With four returning players, three transfers and a couple of freshmen in the recruiting class, the ETSU baseball team can rely on talent from around the Northeast Tennessee area to bolster its roster.
The Bucs get two starting pitchers and two relievers back for the upcoming season, while adding transfers from Tennessee, Tusculum and Walters State.
Highlighting ETSU’s transfers is former Tennessee standout and Science Hill High School alum Nick Crowe.
The 5-foot-11, 190-pound catcher will play his senior year for the Bucs. Crowe saw significant time behind the plate for the Vols, starting every game until an injury put him in the dugout the final nine games.
Crowe still managed to get in quality time, playing in 50 games (46 starts).
He threw out 16 of 49 (32.7 percent) base stealers for third in the Southeastern Conference.
At the plate, Crowe proved to be a force, hitting .301 with two homers, 28 RBI and 10 stolen bases. He had 14 multi-hit games and six multi-RBI games, and was second for the Vols with 17 career sacrifice bunts. Crowe played on the 1999 State Championship team at Science Hill, where he was named all-state, all-region and all-conference in three seasons.
“I’m obviously happy he’s coming here and I think he’ll be happy,” Skole said. “He’ll like getting to play in front of the home folks and it should be exciting for our fans. Nick (Crowe) could probably have gone to any school in the country and played. If he plays for me the way he’s played against me, he’ll be an All-American.”
ETSU also returns a number of players with local ties from last year’s squad.
Shane Byrne, who lettered four years at Science Hill, starts his third season at ETSU. He graduated with a 21-2 record and 1.03 ERA for the Hilltoppers.
Byrne started or played in all 58 games last season for the Bucs, ranking third on the team with a .330 batting average.
The outfielder/pitcher led the team with five triples and was second with 13 stolen bases on 17 attempts. Byrne was third with 51 runs scored and fourth in RBI (39) and home runs (6). The 6-foot-3 185-pound junior ranked third with 24 multi-hit games and fifth with eight multi-RBI games last year.
Byrne comes from a family of athletes. His grandfather, Tommy Byrnes pitched for the New York Yankees in the 40s and 50s. His father, Charles Byrne, played golf for ETSU and later professionally, while his mother, Betsy Byrne was inducted into the Cumberland College hall of fame after a successful basketball career.
Last season’s ace for the Bucs, Jeremy Hall, also begins his junior year. He was four-year letter winner at Daniel Boone, where he finished 6-2 with a 1.27 ERA.
Hall started 17 games on the mound last season and led ETSU with nine wins. He appeared in 19 games, finishing with a 9-8 record and a 5.95 ERA. The 6-foot-3, 195-pound pitcher led the Bucs with 104 1/3 innings pitched and tied for the lead with two complete games. He allowed 144 hits and struck out 57 batters, while walking 30.
Sullivan South grad Michael Bauer starts his senior year for ETSU. The 6-foot-3, 190-pound pitcher, tossed 14 games in relief last year, giving up 28 hits in 16 2/3 innings, while walking five and striking out seven.
Another Buc reliever, Trevor Smith, begins his senior season on the mound.
Smith was a two-time All-Northeast Tennessee selection for Cocke County, where he went 7-1 with a 0.74 ERA.
Last year for the Bucs, Smith appeared in 26 games, starting one and coming on in relief 25 times.
The 5-foot-10, 170-pound pitcher threw 37 2/3 innings, allowing 42 hits, 22 walks and 23 strikeouts for a 2-0 record and 4.30 ERA.
ETSU got some local talent in the recruiting class.
Greeneville High grad Scott Deans set a school record for wins in season twice (2002 and 2003) for the Green Devils. The 6-foot, 215-pound freshman will play outfield for ETSU. Deans batted .351 his junior year with one home run and 26 RBI.
Joey McCown was a four-year starter at Alcoa High. The 5-foot-10, 185-pound pitcher went 21-5 with four saves on the mound in his high school career. He struck out 262 batters and walked 56 with a 2.79 ERA over four years.
The Bucs picked up players with ties to area with two other transfers.
Former Tusculum standout Brian Lovett joins the Buc squad for his junior year. The 5-foot-10, 160-pound pitcher went 7-3 with a 3.54 ERA in 14 appearances over two years for the Pioneers.
He struck out 64 batters over 86 1/3 innings to earn South Atlantic Conference freshman of the year and All-SAC second team honors in 2003. Lovett was 2-2 with four saves, while striking out 21 in 22 2/3 in 2004.
Walters State transfer Chuck Hargis adds help in the infield and a punch at the plate. He batted .317 with six homers and 33 RBI for the Governors last year. He was also 25 of 28 on stolen bases.

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