance of the spring season to combat the spread of the coronavirus. Like so many of his teammates, Bricker found the news highly disappointing, but not devastating.  

"It's tough to have the season canceled after all the work we put in during the fall, the momentum we were gaining, and because we love the game," Bricker said. "But it's a reminder that tomorrow isn't guaranteed and God simply calls us to be faithful with what today holds."

Senior Roy Verdejo, who batted .319 with 12 extra-base hits before TMU's final 22 regular-season games were wiped off the schedule, agreed. 

"We're sad we didn't get to finish the season, but we'll keep our heads high knowing that God has a plan for us," he said. 

For some seniors, that plan might include another season at Master's after the NAIA elected not to dock spring sport athletes a year of eligibility. 

It's unclear which seniors, if any, will be back to join a group of returners headlined by outfielder Will Batz, who proved in 2020 that his breakout freshman season was hardly a fluke. 

Batz hit .326 with 10 extra-base hits and six steals as a sophomore. He was joined in the lineup by junior Byron Smith, who provided solid defense behind the plate and hit .290 with four home runs and 20 RBIs. 

On the mound, Caleb Jaime produced one of the season's best moments. The junior recorded his first complete game against No. 15 Westmont in late February, striking out nine and allowing one run.  He earned GSAC Pitcher of the Week honors in the process. 

Alec Akins, a junior left-hander, and Nelson Schutte, a freshman righty, were also members of TMU's starting rotation set to return for a 2021 season that should receive a boost from a robust freshman class. 

As of this week, the number of players set to join Master's wasn't set in stone, but Brooks said he was very encouraged. 

For now, Brooks is focused on remaining in touch with recruits and with his current players, who are finishing the semester at home. 

"We're still trying to communicate with everyone as we wind down the semester to make sure schooling is going well and that they are interacting with professors as well as we've sent out out a few things on Scripture," Brooks said.