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2011 SEASON OUTLOOK
Millersville opens its 2011 season with a three-game series against No. 8-ranked North Georgia. The season-opener is a nine inning game scheduled for 5 p.m., on Friday. The following is a complete look at the Marauders' upcoming season.

Coach Jon Shehan and his Millersville baseball club learned a great deal from the 22-25 record in 2010. It was a season filled with what-ifs and was a roller coaster of triumph and defeat.

The Marauders lost at least four games in a row four times but also had two five-game winning streaks. Eight losses were decided by two or fewer runs. The pitching staff produced a banner year, ranking fifth in the PSAC in ERA. The hitting slumped, though, ranking 13th in the 14-team league in average. And for the second year in a row, the Marauders missed out on the postseason on a tiebreaker on the last day of the regular season.

That near miss on the PSAC Tournament was a humbling experience for the Marauders, and taught them a lesson they'll put into action in 2011.

“We felt like we had a good club last year on paper,” said Shehan. “Some things didn't go our way. You can blame it on injuries. You can blame it on not swinging the bats like we expected. But I think as a whole we learned a lot from last year's season. A couple of the coaches in the conference told me we would look back on it and say we had a good club but just didn't win. So as a coaching staff, we realized that it was in mental preparation that we needed to improve the most. We really hammered that home in the fall. We wanted to improve mentally so we could be more consistent. Last year we looked like a great club one day and a poor team the next.”

The final weekend series against nationally-ranked Kutztown was a microcosm of what plagued the Marauders all year. On Friday, they were blown out, losing a doubleheader by a total of 25 runs. The next day at home, Millersville won a 3-2 game in extra innings and then blanked a team that eventually reached NCAA Division II Baseball Championship.

No coach in the PSAC would argue that the Marauders lacked talent. The team returns six starters—five of which batted over .290 last year. Four of those players have at least two years of starting experience. Seniors Derek Kline and Ryan McCormick are both former All-PSAC East selections.

On the mound, Kline, a 2009 MLB First-Year Draft pick, returns as the ace and Brooks Rothschild and Jason Long, both of whom have pitched a full year against the PSAC East are back. The bullpen is stocked with young, talented arms and closer Zach Eckley, who solidified the closer role last year with four saves.

For Millersville in 2011, it's all about consistency and intensity. If the team shows those characteristics, it will be back in the PSAC Tournament.

STARTING PITCHERS
Thanks to an impressive recruiting class, Shehan and pitching coach Bob Preli have no shortage of arms for the rotation, and the bullpen is the deepest and most solidified it's been in Shehan's tenure. The team will miss All-PSAC East Second Team picks Ryan Stauffer and Forrest Mengle. Both were lefties and Stauffer led the team in wins (5) and ERA (3.19).

Kline and Rothschild will step into the roles of the team's No. 1 and No. 2 pitchers. Kline is a known commodity, boasting a 3.16 ERA and seven complete games in 21 career starts. While he posted a 3.38 ERA and struck out 34 in 50.2 innings last year, he suffered more bad luck than any pitcher deserves. He allowed one or no runs in six of his 10 starts but finished with a 3-5 record. He turned in six innings of quality pitching at Chowan, but a bullpen collapse gave him a no decision. He also lost 2-1 to Bloomsburg despite not allowing an earned run.

Despite the misfortune, Kline is a fifth-year senior and has a fastball that hits into the 90's. He's only been pitching for two years, though, and should only continue to improve.

Rothschild served as the Marauders' No. 4 in 2010. He finished the year 3-1 with a 5.45 ERA, but he really hit his stride after a tough start at Mansfield in March. The right-hander posted a 3-1 record and 3.33 ERA over his final four starts and five appearances. He fanned 15 in 24.1 innings. In the season finale, he threw a complete game shutout against Kutztown.

The rest of the rotation has yet to be decided, but Shehan likes his options.

“We have seven guys that can start,” said Shehan. “We don't know out of those seven who will be pitching in the conference or who will be our mid-week guys. Certainly we look at Kline and Rothschild as our go-to guys. Brooks really came on and pitched well down the stretch last year. He has shown some maturity and had a great summer in the Cal Ripken League. We know what Kline can do. He didn't receive run support last year and that hurt him big time.”

Junior southpaw Jason Long is a conference starter candidate. The club experimented with him as a reliever in 2010 after he pitched 40.2 innings and started six games in division as a freshman.

“He has experience and he's going to be in the starting mix somewhere,” said Shehan. “We've decided to keep him out of the bullpen and put him back into the rotation where he was as a freshman.”

The experiment didn't work as planned, but when he moved back into the starting rotation, he delivered. Long started four games in April and posted a 2.70 ERA in 20 innings. He isn't overpowering (14 strikeouts last year) but keeps hitters off-balance.

