Bucknell University Athletics
Baseball Opens Campaign in North Carolina This Weekend
2/11/2015 12:41:00 PM | Baseball
Note: Due to impending freezing temperatures this weekend, the schedule for the season-opening baseball tournament hosted by Wake Forest has been altered. See Bucknell's revised schedule below:
Saturday, Feb. 14: Bucknell vs. Georgetown, 9:30 a.m. – Live Statistics
Saturday, Feb. 14: Bucknell at Wake Forest, 12:30 p.m. – Live Statistics
LEWISBURG, Pa. – The last time the Bucknell baseball team was on the diamond was at last June's NCAA Charlottesville Regional representing the Patriot League. The Bison will finally see the long offseason come to an end this weekend when they travel to Winston-Salem, North Carolina, to face four teams at Wake Forest Baseball Park.
Bucknell, which tied a school record with 31 victories a year ago and won the Patriot League regular-season and tournament titles, will open the season and the weekend with a 9:30 a.m. game against Georgetown on Saturday. The Bison will then play host Wake Forest at 12:30 p.m. Bucknell was originally schedule to play four games over the weekend.
Live statistics for both games will be provided by WakeForestSports.com.
Following this opening four-game weekend, Bucknell will travel to UNC Greensboro for a three-game set Feb. 20-22. The Bison will then open their home schedule with a four-game series against Buffalo Feb. 28-March 1 at Depew Field.
Below is a closer look at the Bison entering the 2015 season:
It didn't take long for Bucknell head coach Scott Heather to leave his mark on the Bison program. In just his second season at the helm after succeeding longtime Bucknell mentor Gene Depew, Heather guided the Bison to a Patriot League regular-season title, a Patriot League Tournament championship, an NCAA Regional berth, the second NCAA Regional win in program history and helped the team equal the biggest win improvement (+15) in school history.
The best part about all that success is Bucknell is in solid position for an encore performance. The Bison have returning starters and key contributors all over the diamond and on the mound as pretty much everyone is back from a team that was 31-21-1 overall to equal the program record for victories in a season.
Bucknell has eight members of its starting lineup, three weekend starting pitchers and two nearly unhittable arms out of the bullpen back in the mix this year. Included in that group are four returning All-Patriot League players, two former Patriot League Rookies of the Year and one Patriot League Tournament MVP.
"We want to continue to move forward," commented Heather, the 2014 Patriot League Coach of the Year. "One of the things you have to do after winning a championship is fight complacency and we have been working hard to do just that. There is room for improvement every day. The key to our success in 2014 was we continued to improve throughout the year and were playing well at the right time."
Bucknell was especially strong after the start of Patriot League play in late March. The Bison were a solid 23-10 over their last 33 games, which included a 4-0 mark in the Patriot League Tournament and the program's second-ever NCAA Regional win, a 5-2 victory over Liberty.
"Anytime you make it to the postseason and get past final exams and can focus on just baseball, that is when you see your biggest development," explained Heather. "The NCAA Regional experience was very positive. We didn't play as well as we wanted when we got there, but getting a win was great, especially since we found a way to win without playing our best. That says a lot about our guys and is something to build on."
Heather expects this year's team to be improved in many areas, but one of the biggest jumps he forecasts is the ability to hit home runs and drive the ball in the gaps, partly due to the new baseballs that will be in use throughout college baseball this year. To go along with that, the size of many of the Bison players certainly caught the attention of the eyes at the Charlottesville Regional, and more power is expected as those hitters continue to mature.
PITCHING STAFF: While a majority of the Bison roster will look familiar to Bucknell fans, a few notable names will be missing. Perhaps the most prominent loss to graduation was left-handed pitcher Dan Weigel, a First Team All-Patriot League selection who pitched an incredible complete game, four-hitter in the NCAA win over Liberty.
Luckily for Heather and the rest of the Bison, Weigel is the only loss from the talented weekend starting rotation that combined to pitch 319.2 innings and accumulate 24 wins. Returning to the rotation are seniors Bryson Hough and Xavier Hammond as well as junior Andrew Andreychik.
"Those three guys give us a good chance to win against anybody in the league," praised Heather. "The depth of our staff carried us last year and we are in a good position this year. (Pitching coach) Jason Neitz has done a great job of developing our staff. He rewards guys that throw strikes and pitch to the bottom of the zone. It has become a huge part of our pitching staff."
