BUIES CREEK, N.C. -- Since head coach Greg Goff's arrival on campus his goal for the Campbell baseball program has been simple; win more than you lose. In just two years Goff and his program have been able to accomplish that. In the process of achieving that the Fighting Camels did things in 2009 that hasn't been seen before at Taylor Field and wasn't seen in the NCAA.

Now for Goff and his program it is on to stage two of the rebuilding process, qualifying and winning an Atlantic Sun Championship.

Much has been made over the offseason about the accomplishments of Ryan Hamme, Chris Bangi, Zach Johnson and Ellis Lowe. For the departed senior Hamme, he was responsible for breaking records such as the single season batting average by a left-hander, setting the career sacrifice flies mark, the career hit by pitch milestone as well as pacing the NCAA in doubles hit per contest.

Bangi broke the single season record for hit by pitch, a category that he also led the NCAA in. Johnson, broke the single season doubles milestone as well as the mark for extra base hits in the season, the senior from Smithfield also paced the NCAA in doubles hit as well. For Lowe he posted the most hits by a Fighting Camel ever in a single season.

The good news for the Campbell coaching staff is that three out of the four will be back for another campaign in the Orange and Black.

"It all starts with our senior leadership, and having two guys like Zach Johnson and Chris Bangi back as seniors is going to be a huge help for our team," said Campbell head coach Greg Goff. "We look to those guys to lead us, along with our other senior returners, as we continue to raise expectations and demand more from the players in our program. Then, you look to Ellis Lowe who has been a consistent performer for us for two years to continue to do exactly what he has done thus far in his career. We aren't asking him to be someone he isn't; we just need him to continue to be the consistent grinder that he has been the last two years, while being a more vocal leader on the field."

The departure of Hamme will be the most noticeable for Campbell fans. The senior from Wilmington was drafted in the 31st round of the MLB Draft to the Chicago White Sox and in the process became the first Camel since 2003 (Derek Barrows) to be selected in the draft.

For Goff and his staff the recruiting for 2010 has focused on rebuilding of the pitching staff. "In this recruiting cycle, our second full one since arriving on campus, we put a major emphasis on getting more quality arms into our system," Coach Goff stated. "We have had a couple of solid arms each year, but I feel that for the first time since I have been here we have ten or twelve guys that I really have confidence in to go out there and compete on the mound every day."

"And, if you are going to contend for a conference championship you need guys that are going to be able to match up on the weekends, and give our offensive system a chance to win us games in the last three innings," Goff continued. "I feel like this pitching staff has that potential, I feel like we are going to defend the field better, and I feel like in order to be where we want to be at the end of the year we are going to have to fire on all three cylinders (offense, defense, and pitching) more consistently."

Catchers

With the departure of Stephen Parsons the majority of the starts behind the plate will be going to Bryan Braswell. The senior from Rocky Mount split starts with Parsons in 2009, starting in 28 contests, batted .318 with four doubles to go along with two home runs. Behind Braswell on the depth chart will be fellow returnee Chaz Sessoms who played in 16 contests last season.

In the form of newcomers to the position Campbell will look to develop two recruits; Blake Boyce and Ben Fish. Boyce, a 6-4, 230 pound freshman from Virginia Beach, Virginia, comes in having had a decorated high school career for First Colonial High. The Under Armour All-American batted .468 with 28 RBI and five home runs during his senior season. Following that campaign Boyce was selected to First Team All-Tidewater, All-Eastern Region, All-State as well as being rated the best catching prospect in the state of Virginia.

Ben Fish comes to Campbell after graduating from Rocky Mount High. The freshman was selected to All-State honors as well after leading the Gryphons to a 67-14 record as well as a state championship in 2008. Fish batted .380 for his career with a .427 average during his senior campaign. He also registered three home runs, 28 RBI and scored 20 runs during his final high school season.

Infielders

The infield has stayed stable for the 2009 season. The only change that will occur is the welcoming of Alan Denman to the Campbell lineup at first base. Denman, a junior college transfer from USC Sumter will provide an immediate impact in the batting order, as he led the Fire Ants in batting average, doubles, hits, at bats and placed second on the team in RBI.

To round out the infield Campbell will welcome back All-Conference performer Ellis Lowe to second base, Kevin Nelson to shortstop and Alex Aycoth to third base. With the returning of Aycoth, Lowe and Nelson they bring back an combined batting average of .368 and committed just 22 errors in 51 games. Lowe was selected by fellow coaches around the Atlantic Sun as the best defensive infielder in the conference.

Also vying for playing time will be returners Bryce Grady, Josh Holskey and DJ Johnson. Josh Holskey will be utilized at first base or the designated player position after batting .389 during his freshman campaign. DJ Johnson will look to play the middle infield positions as well as third base as the senior from Winston-Salem batted .325 last season.

