BETHLEHEM, Pa. – The Moravian College baseball team looks to build upon last season's strong showing after finishing first in the Landmark Conference regular season. The Greyhounds totaled a school record 31 wins last season with an overall record of 31-9 and a 17-1 in conference play.
"Our expectations are to be Landmark Conference Champions," said sixth year Head Coach Paul Engelhardt. "We have a great senior class, and they'll be tested this year as we're running out one of the toughest schedules in the country."
Senior pitcher Brendan Close is the anchor of this team for the spring season. He comes into 2012 as a D3baseball.com Preseason First Team All-American. Close is also considered a top pitching prospect for the 2012 Major League Baseball draft by Baseball America. In 2011, Close posted a 10-0 record and a 1.00 ERA to go with his 100 strikeouts and five walks in 80.2 innings pitched. He racked in the accolades at the end of last season being named, 2011 D3baseball.com First Team All-American and the American Baseball Coaches Association/Rawlings First Team All-American. Close was also named the 2011 Landmark Conference Pitcher of the Year and to the All-Conference First Team. He also garnered a spot on the Rawlings/ABCA Division III All-Mid-Atlantic Region First Team, and he was named the 2011 Mid-Atlantic Region Pitcher of the Year by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association.
Sophomore pitchers Robert Solano and Chris Soltys will add depth to the starting rotation. Solano went 3-1 in nine games and seven starts last season while posting a 3.79 ERA. He struck out 22 in 38 innings pitched. Soltys finished with a 1-1 record with a 4.08 ERA in 17.2 innings pitched while striking out 16. Junior pitcher Frank Trautz went 2-0 with a 3.45 ERA in 15.2 innings pitched and sophomore Thomas Mariano struck out eight in 8.1 innings pitched rounds out the starters for this spring.
The bullpen will be headed by senior closer Kyle Longernecker. Longernecker recorded nine saves in 16 appearances on the mound. He had a 3.00 ERA with 24 strikeouts in 27 innings pitched. Longernecker was a Landmark All-Conference First Team selection in 2011. Sophomore Jason Jamula posted a 4.86 ERA in 16.2 innings while striking out 13, and classmate Benjamin Hammel had a 0.00 ERA in 4.1 innings pitched while striking out six. Sophomore Anthony Perez-Florido also contributed in the pen while classmate Timothy Smith and junior Matthew Cordes also return to the bullpen from last season.
Leading the offensive charge will be senior catcher Austin Rock, who was a 2011 Landmark All-Conference First Team selection. Rock holds the highest batting average for returning players at .347 (26-for-75). He also had 18 runs scored, 16 RBIs, five doubles, one homerun, one triple and four stolen bases. Classmate first baseman Kevin O'Keefe currently holds the career-record for batting average at .384 (160-for-409) and is only 16 hits shy of breaking the career hit record. Last season, O'Keefe hit .341 (47-for-138) with 38 runs scored, 23 RBIs, 15 stolen bases, 12 doubles and two triples.
Senior third baseman Gregg Steinman brings his .299 (20-for-67) batting average back along with his ten RBIs, eight runs scored, three doubles and one homerun. Classmate shortstop Dave Zubia returns after posting a .294 (30-for-101), 24 runs scored, 16 RBIs, six stolen bases, three doubles, one triple and one homer.
Sophomore outfielder Joseph Connell put up a .264 (14-for-53) average with 11 runs scored, five RBIs, four stolen bases and three doubles. Classmate infielder Daniel Seitzinger went 8-for-31 with six runs scored last spring while senior catcher Blake Shortall went 12-for-59 with four runs scored and three RBIs.
Also returning to the squad are sophomores outfielder Harrison Fonteix, catcher Matthew Gutkes, catcher Joel Middleton, outfielder/first baseman Jacob Schnalzer and third baseman/pitcher Kyle Spence.
The Greyhounds have added seven freshmen to the 2012 team. Coach Engelhardt expects outfielder Matt Hanson, who was named to the All-League Team in 2010 and 2011 in the Suburban 1 League, outfielder Chris Lansberry, who played in the 2011 Delco All-Start Game, and middle infielder Colin Case to be the impact freshman. Also part of the freshman class is first baseman/outfielder Joe DiSarno helped Governor Livingston win the New Jersey State Championship while being named to the Mountain Valley All-League Team. Outfielder Justin Pilchman was named to the All-Colonial Valley Conference Team and All-Bucks Team his senior year while infielder Ryan Luke earned Honorable Mention in the Skyland Conference and first baseman/pitcher Jaimie Fry.
Last season, Moravian's bats really came alive in the fourth and fifth innings of games, outscoring its opponents by 54 runs in those two innings. The Greyhounds outscored their opponents by 58 runs in all the other innings. Moravian also went 11-5 when the opponent scores, and they were 15-6 in games decided by two runs or less. Gillespie Field was kind to the Greyhounds last season, as they went 14-3 at home.
Moravian kicks off its 2012 season on Friday, February 24th when they head to the 5th Annual Floyd B. Wilcox Memorial Tournament at Hampden-Sydney College. They'll head to the Snowbird Classic in Punta Gorda, Florida for seven games from March 4-9. The Greyhounds open their Landmark Conference schedule on Saturday-Sunday, March 17-18 when they host The Catholic University of America.
