BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. – Gardner-Webb baseball kicks off its 2019 campaign this weekend, hosting Navy for a three-game series at Shelby's Keeter Stadium.
 
The Runnin' Bulldogs enter 2019 after going 31-27 overall last season, including 14-13 in Big South Conference play, en route to a fifth-place finish in league action.
 
GWU returns seven of its starters from 2018, led by senior Corey Howard, who paced the team with a .347 batting average with 15 doubles and 34 RBI, which earned him All-Big South First Team honors.
 
Also returning for their senior campaigns are All-Big South Second Team selections Chris Clary and Chandler Redmond. 
 
Clary had a breakout season at the dish for the 'Dogs, batting .322 with eight home runs, and was a consistent threat on the basepaths, swiping 20 bags. 
 
Redmond flexed his power at the plate throughout 2018 with a team-high 14 home runs and needs just six homers this season to match the GWU career record of 38 set by Sammy Pruett in 2000.
 
In all, Gardner-Webb returns 10 position players who saw action in 2018, and has added seven, including junior college transfers Ben Rowdon, Mitch McLendon, and Colton Sakamoto, and freshman Davis Balentine.
 
On the mound, the Diamond 'Dogs bring back three starters in Isaac Campbell, Landon Mitchell, and Langdon Wilson.
 
Campbell went 3-3 on the mound last season with a 5.14 ERA in 42.0 innings of work.  The left-handed junior fanned 40 batters, including a season-high six in six scoreless frames in a win against Sienna on February 22.
 
Mitchell went 4-5 for the year, posting a 5.30 ERA in 54.1 innings of work, the most of all returners.  The right-handed junior struck out 40 batters while making nine starts throughout the season.
 
Wilson joined the starting rotation in the latter half of 2018, posting a 2-2 record with a 4.98 ERA in 47.0 innings of work.  The right-handed junior tallied 34 strikeouts and allowed opponents to bat just .229 against him.
 
Top relievers Jarrett Thompson and Aaron Stewart return for their senior seasons, along with five additional pitchers that saw action in 2018.
 
GWU also added five arms to its pitching staff, including transfers Kyle Ruehlman, Cody Dooley, and Luke Williamson.
 
Navy enters the 2019 season after going 38-16 overall last season, tying for a first-place finish in the Patriot League regular season with an 18-6 league record.  The Midshipmen are projected to finish second this year according to the league's preseason poll.
 
Navy is led at the plate by junior Zach Biggers, who was named Patriot League Preseason Player of the Year, after batting a team-best .343 with 20 doubles and 32 RBI last year.  That earned him Louisville Slugger Second Team All-American honors, as well as a spot on the All-Patriot League First Team.
 
The Midshipmen also have one of the nation's top prospects on the mound in senior Noah Song, who was recently named to the USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award Preseason Watch List, the annual award given to the nation's top amateur baseball player.  Song, the Patriot League Preseason Pitcher of the Year, posted a 1.92 ERA in 2018, working 89.0 innings with 121 strikeouts, going 6-5 on the year.
 
Both teams squared off against each other to open the 2018 season, as the Diamond 'Dogs blanked the Midshipmen, taking a 12-0 decision in Winston-Salem, N.C.
 
Gardner-Webb opens the 2019 season against Navy at 4:00 pm on Friday in Shelby, N.C., and will face the Midshipmen on Saturday afternoon at 2:00 pm, before wrapping up the weekend series at 1:00 pm Sunday afternoon.
 
Saturday's game will be Military Appreciation Day, in which all branches of the Armed Services will be recognized prior to the contest, with local Vietnam veteran Hal Hastings throwing out the ceremonial first pitch.
 
PROJECTED PITCHING MATCHUPS
Friday, 4:00 pm – LHP Isaac Campbell (GWU) vs. RHP Noah Song (Navy)
Saturday, 2:00 pm – RHP Landon Mitchell (GWU) vs. RHP Jared Leins (Navy)
Sunday, 1:00 pm – RHP Kyle Ruehlman (GWU) vs. LHP Wilson Ayers (Navy)