Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Baseball Opens 2013 Campaign this Weekend at Richmond
2/13/2013 7:00:00 AM | Baseball
Feb. 13, 2013
LEWISBURG, Pa. –For the first time since 1981 the Bucknell baseball team is set to open a season without Gene Depew in the dugout as head coach. The Bison, who are now under the direction of Scott Heather, open their 2013 campaign with a three-game series at Richmond starting Friday. Friday's contest is slated for 2:30 p.m., while both weekend games will start at 1 p.m.
Bucknell will be looking to get back into the Patriot League Tournament this spring and it was picked fourth in the league's Preseason Poll, which was announced Wednesday. The Bison were one of three teams, along with co-favorites Holy Cross and Army, to receive at least one first-place vote.
Bucknell and Richmond last met in 2011 with the Bison taking two of three in the series that took place on the second weekend of the regular season.
Bucknell in 2013 returns 22 letterwinners and three members of its weekend pitching rotation. The Bison will play their first 17 contests away from home.
Probable Starting Pitching Matchups
Game 1: LHP Dan Weigel (6-4, 3.01 ERA, 32 K in 2012) vs. RHP Jonathan de Marte (DNP in 2012)
Game 2: RHP Bryson Hough (2-7, 3.63 ERA, 33 K) vs. LHP Zak Sterling (7-1, 2.57 ERA, 59 K)
Game 3: RHP Dan Goldstein (1-3, 6.62 ERA, 27 K) vs. RHP Andrew Blum (6-4, 4.06 ERA, 43 K)
Bucknell vs. Richmond
• Bucknell is 3-5-1 all-time against Richmond.
• The teams last played in 2011 and the Bison won two of three in the series.
• The teams met in 2008 and 2011, marking the only meetings since 1988.
• The series began in 1925.
Below is a closer look at the Bison entering the 2013 season:
The Bucknell baseball program has had only two coaches in the last 46 years. In the offseason, eight-year assistant coach Scott Heather was elevated to head coach to replace the retiring 31-year veteran Gene Depew, making him just the third frontman for the program in nearly half a century.
“Day-to-day operations have continued,” said Heather, who arrived at Bucknell in the summer of 2004 and has been on the coaching staff of two Bison NCAA Tournament teams. “As a young assistant coach, I learned from each head coach and certainly the biggest influence on me has been Gene Depew. He knows what it takes for a student-athlete to be successful at Bucknell and we have stayed with a lot of the same philosophies.
“Offensively, fans might see some differences in approach, more dictated by the change in bats a few years ago, as we try to put more pressure on opponents. We had a lot of success hitting home runs for a number of years, but now it is a lot harder to sit back and wait for the long ball. We will try to put pressure on opponents by putting the ball in play, staying up the middle with our approach, as well as with bunts and hit-and-runs as we try to remain unpredictable.”
Heather has assembled a youthful but talented coaching staff that features four former professional players as he tries to take the program to the next level. Included among the coaches are third-year assistant Jason Neitz and former Bison catcher B.J. LaRosa, a key member of the 2008 and 2010 NCAA Tournament squads.
“I've been really pleased with our production in practice from a coaching staff standpoint,” praised Heather. “We are all very capable in leading drills and helping our guys get better. It's been very positive for our players with the level of playing experience that our coaches have and all the insight they can provide.”
While some seats in the dugout will be different and some behind-the-scenes operations have changed, the key to the success of the squad remains on the field and Bucknell has a talented group in 2013. The Bison return three-fourths of their starting rotation and will feature a senior-laden infield in addition to a number of talented outfielders. Bucknell's roster is also dotted with 12 newcomers who will certainly factor into the success of the squad.
PITCHING STAFF: Heather, the team's pitching coach the last eight seasons, is especially excited about the squad's arms. Junior lefty Dan Weigel, sophomore righty Bryson Hough and senior righty Dan Goldstein combined to start 26 of 49 games for the Bison in 2012. The trio logged more than 160 innings and had tremendous success in their first year as frontline pitchers.
