WILKES-BARRE, PA (February 21, 2020) --- The 2020 King's College baseball season will get underway on Saturday and the Monarchs are excited to get back on the diamond and compete for a Middle Atlantic Conference Freedom title this season.
 
King's was picked fourth in the conference preseason poll but just qualifying for the MAC Freedom Tournament is going to satisfy this group of student-athletes. "Our ultimate goal is to win the conference" stated both senior captains Noah Adams and Kyle Friebolin. "Obviously we need to get in first and then do the best that we can" continued Adams. Friebolin added "We strive to play our best every game and do what we have to do when we're on the field."
 
Adams and Friebolin were selected as the team's two captains for the season. Head coach Jerry Greeley stated "It is a total honor to have Friebolin and Adams as our 2020 team captains. They have earned the total respect of their teammates, coaches and Kings community. I am extremely excited about how they will continue to be great role models to our younger players, as they have committed themselves to the program on and off the field for the past four years. Their involvement with our Extra Inning Community Service Club, team conditioning and showing their teammates how they are to represent themselves in the community is second to none"
 
The Monarchs are a young team hungry to win with just five seniors. The senior class of Adams, Friebolin, Jonathan Hoyt, Cooper Johnson, and Chris Neuhaus are looking to extend the streak of consecutive conference tournaments to five this year with a deep team that is strong all through the lineup. King's looks to be among the top hitting teams in the conference this season once again after finishing second last year in batting average and third in slugging percentage. KC was also one of the top fielding teams in the conference and nation last year as they were ranked eighth in Division III and topped the league in double plays per game.  The Monarchs hope to be even better this year in the field.
 
Adams and Friebolin are expected to get a lot of help from leadoff man Matt Dobeck, Matt Mellinger, Paul Helman, Colby Toth, and Jacob Lupas. All seven were spectacular on the diamond last year and hoping to continue their strong play this season. King's is also happy to welcome back Seth Laky and Chris Burke back into the lineup after both saw their rookie years in red and gold end early due to injury a season ago. They are expected to play a big role in the field and at the plate. Other returning players that will be looked upon to have breakout seasons in 2020 include Shane Beyer, Cole Keating, and Andrew Steidle.
 
King's also brought in a few newcomers that will see time right away. Matt Bound, a junior college transfer from Bucks County, Cole Heitzman, and Will Hronich will help solidify an infield that will look to replace Christian Pack who graduated as one of the best defensive players in program history. Brendan Mozelski and Isaac Tucker are expected to get some time in the outfield and on the mound.
 
AROUND THE DIAMOND OUTLOOK
INFIELDERS
As mentioned earlier, the Monarchs had a knack for turning double plays last year but this year's team will have a little bit of a new look especially in the middle infielder. First base will have a very familiar face with Mellinger expected to be in the lineup as one of KC's top returning players. The junior came up with big hit after big hit last year leading the team with 35 RBI and was a very strong defender. Heitzman is a very talented player who will contribute and is expected to see action when Mellinger is on the mound. Adams could also see time at first depending on the lineup.
 
The middle infield is a going to have some news faces as Steidle, Hronich, and Bound look to compete for starting roles to replace Pack and Tyler Reynolds. Steidle saw some quality playing time as a freshman last year after starting the season strong with a very productive trip to Florida. Junior Justin Yannece, freshman Pat Noone, and Chris Neuhaus also will look to contribute for the Monarchs.
 
The hot corner of third base is going to be another strong position for King's as the coaching staff is expecting big things from Seth Laky in his sophomore year. Laky was off to a great start last year before he was injured at the beginning of April. Heitzman, Hronich, Liam Hughes and freshman Will McIntosh also look to factor into the mix at third base. McIntosh could see some action late in games as a pinch hitter as the righty has a big bat and could bring some pop.
 
