Marshall University Athletics
Baseball Set To Begin Final Season In The MAC
2/8/2005 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Baseball Set To Begin Final Season In The MAC
2/8/2005
After finishing the 2004 season with an 8-2 record, the Thundering Herd baseball team will look to keep the momentum going heading into the 2005 season. 2005 will mark its final season as a member of the Mid-American Conference before heading into Conference USA.
With nine seniors graduating after 2004, the Herd had many holes to fill. Some of the biggest losses came on the pitching staff. Pitchers Grant Harper, Chris Meadows, Steve Ziroli, Scott Henning and Patrick Molinari, all significant contributors, graduated. On the other side, Francois Larmore, Mike Koitsopoulos and Corie O?Bryan were 2004 graduates. That left holes at the DH position, shortstop and in the outfield.
Herd coach Dave Piepenbrink and recruiting coordinator Tom Carty worked hard to fill those holes and brought in 19 newcomers to help the team. With a strong core of players returning from 2004, mixed with the new group of players coming in, Marshall is poised to make a run at the 2005 Mid-American Conference Tournament.
Pitching
In 2004, the Thundering Herd pitching staff made enormous strides, it had five pitchers with 15 appearances or more record an ERA of under 4.50. In the previous seven years, the Herd had only three pitchers record those type of numbers. Returning to the rotation in 2005 will be Chris Cummings, listed as one of the top prospects to play in the Great Lakes League in the summer of 2004 and junior Chris Koutsavlis, who had another solid season for the Herd in 2004. Returning to the bullpen will be senior Mike Marchyshyn, who is expected to contribute more this season. Brian Chrisman, who had a stellar 2004 season as a freshman, will receive a medical redshirt for 2005. Sophomore Adam Dobies is also out for the year.
Some of the newcomers brought in should be able to make contributions right away. Brian Knippelmeyer, a junior college transfer from Barton County CC is expected to be in the rotation right away. He had two years of college experience and should be ready to be in the rotation after a solid fall season. Others that will see time in the bullpen, or could move their way into the rotation include: Andrew Hancock, a freshman from Ashland, KY and Jeremy Slone, a sophomore out of Paintsville, KY. With the loss of all-time saves record holder Chris Meadows, pitching coach Tom Carty brought in David Slovak, who is penciled in as the closer. Like Meadows, Slovak is a submarine pitcher.
Other newcomers include: Brendon Bump, who will see time in the bullpen and is expected to play the same role as Steve Ziroli, Bryson Meyers, who had a productive fall season and will see more innings as he gets more experience, Tom Ponietowicz, a freshman who has worked to get himself in better shape to pitch and could contribute right away and Andrew Blain, the southpaw from Huntington, WV may pitch out of the bullpen.
Catchers
Rich Russell had a stellar 2004 season and was one of the Herd?s top offensive players. He also showed his abilities on the defensive side of the ball and will be the starter in 2004. His backup from 2004, sophomore Nick Wolle will also be back. Wolle made strides during his freshman season in 2004 and had a strong fall season, both offensively and defensively, to show his ability.
Two freshmen were brought in and could be the future of the program at the catcher position. Tommy Johnson will see time as the designated hitter and will also be behind the plate on occasion. Aaron Thompson, another freshman, will probably not see too much time behind the plate this season, but could be used in case of injury or pinch hit situations.
Infield
Six infielders from the 2004 team will be returning in 2005. At first base, junior Roddy Stieger will remain the starter. He started 28 games at first near the end of 2004 and proved to be a good fit. He also improved offensively, which should help him keep the position. Junior Aaron Jamieson started 23 games at second at the end of 2004 and did an admirable job, finishing the season with a .301 average. Returning for his junior season is Adam Frederick, the team leader in many offensive categories in 2004. He has shown improvement defensively and will start at third.
Also coming back are Josh McConnell, Matt Helm and Marshall Murray. McConnell played in 33 games in 2004 and could see time at different positions as a utility player in 2005. Helm was redshirted in 2004, but is competing for spots in the middle infield. He has made strides in all facets of his game and should see playing time. Murray, a senior, started 23 games at second in ?04 and could see time at other infield spots throughout the season.
There are four newcomers in the infield including Aaron Levinson, Brent Mason, Justin Perry and A.J. Sikula. Levinson and Mason are in the competition for the starting job at shortstop. A junior out of Mesa (AZ) CC, Levinson has a solid glove and is making adjustments to playing at the I-A level. Mason, a junior from Pratt CC, is also competing for that job. Both are expected to see playing time at the position.
Justin Perry, a freshman, is a third baseman. He is an offensive threat, but is still learning how to play the position and will be redshirted to start the season. Sikula will also be redshirted in 2005.
Outfield
After the graduation of senior Francois Larmore, the Herd has a hole to fill in the outfield and will look to returners Brad Helm, Joe Glevenyak and Chris Monaco to carry the load. Glevenyak will start in right field and Helm will start in left. Glevenyak will bat in the middle of the order. Helm had a great fall and made strides offensively. Monaco will also be in the mix for a starting position. Monaco started 51 games in 2004 in center field.
Also returning to the Marshall outfield are Chris Peak and Derek Hagen. Peak, a sophomore, played in 16 games in 2004. He is solid in the field and has made improvements at the plate. Hagen was redshirted in 2004
The Herd brought in four new players to compete for playing time in the outfield. Adam Ptacek, and Bubba Pfaff are also competing for time in the outfield. Pfaff, a junior college transfer from Seward County CC, is an offensive power and is a switch hitter. He may see time in the outfield, or as the Herd?s designated hitter. Ptacek, another junior college transfer from Pratt, is also looking for time in the field. He is solid defensively and showed offensive power in the fall. Chris Borgognoni, a freshman from Miami, FL, and Jeff Ritter, a freshman out of Michigan will be redshirted in 2005.
Schedule
As always, the Mid-American Conference will be a tough road to travel. The Herd will face five of the six MAC Tournament teams from 2004, including home series against defending conference champions Kent State, runner-up Eastern Michigan and #3 seed Ball State. MU will travel to top seed Central Michigan and east division winner Miami (OH). Other conference series include trips to Buffalo and Ohio U. and a home series against Akron.
The non-conference schedule will feature three-game road series at Mercer, future C-USA foe Southern Mississippi and Jacksonville State to open the season, and a trip to Virginia Tech at the end of April. The home series include Canisius, Liberty and St. Bonaventure.
Along with the weekend series, MU will play several mid-week games against opponents Dayton, Duke, Eastern Kentucky, Morehead State and the University of Kentucky.
