BEREA, OHIO -- The Baldwin-Wallace College baseball team will be much improved in 2009. Veteran Head Coach Bob Fisher, who has 669 career victories entering this season, returns 14 lettermen and six key seniors, including Academic All-American and two-time All-Ohio Athletic Conference centerfielder Cody Kidd (Wellington) and 2-time All-OAC first baseman Riley Kreisher (Ashtabula/ Edgewood).

 

Fisher '63, who enters his 41st season at the helm of the Yellow Jacket baseball program and is the longest tenured coach in the OAC, led the Yellow Jackets to a 19-19-1 overall and 9-9 OAC record in 2008.  This season, he will rely on experience in the outfield and deep pitching staff to guide the Yellow Jackets.

 

In addition to Kidd and Kreisher, who also serve as team co-captains, four other seniors return in 2007 including Academic All-OAC righfielder Mike Brisky (Berea), third baseman Jake Gross (West Farmington/ Warren Champion) and righthanded aces Jim Jaskowak (Grove City, Pa./ Grove City) and Brandon Fredericks (Copley/ Richfield Revere). 

 

Junior middle infielders Jim Martin (Euclid) and Scott Nealon (Avon Lake), along with junior righthanders Jim Palko (Euclid), Nealon's twin brother Chris, and Justin Novak (Strongsville) as well as junior lefthanderScott Luthman (Celina) will all play key roles for the Yellow Jackets.

 

In the outfield, Kidd, who hit .387 (60-for-155) to lead all retuning players, had a team-leading 60 base hits, four triples, 13 stolen bases and 34 runs scored.  He also recorded nine doubles and 26 runs batted-in to go with a .434 on-base average and .497 slugging percentage.  He was joined by Brisky, who registered a .210 batting average (17-of-81), scored 18 runs and committed just one error in the field. In '07, Brisky hit .362 with six doubles, three triples, a homer and 18 RBI.

 

Chris Nealon, in addition to his relief pitching duties, will see time in the outfield along with junior Ben Stoper (Medina/ Senior). Chris Nealon saw action in the field in 16 games in 2008, including seven starts and hit .417 (15-of-36) and drove in 10 runs. Stoper played in eight games, including five starts near the end of the season, and hit an impressive .381 (eight-for-21). Junior transfer outfielder Sam Wasylyshyn (North Ridgeville) will also push for time in the outfield.

 

Kreisher, Gross, Scott Nealon and Martin all saw significant action in the infield last season.  Kreisherappeared in 39 of 40 games and hit .340 (51-of-150), tied the school single-season record with 18 doubles and led the way with 29 RBI.  His 83 total bases which led to a .553 slugging percentage also topped the team.  He also hit .370 with three homers and 33 RBI as a sophomore.

 

Across the infield from Kreisher, third baseman Gross hit .279 (34-of-122), drove in 26 runs and scored 24 more and was third in the field with 70 assists.  Martin and Scott Nealon saw action at both shortstop and second base.  Martin hit at a .273 (12-of-44) clip in 19 games and stole four bases in as many tries.  Scott Nealon recorded seven hits in 20 at-bats (.350) and did not committ an error in the field. Junior shortstop Matt Rollins (Walbridge/ Milbury Lake) and first baseman/ designated hitter Brian Boveington (Stow/ Stow-Munroe Falls) will also see action in 2009.  Rollins recorded a .438 on-base percentage and was used primarily as a pinch runner.  Boveington hit .220 (nine-for-41) in 12 games and drove in nine runs.  Freshman infielders Anthony Longitano (Cuyahoga Falls), Vince Taddeo (Mentor/ Lake Catholic) and Phil VanRyzin (Massillon/ Washington) are expected to see action this spring.

 

The pitching staff is stocked with both talent and upperclassmen with at least eight returning who saw action a year ago, including Jaskowak and Fredericks.

 

Jaskowak proved to be the ace of the staff with a 5-2 record and his 4.73 earned run average was the lowest of all starters and of all pitchers who recorded more then 15.0 innings.  He started nine games, completed four, had a team-high 51 and one-third innings pitched and struck out 33 batters to rank second.  Fredericks was 4-3 last season in nine appearances, including eight starts and recorded a 6.04 ERA.  In 47 and two-thirds innings pitched, he struck out 35 batters while issuing only 14 base-on-balls.

 

Novak pitched in nine contests in '08, including five starts and had a 2-2 record with a 5.12 ERA in 38 and two-thirds innings pitched with just 10 walks. Palko had a 4-2 slate in eight appearances, including four starts, and covering 31 and two-thirds innings of work. Luthman fashioned a 2-4 mark with a team-leading two saves in a team-high 11 appearances, including seven starts. In addition, and out of the bullpen of '08, look forScott Nealon (0-0 with a 3.86 ERA in seven appearances), sophomore Nate Lance (Cuyahoga Falls/ Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy) and Boveington to compete with freshmen Josh Scott (Strongsville)and Colin Wright (Lorain/ Admiral King) for time on the hill.

 

The Yellow Jackets will be going to Winter Haven, Fla. for the first time to play. B-W opens the 2009 campaign against St. John Fisher (N.Y.) College on March 8 at a time yet to be determined. Winter Haven is the previous home training site for the Cleveland Indians prior to moving to Goodyear, Arizona this spring. B-W will play some of its games at Chain of Links Park.