WASHINGTON, Pa. -- The Washington & Jefferson College baseball team looks to complete a full schedule and compete for a Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) championship in 2021. The Presidents begin their season Saturday, March 13 at Bethany.
 
2020 Season Review: The W&J baseball team entered the 2020 season fresh off a run to the 2019 Division III World Series, the program's second appearance in the world series in three seasons.
 
Despite turning over a significant number of contributors from the 2019 season, the Presidents entered 2020 ranked No. 25 in the D3baseball.com/NCBWA Top 25 Preseason Poll.
 
The Presidents did not have the opportunity to defend their 2019 Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) title as their season was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic. W&J went 3-6 in nine nonconference contests before the season was ended on March 13, 2020.
 
The Presidents faced three ranked opponents in the abbreviated 2020 season. The highlight of the 2020 campaign was an 8-0 shutout victory over No. 6 Washington University of St. Louis on March 10.
 
W&J bid farewell to nine-man senior class in 2020.
 
"It was a difficult year, and there continue to be tough challenges," said 19th-year head coach Jeff Mountain. "The players work extremely hard every year to get themselves ready to complete, and to not be able to make it through a season of competition was stunning. Obviously, the last 12 months has been something that you'd never expect could possibly happen, and it has been difficult to deal with. We feel very badly for all students and student-athletes that have been affected."
 
Team Captains: Mike Graziani, Robby Heberle, Nicholas Krugh, Adam Moore, Michael Zito
 
Position-by-Position Breakdown: The Presidents return 25 players to the roster for 2021, including seven seniors and eight juniors.
 
Infield - Two everyday starters from the abbreviated 2020 season return for 2021 in the Presidents' infield.
 
Junior Nate Rush (Wheeling, W.Va./The Linsly School) transferred to W&J from Fairleigh Dickinson and started all nine games at shortstop for the Presidents last spring. Rush hit .333 (9-27) and led the Presidents with nine runs scored. He posted multi-hit games against nationally-ranked opponents Wash U and Webster.
 
"Nate is a consistent presence," said Mountain. "He possesses one of the higher baseball IQ's of anyone I've coached. The experience he got at a Division 1 program in 2018-19, where he held his own, served him very well last year."
 
Senior first baseman Adam Moore (Olean, N.Y./Archbishop Walsh) was the top returning bat from the 2019 world series team as he posted a .336 average and 27 RBI in 125 at bats as a sophomore. Last spring, Moore smacked seven hits in nine games, had three multi-hit games and scored twice against Wash U.
 
"Adam was an important and productive complementary piece on the 2019 World Series team," said Mountain. "He's now transitioned into more of a focal point of the opponents defensive gameplan. He's a hard worker who is quiet and goes about his business. We are hoping for big things from him this year."
 
Sophomore Logan Scheider (McDonald, Pa./West Allegheny) made four varsity starts at third base in 2020. He posted two hits, two runs and two runs batted in.
 
Junior Jason Gregovits (Avon Lake, Ohio/ Avon Lake) looks to contribute at second base in 2021.
 
The infield group also includes returners Luke Virag (New Kensington, Burrell), Alec Jackson (Hudson, Ohio/Hudson), Sam Quinn (Venetia, Pa./Peters Township) and Mason Gavlick (Camp Hill, Pa./Camp Hill). Freshmen Kyle Jones (Donegal, Pa./Mount Pleasant), Connor Helm (Murrysville, Pa./Franklin Regional), Ethan Boring (Ligonier, Pa./Ligonier Valley), Jonathan Haines (Arkport, N.Y./Arkport) and Joe Lehner (Painesville, Ohio/Lake Catholic) join the mix in 2021 as well.
 
"Opt outs and some other things have arguably hit this group more than any other in our program in 2020-21, especially at 2B/SS/3B, and it has challenged our depth," said Mountain. "This creates more opportunities for people to step up, and we expect that to happen like it consistently does for W&J baseball."
 
Catcher - W&J returns its two primary catchers from the Presidents' first dozen games of 2021.
 
Junior Peter Kalinski (Washington, D.C./Saint John's College) started six games behind the plate and two as the designated hitter for the Presidents in 2020. He smacked three hits and drove in three runs in a W&J win over St. Scholastica and homered against nationally-ranked Webster. Kalinski tied for the team lead with four RBI and was second on the roster with a .429 slugging percentage.
 
