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Baseball Brandon Taylor, Sports Information Assistant

Biola Baseball Expects Big Things In 2017

After making serious noise in GSAC Tournament last season, Biola has its eyes set on a title.

LA MIRADA Calif. --- Biola Baseball was the hottest team at the 2016 Golden State Athletic Conference Tournament. Despite entering the tournament as the lowest seed, the Eagles swept their first three games in the tournament before the Cinderella run ended and Biola's tired arms succumbed to the hot-hitting The Master's Mustangs.

That near magical finish and last season's marked improvement from the one before has made this collection of Eagles hungry to run the entire table and win the GSAC championship for the first time since 2005. As leading contributors to the team's success last season, this large group of seniors is brimming with optimism that the three teams currently ranked in the GSAC (No. 8 Westmont, No. 11 The Master's and No. 20 Vanguard) are not beyond their reach.

The 2017 schedule puts the pedal to the metal quickly for the Eagles. Following a week long slate of games versus non-GSAC opponents, the Eagles face No. 20 Vanguard in a non-conference tune-up  series on Feb. 3 and jump into conference play with a home series against Menlo beginning on the 10th.

Then the Eagles play two consecutive conference series on the road against No. 8 Westmont and William Jessup (following the long trip up to Rocklin, CA). The road laid in front of them certainly affords the Eagles the opportunity to make a statement with some early victories.

Biola returns many familiar names from last season and fans will find that many of those players made impressive use of their summer off. The 2017 Friday starter, Jimmy Gallarda, earned a California Collegiate League All-Star nod and earned a television cameo in the league's all-star game with his performance with the So. Cal Catch last summer. Closer Daniel Jang also made 11 appearances for the Catch and posted a 1.84 ERA.

Seniors Jeremy Barth and Sam Thorne earned all-star selections in their respective summer leagues and helped their teams to deep playoff runs. Thorne, who played catcher for most of the summer, was part of a San Diego Force squad that advanced to the semifinals of the National Baseball Congress World Series in Wichita, KS.

But those familiar faces will also have to occupy new roles if the Eagles want to put the best lineup on the field in 2017. With the departure of Andres Rodriguez from the hot corner, Thorne and Joey Magro will be the likely insertions at third for Biola. That adjustment for Thorne hands Rawley Hughes, Tim Glenn and transfer River Fawley the daily duties behind the plate.

It seems Gallarda may also forego the first base position he occupied much of the 2016 season. Setting aside his at-bats would allow Gallarda to focus on his approach on the rubber, as he steps into the lead role in the rotation left by graduate, and former member of the Tampa Bay Rays professional baseball organization, Eric Diomartich.

The senior right-handed pitcher will be joined by starters Micah Beyer and newcomer Wyatt Haccou for most weekend series. Beyer tossed a commanding 7.1 innings of two-run ball against The Master's in last year's GSAC tournament while Haccou posted a 0.00 ERA and a shutout in two appearances in the Red/Grey intrasquad series this past fall.

The Eagles will play 33 home games and 20 road games in the 2017 schedule. Keep up with the ins and outs of the season all spring long at athletics.biola.edu and by following us at @biolaathletics on social media.

Join us for the Eagles' scheduled home opener series at Eagles Diamond this Friday and Saturday Jan. 27-28, when Biola hosts Antelope Valley for the first three contests between the Eagles and Pioneers in 2017.
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Players Mentioned

Eric Diomartich

#29 Eric Diomartich

LHP
6' 2"
Senior
L/L
Andres Rodriguez

#11 Andres Rodriguez

3B
5' 8"
Senior
R/R
Jeremy Barth

#7 Jeremy Barth

OF
6' 4"
Senior
L/R
Micah Beyer

#28 Micah Beyer

RHP
5' 11"
Junior
R/R
Jimmy Gallarda

#16 Jimmy Gallarda

RHP/1B
6' 3"
Senior
R/R
Tim Glenn

#34 Tim Glenn

C
6' 0"
Junior
R/R
Rawley Hughes

#19 Rawley Hughes

C/1B
6' 0"
Senior
R/R
Daniel Jang

#17 Daniel Jang

RHP/IF
5' 7"
Junior
R/R
Joey Magro

#6 Joey Magro

3B
6' 0"
Sophomore
R/R
Sam Thorne

#14 Sam Thorne

IF/RHP
5' 8"
Senior
R/R
River Fawley

#10 River Fawley

C
6' 4"
Junior
R/R
Wyatt Haccou

#18 Wyatt Haccou

RHP
6' 0"
Junior
R/R

Players Mentioned

Eric Diomartich

#29 Eric Diomartich

6' 2"
Senior
L/L
LHP
Andres Rodriguez

#11 Andres Rodriguez

5' 8"
Senior
R/R
3B
Jeremy Barth

#7 Jeremy Barth

6' 4"
Senior
L/R
OF
Micah Beyer

#28 Micah Beyer

5' 11"
Junior
R/R
RHP
Jimmy Gallarda

#16 Jimmy Gallarda

6' 3"
Senior
R/R
RHP/1B
Tim Glenn

#34 Tim Glenn

6' 0"
Junior
R/R
C
Rawley Hughes

#19 Rawley Hughes

6' 0"
Senior
R/R
C/1B
Daniel Jang

#17 Daniel Jang

5' 7"
Junior
R/R
RHP/IF
Joey Magro

#6 Joey Magro

6' 0"
Sophomore
R/R
3B
Sam Thorne

#14 Sam Thorne

5' 8"
Senior
R/R
IF/RHP
River Fawley

#10 River Fawley

6' 4"
Junior
R/R
C
Wyatt Haccou

#18 Wyatt Haccou

6' 0"
Junior
R/R
RHP
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