Privateer Baseball Preview: Infielders and Catchers

NEW ORLEANS – In the New Orleans Privateer outfield, the torch has been passed. However, it’s a larger collection of guys who are capable of picking it up and running with it as the 2023 season commences in three days.

Pearce Howard left an indelible mark on the program and broke records in his time on the Lakefront. Now the torch has been passed after an unforgettable career.

Of all the guys who project in the outfield though, the one who will undoubtedly be looked to as an anchor of the group is Issac Williams. The junior took a tremendous step forward in his sophomore season which led to him being named All-Southland at the end of the year.

Williams’ power flashed in a big way in conference games as well. He posted a .702 slugging percentage against conference opponents.

While Williams is slated to patrol centerfield, there are plenty of potential options to flank him on either side.

Mitchell Sanford was originally in Baton Rouge before heading to UT-Arlington. He battled through an injury plagued season with the Mavericks in which he played four games. Sanford appeared in 36 games in his first collegiate season with LSU and had a ton of accomplishments at Berwick HS. That included a state championship and two years on the All-State team.

Nathan Blasick brings over previous Div. I experience as well. The Pennsylvania native transferred from West Virginia where he hit .271. He had eight career home runs with the Mountaineers. Blasick was also a two-sport standout. He scored 1,750 points in his high school career at Halifax. On the diamond, he was a two-time conference MVP.

Carson Garza pummeled the ball at Western Texas College last season. While earning First Team All-Conference honors, Garza hit 12 homers and drove in 51 runs. He produced a slash line of .361 / .406 / .671 in 2022. Garza earned First Team All-District honors in his sophomore year of high school at Tom Glenn.

Tristan Moore comes to the Privateers from Palm Beach State College where he was a two-time all-conference selection. Moore had 83 RBI in 92 career games at the junior college level. He also hit .377 with a .646 slugging percentage in 2022.

Zeph Hoffpauir is a two-way player who transferred from Louisiana. The Berwick native hit .354 with 10 doubles and six homers in his senior season at Berwick. He was also part of a state championship team in 2018.

Max Dias has been with the Privateers for three seasons. The Porter, Texas native set school records for batting average and stolen bases at Porter HS. He has appeared in 10 games with the Privateers.

Myles Austin and Maika Niu, who were covered in the infielders preview are also potential players in the outfield.

QUOTES FROM COACH DEAN

“Issac has been here and he has enough time under his belt where he should have confidence. He’s a guy who if we’re going to have success, he’s going to have to replicate the year he has last year plus more. He is very capable and has the talent to do it.”

“Mitch came to us from UTA and he’s very athletic. He’s a guy who if he can stay healthy, will be a big piece for us. He’s a lefty who can drive the ball to all parts of the park.”

“You look at guys like Myles, Nathan, Carson, Max, Maika, Tristan and Zeph. There’s plenty of bats. We have to figure out what the best defensive and offensive combination is.”

“It’s pretty impressive how many options we have. But it’s all about consistency. We’re still trying to figure it out a little bit but there’s potential to have a lot of depth in the outfield.”

NEXT IN THE SERIES

Our season preview concludes on Wednesday with a look at the pitching staff.

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