BETHLEHEM, Pa. --- With the temperatures warming and being able to practice on its own field in February, the Moravian College baseball team is excited to begin its 2017 season on Friday, February 24 versus Southern Virginia University in the first of three games at the Floyd B. Wilcox Tournament hosted by Hampden-Sydney (Va.) College.
Head Coach Paul Engelhardt enters his 11th season with a 238-173 record and a program that has been to the postseason for eight straight years. Engelhardt returns 26 players from last year's 22-21 squad, which hosted a Landmark Conference Semifinal series for the second consecutive spring.
One of the keys to Moravian's season will be on the pitching mound where Engelhardt returns his entire starting rotation and only lost 65 of 356.1 innings from a year ago. Junior Ryan Kahn was named to the Landmark All-Conference First Team and the ECAC Division III South All-Star Second Team after a 4-3 season last year to go along with a 1.42 ERA, two shutouts, 46 strikeouts and just 11 walks in 50.2 innings of action. Sophomore Rhett Jacoby was also on the Landmark All-Conference First Team a year ago after a debut season that saw him go 7-3 with a save, a 4.05 ERA, 58 strikeouts and 12 walks in a team-high 66.2 innings.
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The Greyhounds other returning starters include senior Ian Carbone, who was 2-1 with a 2.90 ERA, 42 strikeouts and 15 walks in 40.1 innings, junior Nicolas Ampietro, who was 2-1 with a 3.86 ERA, 35 strikeouts and six walks in 42 innings and junior Dan Morrin, who was 1-2 with two saves, 32 strikeouts and six walks in 31.2 innings of work. Moravian has three other pitchers retuning that tossed at least nine innings last spring in junior Nicholas Mazzella, who had nine strikeouts in 24 innings, junior Bryan Schoch, who recorded 14 strikeouts in 15.1 innings, and junior Clay Weidemoyer, who posted a pair of strikeouts and a save in 9.1 innings.
In the field, Coach Engelhardt returns his entire outfield led by senior Anthony Gaetaniello. Last spring, Gaetaniello was named to the Landmark All-Conference Second Team after hitting .370 with 54 hits, 29 runs, eight doubles, four triples, a homer, 25 RBIs, 13 walks and 20 stolen bases. Sophomore Mike Mittl was selected as both the Landmark Conference and ECAC Division III South Rookie of the Year and earned a spot on the Landmark All-Conference Second Team after hitting .323 with 50 hits, 33 runs, seven doubles, a triple, five home runs, 24 RBIs and 13 stolen bases in his debut season. Sophomore Austin Markowski rounds out the outfield and hit .308 in his freshman campaign with 44 hits, 41 runs, six doubles, a triple, six homers, 21 RBIs, 23 walks and five stolen bases. Sophomore Chase Rogers adds depth in the outfield and as a catcher after collecting 12 hits, five runs, a triple, a homer, 10 RBIs and a .343 average in limited action in 2016.
Moravian returns three infielders but needs to fill starting positions at the corners after the graduation of two All-Conference honorees. Ampietro saw limited action at second base when not pitching and had 17 hits, 11 runs, five doubles and four RBIs. Coach Engelhardt does return two middle infielders in sophomores Evan Kulig and Tim Heard. Kulig, who is also expected to see time on the mound this season after pitching for the Allentown Railers of the Atlantic Collegiate Baseball League during the summer with Jacoby, hit .306 last spring to go with 30 hits, 17 runs, three doubles, a triple and 10 RBIs. Heard had a .302 average a year ago with 26 hits, 10 runs, five doubles, a triple and 13 RBIs. Junior Logan Welles saw action at first base and as a designated hitter last spring with 10 hits, two doubles and seven RBIs.
Coach Engelhardt is looking for a starter behind the plate after graduating a four-year starter and All-Conference selection. He has five catchers on the roster with three that saw limited action last season led by junior Ezra Rawdon and sophomore Andrew Koenig.
The Greyhounds, who only have three seniors on the 2017 roster, have added six freshmen and a transfer to the roster this season and look to contribute as the program seeks its ninth straight postseason appearance and another Landmark Conference title.