CATCHER
Prior to last year the Monarchs were uncertain how deep they were at the catching position. A few unfortunate injuries last year showed that they are as deep as anyone in the country at the position with four great catchers who will share time at one of the most grueling positions on the field. The Monarchs are hoping for better health this year but are also expecting tremendous work behind the plate and contributions from all four catchers. Despite what seemed like a revolving door behind the plate last year due to injuries, the production from the position stayed the same all year as Adams, Beyer, Burke, and Helman stepped up whenever they were behind the plate and put up numbers all season. Burke had a tremendous start to his Monarch career in Florida before his season was cut short to injury during the first conference series of the year. He is back healthy this year and looking to show the conference just how good he is. Beyer was also playing well last year prior to getting injured at FDU-Forham. He did manage to come back for the end of the season and produced in his final two appearances of the year. Helman and Adams were forced into much of the catching duties during April and both capitalized on their opportunities. Adams hit .306 in 22 games while Helman had a .286 batting average in 12 games. Friebolin gives the Monarchs an extra man behind the plate as the senior has an excellent eye at the plate and does all the small things that helps win games.
 
OUTFIELDERS
The outfield will have a new look in 2020 after the loss of All-Conference players Dan Hartson and Sean McKee due to graduation. However, King's is still deep and talented in all three positions. There are seven players that will fight for a spot in the everyday lineup headlined by Dobeck in the leadoff spot. The junior is one of the best, if not the best leadoff man in the conference. He is an offensive catalyst and a great defender in left field. Hoyt and Tucker are both tremendous defenders who will look to do the bulk of the work in center field. Hoyt saw increased playing time last year as a junior and gave the Monarchs great production at the plate and in the field. Keating and Burke are difference makers on offense, both capable of changing the scoreboard with one swing of the bat. They are both great defenders too that will give the Monarchs a strong arm in right field. Mozeleski is an exciting newcomer to the team, an ultimate competitor, and tremendous athlete. He brings a good left-handed bat to the mix. Andrew Roth provides another strong option with an extremely fast game both offensively and defensively. The junior is very smart on the base paths and scored a pair of King's biggest runs of the year last year while pinch running. Junior John McElroy and freshman John Barry are also expected to compete for time in the outfield.
 
PITCHERS
As it is for most baseball teams, the success of the program will rely heavily on pitching this year. The Monarchs are expecting big roles from Toth, Lupas, Friebolin, and Mellinger. Toth emerged as one of the top pitchers in the conference last year. The sophomore went 4-2 in eight starts while recording a 3.30 ERA in 46.1 innings. The lefty was KC's primary game one starter of conference doubleheaders. Lupas had a breakout year in 2019 throwing mostly in relief. The junior struck out 19 batters while recording three saves in 16 appearances. Friebolin and Mellinger were added to the pitching mix last year and were just as good on the mound as they are at the plate. Friebolin was clutch in relief getting King's out of a lot of jams. He also provided a lot of long relief whenever the Monarchs needed someone to eat up innings and shut down the opposing team. Mellinger was effective on the mound last year keeping batters off balance and hitting the outside of the zone. He had four quality starts in six appearances last year.
 
Cooper Johnson should provide key innings to the staff as well. The senior has provided valuable innings out of the pen during his four years and has a career record of 4-2 with one save. Mozeleski should be a key factor on the staff as well as a hard throwing lefty. The pitching staff is looking to see Brandon Moffitt, Landon LaBar, James DeNara, Dobeck, Keating, Hughes, and Steidle bring strong contributions to the 2020 season. In a conference with strong offensive teams the Monarchs need as many arms as possible to get batters out and eat up innings during long grueling weekend series. Junior Jimmy Morris, sophomores Anthony Neri and Austin Funair, along with freshmen Jake Monaghan, Matt Leahy, and Randy Paulino will look to see time on the mound this season.

---
 
After the doubleheader this weekend, the Monarchs will head south to Florida for their annual spring break trip the first week of March. King's will play eight games at the Russ Matt Central Florida Invitational before returning north to begin conference play against DeSales on March 14.