Returning Core has High Expectations as Baseball Takes on 2015 Season
BETHLEHEM, Pa. --- The Moravian College baseball look to make 2015 as memorable as they build upon the success of last years season after posting a 32-12 overall record which is the most victories at Moravian.
BETHLEHEM, Pa. --- The Moravian College baseball team found its place in school history by posting a 32-12 overall record last year which is the most victories at Moravian. Returning a wealth of experience this spring, the squad is looking to build of last season's successes, and reclaim the Landmark Conference Championship title after finishing second last spring.
The Greyhounds clinched their second straight NCAA Tournament berth under the direction of Head Coach Paul Engelhardt, entering his ninth year at the helm and closing in on his 200th win. The Hounds return 22 players and 11 starters, including three pitchers.
"The team expects to compete for a Landmark Championship," commented Engelhardt. "We have a lot of returning players from last year's team, and a very good group of newcomers that are working hard to put themselves in a position to play meaningful games in May. If we can stay focused, compete the best we can, I see good things for the team and an opportunity for post-season games."
Expectations and leadership will define the winning tradition this season for Moravian baseball, with seasoned veterans looking to stake their claim on their final season they will look to some fresh faces to help them reach their potential.
"It's going to take staying healthy, staying focused, balancing school work with baseball, and a lot of good fortune," said Engelhardt. "The work the kid's put in during the off season will help the team late in the season. The team needs to meet the physical challenges of playing hard for over 40 games. We need to meet challenges and have more good outcomes than bad."
The Greyhounds will look to make their way back to the big stage and cause a bigger stir at regionals after an 0-2 stint in Moosic last spring. Leading the way for the Hounds this season will be seniors outfielder Matt Hanson, third baseman Ryan Luke, and shortstop Colin Case, and juniors first baseman Charles Savite and catcher Mike Roethke, who all received post-season honors in 2014.
"We expect them to lead the way and I have no doubt they will have some level of success as individuals," stated Engelhardt. "Our guys that return with a lot of experience have to show the way every day. They have played against some really good teams over the past couple of years. They have beaten many of those teams, and played in many important games in May. It takes their understanding and knowing how to maintain that level of competition. That is what I expect from our guys returning with experience."
Hanson was the Landmark Conference Player of the Year and All-Conference First Team honoree last spring. His honors also included the ABCA/Rawlings All-America Third Team, the D3baseball.com All-America Second Team, the D3baseball.com Mid-Atlantic Region's Player of the Year, the D3baseball.com All-Mid-Atlantic Region First Team, the ABCA/Rawlings All-Mid-Atlantic Region First Team, the ECAC Division III South Player of the Year, the ECAC Division III South All-Star First Team, He hit .408 in 2014, which was the sixth-best season in school history, while starting all 43 games he played in. He had 62 hits, which was tied for the team lead and was also tied for second in a single season in the Moravian record books.
Hanson scored 53 runs in 2014, just one shy of the school record and his 48 RBIs were the third most in a single season. He also paced the Greyhounds with three homers, and connected on 10 doubles and four triples for 89 total bases, the fifth most in a season, and a .586 slugging percentage, which is eighth in the record books. Hanson drew 25 walks and was hit by a pitch another 13 times, one shy of the single season mark, for a .518 on-base percentage, second in the record books, and he added 13 stolen bases. From his right field position, Hanson recorded 72 putouts and three assists in 77 chances.
Luke earned Landmark All-Conference First Team honors and was named to the ABCA/Rawlings Mid-Atlantic Region Second Team and the ECAC Division III South All-Star Second Team. He had a .367 batting average, a .437 on-base percentage and a .509 slugging percentage. He had 62 hits, 38 runs scored, 16 doubles and four triples while adding 39 RBIs and 13 stolen bases.
Case also earned Landmark All-Conference First Team accolades and was named to ABCA/Rawlings Division III Mid-Atlantic Third Team. He had a .321 batting average, a .383 on-base percentage and a .415 slugging percentage. Case had six doubles, three triples and one home run, scoring 40 runs and stole eight bases.
Roethke will be entering his third season as the Greyhounds' starting catcher this spring, and he was on the Landmark All-Conference First Team as a sophomore. Last spring, Roethke threw out 19 of 56 base runners, and he collected 25 hits, 21 runs, five doubles and 10 RBIs at the plate.
Savite played in 44 games for the Greyhounds last spring where he had a .343 batting average, .376 on-base percentage and a .429 slugging percentage. He had 60 hits, 32 runs scored, nine doubles and three triples, nine stolen bases and 47 RBIs which earned Landmark All-Conference First Team honors and named to the ABCA/Rawlings Division III Mid-Atlantic All-Region Second Team.
Engelhardt has great potential in his incoming class, if the transition goes according to plan. Everything is a learning curve but with the support and knowledge from the coaching staff and players the players can thrive.
"We brought in a big class this year. It may be our best pitching class since I've been here, and the position guys have shown great promise," commented Engelhardt. "The pitchers will be used immediately and gain valuable experience. Those moments will help them as the season gets longer. Position guys have a little learning curve ahead of them.
Engelhardt continued, "We are fortunate to return all but one starter in the field from last year. This will enable the freshman position guys to learn, get some opportunities and grow into the players I know they can be. I don't want to put names with expectations for these freshmen. I do believe we have a few freshman pitchers that are going to be outstanding for us not only this year, but the next four."
The pitching staff and team will rely heavily on returning pitchers to control the tempo of the game. A solid group of upperclassmen along with some fresh faces the guys are up for the task. The Greyhounds return four hurlers that tossed more than 24 innings last season including juniors Anthony Zaloga, Brett Wagner and Ian Carbone and sophomore Nicolas Ampietro.
Moravian was selected to finish second in the Landmark Conference Preseason Poll voted on by the conferences head coaches. While it may not be where they hoped to be it still doesn't remove the target off their back. Teams know to expect high caliber play when facing the Blue and Grey and living up to those expectations just like anything is a process.
"The 2015 baseball season could be our greatest challenge to date," said Engelhardt. "We play the same type of schedule as last year. We aren't trying to avoid playing anyone. The more games you can play against quality opponents only helps come our Landmark Tournament time and to play beyond. Some teams in our conference play a couple good teams outside of the conference. For us, we try to play as many as possible against those types of teams to challenge ourselves. It may be a building process early on this season, it is a process, we will learn how to beat those teams, but as the year goes on, I expect us to be playing some really good baseball and competing against really good baseball teams. My expectations as their coach remain the same, be the best team in our conference and play in the NCAA tournament."
The season kicks off at No. 11 Kean University on Wednesday, March 4 at 3:30 p.m.
