Carrollton, GA - Baseball season is finally here and with it is another highly anticipated season for the West Georgia Wolves. The UWG baseball team will begin the 2015 season at the friendly confines of Cole Field, hosting the Paine Lions on Saturday at noon in a doubleheader. Paine finished the 2014 season with an overall record of 15-28, playing in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. The series is the first of first six games at home for the Wolves to open the 2014 season.

Players to watch
Two key players to watch this season for UWG will be seniors Jamie Sexton and Sumner McWhorter. Sexton is entering his final season in Carrollton, and will likely leave West Georgia as one of the most decorated players in school history. He has accumulated 14 wins over the last two seasons, including 10 in 2013, when he was named an All-American. Sexton will be chasing several records throughout the 2015 year.

Anchoring the offense will be McWhorter, who led the team with 34 RBI and a .320 batting average last season and he was the only UWG player to earn All-Gulf South Conference honors last year. Other players to watch are seniors Bryan Dunson, who hit .321 in 78 plate appearances last season, and Troy Brown. Dunson has a powerful swing and Brown, who will likely start at shortsop on opening day, is an integral part of the Wolves' defense in the infield and helped UWG turn 30 double plays in 2014.

New Arms Added with solid returning experience
In addition to Sexton, sophomore Colton Duttweiler returns after collecting 17 apperances and nine starts last season. He had a 3-2 record overall on the year with a 3.62 ERA. Duttweiler also had 30 strikeouts with just 16 walks as a true freshman.

Fite and his staff have two arms who were important out of the bullpen for West Georgia in 2014 in Chris Burdette and A.J. Sunstrom. Burdette has a 2-2 record in 10 appearances last season with a 2.36 ERA. Sunstrom had 12 appearances and had a 2-3 record with a 3.34 ERA last year. The Wolves will have a plethora of new talent joining the team for the upcoming season. Most significantly, UWG will have six new pitchers including Josh Morgan, Tyler Gunnin, Ethan Hunter, and Matthew Norton.

In the Infield
Head coach Skip Fite returns the bulk of his infield from last season, as Brown and McWhorter were both starters on the left side of the diamond in 2014. Artemis Kadkhodaian started 40 of the Wolves' 47 games at second base as a true freshman in 2014, collecting six doubles and 13 RBI on the year. Fite added a solid first baseman in Dalton Rogers and infielders Keith Buckhault and Ben Venters will see time early in the season. Also returning to the fold will be Justin Croft, who batted .242 two years ago and will provide pop either as a first baseman or as a designated hitter this year.

Behind the Plate
Payton Mann had a stellar campaign behind the plate for Darton State this past spring and has the potential to be an All-Gulf South Conference performer this season. The Tifton, Ga., native hit .318 with 10 doubles, three home runs and 37 RBI, earning All-State and All-Region honors in the spring of 2014. He brings a solid glove as well, as he was named an All-Region Gold Glove winner for his play at catcher for Darton.

Also looking to see time behind the plate will be Walker Borneman and Matthew Pope. Borneman comes to UWG after two years at Shorter and Pope spent time at West Georgia Tech for the past two seasons.

In the Outfield
In the outfield, the Wolves have four new faces who all come to UWG with experience at the collegiate level. Tyler Hutch, Tyler Bentley, Drew Eady and Garrett Hayes will all be in the mix for a starting spot along with returners Jake Shirley and Neal Gandee. Shirley batted .289 last season, playing in 40 games total and picking up 35 starts to his credit. Shirley joins Jamie Sexton as the two players with the most Gulf South Conference experience on the roster this season.