GREENWOOD, Ind. – The Great Midwest Athletic Conference conducted interviews with Davis & Elkins head coach Mason Heyne and redshirt senior pitcher Zach Bradfield as part of this year’s baseball season preview.
 
In 2015, the Senators experienced some growing pains as they finished 7-35 overall and went 2-22 in the G-MAC. Davis & Elkins was picked sixth in the G-MAC Preseason Coaches Poll.
 
Opening Day for Davis & Elkins is already scheduled for Friday, the first scheduled date of competition in the sport this spring around the conference. The Senators will escape some wintery weather and travel for a three-game series against Erskine College in South Carolina this weekend.
 
Hitting: Travis Phelps is one of the most dangerous hitters in the G-MAC, flashing extra-base pop and a high batting average on a consistent basis…He hit .317 with 16 RBI and plays a premier position at shortstop…Third baseman Tyler Mason was a G-MAC All-Freshman Team pick after hitting .287…Mason also doubles as an arm in the bullpen after appearing in 12 games…After clubbing seven home runs last spring, Heyne concedes that power won’t be the calling card of the team again this season; they will concentrate at getting on base...D&E has seven positional newcomers this spring, including six freshmen.
 
Pitching: The return of the 2014 first-team all-conference lefty Zach Bradfield should help bolster the rotation…Bradfield’s best game as a junior for D&E included a nine-inning complete shutout with 14 strikeouts vs. Kentucky Wesleyan…Austin Main started eight games as a freshman…Tyler Honeycutt had two complete games and logged a team-high 50.2 IP last season…D&E will be looking to lower its team ERA considerably from a year ago.
 
Coaching: Mason Heyne was an assistant coach with the Senators before Charlie Goens stepped down from head coaching responsibilities earlier in the calendar year…Heyne lettered and played first base at Rider University, where he went on to finish top 10 in school history in hits, home runs and RBI.