Baseball Preview, Part 3: Youngstown State

Feb. 14, 2008

There's a re-energized feeling surrounding the Youngstown State baseball program.

There's the most apparent reason for the new sentiment - a change in leadership at the top with the energy`ic Rich Pasquale taking over the coaching reins at the end of October.

It could also be the two new sets of uniforms, playing first-time opponents Georgia Tech and Alabama in the first three weeks and seeing the potential of the talented group of newcomers.

The Penguins will also host the Horizon League Baseball Championship at Eastwood Field, which proved to be a magical place in 2004 when they swept through the field to capture their first NCAA Tournament berth.

However, the oldest part of the team - the group of nine seniors - provides the biggest reason for the large sense of optimism entering this season. They understand what it takes to win as four of them are fifth-year players who were members the 2004 team. Equally as important, they understand how disappointment feels having watched two straight underachieving seasons go by, especially two years ago when a similar senior-laden team failed to win a game in the conference tournament.

Combining their talents, triumphs and setbacks combined with the renewed energy, it's hard to ignore that this team has a chance to be special.

Pasquale, who was the top assistant coach at Division II Slippery Rock a year ago, has the league's most veteran roster at his disposal with seven returning starters in the field and 12 returning pitchers.

The first-year coach can also rely on four returning hitters who batted better than .300, including first-team all-league selection John Koehnlein. The junior centerfielder ranked fourth in the nation in batting average last year with his .434 clip, and he finished the season on a 29-game hitting streak.

Pasquale will also have the services of second-team all-league picks Erich Diedrich and Josh Page. Diedrich is four RBIs and four home runs shy of breaking both career records, and Page has batted .332 over the past two seasons.

Tom Clayton also returns after earning Honorable Mention Freshman All-Ping! accolades and joining Anthony Munoz and Ryan Dunlap on the Horizon League All-Newcomer team.

Pitching
The Penguins certainly have the experience on the mound to make a title run as three of the six returning pitchers who started 10 games last season in the entire league will wear red and white. However, the staff must rebound from a tough season where injuries were plenty and ERA's were up.

Senior Lucas Engle returns for his fourth year as a weekend starter and third year as the squad's top hurler. He has started 14 games and thrown more than 90 innings in each of the last two seasons, and he has 11 career victories. Engle had a 3.24 ERA against league opponents, and he fell victim to a lack of run support as the Penguins averaged one run in his five regular season losses. Aside from two rough starts at the outset and another in the Horizon League Tournament, Engle was 4-3 with a 3.39 ERA in his other 11 outings. The senior righty also had an outstanding summer in the Texas Collegiate League, going 3-0 with a 2.23 ERA in nine appearances.

Senior Adam Kalafos also started 14 games last season, which was his first with YSU. He held batters to a .280 average, which was the best among YSU's starters, en route to earning four wins. He also had a strong summer with a 5-1 record and a 2.92 ERA in the Valley League.

Senior Chuck Schiffhauer enters the year as the final weekend starter. Last season he set career-highs in starts, innings pitched and strikeouts, and he had a 3.59 ERA against league opponents. As a sophomore he was 4-2 with a 4.67 ERA.

Sophomore Aaron Swenson is slated to start the first midweek game, and freshman Phil Klein and sophomore Corey Vukovic are the top two candidates for the second. Swenson started six games and made 16 relief appearances a year ago, and he finished with a 3-2 record. Vukovic threw in 16 games as a freshman and emerged as a starter late in the year, and Klein went 4-2 with a 1.92 ERA and 59 strikeouts in 43.2 innings at Gahanna Lincoln High as a senior.

The bullpen must overcome the loss of closer Andy Svitak, who saved eight games a year ago. Senior Ryan Sellman and sophomore Eric Marzec are the likely candidates to assume the role as the anchor of the pen.

Sellman saved 12 games during his first two seasons before missing the first 25 games a year ago due to an injury. Marzec pitched in five games last year and struck out 20 batters in 18 innings. He went 16-2 over his final two seasons in high school.

