GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- Several former Tusculum College baseball student-athletes are continuing to pursue their dreams playing the game professionally throughout the world.
Pioneers still playing professionally are Placido Torres, Devan Watts, Brandon Dickson, Maikol Gonzalez, Alexi Colon, Cody Coffman, Matt Henriksen and Cameron Carney. During the Coach Doug Jones era at Tusculum, 28 Pioneers have signed professionally since 1998.
Placido Torres, who was drafted in the eighth round by the New York Mets in June, is pitching for the club's rookie league affiliate in Kingsport. The 2016 consensus NCAA Division II National Pitcher of the Year has made nine relief appearances out of the Mets' bullpen where he has a 1-1 record and a 3.97 ERA. Torres got off to a slow start with the K-Mets, but is returning to his stellar form of late, posting a 1.59 ERA in his last five outings with nine strikeouts in 5.2 innings of work.
Torres, a product of North Brunswick, New Jersey, captured every NCAA Division II Pitcher of the Year accolade in the finest season ever recorded by a Tusculum hurler. He swept the three national pitcher of the year awards by the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA), National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) and the Division II Conference Commissioners Association (D2CAA - selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America). He was also tabbed the 2016 recipient of the Brett Tomko Award, which recognizes the DII National Pitcher of the Year as selected by D2 Baseball News.
Torres was also named the 2015-16 Tusculum College Male Athlete of the Year and the South Atlantic Conference Male Athlete of the Year.
He posted a perfect 11-0 record in his 14 starts where he pitched seven complete games, including a TC-single-season record four shutouts. His 11 wins tied for second-most in a TC season and are the most by a Pioneer hurler during the NCAA Division II era (1999-present). His 0.70 earned run average was best in NCAA II (4th for all NCAA divisions) and is a new program and conference record. He led all three NCAA divisions with a school single-season record 162 strikeouts. His seasonal strikeout total is the second most in SAC history and the 10th most in NCAA II history. He threw a school record 116 innings where he allowed 24 walks and limited the opposition to a .154 batting average. He also led NCAA II in fewest hits allowed per nine innings pitched (4.73).
The two-time All-SAC first team selection recorded a school single-game record 17 strikeouts against Stillman last February. He posted 12 or more strikeouts on eight occasions in 2016, including 15 strikeouts in a one-hit shutout over Wingate, earning him national pitcher of the week honors by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA). Torres was named SAC Pitcher of the Week six times and NCBWA Southeast Region Pitcher of the Week on four occasions.
Torres pitched a pair of complete game victories in his two postseason starts this year. He tossed a four-hit shutout in Tusculum's SAC Tournament opener against Lincoln Memorial, earning him a spot on the SAC All-Tournament Team. He followed that with a nine-inning complete game victory over 15th-ranked Belmont Abbey in an elimination contest of the NCAA II Southeast Regional in Columbus, Georgia.
During his two-year Tusculum career, he amassed a 20-3 record in his 31 mound appearances with a 1.43 ERA which is the lowest ever by a Pioneer pitcher. In his 27 career starts, he pitched eight complete games, including a program-record five shutouts. His 272 career strikeouts are a new TC record and are the sixth-most in the SAC record book. His 201.1 career innings pitched are sixth in program history, while his 20 wins are fifth-most by a Pioneer.
Devan Watts was selected in the 17th round of the 2016 MLB Draft by the Atlanta Braves. He was assigned to the Braves' rookie league affiliate in Danville (Va.) where he pitched in only four games and didn't allow a run in his four innings of relief while also posting a save.
Watts, a right-hander from Mooresville, North Carolina, was promoted to Class-A Rome (Ga.) where he has continued his mound dominance for the Braves. He has appeared in nine contests and has a sterling 1.69 ERA with a 1-1 record and is tied for the team lead with five saves. He has recorded 12 strikeouts in his 10.2 innings of work.
In Watts' two seasons at Tusculum, the 2015 All-Region and All-SAC choice has recorded 14 saves and a 6-7 record in his 99.2 innings of work in his 43 relief appearances. He accounted for a 2.98 career earned run average with 121 strikeouts and 25 walks. His 14 saves are the fourth most in Tusculum history.
This past spring, he posted for six saves (T7th in TC history) and a 3.10 ERA in his 20 relief outings. He tossed 49.1 innings with 62 strikeouts and tallied a 2-4 worksheet. He earned a spot on the SAC All-Tournament Team in April. Watts came through with two victories in two appearances during the SAC Baseball Tournament, including the win in Tusculum's 6-5 rain-shortened victory over Catawba resulting in co-champions being named. Watts threw 8.1 innings in his two appearances, allowing seven hits while striking out five. Watts also earned the win in the Pioneers' extra-inning victory over Wingate with 5.1 scoreless innings of relief work in an elimination game.
In 2015, Watts led the SAC with eight saves (31st in NCAA II), finished his inaugural TC campaign with a 1.79 ERA and led the Pioneers with his 23 relief appearances and finished with a 4-3 record. He did not allow an earned run in his first 25 innings, covering a span of almost 10 games. He pitched 8.2 shutout innings of relief in Tusculum's 13-inning win over Carson-Newman and for his efforts, was named the SAC Pitcher of the Week and Tennessee Sports Writers Association College Pitcher of the Week.