Hough, who will be a member of the rotation for a fourth consecutive season, pitched the opening game of Patriot League series last spring and led the Bison to a 4-1 record in those difficult contests. Including the postseason, he was personally 6-0 against Patriot League opponents. Overall, Hough was 8-4 with a 4.22 ERA in 85.1 innings.
"Bryson has been a stalwart in the rotation," commented Heather, who is in his 11th year with the program after eight seasons as an assistant. "We expect him to continue to build on what he has done over his first three years and be better than ever."
Andreychik enters his third year in the rotation. After earning Patriot League Rookie of the Year honors in 2013, he pitched four complete games and set the program single-season mark with three shutouts last year. The Danville, Pennsylvania, native was 5-5 with a 4.00 ERA and is tied for fourth in program history with just 2.22 walks per nine innings.
After spending most of his first two years in the bullpen, Hammond became a vital fourth starter for the Bison last year. He was 3-5 with a 3.67 ERA. He allowed 72 hits and walked just 13 in 73.2 innings. During the postseason he became a key cog out of the bullpen. Hammond was named to the Patriot League All-Tournament Team after pitching 5.1 innings of relief over four appearances and allowing just one hit and no runs.
"It is great to see the jump Xavier has made to being a frontline guy that is reaching his potential," said Heather.
Heading into the season Heather is pleased with the number of options he has for the No. 4 spot in the rotation. He will use much of the non-league schedule to determine who will fit in that slot come Patriot League play.
Senior Jordan Holtz, juniors Max Kra and Austin Zimmerman, and sophomore Tommy Gambon are among the frontrunners for the final spot in the rotation. Holtz has missed the last two years with an injury, but is back to 100 percent, while Zimmerman sat out last year and is also now healthy.
Kra, who was a successful mid-week starter last year after holding down the closer position as a rookie in 2013, enters the season battling an arm injury and may be better used out of the bullpen, while Gambon will look to make an impact after throwing just 4.2 innings last year.
Heather thinks freshmen left-handers Nolan Brennan and Mike Korchak have the talent to be conference starters, it is just a matter of when.
Also in the mix for a starting position is sophomore lefty Mike Castellani, who was one of the best relievers in the Patriot League in 2014. The lanky pitcher was 3-0 with a team-best 1.44 ERA. In 31.1 innings he yielded just 21 hits and struck out 20.
"One of our best guys on the staff is Mike," complimented Heather. "He will compete for a starting spot, but he is pretty important for us out of the bullpen. If some other guys develop in the bullpen and we can put him in as the No. 4 starter, that would give us a great rotation."
The main components of the Bison bullpen a year ago were Castellani, the since-graduated Tom Hrabchak (1-0, 1.54 ERA) and senior Tucker Rekucki (6 saves). That trio allowed just 15 earned runs in 70.0 innings of work.
If Castellani is in the bullpen again, Heather could see him sharing closer duties with Rekucki. Holtz could also be in the mix as a setup man or closer.
Freshmen Connor Van Hoose and Mike Stephens are also expected to contribute, while sophomore lefties Jack Schoenberger and Danny Rafferty will see some time on the mound. Rafferty played exclusively in the field as a freshman, but Heather praised his ability to get his breaking ball over the plate.
"One of the things we like about our bullpen is we can attack from different angles with different types of guys and tailor it to situations," said Heather. "Stephens comes from a different angle. Schoenberger has dropped his slot and is tough on left-handers. I like the options we have."
CATCHER: First Team All-Patriot League catcher Jon Mayer returns for his junior season and will be Bucknell's top signal caller behind the plate.
After missing the second half of his rookie campaign with an injury, Mayer split time with Justin Meier last year. He finished with a .246 batting average and was third on the team with 25 RBIs. A powerful hitter, Mayer was named to the Charlottesville Regional All-Tournament Team after going 3-for-9 with one runs scored and two RBIs in Bucknell's three NCAA games.
"Jon had a great summer and made himself into a pro prospect," mentioned Heather. "He is going to be in the middle of our lineup and we need him to continue to develop behind the plate. He is a guy that can leave the park. He hit the ball well this fall and hit several home runs this summer with a wood bat."
Playing alongside Mayer will be senior Jake Archey and freshman Aaron Fritz. A transfer from Binghamton, Archey appeared in two games last year in his first season with the Bison.
"Both Jake and Aaron are competing for that second spot," explained Heather. "They are both going to get some opportunities. We will see what develops there. Both have their strengths and can help spell Mayer since it is tough to catch as many doubleheaders as we play."
