WASHINGTON, Pa. – The Washington & Jefferson College baseball program looks to continue its run atop the Presidents' Athletic Conference in 2023 when it looks to capture its fourth-straight conference title. The Presidents once again were the class of the PAC last spring when they completed a perfect run through the PAC Tournament and won its 14th conference title. W&J has once the past three conference championships (2019, 2021 and 2022).

The Presidents open the 2023 regular season on Saturday, Feb. 18 when they host Muskingum University at Ross Memorial Park. Conference play commences on Tuesday, March 14 with a home doubleheader versus Geneva.

2022 Season In Review: W&J put together another strong season last spring. The Presidents finished with a 37-10 overall record and a 25-2 mark in PAC play. Both of W&J's lone conference losses came by the slightest of margins, one run apiece both in extra innings. W&J lost back-to-back games just twice all season. The Presidents also ripped off 17-consecutive wins in a stretch from late March through late April. W&J won 10-9 (11 innings) over Westminster in the opening round of the PAC Tournament before besting Grove City 5-4 in the Winners Bracket final. The Presidents then toppled Westminster by a 10-2 score to collect the title.

The Presidents advanced to the NCAA Regionals in Annville, Pa. where it put together a 2-2 record, falling twice to then 10th ranked Rowan University, who advanced to the NCAA Super Regionals. W&J picked up wins over Mitchell and host Lebanon Valley at the regionals.  

"We had a strong year, but the way it is here, when seasons don't end in championships there is some level of disappointment," Mountain said. "We lost to a terrific program in the regional, one of the best at the Division III level.  I believe that, as expected and what the goal always is, we were a better team at the end of the year than we were the beginning of the year."

The Presidents finished the season ranked No. 24 in the ABCA/Collegiate Baseball top 25 poll. A slew of Presidents earned postseason honors. Leading the way was Tyler Horvat, who earned All-America honors from D3baseball.com.

Six Presidents garnered All-Region status, including Horvat, Peter Kalinski, Henry Litman, Evan Sante, Dante DiMatteo and Jameson Campbell.

Kalinski was named PAC Player of the Year while Mountain was selected PAC Coach of the Year for a 10th time. W&J had 10 total players honored on the All-PAC teams, which were voted upon by the league's 10 head coaches.

Joining Kalinski on the First Team were utility man Tyler Horvat, pitcher Jameson Campbell, pitcher Henry Litman, third baseman Nate Rush, outfielder Roman Samson and outfielder Evan Sante. W&J closer Dante DiMatteo received Second Team status while second baseman Jason Gregovits and shortstop Jacob LaDuca were listed as Honorable Mentions.

 

2023 PAC Baseball Preseason Coaches' Poll
School (first-place votes)	Points	2022 Records
1. W&J (9)	99	37-10, 25-2 PAC
2. Grove City (1)	88	28-14, 18-8 PAC
3. Allegheny (1)	83	24-15, 9-9 NCAC
4. Westminster	69	24-19, 17-10 PAC
5. Saint Vincent	62	24-14, 20-6 PAC
6. Thiel	49	16-22, 12-14 PAC
7. Bethany	39	16-23, 8-18 PAC
8. Waynesburg	34	14-25, 10-17 PAC
9. Chatham	33	13-25, 5-22 PAC
10. Franciscan	27	17-22, 9-17 PAC
11. Geneva	18	12-27, 8-18 PAC

"Last year's conference tournament was the best talent since Thomas More was in the PAC. Now Allegheny is in the mix and it improves the league even more, and substantially also, because they have a really good program," Mountain said. "We have a tremendous amount of respect for the teams in the league.  Always have and always will.  Based on comments we hear from some other programs, we know that respect isn't reciprocated toward W&J.  Everyone is entitled to their own opinion on what they think of people and programs, and how they talk in recruiting, but we prefer to worry more about ourselves, and our own improvements rather than other programs."
 
