Clarksville, Ark.-New U of O baseball coach Aaron Gentry expects his team to be competitive this season and is emphasizing doing the small things right.

Gentry, who was an assistant coach at LeTourneau University for eight seasons, takes over a program that finished 10-29 overall and 5-23 in the conference last season.

"The expectation is to be competitive this season," he said. "Our goal is to win, but more so my first year, try to instill those small disciplines to win. And, we are trying to develop a standard of how we go about winning. I want 100 percent hustle all the time. We want to be a tough ball club, and be relentless. We have the capability of being a very dynamic team."
    
Gentry has concentrated on four areas within his program that he believes will result in wins.

"Those four areas include the classroom, the field, the community and the weight room," he said. "We want to make a standard and measure our team in all those areas. If those things are good, then I believe the wins will be there."

Ozarks returns three starters in the field, and a number of others who have starting experience. Among the team's strengths is speed.

"Our team speed is a strength," he said. "And, I think offensively we will be able to hit one through nine. We will also have good depth. Our outfield play will be among the best in the conference in terms of speed. They have the ability to make great plays. They will be able to track down balls."

Alex Smith, Zach Walker and Dean Igert saw action in the outfield last season. Andrew Beck is expected to move from shortstop to outfield this season. Smith, a junior, hit .311 and owned a .985 fielding percentage in 2015. Walker, a sophomore, hit .262 with three doubles, while Igert, a senior, recorded 25 hits and scored 13 runs. Beck was an All-Region player after ranking among the American Southwest Conference's top-10 in batting (.385), hits (57), triples (2), doubles (18), total bases (82), on-base percentage (.424) and slugging percentage (.554).

"Andrew is a solid player," he said. "We expect a lot out of him. He is a leader on the team. He doesn't say a lot, but he is a very consistent player both offensively and defensively. He can be among the best players in the conference. Dean had a great fall and Alex is very fast. Zach has one of the best arms in the conference."

The weekend rotation will be completely new as the Eagles lost the majority of its pitching staff, but Gentry believes there is plenty of talent.

"We are excited about the pitching staff," he said. "We will have a lot of young guys pitching. But players like Keaton Ramsey did well all fall. He has a good demeanor on the mound. He really thinks about the game, and can execute his pitches. In the fall, Hayden Keller made strides. He is a bulldog out there. Ely Gordon is a strike thrower and has good tempo.  Luke Dyer and other freshmen have done well. There are other upperclassmen like Luke Vera we expect to do well."

Ramsey tossed 19.0 innings and owned a 2-2 record in 2015. Keller threw 17.0 innings and had a 1-1 record, while Vera made five appearances.

A number of players are battling for playing time in the infield.

"There is competition in the infield," he said. "We need to be more consistent. We have worked on footwork and slowing things down. I have been impressed with Fielder Dufrene at short stop. He is very consistent and performed well in the fall. Transfer Justin Crider seems to be a dynamic player."

Gentry also has players pushing each other at catcher.

"Zach Jones is an energetic player and brings a lot of life to the game," said Gentry. "He has the capability to be a leader. Michael Gonzalez has some good tools. He and Zach are pushing each other."

Gentry has also focused on the mental approach to the game.

"I tell our guys to stay within ourselves," said Gentry. "If you press too hard in baseball, it is not a good thing. We really stress keeping an even keel. It is a game that requires mental toughness as well as physical toughness. I expect a lot out of our guys."

Ozarks opens the season on the road in the Millsaps Classic February 12-14.