"Pete played in an elite high school program, with a large number of high level college signees, and had to compete hard and perform at a high level every day at high school practice just to get reps at any point in his career," said Mountain. "That experience has served him well since he stepped on campus."
 
Junior Jameson Campbell (Painesville, Ohio/Painesville Riverside) started three games at catcher last spring and is versatile enough to serve as a utility player in 2021. He recorded a hit in each of his starts and scored twice against Mount Union.
 
"Jameson is a versatile player, and that can be difficult for him or any player that plays different positions, as we move him around a lot for the good of the team," said Mountain. "We need him to buy into his importance to us on the mound, where he can serve as a key piece with a fastball that sits 85-88, as well as solid secondary pitches."
 
Other returners senior Mike Graziani (Canonsburg, Pa./Canon-McMillan) and sophomore Dan Beistel (Canfield Ohio/Canfield) look to contribute as well.  
 
Freshmen Nolan Lutz (McDonald, Pa./South Fayette) and Sam Schuster (Schuster (Fairport Harbor, Ohio/Fairport Harding) are in the mix at catcher as well as in the infield or on the mound.
 
Outfield - Arguably the deepest position group coming into the 2021 season is the W&J outfield.
 
"Going into the 2020 season, the outfield was probably where we had the most question marks," said Mountain. "One year later, it is our deepest position heading into the season."
 
Senior Adam Morris (South Park, Pa./South Park) and sophomore Evan Sante (Pittsburgh, Pa./Plum) both made strong first impressions in the abbreviated 2020 season. Morris led all President batters with a .368 batting average (7-19) and a .478 on-base percentage. Sante hit .357 (10-28) and led W&J in total bases (14), doubles (4) and slugging (.500).
 
"The coaches like the way Adam goes about his business," said Mountain. "He was a scholarship football player out of high school and carries himself that way. Mature guy. Doesn't panic when things don't go well. Really good athlete. Solid all around player with a good power/speed combo, as well as defensive abilities. The experience of playing college football prior to playing baseball for W&J has helped him."
 
"Evan's 2020 year was a classic case of what it's like to be a freshman student-athlete, and what it takes to be successful as a freshman student-athlete," said Mountain. "Like many freshmen, Evan had a tough fall on the baseball field. To his credit, he hung in there, kept working hard, improved his production, and earned the opportunity to start the opener last year, with the idea that he'd be in and out of the lineup, at least at the beginning of the year. He ended up never leaving the lineup."
 
Michael Zito (Nashville, Tenn./Hume-Fogg) hit .277 with a home run and 10 RBI in 2019. He hit .286 (6-21) in seven games at the plate in 2020. He smacked two hits and drove in four runs in the Presidents' Florida victory over No. 6 Wash U last spring.
 
Tyler Horvat (Irwin, Pa./Penn-Trafford) made a pair of appearances in the outfield and had a base hit in his debut season.
 
Senior Nick Krugh (Pittsburgh, Pa./Seton LaSalle), sophomores Virag, Tony Tamilla (Corapolis, Pa./Moon), Trevor Dean (San Diego, Calif./Rancho Bernardo), Cameron Hayman (Windsor, Calif./Windsor) and freshman Roman Samson (Tampa, Fla./Berkeley Prep) bolster a strong outfield unit.
 
Pitching - The Presidents return a number of experienced starters and relievers in 2021.
 
"Like many positions, there is a lot of uncertainty on the mound, because no one went through the grind of a full season, so we don't have a large body of work," said Mountain. "We will miss Ben Marsico, who was an elite competitor and a winner, and pitched in 11 postseason games during his time at W&J. During every transition, we have had a pitcher step up and become the next W&J ace, and key W&J bullpen pieces. We are looking forward to seeing who steps up and takes the torch this year."
 
Junior Henry Litman (Marietta, Ga./Walton) gave up just three runs in 15 appearances (13.1 IP) out of the bullpen as a freshman in 2019. In 2020, Litman recorded his first collegiate victory over St. Scholastica. He went 7.0 innings, allowed one run and logged five strikeouts in a 10-3 win over the Saints.
 