In the form of newcomers Campbell will look to David Rivera, Noah Zipko and Kyle Brandenburg to get playing time in the infield dirt. Rivera comes in from Upland, California where the freshman saw most of his honors come from the pitching mound.

Zipko comes in having completed his prep career at Tallawanda High in Oxford, Ohio. The freshman was named to Honorable Mention All-State after batting .420 with three home runs and collecting 39 RBI in 2009. Brandenburg will look to fill the void at third base after batting .481 with 14 extra base hits and committing just one error in the field for his senior campaign at Ragsdale High School.

Outfield

The Campbell will have a familiar look to it as well as Campbell welcomes back Chris Bangi to left field and Zach Johnson to right.

The likely newcomer to center field will be Cameron Nelson. Nelson, a junior college transfer from South Florida Community College, will provide a spark in the form of speed for the Fighting Camels. He completed his career at South Florida CC batting .275 with ten extra base hits.

Playing time will also be distributed to Colin Parker and Logan Self. Parker last season saw most of his playing time in the outfield come as strictly a defensive replacement but was solid in those outings as he only made one error in his 29 appearances.

Logan Self marks another new player to the Campbell lineup. The freshman from Greensboro collected eight extra base hits while batting .458 during his senior campaign at Wesleyan Christian Academy. Self was also successful on the mound as the righty pitched his way to a 1.58 ERA with a 7-2 record.

Pitching

The weekend starting rotation will have its two workhorses back in Jeff Rydman and Logan Davis. Rydman, a lefty out of Gladstone, Missouri, commanded a 5-1 record over 64.2 innings while registering a 5.43 ERA. Rydman also pitched one of the two complete games for the Fighting Camels last season.

For Logan Davis he pitched his way to a 6-2 record over 66.1 innings pitched while registering a 6.78 ERA in his first season in the Orange and Black. Davis will likely be the game three starter on the weekends with Rydman getting the nod in game one.

To fill that void in the game two spot will most likely be Frank Zier. Zier, a sophomore junior college transfer from Frederick Community College, pitched 33 innings while striking out 28 while only walking nine opposing batters.

In the form of relief, Campbell will look to many different pitchers in order to get victories in the middle innings. Campbell welcomes in six new pitchers with Ben Brown, Corey Carver, Clinton Ingram, Matt Marksberry, Ryan Mattes, Matt Sergey and Joe Wagstaff.

Ben Brown comes in having pitched at Iowa Western Community College, one of the premier junior colleges in the nation, during his final campaign he pitched his way to a 7-2 record with 55 strikeouts in 58.1 innings pitched. Corey Carver comes in after a two year career at Pitt Community College. The junior from Fuquay-Varina pitched in 14.2 innings and only gave up two earned runs for a 0.62 ERA during his sophomore campaign.

Clinton Ingram comes in as a freshmen to the Creek as he helped Wesleyan Christian Academy to the state championship in 2008 and the state runner up in 2009. Ingram pitched his way to a 6-1 record with a 2.40 ERA during his senior campaign. Matt Marksberry comes in after completing his prep career at Glen Este High in Cincinnati, Ohio. Marksberry was selected to second team All-State following his senior campaign after pitching his wa to an 8-1 record with an ERA under two.

Ryan Mattes is another right handed pitcher coming to the Creek after pitching at Cox High School in Virginia Beach, Virginia. He pitched his way to an 11-3 record with a 1.50 ERA and those stats earned him an All-Tidewater and All-Beach selection following the 2009 campaign.

Matt Sergey is a junior college transfer coming to Campbell from Broward College. In his sophomore campaign the righty pitched 43.1 innings in eleven contests and posted a 3.95 ERA in those outings. Joe Wagstaff marks the second pitcher coming in courtesy of Louisburg College. The righty from Zebulon pitched in 12 contests and pitched in 59.1 innings, he registered a 5.61 ERA, while striking out 63 batters and only walked 23 during those contests for the Hurricanes.

In the form of returners Campbell will look to some steady arms for relief; returners such as Parker Fleming, Richie Gaito, Ethan Meiggs, Dan Gardo, Jonathon Lopez, and Luke Pritchett.

Parker Fleming registered his first career victory in his first start in a Campbell uniform at North Carolina Central on March 11, 2009. He finished the 2009 campaign with a 2-1 record and a 5.12 ERA in 15 appearances last year.

Jonathon Lopez was the left handed workhorse last season coming out of the bullpen and will look to improve on his 27.2 innings pitched. Dan Gardo will likely move to the closer role for the Fighting Camels as the lefty from West Chester, Penn., finished the 2009 season in the closer role and registered three saves including the save at North Carolina State on May 1st.