2012 ESU Baseball Quick Facts (PDF)

"Striking Out Cystic Fibrosis" release

East Stroudsburg University, coming off a third-place finish in the Atlantic Region in its first trip to the NCAA Division II Tournament since 1985, enters the 2012 baseball season with a talented roster that is ready to contend for another shot at the regional and national level.

The Warriors bring back a veteran offensive group that includes two four-year starters and the addition of one of their top hitters from 2010 in their fifth season under head coach John Kochmansky, the 2010 PSAC East Coach of the Year.

On the mound, a stable of young, hard throwers will gain valuable experience in the first half of the season before entering a tough PSAC East which has seen all seven schools qualify for the conference tournament in the last two seasons.

ESU, the division's only team to make PSAC Tournament trips the last two years, begins the season with three weekend visits to North Carolina to play the top three teams in the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) standings from last season in Saint Augustine's, regular season champion Chowan and postseason champion Winston-Salem State.

Last spring, the Warriors used school-record starts of 10-0 and 16-4 to earn a ranking of No. 11 in Division II in late March. The push helped Kochmansky's squad seal an NCAA Tournament bid, where they went 2-2 with their only losses coming to regional runner-up Mercyhurst, the PSAC Tournament champion.

INFIELD

Seven starters from last year's team return, beginning with two seniors up the middle in shortstop Evan Gallagher and second baseman Ryan Guarino, who have been part of three straight 25-win seasons – the best stretch in school history.

Gallagher was named second team All-PSAC East, ESU's only position player named to the all-conference team, after hitting .299 with a .379 on-base percentage, 17 steals and 38 runs as the Warriors' leadoff hitter. He just missed his third straight .300 season and enters his senior year as a career .348 hitter who is 36 hits away from becoming the third player in program history with 200 hits.

Guarino had a .324 average, .449 on-base percentage and fielded .971 with just four errors to serve as a cornerstone both offensively and defensively. He has three straight .300 seasons with a career average of .324, sports a .440 on-base percentage and will rank among the program leaders in walks and times hit by pitch by the end of his four years.

Redshirt freshman Jayson Rathjens (Bethlehem Catholic), a two-time Carpenter Cup participant, will back up both middle infield positions. Freshman Matt Walewski (Cedar Crest), an All-Lancaster County infielder, will see time at both second and third base.

Junior Brian Ernst enters his third year as the starting first baseman and will also return to the mound this spring after pitching just 7.2 innings last season due to injury. An All-PSAC East second team utility selection as a freshman and an NCBWA All-Region preseason second team pick this year, Ernst led the Warriors with a .354 average and 36 RBI last season while hitting in the cleanup spot in 45 of 47 games. He also had a .448 on-base percentage, drawing 27 walks with just 16 strikeouts in 161 at bats, and has 100 hits, a .331 average and 67 RBI in his first two years.

When Ernst is on the mound, sophomore Mark Romano and redshirt freshman Max Mueller are projected to share time in a right-left platoon depending on the pitching match-up. Romano, a left-handed hitter, will also see some time at third and played in 11 games last season. Mueller (Scranton), a right-handed bat, was redshirted after leading his high school team to a District championship as a senior. Mueller will also contend for innings on the mound.

Across the diamond, the return of redshirt senior Jason Kelmer and addition of freshman Robert Patete will bolster the Warriors' lineup both offensively and defensively.

Kelmer had an outstanding junior season in 2010 after transferring from Salem CC, hitting .307 with a team-high eight home runs, and gives the Warriors valuable versatility when putting together the lineup card. He started 16 games in left field and 13 at third base, along with seeing time at first base and DH, and is also projected as a possible weekend starter after being forced off the mound due to injury early in 2010.

Patete, an All-State selection at Owen J. Roberts, brings a powerful bat to ESU and played on a state runner-up team as a junior. He hit .485 with 12 home runs as a senior, .480 with 11 homers as a junior and will be expected to contribute immediately as a freshman. Walewski and possibly Ernst – a high school shortstop – may also see time at third base.

OUTFIELD

The Warriors return two starters in junior Eric Boyer in right field and sophomore Chris Knott and center, bring back Kelmer and add junior Zac Menendez and redshirt freshman Andy Brandstetter to their outfield mix for the 2012 season.

Boyer was named to the NCBWA All-Region preseason second team both for his contributions last season – hitting .331 with a .432 on-base percentage, three homers and 30 RBI – and for what happened during the month the Warriors' No. 3 hitter was out of the lineup. He was a catalyst for the 16-4 start and national ranking but ESU went just 4-10 between April 9 and May 9. He returned by going 4-for-7 in a doubleheader sweep at Mansfield that put ESU in the PSAC Tournament and ultimately clinched the NCAA Tournament trip. He is also a first team Academic All-District selection and has a .357 average and 75 hits in 60 career starts.