PAC Players To Watch: Tyler Horvat, Evan Sante, Jacob LaDuca
 
Team Captains: Tyler Horvat, Evan Sante, Logan Scheider

"Being a captain doesn't mean you have to lead by talking. Leading by example is probably more important," Mountain said. "Each of the three have different personalities, and hopefully this will play off each other well. It will be important that they can have some feel and continue to adapt at when to speak up and when to not say much of anything, but rather lead by example. The upperclassmen as a whole have done a really good job. This is truly a player run program."

Position By Position Breakdown:

Infield – W&J returns three players with substantial starting experience in the infield. Those players include senior Logan Scheider (McDonald, Pa./West Allegheny), junior Joe Lehner (Painesville, Ohio/Lake Catholic) and sophomore Jacob LaDuca (Clarence, N.Y./Canisius).

LaDuca made a splash in his debut season, as he earned All-PAC honors while getting the bulk of the time at shortstop. He hit .303 with 11 extra-base hits, 20 RBI and 26 runs scored last spring. He also turned in a steady effort defensively in 2022.

Lehner held things down at first base in his first year as a starter. He saw action in 45 games (39 starts) and compiled a .279 batting average with two home runs, 19 RBI and 21 runs scored.

Scheider is a career .326 hitter with 76 games played (58 starts) under his belt. He has reached base at a .468 clip throughout his career.

W&J lost Gregovits and Rush to graduation so there will be some playing time up for grabs in the infield.

"Having those guys back, as well as some others, will help, but make no mistake about it the leadership that Nate and Jason provided will be sorely missed," Mountain said.

Scout Zaas (Powell, Ohio/Wellington School) brings pop from the left handed side. He finished with three home runs, 16 RBI, 18 runs scored and a .338 batting average last year in 32 games (20 starts). Zaas is listed as a first baseman and outfielder but saw most of his work last season at DH.

Other returners expected to be in the mix include Luke Virag (New Kensington, Pa./Burrell), Kyle Jones (Donegal, Pa./Mount Pleasant), Connor Helm (Murrysville, Pa./Franklin Regional), Nolan Lutz (McDonald, Pa./South Fayette), Nate Hess (Wexford, Pa./North Allegheny) and Ryan Ross (Fredericktown, Pa. / Beth-Center).

Catcher – Perhaps W&J's biggest question mark comes at the catching position. Kalinski started 100 games during his four-year career with the Presidents. The 2022 PAC Player of the Year was a lifetime .333 batter with 11 home runs and 88 RBI. Kalinski also did a good job defensively in handling the W&J pitching staff.

Dan Beistel (Canfield, Ohio/Canfield), Sam Schuster (Fairport Harbor, Ohio/Fairport Harding), Nolan Lutz (McDonald, Pa./South Fayette) and Brody Bartenstein (Corning, N.Y./Corning-Painted Post) are all returners who will help fill the void at the position.

Beistel hit .364 in 13 games (8 starts) while Schuster compiled a .385 batting average in limited work last season.

"In addition to being a terrific player, Pete really understood the game. Pitchers were more confident because they believed in him defensively. There have been and continue to be ample opportunities for people to step up," Mountain said. "We have some steady high floor type veterans (Sammy Schuster and Dan Beistel and Nolan Lutz) and some under-classmen with promise (Brody Bartenstein, Luke Alvarez, Jake Stiehl). I think people are ready to step up and deliver. No one has to be Pete. When Pete took over he was taking over for a steady two-year starter. Whenever it's a first time starter, there are always questions simply because there are unknowns. People always step up here in this program."

Outfield – Despite the loss of Samson from this group, W&J returns a wealth of options in the outfield.

