Greyhounds Return With Eye on Landmark Repeat & Beyond
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – The Moravian College baseball team got a taste of NCAA Regional action last season, and as the vast majority of last year’s squad returns to Bethlehem for the 2014 season, the taste has swiftly turned into full-blown hunger.
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – The Moravian College baseball team got a taste of NCAA Regional action last season, and as the vast majority of last year's squad returns to Bethlehem for the 2014 season, the taste has swiftly turned into full-blown hunger.
The Greyhounds went 24-19 last season, which culminated in the school's second-ever berth in the NCAA Tournament after winning the Landmark Conference for the second time in four years. Head coach Paul Engelhardt, entering his eighth year at the helm, returns 30 players and 13 starters – including the entire starting rotation and closer from the pitching staff.
Expectations are growing as fast as the winning tradition has taken root and blossomed for Moravian baseball, and some extraordinary goals accompany the forecast of a brand new season.
"We want to repeat as Landmark champs, be better than we were last year and qualify for the NCAA Tournament again," Engelhardt said. "We want to have a better showing at regionals and prove we belong with those teams. The end goal is to win regionals."
The Greyhounds exited regionals after an 0-2 stint in Auburn, N.Y. last spring. The difference this year, according to the Greyhound headman, could come down to something as simple as baseball fundamentals.
"Each team is different and each year the path getting there is different," Engelhardt said. "Two years ago was a great year as far as win-loss record [at 28-16], and last year things came together at the perfect time. Our regional tournament last season was a microcosm of our entire season; we didn't execute the little things and lost both games."
An experience core of four captains will be charged with leading the Hounds both on and off the field this season. Senior outfielder Joseph Connell, junior outfielder Matt Hanson and junior third baseman Ryan Luke will all resume their roles as captains of the Greyhounds, while senior pitcher Chris Soltys joins the group for the 2014 season.
Soltys has pitched in 35 games over the past two seasons while recording five saves. He posted a 2.36 ERA out of the bullpen last season and showed a knack for getting big outs in pressure situations. Connell, a five-tool player and an American Baseball Coaches Association All-Region Third Team selection one year ago, batted .359 with 28 runs scored, 40 RBIs, nine stolen bases and two home runs to go with a 1.000 fielding percentage in 102 chances.
Hanson was a Landmark All-Conference First Team honoree last spring, while also earning ABCA All-Region Third Team recognition. His .377 batting average led the Greyhounds, as did his .543 slugging percentage and .466 on-base percentage. Hanson had 33 runs scored, 20 RBIs and 15 stolen bases. Luke, a Landmark All-Conference Second Team selection in 2013, had a team-best 41 RBIs last season, and batted .327 (50-for-153) while adding two home runs and five stolen bases.
"These guys all lead by example and hard work," Engelhardt said. "They are real captains in the sense that they believe in our goals as a unit and push their teammates to meet them."
With the wealth of talent returning to the diamond this season, Engelhardt also introduces a newcomer to the pitching staff this season. Freshman Nicolas Ampietro is a "plus-plus arm," in the words of his head coach and will toe the mound for the first time as a college baseball player when the Greyhounds take their annual Spring Break trip to Florida in early March.
Engelhardt does not expect leadership and superior talent to be limited to his captains. It should be infectious throughout the lineup and pitching staff. One player stepping up is senior middle infielder Daniel Seitzinger, who missed the end of 2013 with an injury.
"His attitude is right, he looks healthy and he's practicing at a high level," Engelhardt said. "It's been nice having another voice that has experience and my hope is that his overcoming an injury and fighting to get back will only make him a better player this year."
The coaching staff has also taken notice to senior RHP Robert Solano, who earned the Opening Day nod on the mound after posting an 3.89 ERA last season, leading the staff in starts (11) and wins (5). Southpaws junior Chris Lansberry and sophomore Tommy Natale-Drown have also showed live arms during the preseason.
In order to take that next step, Engelhardt pinpointed one aspect of his team's makeup that, if perfected, can raise the ceiling of expectations to uncharted territory. The Greyhounds can pitch, hit, run and throw, but it's what is in between their ears that can make or break the season.
"For the next step, we need to see that sense of urgency," Engelhardt said. "Every pitch, every second on the field counts. That's what championship teams do. There's that expectation to win and you practice with that in mind. I wish it was something you could coach. Instead of the idea of playing a good team, what our mindset needs to be is that they're playing us. When we turn that corner, that's when you see us win a lot of these games. We have great kids: character, personality and talent. They know what it's like to win. Our hope as coaches is that they're ready to take that next step. It's all mental at this point."
The path to the next level is not an easy one. Moravian, which was selected to repeat as Landmark Conference champions in the preseason coaches poll, will face a league slate gunning to take down the crown bearers. In addition, its non-conference schedule is loaded with nationally-ranked talent as well as teams ranked within their region. In a new rule this season, all contests will be considered in regional ranking calculations later in the season, therefore the games against regionally-ranked opponents down in Florida, while not in Moravian's Mid-Atlantic region, will count when the first NCAA rankings come out in April.
Engelhardt and his staff do not keep their expectations for this team a secret. The best players play and those who want to see more innings will work harder. The staff is also open about the team's strengths, and the head coach actually had trouble picking just one.
"We are based on speed," Engelhardt said. "The whole team can run. If I were forced to rank our strengths, it would be very difficult. It's hard to put pitching ahead of hitting; we are a very well-rounded team. Our pitching staff is brilliant, our hitting has the chance to jump 30 points and our defense is much improved. We had only an average defense last year."
In a sport based around averages – batting and earned run – the Moravian men do not want to be associated with the word, "average."
Above-average may not even make the cut. The Greyhounds open the 2014 season with their eye on back-to-back conference titles and the program's first-ever regional crown. The old adage of beating the best to be the best will have to prove true to realize the championship potential that has grown from the grass and dirt at Gillespie Field.
The quest kicks off on Friday, Feb. 21 at the 7th Annual Floyd B. Wilcox Memorial Tournament hosted by Hampden-Sydney (Va.) College. The Greyhounds open the tournament with a game versus Wesley (Del.) College at 11 a.m. and will finish the weekend trip with games against host Hampden-Sydney on Saturday and No. 17 Keystone College on Sunday, both starting at 11 a.m.