"Henry has gradually developed, going from low leverage reliever on the 2019 World Series team, to key starter on the 2020 team, to hopefully an anchor of the pitching staff," said Mountain. "He's worked hard, and possesses the stuff to be a frontline regional pitcher."
 
Horvat earned national honors as the NCBWA Division III Rookie of the Week with an impressive win over No. 6 Wash U in Florida last spring. He threw eight scoreless innings to hand the Presidents a nationally-ranked victory.
 
"Any pitcher that throws 8 scoreless innings against a program like WashU has the potential to be a top of the rotation pitcher," said Mountain. "Tyler's outings were pretty typical for a freshman, with a little bit of everything. He dominated at times against Grove City in a scrimmage before they broke through against him and got to him, struggled against Allegheny, and threw 8 scoreless innings against WashU. We are looking for more consistency from Tyler this year, and hope he takes another big step forward. He's got the stuff to be a top of the rotation pitcher. He will also play in the outfield."
 
Senior right-hander Nick Drake (Canonsburg, Pa./Canon-McMillan) appeared in just one game last spring but was an important starting pitcher in the Presidents' 2019 postseason run. Drake tossed 51.2 innings, posted a 5-2 record and had a 3.14 ERA as a sophomore. He logged postseason wins over nationally ranked Rowan and Webster teams in 2019 as he allowed just four runs in 13.1 innings during the NCAA postseason.
 
"Nick Drake has thrown two gems deep in the NCAA tournament," said Mountain. "There isn't anyone in our program or in another PAC program that can make that claim, and those experiences will serve him well. This is probably the healthiest Nick has been heading into a season, and hopefully that bodes well for him this year."
 
Zito appeared in 16 games out of the bullpen in 2019 and did not allow an earned run over 4.2 innings last spring. In 2021, Zito will continue his work out of the bullpen as he steps into the role of closer. As a sophomore, Zito collected a pair of saves and struck out 25 batters in 28.1 innings. He recorded a 2.54 ERA and posted a 3-1 postseason record in six appearances in the postseason.
 
Junior Kamden Kautz (Oro Valley, Ariz./Ironwood Ridge) and senior Robby Heberle (Georgetown, Pa./South Side Beaver) are the other top returning arms to the W&J bullpen.
 
Kautz did not allow a run in four relief appearances (4.2 IP) last spring. Heberle had three scoreless outings in four relief appearances in 2020. He worked a scoreless ninth in the Presidents' win over Wash U.
 
"In 2019, the bullpen was a pivotal piece to our players run to the World Series," said Mountain. "Zito is nasty. Mid-upper 80's fastball with plus movement. He will be the closer, and we need him to hold up physically. Heberle and Kautz have trained for this role for a few years, so they should be prepared. We need them to step up. Campbell has the stuff to be an elite arm. Fox was trending up last year as the season ended and will be valuable if healthy. I believe there will be several others that will have the opportunity to step up and take advantage of opportunities, and will ultimately end up throwing key innings for us. It will take time for the bullpen picture to become clear. The guys that throw the most strikes consistently will likely have the most success, and therefore log more innings."
 
Sophomore Shane Fox (Valencia, Pa./Mars Area) gave up a pair of earned runs in 4.2 innings in his debut season for the Red and Black. He logged a scoreless inning against Mount Union and had three strikeouts in 3.2 innings against Wheaton (Mass.).
 
There will be plenty of opportunities for other returners and newcomers to make an impact on the mound this spring.
 
"The production in scrimmages and development of everyone during the week in between the conference weekends will be more critical than they've ever been with the lack of JV games and non-league games," said Mountain. "We intend to use these as heavy evaluation pieces for pitchers that we aren't as sure about at this time."
 
Johnny Nixon (Darlington, Pa./Blackhawk), Tamilla, Mason Kolbe (Bradenton, Fla./Out-of-Door Academy), Jonathan Haines (Arkport, N.Y./Arkport), Ryan Rametta (Leechburg, Pa./Kiski Area), Will Frank (Davie, Fla./NSU University School), Julian Elizondo (Manassas, Va./Osbourn) and Tyler Brooks (Alexandria, Va./St. John's College) fortify the President pitching staff.
 