When he's not toeing the rubber, Horvat will hold things down in center field and position himself at the top of the W&J batting order. The D3baseball.com Preseason All-America produced another exceptional season as one of the top two-way players in NCAA Division III Baseball last season. Offensively, he ranked first in on-base percentage (.494) and in batting average (.445) among Presidents' Athletic Conference players. He scored 38 runs and tallied 30 RBI out of his leadoff spot. Despite missing 10 games, his 65 hits ranked second best among conference players. Horvat was also a threat on the base paths, stealing 21 bases in 25 attempts. He finished with 22 multi-hit games, which included a four-hit effort at Franciscan. Horvat had eight consecutive games, which included six postseason games, with multiple hits from May 7 through May 21.

Horvat's classmate, Sante, was one of the PAC's top power threats in 2022. He led the conference in home runs (10) and RBIs (48). The junior outfielder ranked second in slugging percentage (.650), tied for third in total bases (89) and was ninth in batting average (.350). Sante was a two-time PAC Hitter of the Week this spring. He homered against regionally-ranked opponents, Mount Union, Benedictine and Marietta. He was recognized as an All-Region performer last week by the American Baseball Coaches Association. Sante will be a big part of the Presidents' heart of the lineup again in 2023.

"Evan has had a lot of at bats in 2.5 years," Mountain said. "He's really evolved from being a freshman who struggled in the fall of his first year to a steady performer. Most importantly, we need him to put himself in the best possible position to stay healthy and ultimately stay healthy this year. He's a terrific person with a good way about him."

Trevor Dean (San Diego, Calif./Rancho Bernardo), Knox Meier (Tampa, Fla./Berkeley Prep), John Klein (Vienna, Va./Madison) and Tony Tamilia (Coraopolis, Pa./Moon) all return in the outfield as well after seeing various levels of playing time last season.

Dean came on strong in the 2022 postseason. The senior compiled a .321 batting average with four home runs and 14 runs scored last spring. He earned a spot on the PAC All-Tournament Team and collected five hits, including a pair of home runs at last year's NCAA Regionals.

Meier and Klein, a pair of sophomores, both put together strong debut seasons. Meier hit .389 with four extra-base hits In 18 games (8 starts) last spring. Klein compiled a .391 batting average in 25 appearances (5 starts). Both players will hope to earn more extended looks this spring.

Tamilia, another senior at the position, had five of his nine hits last season go for extra bases. He appeared in 24 games (8 starts) in 2022. Zach Scherzer (Douglassville, Pa./Daniel Boone) is another player who returns in the outfield.

Pitching – Horvat enters the 2023 campaign with a career 2.00 earned-run average and a spectacular 18-1 record on the mound. On the mound, Horvat posted a 2.13 earned-run average and put together an 8-1 record with two complete games last season. Opponents hit just .212 against him and he issued just 11 walks over 67.2 innings of work. After losing his first start of the season, he recorded eight straight wins over his final nine starts. He tossed back-to-back nine-inning complete game victories against Bethany (April 2) and Chatham (April 12), respectively. He allowed two earned runs or less in nine of his 10 starts during his junior season. His 13 strikeouts against Chatham on April 12 were a career high.

"Tyler seems to always be on the winning side, whether it's the intrasquad World Series or a competition in practice," Mountain said. "We've had great success here when arguably our best player has been if not our hardest, but one of our hardest workers.  Tyler is both. Tyler has opportunities to continue with his career after this year, and has some Division one options. A few of his teammates asked me if I knew what his plans are next year. He has a level of humility that is strong and therefore no one knows of his plans because he just goes about his business and puts the team first without self-promotion."

With the loss of Campbell and Litman, the rotation behind Horvat will be determined by early season results.

Shane Fox (Valencia, Pa./Mars Area) provides an option in a multitude of roles. He was 4-0 last season with a 2.45 ERA in 33 innings pitched. Fox logged starts in five of his 12 appearances.

Jackson Denney (Atlanta, Ga./Mount Vernon Presbyterian) appeared poised to make contributions last season before an injury cut things short. Denney was 2-0 with a 3.86 ERA in just 9.1 innings of work in 2022.

DiMatteo served as the closer during his freshman season. He went 2-0 with a 4.75 ERA and struck out 38 over 30.1 innings.

