BEREA, Ohio – The defending Ohio Athletic Conference champions Baldwin Wallace University men's lacrosse team aims for its third straight OAC regular season title. The team will take the field for the first time on February 18.
Under the direction of second-year Head Coach Tony Tatro, the reigning OAC Co-Coach of the Year, returns seven All-Ohio Athletic Conference players and 10 Academic All-OAC players from last year's squad that won the OAC Regular Season Title with an overall record of 14-4 and a 9-0 record during conference play. The Yellow Jackets add 16 newcomers who look to make an immediate impact.
On the defensive end, the Yellow Jackets are excited to welcome back senior All-American and Academic All-OAC defender Neil Randall (Manhattan Beach, Calif./Palos Verde) who led the team and the OAC with 61 caused turnovers, and was also sixth in the nation in the stat. Randall was recently named to the Inside Lacrosse Preseason All-America team, and was awarded United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA) All-American honors, was a First-Team Intercollegiate Men's Lacrosse Coaches Association (IMLCA) All-Region 4 selection, and was awarded OAC Defensive Player of Year last season. His 61 caused turnovers earned him the Single Season Caused Turnovers Record at BW and placed him second on the all-time career leaderboard. Randall also added 65 ground balls (second on the team) and four points.
The midfield is led by senior All-American Jonas Aquilla (Westlake/St. Edward) who totaled a career-best 45 ground balls, third-best on the team in the 2022 season, and 19 caused turnovers. Aquilla was also named to the Inside Lacrosse Preseason All-America Team recently, and was named a USILA All-American, earned IMLCA All-Region 4 honors, and was named a First-Team All-OAC selection last season. Aquilla also posted 23 points on 15 goals and eight assists.
Senior attack/midfielder Kyler Byerly (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Allegheny was the Yellow Jackets' leading point scorer in the 2022 season, totaling 80 points on 51 goals and 29 assists. Byerly was a First-Team All-OAC selection and was named to the IMLCA All-Region 4 team last season. He is currently the seventh All-Time Career Goal Scorer at BW (76). Junior All-OAC Jake Nanosky (Medina) is also being welcomed back after finishing the 2022 season with 72 points, second-most on the team, on 38 goals and 34 assists. Nanosky earned First-Team All-OAC honors last season, is currently the fifth All-Time Career Goal Scorer in BW history (77), is second All-Time Career Assists Leader (61), and is the third All-Time Career Points Leader (138), among other records.
Players that were awarded Second-Team All-OAC honors last season that are returning and will make a huge difference on the field are senior defender Adam Blose (Butler, Pa./Butler Area), senior defender Ethan Rutowski (Pittsburgh, Pa./Upper St. Clair), and senior goalkeeper Joe Storner (Louisville, Ky./St. Xavier). Blose totaled 34 ground balls and 16 caused turnovers while Rutowski posted 32 ground balls and added 21 caused turnovers. Last season, Storner became the BW All-Time Career Leader in Saves, totaling 408, and is the Single Season Saves record holder, totaling 176 last season.
Honorable Mention All-OAC recipients being welcomed back include senior attack/midfielder Jake Branton (Marysville), senior defender Richie Roskoph (Strongsville), and senior midfielder Declan Tubbs (Stow/Stow-Munroe Falls). Branton totaled 29 points, Roskoph totaled 37 ground balls and 21 caused turnovers, and Tubbs added 24 ground balls.
Expected impactful Yellow Jackets returning are senior Olin Ferguson (Tulsa, Okla./Booker T. Washington), senior defender Clay Kolke (Medina), senior midfielder Zach Marinello (Wooster), senior goalkeeper Zach Noll (Miamisburg), junior midfielder Hunter Boehm (Delaware/Olentangy), and junior attack/midfielder Keaton Trout (Pickerington/North).
Other key letterwinners for BW include senior attack Kaleb Delaney (Buffalo, N.Y./Akron), senior defender Brian Saulsberry (Memphis, Tenn./Houston), senior defender JT Schroeder (Arlington, Wash.), junior defender Will Lasch (East Lansing, Mich./Lansing Catholic), and junior attack/midfielder Rhys Leach (Canton/GlenOak).
Other returning Yellow Jackets are juniors John Bartolotto (Fairport, N.Y.), Noah Bartos (Lancaster, N.Y.), Samuel LoPiccolo (Mason/William Mason), Niccolas Spotti (Mars, Pa./Mars Area), and sophomores Suri Phillips (Arnold, Md./Broadneck), Ryan Yanssens (Lexington, S.C./River Bluff), and Zach Zoul (Strongsville).
Click Here to view the 2023 newcomers and full roster.
The Yellow Jackets start the season hosting No. 12 nationally ranked Denison University on Saturday, February 19. The game is set to begin at 1:00 p.m. on the Tressel Field inside of the George Finnie Stadium.
