RELEASE DATE: 2/26/04  

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Mountaineers will open 2004 baseball season this weekend with five games at Fairmont State

MANSFIELD -- The 2004 edition of the Mansfield University Baseball team will open their season this weekend when they travel to Fairmont State.  All games this weekend will be played in Fairmont, West Virginia.  The Mountaineers will open up with a 3 pm game against Fairmont State on Friday 2/27. On Saturday  2/28 the Mounties  will play a 1pm doubleheader against West Liberty. Mansfield will then wrap up their weekend with a single game when they square off against West Liberty at 10 am, which will be followed by a 12 noon contest against Fairmont State.  

2004 Outlook--

After 18 seasons as head coach of the Mountaineer program and more than 550 victories, Harry Hillson knows a little about building a winning baseball team.

Still, the 2004 campaign will see Hillson move slightly away from a winning formula that has produced 14 straight winnings seasons and three trips to the NCAA Division II College World Series.

After years of associating the term “long ball” with Mountie Baseball, look for this season squad to be equally adept at “small ball”.

If the saying “Speed Kills” is true, the Mansfield Mountaineers head into the 2004 season with the crosshairs fixed on reclaiming the PSAC East title.  The Mountaineers return five position starters and all four starting pitchers from a squad that finished an uncharacteristic 24-21 last year and 11-13 in the PSAC East. 

The 2004 Mountaineers may have many fans doing a double take when the team takes the field this year.  Mansfield graduated sluggers Jason Manwaring, Brett Brown, and Doug Evans who combined to hit over 70 home runs in their tenure at Mansfield.  Conversely, the new look Mountaineers will be fielding one of the fastest and most defensively strong teams in school history this season.  Each starter heading into this season has been clocked under 7.0 in the 60 yard dash.

“The major strengths of this team is definitely team speed and the fact that we are going to play excellent defense to go along with our talented and experienced pitching staff,” Hillson remarked on his 2004 squad. “This team is going to take us where Mansfield is use to being, the top of the PSAC.” 

Last season was a bit of a disappointment after winning 41 games in 2002, but Hillson expects senior leadership and team chemistry to again vault the Mountaineers to the top of the conference.

“This year’s team has eight quality seniors (Brokaw, King, Cronin, Papi, Rearick, Rakaczewski, Mills, and Kochenderfer) that will be in the starting lineup in someway or another all season long,” explains Hillson.  “You don’t find a team that has this many good upperclassman that often and you can already sense an improved atmosphere.”

Last season, the pitching staff struggled with youth, lack of experience, and injuries.  That should not be the case this year as Mansfield returns every pitcher from last year’s staff with the addition of two pitchers from the 2002 team. 

“I feel this season’s PSAC schedule definitely favors this pitching staff,” said Hillson.  “We a ton of depth on our staff that is very talented top to bottom and we expect to use all of them.”

Sophomore Dan Yoder (Montoursville/Williamsport) returns as the team’s only returning All PSAC-East selection from a year ago, when he was also named PSAC East Rookie of the Year.   Yoder, as a true freshman, recorded a team high nine wins and was second on the team in strikeouts with 47.  

Senior workhorse Jeff Papi (Tunkhannock/Tunkhannock) will again be shouldering a lot of innings this year.  Papi led the team in strikeouts (52) and innings pitched (77) last season, finishing among the conference leaders in both categories.  Senior lefty John Cronin (Horseheads (NY)/Horseheads) also returns for his final season on the hill.  Cronin is the most seasoned pitcher on the staff with over 130 innings pitched in his first three seasons.  Cronin is known for coming in on a moments notice and pitching his way out of tough jams.  He has great control and has shown the ability to pitch in the big games. 

The fourth starting spot on the rotation will be up for grabs between seniors Marty Rakaczewski and Bryan King, junior Kane Stein, sophomore Matt Allegretto and true freshman Dave Meldrum. 

If not a starter, Marty Rakaczewski (Wilkes-Barre/Hanover Area) will likely fall into a long reliever role. He proved himself very valuable out of the pen last season, ranking among the PSAC leaders in ERA (3.05) and innings pitched (56). 

Kane Stein (North Huntington/Norwin) returns after missing last season with a medical condition. The #3 starter in 2002, Stein, along with King, have recovered fully from surgery after the 2002 season and will be looking forward to pulling their share of innings on the mound.  Bryan King (Milton/Milton) has shown signs of throwing in the low 90’s again, which may land him a spot as a closer.  

