GREENWOOD, Ind. – The Great Midwest Athletic Conference conducted interviews with Ohio Valley head coach Chad Porter and senior catcher Cody Morris as part of this year’s baseball season preview.
 
Technical difficulties have delayed the publishing of video interviews with both individuals until further notice.
 
The Fighting Scots made a memorable run as an underdog all the way to the G-MAC Championship final in 2015.
 
It turned out to be the final ride for longtime head coach Bob Crawford, who stepped down from his post to retire and assume a different role within the university. Enter Porter, who also serves as the athletics director at OVU.
 
Although the spring would end in a tough loss to Trevecca Nazarene, Ohio Valley caught the attention of fans in attendance as they toppled Kentucky Wesleyan and AB in its postseason run.
 
OVU finished 16-30 overall and the Fighting Scots were 11-14 in the league regular-season schedule. Ohio Valley was picked to finish fifth in the G-MAC Preseason Coaches Poll.
 
Opening Day was this past weekend for Ohio Valley on the road in Alabama with a three-game set against Montevallo.
 
Hitting: The Fighting Scots were fundamentally sound and exciting to watch on the left side of the infield with toolsy shortstop Marlon Bellmas and a near-.400 hitting third baseman in Tyler Proctor…Bellmas and Proctor were the team’s top two hitters this year and their graduation leaves a considerable void when filling out a new lineup card…Morris is solidified as a legitimate power threat in the middle of the order and handles the pitching staff as a leader…He hit six home runs and drove in 27 with a .311 average as a junior…Max Brown and Ian Sullinger started almost every possible game for OVU last season.
 
Pitching: A key piece of the pitching puzzle that is noticeably missing is Tucker Hughes, a gritty starter who was tough as nails against Alderson Broaddus to send OVU into the conference tournament final…Hughes had four winning decisions and a team-high 76.1 innings pitched last spring…A senior-laden staff is highlighted by J.R. Davis (4-7, 4.23) and Eric Schweitzer (2-7, 6.04)…OVU will look to a number of arms to fill the bullpen by committee.
 
Coaching: Porter resumed his post for Ohio Valley after also coaching the Fighting Scots from 2004-08…He also coached at Texas A&M International and was an undergrad at West Virginia.