CENTRAL BUCKS EAST BASEBALL PREVIEW
Coach: Kyle Dennis (5th Season)
Assistant coaches: Brian Oakes (5th Season)
Last year’s record: 11-8 Overall, 8–6 SOL Continental; First Round District Loss to Bayard Rustin
Notable losses:
Connor Bednarzyk – OF
Matt Borriello – P/IF
Kris Davis –P - Elizabethtown
Jason Goldberg – P
Ryan Pater – OF - St. Joe’s
Sean Trymbiski – OF – Albany
Evan Wessel – 2B
Key returners:
Ryan Clow – Senior - OF/P – Kutztown
Clay Sebesky – Senior - C - Kutztown
Tyler Zeleny – Senior – SS – Bloomsburg
Ben Hauser – Jr. – 1B/C
Others to watch:
Mike Fiore – Sr. IF
Ryan Gilbert – Sr. 2B
Zach Grace – Sr – OF/P/DH
Craig Lager – Sr. P – Widener
Ridge Oliver – Sr. C/DH/1B
Derek Pierce – Sr. 1B/P
Mike White – Sr. – OF
Anthony Barrila – P/3B
Vince Careghini – Jr. OF
Blair Killough – Jr. P/3B
Zach Matthews – Jr. IF
Ethan Rode – Jr. P/1B/DH
Sean Usowski – Jr 3B/C
Rob Welhalf – Jr. P/OF
Strengths/Question Marks:
· This group worked hard in the off season and knows what they need to do to be successful. Many of them learned from last year’s team successes that if our pitchers throw a high percentage of strikes and we make the routine play, we will be in almost every game. As a team, we know that our pitching staff will do everything they can to help us in their important part of that equation. We have every confidence we will be successful as a team with the strong defense that is behind our pitching staff.
Outlook:
Last year we had our most successful year pitching and defending during my tenure as a head coach. We were able to put together a combined team ERA of 3.88 over 19 games with a field percentage of .944. Graduated pitchers Kris Davis and Jason Goldberg pitched over 50 percent of our total innings. Many of our current staff of Lager, Pierce, White, Barrila, Killough, Rode and Welhalf are primed to be successful this season. Clow and Zeleny will potentially transition into the role of closer or late inning pitchers for us.
Up the middle, we return two-year starting catcher Clay Sebesky and three-year starting shortstop Tyler Zeleny, both of whom received all-league honors last season. Senior second basemen Ryan Gilbert had a 1.000 fielding percentage over eight games last season. Ben Hauser returns for his junior season after a successful sophomore campaign playing first base but is competing with Derek Pierce (Sr.) and Ethan Rode (Jr.). Third base is up for grabs at this moment and is a battle between first year infielders Sean Usowski (Jr.), Blair Killough (Jr.), Anthony Barrila (Jr.) and Craig Lager (Sr.). Pat Reilly, Zach Matthews and Mike Fiore are all working at multiple infield positions in order to crack the lineup with their individual talents. Ridge Oliver returns for his senior season after being injured last year and possesses great potential as a hitter and could help his team behind the plate or at first base.
We graduated a great outfield group in Conor Bednarzyk, Ryan Pater and Sean Trymbiski who all made spectacular plays and possessed great range. They will have to be replaced by some combination of Ryan Clow (Sr.), Zach Grace (Sr.), Mike White (Sr ), Vince Careghini (Jr.), and Rob Welhalf (Jr.).
GAMES TO WATCH:
ANY SOL Continental game – great conference where no team is out of any game.
All inter-district games: @CBW 4/16, (H) CBS 4/18, (H)CBW 5/3, @CBS 5/8
@CR South 3/27 – Our Season opener
(H) vs. Malvern Prep 5/9 – Malvern is perennially a favorite in their league and always possess a lot of talent.
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