Ethan Marszalek (Katy, Texas./Seven Lakes) should provide a power arm. He tossed 11 innings in nine appearances last season. He tossed 3.0 scoreless innings of relief vs. Rowan at NCAA Regionals.

Cameron Hayman (Windsor, Calif./Windsor), Ryan Rametta (Leechburg, Pa./Kiski Area) and Mason Kolbe (Bradenton, Fla./Out-of-Door Academy) all logged at least 10 innings last season.

The roster features almost 10 new arms at the position as well.

Newcomers:
26        Josh Dezenzo          Fr.       IF         6-2      192     R/R     Alliance, Ohio / Marlington           
27        Brent Kurtz                So.    OF         5-11    211    R/R    Washington, Pa. / Trinity
28        Nate Nolan                Fr.       RHP   6-3      208     R/R     McDonald, Pa. / West Allegheny             
29        Jake Stiehl                Fr.       IF/C     6-4      232     R/R     Reston, Va. / South Lakes            
31        Brian Vogel               Fr.       IF         6-0      193     R/R     Pittsburgh, Pa. / Seton LaSalle                
35        Luke Alvarez             Fr.       C         5-11    169     R/R     Elizabeth, Pa. / Elizabeth Forward                      
36        Justin Giarrusso       Fr.       RHP   6-3      177     R/R     Pittsburgh, Pa. / Plum        
38        Ben Pierce                Fr.       LHP    5-10    211     L/L       Bel Air, Md. / John Carroll 
41        Max Stanger             Fr.       RHP   6-0      192     R/R     Buffalo, N.Y. / St. Joseph Collegiate                       
42        Eli Kite                       Fr.       OF       5-9      140     R/R     McKeesport, Pa. / Serra Catholic             
44        Nate Ratica               Fr.       IF/RHP           6-1      150     R/R     McKeesport, Pa. / Elizabeth Forward                    
45        Anthony Pass           Fr.       RHP   6-3      226     R/R     Clinton, Pa. / West Allegheny      
49        Chase Perry              Fr.       RHP   6-2      161     R/R     Ponte Vedra, Fla. / Nease             
51        Alex Tomsic               So.    LHP    5-11    211       L/L        Beaver Falls, Pa./Blackhawk
52        Luke Hudic                So.    RHP    5-10    145    R/R        Aspinwall, Pa./Fox Chapel
55        Ben Schuler             Fr.       IF         6-0      165     R/R     McDonald, Pa. / South Fayette                
 
Looking At The Schedule: W&J has a 39-game slate on the docket for 2023. The PAC will featured a 20-game schedule in which W&J will face each league opponent in a doubleheader. Both games will be nine innings.

W&J will once again face a rigorous non-league schedule this spring. W&J has games scheduled with several ranked foes - #15 Oswego State, #9 Baldwin Wallace, #26 Wisconsin Stevens Point, #22 Wooster and #8 Marietta. Colby and Johns Hopkins are scheduled opponents who are Receiving Votes in preseason polls. The Presidents will also face Muskingum, Pitt-Greensburg, La Roche, Case Western Reserve, Colby, Keuka, Point Park and Mount Union during its non-league schedule.
 
Last Word From Mountain: "It's the most difficult non-league schedule we've ever had. We have 10 games against ranked teams or teams receiving votes, two against an NAIA power. It will be challenging.  I've always felt that playing the difficult schedule was tough in the short term but has often helped us in the long term as we try to improve from February to May. This is the best the league has been in some time with the addition of Allegheny and the improvements of other programs. Several people believe we are an underdog this year, and our student-athletes are aware of it. We also never know anymore who is going to be back for other programs using fifth years. It completely changes the landscape and dynamic year to year, and probably makes us one of the youngest teams in the league every year with the rule. Our student-athletes using their extra years are/were at Radford, St. Louis, Ohio State, and Adams State getting graduate degrees, and we are proud of that."