FIRST BASE: Heading into last season it was expected that Rob Krentzman would move across the diamond to start at third base. However, the veteran did not follow those plans and instead was again the starter at first base for a third consecutive year.
A senior from Massachusetts, Krentzman hit .257 and drove in a career-high-tying 22 RBIs last season. He still has the ability to move across the diamond, but is expected to once again see the bulk of the playing time at first base.
"Rob is a great leader who plays solid defense and is a clutch player," praised Heather. "He does a great job bringing the team together and always plays with energy."
Sophomore Carter Austin will battle with Krentzman for playing time at first base. A former Major League Baseball draft pick, Austin struggled to find his hitting stroke as a rookie, but has continued to develop.
"Carter had a good fall and I can see him getting opportunites at both first base and DH since he can provide some power to our lineup," noted Heather.
SECOND BASE: Like Bucknell has at many positions, second base features a returning veteran starter. Junior Joe Ogren, an All-Patriot League selection and the Patriot League Tournament MVP, started 51 games last year, with the majority of them coming at second base.
Ogren's .309 batting average is tops among returning Bison, while his 28 RBIs paced the team last spring. The versatile athlete has also seen time in the outfield during his career and could be moved there on occasion.
If Ogren, who is also a team co-captain, is in the outfield, then Alex O'Neill and Mark Powell promise to battle for playing time. O'Neill is recovering from offseason surgery and likely won't be at full strength until after spring break, but he is a senior capable of providing a spark. Powell has made large strides entering his sophomore year and will likely serve as a backup at second, shortstop and third base.
SHORTSTOP: After two years as an apprentice, Greg Wasikowski moved into the starting lineup at shortstop last year and was a strong component of the starting lineup. The senior's forte is his defense, but he is also adept at registering some timely hits from the bottom of the lineup.
"Greg is a solid defender who has continued to improve at shortstop," commented Heather. "We are excited about our middle infield with him and Joe. They are both game-ready right now. They have the experience and know how to play."
Powell will likely be the primary backup for Wasikowski, although freshmen Luke Johnson and Keifer Rawlings are also working at multiple infield positions.
"Luke and Keifer are very good offensive players who can make an impact on the team that way," noted Heather. "They will continue to develop. I see them as guys that will play for us in the future and are pushing the guys ahead of them right now."
THIRD BASE: Sophomore Sam Clark won the third base spot a year ago as a rookie and registered the third-most starts (47) on the team. The tall left-handed hitter drove in 16 runs and had at least one hit in nine of the final 11 games, exhibiting the improvement he made at the plate throughout the season.
"We need Sam to take a step forward in his approach and production," said Heather. "He could be the key to our offense taking the next step. He has the potential to be a major run producer and does a great job playing defense."
Powell is also in the mix at third, as is Krentzman, depending on how things develop at first base.
OUTFIELD: Heather anticipates Rafferty (LF), reigning Patriot League Rookie of the Year Brett Smith (CF) and First Team All-Patriot League selection Anthony Gingerelli (RF) to man the outfield this season.
Smith and Gingerelli both appeared in more than 50 games a year ago and were key members of both the Bison defense and the top of the team's lineup.
A Second Team All-Patriot League pick, Smith hit in the leadoff position in 51 of Bucknell's 53 games a year ago. He drew a team-high 28 walks and posted a .400 on-base percentage, helping him score a team-best 46 runs.
"Brett is our catalyst," explained Heather. "He has done a good job continuing to develop his game. I am looking forward to seeing him take the next step as an offensive player. He does such a good job of seeing pitches, working the count and getting on base."
Gingerelli exploded offensively in 2014. The senior co-captain hit .309 with a team-high five home runs and 27 RBIs. The left-handed hitter posted a team-high 16 extra-base hits.
"Gingerelli has been great in right and will continue to produce for us," praised Heather. "He finished last season in the No. 2 hole in the lineup and gives us a bit of power from that slot. He continues to work every day to get better. He jumps at every opportunity to get better and plays as hard as anybody on the team."
Rafferty, who will also see some time as a relief pitcher this season, split time between left field and DH as a rookie. His biggest impact came late in the season as 63 of his 85 at bats came after April 1. Junior Tommy Pennington will also see plenty of time in the outfield, especially in left. He has appeared in 27 games over his first two seasons.
Junior Spencer Stokes and newcomers Alex Salem and Chuckie Scales will provide outfield depth. Heather noted Stokes and Salem will also compete for the DH position, while Scales is possibly the fastest Bison player since Heather arrived on the scene prior to the 2005 campaign.
