HUNTSVILLE, AL. - A number of Eddie McCann's buddies in the baseball business wondered if he had lost his mind when he took the Alabama A&M job seven month ago. Not long after, McCann began to wonder, too.
He's no longer wondering.
The McCann era begins Friday when A&M visits Bethune-Cookman College in a three-game series.
"I'm excited about how much better we've gotten since I've been here," McCann said Wednesday. "It's like day and night. The work ethic ... the dedication to what we're trying to be. They've started to turn the corner and change the culture of winning and losing."
The Bulldogs have endured a lot of losing over the years.
A&M was 17-32 overall last season and 3-20 in the Southwestern Athletic Conference, but despite that, McCann believes the Bulldogs can be special if not this season, next season.
"We've got a great chance to make the (SWAC) tournament," he said. "If you make the tournament, anything can happen. We've laid a foundation for our young men and I believe we've got a chance to be special here. We're going to be fun to watch by the end of the season."
The Bulldogs return a handful of position players and two pitchers from last year's team.
Leading the way is third baseman Kency Duarte and first baseman Norbert Riggins. Duarte, one of just two seniors on the squad, was second on the team in hitting (.313), RBI (24), total bases (54) and stolen bases (17) to go along with an .864 fielding percentage a year ago.
Riggins, a converted outfielder, batted .282 with 16 RBI.
"Kency is solid," McCann said. "He's improved drastically at third base, is a very good leader and his baseball IQ is very good. Riggins has a good bat and a good glove. He's going to really help us."
Rounding out the infield is shortstop Lamar Bridges, a converted outfielder, and second baseman James Brown, a transfer from Snead State, who played at Buckhorn High School.
"Bridges has made the most progress of anybody on the team," McCann said. "He's come a long way in a short time."
Brown, McCann said, will also play third base, catcher and pitch some.
Senior Demarcus Stewart will be the starting catcher. He batted only .250 with 20 RBI, but had a hard time throwing out baserunners.
The outfield will consist of left fielder Juan Lopez, centerfielder Deon Hall and right fielder Eric Brandon.
Lopez, who will bat lead-off for the Bulldogs, made only two errors last season, while Hall and Brandon are among the better athletes on the team.
"Hall has got a big-league arm, big-league speed and big-league pop," McCann said. "Brandon knows how to play and has a good stick."
The pitching staff will include Sanchez Tucker, who was 2-2 a year ago, along with Manny Lora, who was 4-3. Brandon will be the Bulldogs' third pitcher. Mid-week guys include Brown, Vincent Larry and Justin Watts and Duarte will be the closer.
"This is the best group of athletes I've ever had," McCann said. "The baseball IQ is not there yet. There's a task and a challenge in front of us. They understand that and they're accepting it. If we stay healthy, we'll be fine."
