BETHLEHEM, Pa. --- The Moravian University baseball team is set to begin the 2022 season with a three-game road trip at Hampden-Sydney (Va.) College on February 19-20 as the Greyhounds look forward to their first full season since 2019.
Head Coach Paul Engelhardt, who is his 16th season with a 311-259-1 record, returns 30 players from last year's squad that reached the Landmark Conference Tournament and had one postseason victory in a campaign limited to 30 games due to COVID-19 after playing just 10 games in 2020.
In the field, Coach Engelhardt returns a pair of All-Conference players led by senior first baseman Brett Moyer, who was selected to the Landmark All-Conference Second Team after hitting .368 last season with 35 hits, 23 runs, 32 RBIs, nine doubles, one triple, two homers and 13 walks, and junior infielder Chris Pow, who also earned a spot on the All-Conference Second Team last spring with a .358 average, 19 hits, 10 runs, eight RBIs, three doubles and a homer while being limited to 18 games due to injury.
Joining the duo as returners in the infield are sophomore Paul Croyle, who contributed six hits, seven runs, three doubles and four RBIs in his collegiate debut, senior David Bertolotti, who had six hits and three RBIs last spring, junior Mason Fisher, who added six hits, four runs and seven RBIs last year, and sophomore Cole Cherkas, who had six hits, four RBIs and a pair of doubles.
The Hounds have five outfielders back led by senior Robert Roman, who had 10 hits, 13 runs and eight RBIs in 2022. Joining him are sophomore Matt Madigan, who contributed 14 runs, 12 hits and six RBIs in his debut season, senior Elias Engelhardt, who had two runs last year, sophomore Connor Wengryn, who added three RBIs, and sophomore David Olsakowski, who had three hits, two runs, a homer and four RBIs last year.
Behind the plate, Coach Engelhardt will look to junior Derek Holmes and senior Nick Montone. Holmes was selected to the Landmark All-Conference First Team last year as a designated hitter after hitting .325 with 27 hits, 13 runs, 15 RBIs and a pair of doubles. Montone, who will miss the start of the season with an injury, hit .328 last spring with19 hits, nine runs and nine RBIs, and he threw out six of 21 stolen base attempts in 2021.
Moravian brings back 11 pitchers that tossed innings last season led by senior Eddie Olsen, who earned All-Landmark Conference First Team honors in 2021 after going 5-2 with 36 strikeouts and just 16 walks in 38.1 innings of action. Sophomore David Ciaccio was 2-3 in his debut season with 33 strikeouts, nine walks and a 4.34 ERA in 37.1 innings while senior Kevin Brandt tossed 16.2 innings with nine strikeouts and one victory. Junior Tyler Valentine pitched 11 innings and had five strikeouts while junior AJ Gordon tossed 9.2 innings with four strikeouts. Junior Garrison Koch added three strikeouts and a 1-1 record in six innings while senior Kyle Petsch tossed 5.2 innings. Juniors Kenny Kunzman and Andrew Connallon each pitched five innings with Connallon adding four strikeouts while sophomore Aaron Flyte contributed a pair of strikeouts in four innings of action while senior Leo Andreoli had three strikeouts in 3.2 innings.
Watch a season preview video including interviews with Coach Engelhardt, Olsen and Holmes below.