“We have three starters that give us a chance against anybody,” commented Heather.
Weigel served as Bucknell's No. 1 starter a year ago and it showed in his statistics. His 3.01 ERA was third on the team and it never climbed higher than 3.17. The 6'6” Weigel walked just 1.63 hitters per nine innings to rank fifth on the program's single-season ledger, while his six wins and 6.52 innings per outing led the team.
“Dan has continued his progress in being a strike thrower,” said Heather. “He can get multiple pitchers over for strikes and has only gotten better as he enters his junior season.”
The only freshman to start more than one game on the mound a year ago, Hough finished his rookie campaign 2-7 with a solid 3.63 ERA. He kept the Bison in every game he pitched and will need to avoid the one mistake each outing that cost him wins.
“Bryson has continued to develop and has the potential to be one of the most dominant pitchers we have had here,” praised Heather.
The hard-throwing Goldstein began the year as a reliever but moved into the rotation by the end of Spring Break. He finished the campaign 1-3 with a 6.62 ERA in 34.0 innings.His 27 strikeouts ranked fifth on the team.
“Dan has always shown he can be a very effective pitcher and he really developed his velocity this past summer,” mentioned Heather. “He was dominant at times during the fall and we're looking forward to him taking that next step.”
Heading into the season Heather is unsure of who the final starter will be, but he certainly has plenty of options. Sophomore Xavier Hammond is in the mix along with freshmen Andrew Andreychik, Dan Keller and Max Kra. Additionally, junior Jack McLinden could push for a starting spot.
Hammond and McLinden pitched primarily out of the bullpen a year ago, combining to make 20 appearances, 18 in relief, while Heather stated that Andreychik, a native of nearby Danville, Pa., had the most consistent fall of any of the newcomer hurlers.
Bucknell's bullpen in 2012 was anchored by All-Patriot League closer Alex Cillo and left-hander Russell Seidell. Those veterans were first and second on the team in ERA, but both graduated in May, leaving some holes to fill.
Senior right-hander Marcus Garone will likely continue in his middle relief role. A mid-week starter at times during his career, Garone flourished in relief a year ago, registering a 4.05 ERA in 13 appearances. He struck out 16 in 20.0 innings.
Sophomore righty Jordan Holtz is the frontrunner for Cillo's vacated closer spot. The 6'3” Holtz saw more opportunities on the mound as the season progressed last spring and finished with a 4.66 ERA and five strikeouts in 9.2 innings.
Heather also expects junior Tom Hrabchak, who spent his first two years as a catcher, sophomore Tucker Rekucki and first-year sophomore Jonathan Lucas to be in the mix in the bullpen, as well as some of the possible starting pitchers who are unable to find a home in the rotation.
“How our middle relief and closeout pitchers develop will determine our season,” predicted Heather. “Especially with the number of road games we will be playing it will be important to finish off games we are leading.”
CATCHER: Bucknell lost hard-hitting catcher Scott Reed, a two-year starter, to graduation, but that opens a spot for junior Justin Meier, who has served as an understudy for two campaigns.
A strong defensive player, Meier has totaled 23 hits in his career, including six extra-base hits. Last year he threw out 33.3 percent of would-be basestealers and that number should only go up with increased playing time.
“Justin had a good summer in which he played a lot and is ready to step into the starting role,” said Heather.
Sophomore Marcus Hernandez, who saw spot time in a reserve role a year ago, and freshman Jon Mayer will compete for playing time and show good potential. In fact, Heather thinks Mayer has the chance at being a pro prospect down the road.
Hrabchak, a former backup catcher, will spend most of his time transitioning to pitcher, while sophomore Jake Archey will sit out the 2013 campaign per NCAA rules after transferring from Binghamton.
FIRST BASE: Sophomore Rob Krentzman was the Bison freshman who saw the most playing time a year ago as he appeared in 27 games with 21 starts, mostly at first base. The 6'4” Krentzman hit .284 with 11 RBIs and Heather expects more power out him this spring.
