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Carolina University baseball is back at Mando Field for the 2021 season. The Bruins are led by second-year head coach Jamie Lowe.

Lowe and his team are poised for a big 2021 after their 2020 season was cut short due to COVID-19. The Bruins are shaping up to be special on and off the field. Lowe believes this team has what it takes to break the program’s record for highest semester GPA and single-season win total.

“Overall, we have a good group of young men that work hard in the classroom and at practice,” Lowe said. “We as coaches, and the players themselves, can’t wait to see that hard work pay off.”

The Carolina University coaching staff has worked hard in the past couple of recruiting classes to get players “that can really hit it” and believe hitting should be a team strength this season. John Giboyeaux, Josh Kent and Kevin Greenwood return with experience and the Bruins should get some offensive help from newcomers Dino Tharp, Grant Harris and Logan Conklin. Giboyeaux and Bryan Deegan are tied for the lead in career home runs. Giboyeaux hit six homers and batted .340 in 2019. Greenwood is closing in on the mark for most hits in program history. The returning offensive cornerstones and added firepower should make the Bruins a threat throughout the order.

Offense is fun, but the CU defense makes them very dangerous. The Bruins have worked hard to strengthen their defense, especially in the middle of the field. The speed of D’Artagnan Hawthorne and Bryan Deegan should be able to cover a lot of ground in the outfield. The combination of Dino Tharp and Josh Kent should work well together to solidify the middle infield. Behind the plate, the Bruins have lots of experience and talent led by veteran Matt Tullock and newly added Logan Conklin.

Carolina will look to develop some young arms on the mound to go with veterans Nate Williams, Jacob Ladley and Charlie Edwards. Last year, Williams led the team in wins, ERA and strikeouts. Williams could be even better this season and has a chance to break the career record for wins and establish the lowest ERA in school history.

The Bruins have a really exciting schedule against a wide variety of opponents. They will see teams that compete at the NCCAA, NAIA and NCAA DII/DIII levels. Carolina opened the season at home on Jan. 30 with a doubleheader against Marian University. The Bruins will have an early-season road test with three games against Columbia International University between February 12-13. In March, Carolina will have a tough slate, playing a total of 11 road games with three being at rival Bob Jones University. The Bruins will look to finish strong in April with a three-game series at home against NCCAA foe Johnson University (Tn.) before closing the regular season on the road at Bluefield College on April 28.

Carolina University is pushing hard to make the postseason and certainly has the talent to do it. Lowe and his staff are extremely excited for this season and believe they have what it takes to make a run at the Regional Tournament. Keep up with Bruins baseball on twitter @carolinaubase and cubruins.com.