Sophomore Matt Allegretto (Bellefonte/Bellefonte) is back after pitching 36 innings as a true freshman.  Allegretto came on strong towards the end of the season finishing the year with seven starts and looks to pick up right where he left off in 2003.

The most improved part of the staff will come from the south side. Lefty junior T.J. Dincher (Williamsport/Loyalsock) and sophomore Justin Ferguson (Danville/Danville) have made great strides and have been clocked mid-80’s with effective breaking pitches.  True lefty freshman Josh Haines (Beavertown/West Snyder) has proven to be a pleasant surprise as he has shown the ability to throw mid-80’s as well.  His great work ethic and potential will not go unnoticed in 2004.

Sophomore Matt Baker (Milton/Milton), and freshman Pat Ross (Danville/Danville) will see time pitching middle relief.

While defense and speed may be this teams strongest point, Head Coach Harry Hillson would never put a team on the field that couldn’t produce runs, and this year will be no exception.

“We are returning a lot of guys who can hit the baseball” Hillson said about his expected offensive production, “between seniors Brandon Brokaw, Dan Kochenderfer, Matt Mills, Josh Rearick and  D.J. Hoshauer, we should produce a lot of runs.”

The Mountaineers may have graduated three of the most feared power hitters in the PSAC last year, but they return their top three overall offensive leaders from a year ago. 

Junior D.J. Hoshauer (Hamburg/Hamburg Area) returns after a break through season that included a .425 batting average a year ago.  Hoshauer, who broke into the starting lineup mid-way through the season last year in left field, will shift his duties to behind the dish.  His offensive production will be counted on to knock in runs all season long.  Freshman Scott Erickson (Elmira (N.Y)/Elmira Free) will also see plenty of time at backstop as well.  Erickson has great defensive skills has shown the ability and poise to control this talented pitching staff.  Freshmen Brian Stone (Susquehanna/Thompson) and Phil Anderson (Claysville/McGuffey) will provide backup. 

Returning at the hot corner will be senior Matt Mills (Clifton, VA/Centreville).  Mills, who played outstanding defense last year, will be looking to boost his .289 average from a year ago.  Sophomore Stuart Sumner (New Columbia/Milton) also showed that he can step in and start at the college level last season.  Sumner, who started six games last season at third, will also push for the DH spot. 

Junior Travis Wurster (Montoursville/Montoursville) returns for his third season starting at shortstop for the Mounties.  A 2002 All-PSAC East selection, Wurster is known for his flashy leather and twin killing capability. 

At second base, the Mounties landed highly touted transfer Eric Baker (Apalachin (N.Y.)/Owego) from Alfred State.  Baker, who was Easton’s 2002 Junior College Defensive Player of the Year, also was named Region 3 MVP a season ago.  Baker and Wurster will team up to be the pitchers best friend as what may be one of the best twin killing combos in the nation.  Freshman Travis Lepperd  (Duncannon/Susquentia) can play anywhere and will provide back up. 

Senior Dan Kochenderfer (Lewistown/Lewistown ) will hold down the starting job at first base.  The tall Kochenderfer will be a great target for the Mountaineer infield infielders along with providing immediate offensive production in the lineup.  Sophomore Brain Frame (Linden/Williamsport) may also see time at first, or find himself in  the DH spot.

Freshman David Meldrum (Venetia/Peters Township) came in and played like veteran this fall.  Meldrum will find himself fighting for a spot in the offensive lineup and in the pitching staff starting rotation.  Meldrum can play third base, second base, outfield, DH, or throw mid-80’s off the mound. 

This year the Mansfield outfield may be one of the fastest in school history.  Senior Brandon Brokaw (Altoona/Altoona) returns to right field.  Brokaw, who has a knack for getting on base, had a .486 on-base percentage a year ago while sporting a .327 batting average.  Senior Josh Rearick (Johnstown/Forest Hills)  returns to centerfield where he may be one of the best defensive outfielders in the PSAC.  Rearick who committed only one error last year, had a team best 46 hits last season along with a .329 batting average.

Left field is up for grabs with a 3-way battle between sophomore speedster Brett Shockloss, junior Alvin Morrison, and freshman David Meldrum.  Brett Shockloss (Williamsport/Loyalsock )  the front runner for the spot, appeared in 19 games last year mostly as a pinch runner where he was 6-8 in swiping bases.  Shockloss’s speed makes him a threat anytime he’s on the base paths.  On a team full of burners, junior transfer Alvin Morrison (Utica (N.Y.)/T.R. Proctor ) may be the fastest of them all.  Morrison showed he also has the ability to hit the long ball this fall, will push Shockloss for the left field spot.  Meldrum is also a possibility in left field.