Frawley ailing as CCU baseball opens preseason practice

The Coastal Carolina baseball team formally begins preseason practice Friday afternoon, and the Chanticleers get started with an all-too-familiar concern.

Senior catcher Tucker Frawley, who missed a chunk of the season early last spring with a knee injury, is dealing with what coach Gary Gilmore described as "back issues." And with the Chants again thin on catching depth, Gilmore said the situation is a "huge red flag for us."

Frawley, one of the team's few returning veterans, started 40 games last season while batting .234 and throwing out 13 of 24 attempted base stealers. He's set to have an MRI on Monday, Gilmore said, although the coach noted "there's no evidence that there's anything significant."

"[Frawley] tells me if he had to gut it out he could catch today, but we're looking at four months of catching -- not one day," Gilmore said Wednesday. "To start in that shape today would not be a good thing. So we're going to really take it very cautiously at this point and make sure he's 100 percent before we put him out there and try to build him back up."

John Fidanza, who started 19 games as a freshman last season in Frawley's stead, is no longer with the program due to disciplinary reasons, Gilmore said. Sophomore reserve catcher Doug Fleming, meanwhile, is still troubled by lingering arm issues after missing all of last season.

So if the Chants were to start their season today, senior first baseman Rich Witten would be the starting catcher, Gilmore said, while junior pitcher Josh Powell -- a converted catcher and newcomer to the program -- would be available to fill in as well.

"[Frawley is] a vital piece of what we're trying to do," Gilmore said. "We'll be fine with Rich behind the plate, but like I said, we're at a quandary where to go from there after that."

| Ryan Young, ryoung@thesunnews.com