EAST STROUDSBURG – The East Stroudsburg University baseball team looks to carry momentum from last year's hot start into this season, as the Warriors open their 2021 campaign on Monday and Wednesday against Chestnut Hill.

Monday will be a doubleheader beginning at 12 p.m. and Wednesday's contest is a single nine-inning game at 1 p.m.

MARCH 8TH CREEKVIEW PARK SPECTATOR POLICY
Due to the large amounts of snow in the outfield beyond the baseball and softball fences, where we except spectators to sit or stand for this season, at this time we will only be able to provide very limited standing-room only space for spectators in the following areas:

• In the Creekview Park parking lot
• Along Serfass Lane, into the parking lot
• In the driveway from the main gate to the flagpole 

All spectators in attendance at any home athletic event this spring are required to remain socially distanced of at least six feet apart (a family pod may sit or stand together) and wear masks at all times. Spectators are strongly encouraged not to interact with players, coaches or staff members in close contact before, during, or after the contest. No tailgating activities will be allowed.

John Kochmansky enters his 14th season as the head coach of the Warriors and will look to yet another experienced group alongside a talented freshman class to compete at the top of the PSAC East.

The Warriors were picked to finish second in the PSAC East following the announcement of the PSAC Baseball Preseason Poll on February 2. ESU received two first-place votes while Millersville collected seven to be named the division's preseason favorite. The Marauders captured the PSAC East title back in 2019.

On the regional and national stage, the Warriors were listed No. 1 in the NCBWA Division II Atlantic Region preseason poll and No. 9 in the NCBWA Division II preseason poll. Back at the end January, ESU was ranked No. 20 nationally in the Perfect Game DII preseason rankings.

The Warriors will play a 40-game schedule which includes 32 against PSAC East opponents with eight four-game conference weekends.

The PSAC Tournament will be held on May 12-15 on the campus of Slippery Rock.



ESU returns all but three players from last year's squad that was 14-1-2 and outscored opponents 153-33, before the season was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Redshirt seniors Joey Paolini, Anthony Torreullas and redshirt junior Nate Fiala have been named the captains for the 2021 season as voted by their teammates. Paolini served as a captain for the last two seasons and Fiala was in the same role with the Warriors last season as well.

The Warriors boast six catchers this season and will look to redshirt freshman Tim Haverstick, sophomore Jake Packer and redshirt Derek Stento to carry the load early on. ESU added a trio of true freshman in Tommy Ajjan, Ricky Bromirski and Patrick Morrisey, who will battle for time behind the plate.

Haverstick and Stento split time last year, making nine and eight starts respectively. Stento enjoyed early success at the dish, hitting .435 (10-for-23) with a .552 on-base percentage and .565 slugging percentage.

The Warriors infield will be led by redshirt junior Brock Kauffman, who hit .419 with a .439 on-base percentage and .710 slugging percentage in 2020. The Blue Ball, Pa. native was a first team All-PSAC East selection in 2019 and was named to the second team as a freshman in 2018.

Joey Paolini returns as a fifth-year starter and will transition back to shortstop this season after playing a majority of time at second base the last two seasons. The Cherry Hill, N.J. native will look to build off his 2020 campaign which saw him hit .277 with two home runs.

Redshirt sophomore Logan Stirr will man first base after hitting .304 with four doubles and eight RBI in 14 starts. The Warriors will turn to a trio of freshman in Shane Fillman, Jeremy Piatkiewicz and Tyler Cassella to fill the role at shortstop after CJ Lopez graduated a season ago.

Brainy Rojas figures to be the leader of the outfield after making 66 starts over the last two seasons. The redshirt junior was amid a breakout season at the plate, hitting a team-best .453 with a .592 on base percentage. Rojas enters the 2021 campaign ranked tied for seventh at ESU in career stolen bases with 44. Junior Tommy Dunleavy will plug into a corner outfield position after starting in all 17 games in his first-year season at ESU. The Bushkill, Pa. native hit .288 with four homeruns in 2020.

Sirwalter Melendez and redshirt freshman Ben Piripavel figure to roam the outfield again this season as the pair appeared in 14 and 12 games respectively in 2020. Piripavel made five starts, hit .526 (10-of-19) and posted a .640 on-base percentage.

Redshirt senior Anthony Torreullas returns in his utility role as he's played the corner outfielder positions and three infield positions over the course of 66 career starts. The New Holland, Pa. native hit .400 with a .800 slugging percentage a season ago and was a first team utility selection in 2019.

Redshirt senior Carson Freeman is fully healthy and returns for his fifth year. The Bangor, Pa. native served as the designated hitter last season but will transition back into his outfield role for the Warriors this season. Freeman hit .302 in 14 starts last year and was named to the All-PSAC first team as a utility player in 2018.

In his most recent interview with ESU Athletics, head coach John Kochmansky can be quoted as saying "We are very excited about our pitching staff this season, we have depth as well as an excellent bullpen…our pitching is going to take us to where we want to be." when talking about the 2021 Warriors' pitching staff. Last season, the group posted a 2.01 ERA, .140 opponents' batting average and 210 strikeouts across 139.0 innings.

This year's pitching staff will be anchored by fifth-year senior left-hander Cam Voss and redshirt junior right-hander Chase Nowak. Voss was selected to the Perfect Game DII Top 25 after dominating opposing hitters' last spring. The Fredonia, N.Y. native allowed just two hits, recorded 42 strike outs and posted a 0.43 ERA in 21.0 innings. In 22.0 innings of work, Nowak had a 1.23 ERA, 33 strikeouts, four walks and allowed 11 hits. Both were 3-0 in their five starts.

Fifth-year redshirt senior Connor Johnson will pitch as a starter and bullpen option for the Warriors this season. Johnson enters the year tied for 10th all time in appearances with 47 and ranks tied for 14th in career starts with 28.

Joining Johnson in a similar role will be junior right-hander JP Nolan and redshirt freshman Brent Francisco. Nolan pitched 9.0 scoreless innings over five appearances and made one start against U Sciences while Francisco threw 13.0 scoreless innings over four appearances (two starts) last season.

ESU's bullpen is filled with depth and experience led by the Guidos brother, Tyler and Justin. After transferring in from Mansfield, redshirt senior Tyler Guidos pitched 12.2 innings across six appearances and recorded a 0.71 ERA. Justin Guidos made eight appearances, recorded a 1.64 ERA and one save over 11.0 innings of work.

Redshirt senior CJ Gonazales, graduate student Brett Lubreski, redshirt sophomore Mike Yates and redshirt juniors Nate Fiala and Nick Kiener also figure to work out of the bullpen for the Warriors this season. All five pitchers combined to make 16 appearances and two starts a season ago.

ESU will feature 17 true freshmen on this year's rosters which includes 15 from Pennsylvania and two from New Jersey. Coach Kochmansky spoke highly of the class saying, "this is probably the most talented group of freshmen we've had come to East Stroudsburg University in my 14 years." Alongside the trio of freshman midfielders, Jerome Repetz and Tom Reisinger figure to make an impact in their first season as a Warrior.