Knott started all but three games in the outfield last season with 37 of his 44 starts in center field, where he projects to fill out the lineup card again this year. He hit .281 with a .406 on-base percentage, 11 extra-base hits and 27 RBI in his first shot against collegiate pitching, and hit .375 (9-for-24) with eight RBI in six postseason games. He alternated between the No. 5 and No. 6 spots in the lineup and should continue to hit in run-producing situations for the Warriors.

Menendez, a transfer from Orange County CC (N.Y.), played on a regional championship team in college and state championship team in high school before coming to ESU. He begins the season as the Warriors' left fielder and leadoff hitter, bringing an element of speed to the top of the order and allowing Gallagher to move to the No. 2 hole. Menendez hit .363 as a freshman and .292 as a junior at Orange County.

Kelmer will also see time in left field and Brandstetter will fill the utility role. A strong defensive player, Branstetter was a two-time first team All-Lehigh Valley Conference outfielder and a member of a District championship team at Parkland.

CATCHER

Junior Nico Delerme, a left-handed hitter, and sophomore Eric Forth, a switch hitter, combined to start 37 of the Warriors' 47 games at catcher last season and give the Warriors multiple options, both offensively and defensively.

Delerme was named to the ABCA Atlantic Region Gold Glove team, making just one error in 26 starts and throwing out 38 percent (11 of 29) base stealers during his sophomore season. He hit .253 with a .370 on-base percentage and had a hit in all four games in the NCAA Tournament. Delerme had a .395 average, ESU's freshman record, and .475 on-base percentage in his first season and has made 41 of his 54 career starts behind the plate.

Forth hit .306 with a .368 on-base percentage last season, including a .467 average (7-for-15) in the NCAA Tournament, and drove in 19 runs. He made 11 starts at catcher and 14 at DH, and will be in a rotation with Delerme and Kelmer as the Warriors' top options at designated hitter.

DEFENSE

ESU fielded at a .970 percentage last season, 14th in Division II, with just 46 errors in 47 games. Gallagher fielded at a solid .938 clip at short, Guarino made just four errors with a .971 percentage at second and Delerme earned a Gold Glove at catcher as the Warriors were outstanding defensively across the board and particularly up the middle.

In the outfield, all three projected starters – Boyer in right, Knott in center and Menendez in left – have played center field during their collegiate careers. Boyer didn't commit an error and Knott had just one error last season, and both have above-average to outstanding arms at their positions.

PITCHING

The Warriors lose their top two pitchers and bring back every other hurler who threw at least 10 innings last season.

The two losses are key ones. Jeremy Gigliotti was the Atlantic Region Pitcher of the Year, a consensus All-American and a 19th-round draft choice of the San Diego Padres after ranking third in Division II with a 1.04 ERA and leading DII with 4.57 hits allowed per nine innings. Andy Noga made 12 starts with a 2.61 ERA and combined with Gigliotti to complete 13 of their 22 starts last season.

However, the losses will be mitigated with the return of Ernst – who pitched the first game of all four weekend series in April of his freshman year – Kelmer, the addition of redshirt senior left-hander Eric Kline and the maturation of several youngsters who will take on larger roles.

As many as eight or nine pitchers are in contention for weekend starts as the season opens this spring. With just four spots available, and 16 total pitchers (including dual players) on the roster, the Warriors' bullpen depth should be a position of strength.

Ernst had 49 strikeouts in 51.0 innings as a freshman and posted a 5-3 record with two complete games, nine starts and a save to clinch the Warriors' PSAC Tournament appearance. He made three starts, going 1-0 with a 3.52 ERA in 7.2 innings last season, before being shut down for the year but is ready to take the ball again on the weekend as a junior. He was also outstanding at the plate during his starts in 2010, hitting .444 (12-for-27) with at least one hit in eight of his nine outings.

Kelmer was projected as a starter for the Warriors two seasons ago and is back in the mix after throwing just 3.0 innings in two games in 2010. He made a conference start against West Chester before being shut down for the rest of the season, but his velocity has returned after taking a medical redshirt a year ago.

Kline, who has pitched at Iowa Western CC and Division I Buffalo, is a big left-hander who also redshirted last season and is slotted as a top candidate for one of the four weekend starts against the PSAC East.

The returning veterans are led by senior Ryan Beck, juniors Colin Kelly and Mike Glassic and sophomores Keith Moyer, Keenan Stare and Colin Taylor.

