Inabinet adds transfers to Patriot baseball squad

Francis Marion University baseball coach Art Inabinet has announced the addition of a pair of transfers to the Patriot baseball program: senior catcher Logan Bland of Charleston and junior infielder and right-handed pitcher Tyler Cappelmann of Sumter.

Bland, 6-0 205 pounds, is a transfer from Western Carolina University. This past season, he batted .205 with five doubles, one home run, and 13 runs batted in. He played in 31 games and made 19 starts, including 15 behind the plate and four as the designated hitter.

Behind the plate, he threw out six of 34 runners attempting to steal and posted a .973 fielding percentage.

Bland played two seasons at Spartanburg Methodist College before going to WCU. As a sophomore at SMC, he batted .347 with nine doubles, 14 home runs, and 44 RBIs while earning second-team All-Region X honors. He was a first-team All-Region X selection as a freshman after he hit .340 with nine doubles, seven homers, and 37 RBIs and helped lead the Pioneers to a third-place finish at the 2007 NJCAA World Series.

He played for the Forest City Owls of the Coastal Plain League during the summer of 2008.
He is a product of Bishop England High School, and also played for the South Carolina Diamond Devils traveling team for four years.

Cappelmann, 5-10 180-pounds, is transferring from USC Sumter, where he played two seasons.

This spring, he batted .256 with 21 runs scored, two doubles, and 14 RBIs, while helping the Fire Ants to a 52-11 record, the Region X regular-season championship, and a spot in the NJCAA Eastern District Regional Tournament. He also compiled a .336 on-base percentage and a .952 fielding percentage, while leading his team with 96 fielding assists.

On the pitching mound, he was 2-0 with four saves and a 3.21 earned run average. He averaged more than one strikeout per inning pitched.

As a freshman, he hit .342 with 15 RBIs, and was 0-1 with a 4.36 ERA.

He is a graduate of Sumter High School, where he played for coach Brooks Shumake. He was the 2006 AAAA Player of the Year and participated in the North-South All-Star Game.

He also played for the Sumter P-15’s American Legion squad.

“Bland is a big strong receiver,” said Inabinet. “He throws well, has the potential to hit for power, and should challenger for the No. 1 catching spot.

“Cappelmann is a very good defensive middle infielder. He can also throw from the mound and should see innings out of the Patriot bullpen.”

The two will join three freshmen signees who were previously announced: right-handed pitchers Don Sandifer of Bamberg and Will Smith of Blythewood and outfielder Dalton Gress of Aiken.

Francis Marion loses four seniors off last year’s 38-15-1 squad that finished second during the Peach Belt Conference regular season, won the PBC Tournament title, and earned its fourth NCAA Division II national tournament bid in the past seven years, placing third at the Southeast Regional. The Patriots were ranked 14th in the end-of-the-season Collegiate Baseball Magazine NCAA Division II Top 30 poll.