Brandon Dickson, a right-handed pitcher from Montgomery, Alabama, currently has an 8-9 record with a 4.32 earned run average in his fourth season with the Orix Buffaloes in the Nippon Professional League in Japan. In 2016, he has appeared in 19 games and pitched in 118.2 innings and has recorded 93 strikeouts against 58 walks.
He is in his 11th professional season, including the first seven within the St. Louis Cardinals organization, which signed him as an undrafted free agent out of Tusculum in 2006. He played two separate stints with the parent club in 2011 and again in 2012. He appeared in eight games for St. Louis, posting a 4.91 ERA in his 14.2 innings of work with no decisions. He posted 13 strikeouts and made his lone major league start on Sept. 1, 2011 against the Milwaukee Brewers. Dickson also shined at the plate, batting .600 (3-for-5) in his five career at-bats with two runs scored.
During his minor league career (2006-12), Dickson pitched effectively at all his stops, including with the triple-A Memphis Redbirds where he was a two-time Pacific Coast League All-Star (2010, 2012).
In his only season at Tusculum (2006), Dickson went 5-2 with a 3.39 ERA. His 24 mound appearances are tied for the second most in a season at Tusculum. He tallied four saves in his 58.1 innings to go along with 37 strikeouts. Dickson garnered SAC Pitcher of the Week honors and played an important part in Tusculum's 40-14-1 campaign, en route to capturing a SAC Championship.
Alexi Colon is playing in his fifth professional season and fourth in independent ball. He started this year with the Lincoln (Neb.) Saltdogs of the American Association where he played the first 10 games of the season. He was later dealt to the River City Rascals, where he has emerged as one of the power hitters in the league with his 12 home runs, which are fourth-most in the Frontier League. His 43 walks this season are the fourth most in the league while playing for the O'Fallon, Missouri club.
From 2013-2015, he played for the Schaumburg (Ill.) Boomers, where he led that club to a pair of Frontier League titles in 2013 and again in 2014. During his Frontier career, he has a .263 average with 40 home runs, 162 RBI, 58 doubles, 14 triples, 41 stolen bases and 202 walks.
Colon was selected in the 32nd round of the 2012 MLB Draft by the San Diego Padres. He played for the Padres rookie league team in the Arizona League, but mostly with the Eugene Emeralds of the Northwest League, the Padres' Class A short-season affiliate. In his first season of minor league ball, he played in 38 games where he batted .227 with five doubles, two triples, two home runs and 20 RBI.
Colon, a two-time All-SAC and All-Region selection, completed his two-year career at Tusculum as its third-leading home run hitter, belting 33 round-trippers. The 2012 ABCA Division II All-American is listed in the Tusculum record book fifth in slugging percentage (.681), second in walks (105 – 9th in SAC history) and ninth in on-base percentage (.472). Including his 2009 campaign at Division II Dominican College, Colon belted 42 home runs in his collegiate career.
In 2012, Colon finished second in the nation with 21 home runs, which were tied for the second most in school history and ninth most in South Atlantic Conference history. Colon batted .318, while leading the Pioneers with 69 runs scored and posted 61 hits, 11 doubles, three triples and 50 RBI in his senior campaign. His 67 base on balls in 2012 were the most in school and SAC history and tied for the 11th most ever by a NCAA II player.
Maikol Gonzalez is a nine-year veteran of professional baseball and is in his first year with the Winnipeg Goldeyes of the American Association. He is batting .276 in his 72 games where he has 81 hits, including 10 doubles, two triples and three home runs. He leads the team with his 22 stolen bases (26 attempts) and has 33 RBI with 47 walks against just 38 strikeouts in his 293 at-bats.
He played the 2015 campaign with Joplin in the American Association where he batted .305 with eight home runs and 44 RBI with the Blasters.
Gonzalez stops in the American Association also include Joplin (Ill.), Lincoln (Neb.) and three seasons in El Paso (Texas).
Gonzalez is batting .305 during his pro career with 20 home runs, 296 RBI, 508 runs scored, 105 doubles, 41 triples and 247 career stolen bases.
He was selected in the 35th round of the 2008 MLB Draft by the Colorado Rockies. He made his professional debut with the Rockies' Dominican Summer League affiliate and was later assigned to the Casper Ghosts where he batted .358 with 13 RBI in his 25 games with the Rockies' rookie league affiliate. He opened the 2009 season with the Asheville Tourists for three games and was assigned to Colorado's Class-A affiliate, the Modesto Nuts for the next three years (2009-2011).
In 2014, Gonzalez traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers organization and played for the Arkansas Travelers, the club's Double-A affiliate. He batted .270 with a homer and 21 RBI in his 89 games with the Travelers. He scored 57 runs with 10 doubles, three triples, 52 walks and 30 stolen bases, fourth-most in the Texas League that season.
