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FEBRUARY 28, 2016
KING'S BASEBALL TEAM OPENS SEASON TODAY AGAINST YESHIVA AT DIAMOND NATION
WILKES-BARRE -- The King's College baseball team will open the 2016 season today with a 12:00 noon doubleheader against Yeshiva University of New York at Diamond Nation, Flemington, NJ.
Fans can follow the game on LiveStats at the following link:
http://www.sidearmstats.com/kings/baseball/
King's enters the campaign looking to improve upon last season's 11-21 mark. The Monarchs return 18 players who provide a great deal of experience as the squad looks to take a step forward in the MAC Freedom Conference ranks.Â
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FisherLeading the list of returnees is senior pitcher and team co-captain Andrew Fisher who enjoyed a fine 2015 year with a 2-1 record and a team-best 2.64 earned run average while making five starts. Fisher was second on the team with 30.2 innings pitched and had 22 strikeouts.
Also back is fellow senior team co-captain Jared Smigelski. Pitching in eight games with two starts, Smigelski was 1-1 with a 4.64 ERA with 15 strikeouts in 21.1 innings.
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LupasIn the field sophomore Bruce Breithaupt returns to the outfield after a solid rookie campaign in which he barred a team-high .314 (32-102) with 12 runs, five doubles, one triple, and 15 RBI while starting all 32 games. Fellow sophomore Kyle Lupas is back at first-base and started 27-of-29 games a year ago. Lupas batted .292 (26-89) with 12 runs, four doubles, one triple, and 12 RBI. He was also a strong defensive presence, posting a .990 fielding percentage, making just two errors in 204 chances.
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GibbonsJunior outfielder/pitcher Tom Gibbons is also back after starting 30-of-32 games a year ago. Gibbons batted .290 (29-100) with seven doubles and nine RBI while leading the team with 11 stolen bases. The Monarchs also welcome back sophomore infielder Sean Padden who started 25-of-28 games he played in last season. Last season Padden batted
.274 (23-84) as a rookie with two doubles, one triple two home runs, and 10 RBI.Other returning positions players looking to make an impact include junior infielder Nick Trivigino who started 13-of-14 games at shortstop before a season-ending injury last season. Also returning and looking for expanded roles are junior catcher Ryan Hydock, junior infielder Felix Mascelli, sophomore outfielder Brad Wilkins, and sohomore catcher Zack Godfrey.
Returning players who look to contribute in the field and/or on the pitching mound include junior hurler Connor Balloun, junior pitcher Zach Palansky, sophomore pitcher Chris Marconi, sophomore pitcher Anthony Peacock, sophomore pitcher/outfielder John Wickiser, and first-year sophomore pitcher/first-baseman Nick Deno.Freshman looking to contribute in the field include catcher Shawn Stone, infielders Chris Rebar, Christian Pack, and Tyler Reynolds. Utility players include Jake Eschbach, Sean Price,and Sean McKee. Chris Lupole is a rookie pitcher/infielder while Dan Hartson is a pitcher/outfielder. Pure pitchers include freshmen Kyle Marinelli and Connor Agnew.Under the leadership of 14th year head coach Jerry Greeley, the Monarchs will embark on a 38-game schedule including 21 MAC Freedom Conference games. After facing Yeshiva the Monarchs will head to Auburndale, Fl. for their Spring Break Trip. King's will play eight games at the Russ Matt Central Florida Invitational.
The Monarchs are scheduled to make their home debut March 15 against Summit University at 4:00 p.m. at Lipo Field in the Betzler Athletic Complex.