Newcomers: The Presidents welcome 18 freshmen to the roster for 2021.
 
"In 2019-20, Coach Nic Rush and Coach Josh Crummer, made a concerted effort to nationalize recruiting a bit more than in the past," said Mountain. "It's a rough year to be a freshman anywhere, let alone a freshman student-athlete from a good distance away with all of the rules and regulations that are in place due to COVID-19. We hope our guys hang in there, and as the year goes along, develop more of a bond with W&J and W&J Baseball. It's a talented group that we can win if they stay together."
 
Tyler Brooks (Alexandria, Va./Saint John's College)
Trevor Dean (San Diego, Calif./Rancho Bernardo)
Jackson Denney (Atlanta, Ga./Mount Vernon Presbyterian)
Julian Elizondo (Manassas, Va./Osbourn)
Derek Ferguson (Stewartstown, Pa./Central York)
Matt Ford (Fairfax, Va./Oakton)
Alex Garvey (Boyds, Md./Saint John's College)
Jonathan Haines (Arkport, N.Y./Arkport)
Connor Helm (Export, Pa./Franklin Regional)
Kyle Jones (Donegal, Pa./Mount Pleasant)
Mason Kolbe (Bradenton, Fla./Out-of-Door Academy)
Joe Lehner (Painesville, Ohio/Lake Catholic)
Nolan Lutz (McDonald, Pa./South Fayette)
Ryan Rametta (Leechburg, Pa./Kiski Area)
Roman Samson (Tampa, Fla./Berkeley Prep)
Jack Scanlon (Rochester, N.Y./Aquinas Institute)
Sam Schuster (Fairport Harbor, Ohio/Fairport Harding)
Sam Stewart (Raleigh, N.C./Pro 5 Academy)
 
Looking at the schedule: W&J is scheduled to play a 36-game, PAC-only regular season schedule.
 
The Presidents will play four game series, made up of home-and-home doubleheaders with the other nine PAC institutions. The first three games will count in the league standings while the final game of the set will not.
 
The first day of doubleheaders will feature a seven inning and nine inning game, both of which count in the PAC conference standings. The second day will consist of a nine inning conference game and a seven inning non-conference game.
 
The postseason format remains the same, with the top four teams qualifying for the PAC Tournament at the top overall seed. The 2021 PAC Tournament is scheduled to begin May 12.
 
"What I've enjoyed the most over the years, far more than league games, have been some of our regular season out of conference games," said Mountain. "For example, we have a healthy and respectful rivalry with LaRoche, we've had some great battles with them, and would consider them more of a rival than anyone in our conference. The difficulties and challenges annually of our non-league schedule, as well as our struggles at times with it, have molded our teams over the years, and made them battle tested. Our philosophy has been to play as challenging of a non-conference schedule as we can, and we believe that has helped us in conference play and beyond. It will certainly be different playing league only games, especially as early as the schedule will start this year. There are and will be a lot of things out of our control this year, and we just need to compete each day and enjoy the opportunity to compete."
 
As of now, the NCAA has the Division III World Series scheduled June 3-9 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
 
Last Word: "Our philosophies and expectations never change here: get to the NCAA tournament, compete in a regional, super regional, and the World Series," said Mountain. "Despite the unusual format of the year, those things are all within our grasp, just as they are every other baseball program that is competing. The biggest difference in my opinion this year will be the time between the last out of Game 4 of a conference series and first pitch of Game 1 of the next series. That time will be critical for the development of our program, especially the underclassmen. With no JV games or non-league games, and not as many game reps available, those midweek practices and scrimmages need to serve as our JV and non-league games."
 
"We have no seniors that used their extra year, and are among the youngest teams in the league, which is rare for us," said Mountain. "This is probably one of the top 2-3 youngest rosters we've had in my time, and we will be competing against rosters that are older."
 
"Our program would like to thank some of the support staff at W&J. Specifically the training staff of Mike Lesako, Mark Lesako, MK Schickel, and Angelica Sabatini, as well as the Sports Information Staff of Aaron Thompson and Andy Stanko," said Mountain. "Their many sacrifices and work during this difficult time are extremely beneficial, both for our program, and every athletic program at W&J, and we all are extremely appreciative."