Gonzalez, a native of Maraca Ibo, Venezuela, played two seasons at Tusculum from 2007-2008 where he hit for a school record .457 in his 113 career games and was a two-time consensus All-American. He still holds the school record for career triples and career on-base percentage (.522). His 49 career stolen bases are second in TC history, while his 13 career sacrifice flies are fourth-most.
Gonzalez established a new school record by hitting .468 in 2008 which was led the nation (NCAA II). The two-time All-SAC and All-Region standout also broke the TC and SAC single-season record with his 103 hits in 2008. He was the 2007 SAC Baseball Player of the Year and was tabbed the Daktronics Region Player of the Year in both of his TC campaigns (2007, 2008).
Matt Henriksen is playing his third season with the Alpine Cowboys of the Pecos League. In 2016, the Hingham, Massachusetts product he is batting .338 with 44 hits, including five doubles and six home runs. In his 43 games, he has accumulated 38 RBI with 22 walks and has three stolen bases to his credit. During his three seasons at Alpine, Henriksen is batting .316 in his pro career with 24 doubles, two triples, eight home runs and 67 RBI. He has also helped the Cowboys to a pair of Pecos League South Division crowns.
Henriksen played at Tusculum from 2010-2013 where he finished his career with a .320 batting average and is listed in the top-10 in 10 statistical categories in the TC record book, including second in career doubles (52) and third in RBI (147), runs scored (148) and total bases (335). He was also fifth in home runs (27) and sixth in hits (196), walks (91) and fielding assists (345).
In the 2012 SAC Tournament, Henriksen shined as he batted a sizzling .563 in the conference postseason, including a perfect 4-for-4 performance against Wingate in the title game. For his efforts, he was named the SAC Tournament Most Valuable Player as he went 9-for-19 in four games, scoring eight runs and hits three doubles, one homer and nine RBI. He finished the SAC Tournament with a .938 slugging percentage while drawing five walks and was perfect in his 28 total fielding changes at second base. The 2012 Pioneers finished with a 48-10 record while sweeping both the SAC regular season and tournament titles and advanced to the NCAA II Tournament.
Cody Coffman is playing in his first season with the Roswell Invaders in the Pecos League. He is batting a hefty .418 with 22 doubles, 22 home runs and 76 RBI in his 64 games. He has totaled 100 hits and scored 80 runs, while earning a spot on the North Division All-Star Team.
Coffman, a native of Cape Coral, Florida, appeared in games for four teams during his first professional campaign in 2012, including the Southern Illinois Miners and the Gary SouthShore RailCats. He played with the 2013 season with the Taos Blizzard in the Pecos League where he batted .315 with eight doubles, six homers and 34 RBI.
Coffman played two seasons at Tusculum from 2011-2012 where he batted .391 with 141 hits in 361 at-bats. His career average is the seventh-highest in program history. During TC's 2012 SAC title run, he earned All-America honors as a utility player as he logged playing time at catcher and first base. He led the Pioneers with his .417 batting average, which is the eighth-best by a TC player. He finished fourth in the country with his 90 hits (4th in TC history), including 19 doubles, a triple, nine home runs and 62 RBI. He scored 52 runs, while drawing 41 walks against just 17 strikeouts.
During 2012 season, Coffman posted a 26-game hitting streak, the second longest in school history. He wrapped up his collegiate career reaching base safely in 39 consecutive games, including a home run in his final collegiate at-bat against eventual NCAA II regional winner Catawba.
At the 2012 NCAA Southeast Regional, Coffman batted .533 (8-for-15) with four RBI, including two home runs and a triple. For his efforts, he was named to the Southeast Regional All-Tournament Team at first base.
In his two-year career at Tusculum, Coffman posted the seventh-best batting average in school history at .391 in his 105 games in a Pioneer uniform. He recorded 141 hits, including 28 doubles, three triples, 12 home runs and 97 RBI. His .485 career on-base percentage is tied for the third highest in school history.
Coffman also shined in the classroom and earned a spot on the 2012 CoSIDA Academic All-America® Baseball Team.
Former TC pitcher Cameron Carney joined Henriksen on the Alpine Cowboys roster. Carney, a native of Niagara Falls, New York, has not made an appearance for Alpine since joining the team.
Carney made 17 appearances this past spring for the Pioneers, including seven starts where he posted a 4-0 record and a 4.40 earned average. He combined on a pair of shutouts and posted a save against Catawba. He pitched in 47 innings where he tallied 44 strikeouts against 10 walks and limited the opposition to a .272 batting average. In his two years at Tusculum, he finished with a perfect 5-0 record in his 29 appearances, including two saves and a 5.38 ERA. He tallied 65 strikeouts against 20 walks.
Tusculum finished the 2016 season with a 38-18 overall record, including wins in five of its last seven games. The Pioneers captured a share of the SAC Tournament title for the program's fourth league postseason crown. TC earned the program its seventh NCAA II Tournament appearance, which are the second most of any SAC member. The Pioneers have accounted for 16 consecutive winning seasons, including 14 straight 30-win campaigns.