Beck, who has pitched in 23 games and made 10 starts over the last two seasons, has made seven regular season conference starts and started against Shippensburg in the PSAC Tournament last year. He had a 3.68 ERA with a team-high three saves and 30 strikeouts in 29.1 innings a year ago, including quality starts against PSAC Tournament qualifiers Bloomsburg and Millersville.

Kelly has started four PSAC East games in each of the last two seasons and has a career 8-4 record and 5.52 ERA in 25 games, including 12 starts. He had a 3.95 ERA in 43.1 innings as a freshman on the 2010 PSAC Tournament team and won starts against Kutztown and West Chester last season.

Glassic, a left-hander, made two of his four starts last season in the postseason. He got the ball for the PSAC Tournament opener against Mercyhurst, going 4.1 innings and allowing two earned runs in a 6-5 (11 inn.) loss, then threw 7.0 innings in a 17-3 win over Concord in the third game of the NCAA tournament. He had a 3.00 ERA and .178 batting average against in 30.0 innings, and has 48 strikeouts in 50.0 career innings.

Moyer, Stare and Taylor all had limited opportunities as freshmen due to the postponements of a number of midweek games, but still found their way to the mound in both starting and relief roles.

Moyer was 3-0 with one save, a 3.38 ERA and 36 strikeouts in 29.1 innings over 13 games, including two starts. In his 11 relief appearances, he had a 1.80 ERA with 32 strikeouts in 20.0 innings, including a 3.0 inning appearance against Mercyhurst in the NCAA Tournament elimination game. He won his only conference start with 5.0 innings in an 11-2 win at Shippensburg.

Stare pitched in 14 games, including four starts, and most notably earned the save in the first NCAA Tournament win in school history with a perfect 11th inning and two strikeouts in a 6-5 win over Seton Hill. He started and threw 6.0 innings with five strikeouts in the final game of the tournament against Mercyhurst, a 4-2 loss, and also had a strong relief outing against Mercyhurst in the PSAC Tournament. He had two saves, also closing a win over West Chester, and had a 4.36 ERA with 35 strikeouts and 23 hits allowed in 33.0 innings. He gave up just four hits in 16.1 innings over his 10 relief appearances.

Taylor pitched in eight games in relief last season, with a 2.70 ERA, nine strikeouts and just three walks in 16.2 innings. He held opponents to a .238 batting average and threw 2.0 scoreless innings against Shippensburg in the PSAC Tournament.

Junior Michael Muglia, a left-hander, had a valuable sophomore season in five appearances while accomplishing something nobody had done in school history. He didn't allow a run, earned or unearned, in 14.2 innings – the most innings with a 0.00 ERA in the history of the program – and had 13 strikeouts, four walks and 12 hits allowed. He threw 4.0 innings in the postseason, 2.0 against Mercyhurst in the PSAC Tournament and 2.0 in the blowout win over Concord in the NCAA Tournament.

Two other returners are back in redshirt junior left-hander Brandon Snyder and sophomore Kurtis Roberts. Snyder, who missed the 2010 season, has a 2.04 ERA and 16 strikeouts in 17.2 career innings and had a 1.59 ERA in 5.2 innings over four games last year. Roberts pitched in one game last season and appeared in three others as a pinch runner.

Junior Kurt Stettner leads the incoming arms after helping Briarcliffe (N.Y.) to consecutive USCAA (United States College Athletic Association) championships over the last two years. He had six saves in 15 appearances last season and should be a key addition to the ESU bullpen.

Mueller, a redshirt freshman, and true freshmen Jake Traub and Jabin Weaver round out the staff. Mueller and Traub, who pitched on three straight league championship teams at Suffern (N.Y.), both work from the left side and could see situational work in relief. Weaver, an All-State selection on three league championship teams at Fort Plain (N.Y.), will also contend for midweek work.

SCHEDULE

The Warriors open on February 11-12 with three games at Saint Augustine's, which was 34-16 overall and 24-4 in the CIAA last season. They head to Chowan (29-14, 25-3) the following weekend for a four-game series and are at Winston-Salem State (26-18, 19-7), coming off an NCAA Tournament appearance of its own, on February 25-26.

ESU will play in Clearwater, Florida for the second straight spring with eight games scheduled from March 9-13, including four at Jack Russell Stadium, the former minor league home of the Philadelphia Phillies. The trip will also include a night game at national power Tampa, which has played in 12 straight NCAA Tournaments and won two national titles since 2000.

The PSAC East schedule begins on March 23-24 against Mansfield. The next five weekends bring series against West Chester, Bloomsburg, Kutztown, Millersville and Shippensburg as the seven-team division determines its four entrants to the PSAC Tournament.