Junior sidewinder Ryan Wackerman had a 0.87 ERA over 17 appearances in the Great Lakes League over the summer and is poised for a big role in middle relief. Also giving a lift to the middle relief, senior Joe Antinone threw in a career-high 19 games last season, and freshmen Matt Tucker and Cody Dearth have been impressive in workouts.

Junior Craig Gillet transferred in for the spring semester and has the potential to be a key contributor. He was 5-4 with a 1.86 ERA as a sophomore at Genessee Community College and has pitched in Canadian national tournaments.

Outfield
Koehnlein will move to centerfield from third base to give the Penguins plenty of speed in the middle. The national Player of the Year candidate has experience in the outfield having started 14 games in right and five in center as a sophomore.

Marzec, Clayton, Ryan Dunlap and Sean Lucas will all see time in right and left field.

Marzec started 26 games in right as a freshman and possesses very solid defensive skills. At the plate he hit .220 with five doubles in 109 at bats.

Clayton set YSU's freshman record for doubles with 20 a year ago and is one of the league's top young hitters. The powerful lefty, who hit .308 with four homers and 35 RBIs a year ago, may also see time at first base and designated hitter.

Dunlap will split time between the pitcher's rubber and the outfield. A year ago he batted .245 in 22 games and started 12 times in left field.

Lucas is a utility player who started 19 games in the outfield last year and 20 more at second base. After a breakthrough year in which he hit .273 and scored 31 runs, the senior could start in either corner outfield spot, at third or up the middle.

Infield
The infield lineup has the potential to change frequently depending on who is swinging a hot bat because of versatility defensively.

Diedrich will return to the field after a shoulder injury relegated him to 54 games as the DH a year ago. Originally a catcher, Diedrich may also find himself starting at first base. The lifetime .347 hitter was an all star in the Great Lakes League over the summer after batting .350 and ranking among the league leaders in total bases, home runs and runs scored.

Senior Mike Turjanica and Clayton may also see games at first base. Turjanica hit .287 last year after becoming an everyday starter in April and set career-highs in virtually every offensive category. He has also proven to be steady defensively with a career .993 fielding percentage.

Page is slated to start at second but could also see time as the starter at short throughout the year. A two-time academic all-district pick, he was named team MVP of the Staunton Braves in the Valley League.

After an impressive fall freshman David Leon is pegged to enter the season as the starting shortstop. He was named to the district all-star team as a senior at Hickory High and batted .453 as a junior.

Munoz started 43 games up the middle as a freshman and batted .247 despite a slow start at the plate. The sophomore came up with several big hits throughout the year, and his .341 average with runners in scoring position ranked third on the team. He and defensive specialist C.J. Morris will rotate in, and Munoz could also see time in the outfield.

Koehnlein is the only player on the roster who has started a game at third base, but his move to center coupled with the departure of Lou Gattozzi and Lee Bainbridge means the Penguins will have a new man at the hot corner. Lucas is the likely candidate because of his versatility, and he has experience at the position from high school and summer ball. Cory Hornyak and sophomore transfer Travis Brown have also gotten work at practice at third.

Sophomore Dustin Wachter and newcomer Anthony Porter will compliment Diedrich behind the plate. Wachter started 39 contests at catcher a year ago and batted .209. Porter, a graduate of nearby Boardman High, transferred in from Okaloosa-Walton College (Fla.) after batting .275 in 31 games as a freshman.

Schedule
The Penguins are set to play a school-record 26 Horizon League contests and face a challenging non-conference schedule. The slate opens with 21 of the first 23 games on the road, including a string of three game series against Georgia Tech, Pittsburgh and Alabama to start the season. The Penguins will also play at Penn State on April 23 and at West Virginia on May 12.

The Penguins will play their home opener against in-state foe Findlay on March 18 in one of six games scheduled for Cene Park, and the Eastwood Field opener is set for April 1 against Bowling Green. That game starts a stretch of 16 out of 17 games played at home.