“Rob should be one of our middle of the order hitters,” commented Heather. “He's a good hitter who is working on improving his power, a good athlete and has some versatility. He has played first, but has also shown he can player third and even some outfield.”
Junior Luke Lombardi will battle Krentzman for playing time at first. He was one of the team's top hitters during the fall after totaling just 39 at bats his first two seasons. Heather expects him to be a factor in the lineup at either first base or designated hitter.
SECOND BASE: Senior Travis Clark is a two-year starter at second base and the talented athlete is expected to hold the position once again. He is the team's top returning hitter (.293) and his 25 RBIs ranked third on the squad last spring.
“Travis had a very good summer in the California Collegiate League and also had a good fall,” praised Heather. “He has worked on putting the ball in play hard on a consistent basis. He's a very capable player who sometimes tries to do too much. We're trying to get him to focus on what he can do and that's enough to be a very good player in our league.
“When trying to find our best nine, we might sometimes move guys around and due to Travis' versatility we have looked at him at first base as well.”
Youngsters Greg Wasikowski, Andreychik and Tommy Pennington could serve as backups for the durable Clark, who started a team-high 48 games in 2012.
SHORTSTOP: Robb Scott's batting average more than doubled from 2011 (.134) to 2012 (.282) and that improvement should only continue as the hard-working senior enters his final campaign.
A two-year starter at shortstop, Scott posted career highs in nearly every offensive category and was fifth on the team with eight multi-hit contests.
“Robb seems the most comfortable he has been since he arrived at Bucknell,” mentioned Heather. “He had a great summer where he hit 11 home runs and was rated a top prospect in the Hamptons League. He carried that over into the fall and was a middle of the order guy. His timing is a lot better now, which has helped his confidence.”
Wasikowski, who had a great fall at the plate, Andreychik and Pennington will likely serve as backups to Scott.
THIRD BASE: Bucknell must replace the graduated David Duffett, one of only two players to hit over .300 a year ago, at third base. Luckily, the likely replacement is senior Carter Bumgardner, who received plenty of playing time at designated hitter and on the infield in his first season with the Bison after transferring from Maryland.
Bumgardner hit .258 with 11 doubles and 14 RBIs last spring and those numbers should only go up this year.
“Carter made the transition to being at third base full time this fall,” said Heather. “He has one of the better offensive approaches on the team with regards to hitting the ball where it's pitched. He has put plenty of quality at bats together and has always been a solid defender.”
Junior Will Mooney, who missed the fall season with an injury, will compete for playing time, as will senior Scott Glass. Additionally, Kra and fellow rookies Spencer Stokes and Pennington will add depth. Pennington, especially, is busy developing at three infield spots.
OUTFIELD: The Bison infield has many experienced veterans in the mix for playing time, but the outfield is somewhat lacking in game experience after the graduation of stalwarts Bob Donato and Gerry Runyan.
Heather does have plenty of options in the outfield, but only one has more than 75 career at bats.
“The outfield is certainly our biggest area of competition and we're excited to see what guys do in the spring,” said Heather.
Heading into the season Matt Busch is the frontrunner to replace All-Patriot Leaguer Donato in center field. The senior hit .317 in 41 at bats last spring and served as the team's primary pinch runner.
Glass, an infielder throughout the first part of his career, will compete for playing time in left field, which was a position that saw seven different players start games and none more than 20 times.
Junior Colby Vanderbeck, who missed the fall season with an injury after driving in 13 runs last year, and classmate Corey Furman will also vie for playing time in the outfield.
Junior Brett Ashley, who has some pop in his bat, will aim for the starting job in right field.
Freshman Ryan Otis is a speedy center fielder who will add depth, while fellow rookie Joe Ogren was called the team's most accomplished hitting freshman by Heather. Ogren came to Bucknell as a shortstop, but was quickly moved to the outfield to capitalize on his hitting ability.