Another returnee is Mike McMonagle, who exudes ability, but has been hampered by arm problems for two seasons. He is coming off Tommy John Surgery but according to Shehan, he has shown great arm strength. He's entering his fourth year on the roster, but he made only one appearance in 2009 and threw 4.2 innings before being shelved last year.

“It's just a question of whether he can throw in the high 80's and low 90's for seven innings over the course of 10 to 12 starts,” said Shehan. “He has not been able to prove that yet, but he has some of the best stuff on the club.”

Junior left-hander Kyle Belanchik, who has 20 career appearances and 15 starts to his credit, is also rehabbing. He is coming off of hip surgery, and Shehan isn't quite sure what he's going to have this year.

Two freshmen are also very much in the mix to start against conference foes. Tad Barton and Tim Mayza were outstanding during fall workouts. Barton is a 6-2 right-hander from Reading, Pa. He went 7-2 with a 1.37 ERA as a senior at Muhlenburg. The All-Berks County First Team pick was drafted by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the MLB First-Year Player Draft.

Mayza gives the Marauders another lefty option. He has outstanding size at 6-3, 205 pounds. He was a three-time All-PAC-10 selection at Upper Perkiomen.

“They had some of the best numbers in the fall,” said Shehan. “Mayza has conference stuff. Barton has close to conference stuff. They'll be in the mix. It's wide open for the second two jobs.”

BULLPEN
At first glance, the Marauders do not have much experience in the relief corps.

“This is the deepest our bullpen has been since I've been here,” said Shehan. “It's just that no one knows anything about them.”

Senior Zach Eckley, a 6-5 righty, is one of the few returnees. He was outstanding in 2010 after moving from the rotation in the bullpen, tying for the PSAC lead with four saves. He took over the closer role on March 27 against Bloomsburg and converted every save opportunity the rest of the season. He also did not allow an earned run in 10 of his 13 appearances.

“Eckley has bought into the closer role,” said Shehan. “He throws a lot of strikes and has the right mentality.

Handing the ball to Eckley in most games should be Seton Hall transfer Brian Black. Slated as the set-up man, Black is a hard thrower that was extremely successful at Lenape High School in N.J.

Freshmen Adam Zipko and Bobby Sunkel will also be featured prominently after impressing the coaches in the fall.

“Zipko and Sunkel really came on the scene and pitched well for us,” said Shehan. “Zipko is a three-quarters righty that threw 85 percent strikes in the fall. Of the first 23 batters he faced, he retired 22. He was lights out in the fall. He throws in the low to mid-80's but comes at you with a different arm angle and throws a ton of strikes. Sunkel throws in the mid-80's with a lot of life and throws a lot of strikes. Both are cerebral, intelligent kids with a lot of confidence.”

The two will mostly be used in long relief situations. Zipko was an All-Lancaster-Lebanon League First Team and second team all-state pick at Warwick High School. Sunkel earned All-Mid-Penn First Team honors.

Matching up against lefties figures to be junior Andrew Hunt. Hunt logged 27 relief appearances over his first two seasons. Against PSAC East opponents last year, Hunt allowed just one run in five innings.

Walter Bishop is another left-hander with some experience. He made seven appearances last year.

“(Bishop) has shown a lot of improvement and works his tail off,” said Shehan. “It's always nice to have those left-handed specialists, especially a side-armer that comes out of the pen.”

The wildcard is redshirt freshman David Baker. Baker came to Millersville pegged as a conference starter from day one, but a torn labrum kept him off the mound all season.

“The injury seems to be healed but it's a confidence game,” said Shehan. “He didn't get surgery but it seemed to be the right decision. His arm strength is back up to near 100 percent and it's just a matter of him trusting his arm. He could be a sleeper. We'll give him some innings early and see where he falls.”

CATCHER
For three seasons, Miles Gallagher caught almost every game that Millersville played. The workhorse not only led Millersville in batting average, home runs and RBIs last year, but he was invaluable in handling the pitching staff. Gallagher will be in uniform this year, but only as a graduate assistant coach.

Trying to replace Gallagher is sophomore Ryan Chesler, who rapidly emerged as one of the team's top offensive players a year ago. Chesler played in 32 games at four positions and batted an impressive .324. He is athletic and runs well, but Shehan isn't worried about his offensive production as he's slotted to hit in the middle of the lineup and be a major run producer.

“Chesler has big shoes to fill and he knows it,” said Shehan. “Gallagher had a great three year career, and not so much statistically, but he knew how to handle a pitching staff and was a fifth coach. He was Coach Preli's right-hand man. Chesler has had to work into that role more than he has had to develop offensively. His blocking, throwing and receiving skills are excellent. His learning curve with handling the pitching staff will make or break his year in my opinion.”

Pushing Chesler for playing time junior college transfer Mike Perez. The junior is a super utility player that can catch, play first base and third base. That is key as Shehan will be trying to get Perez at bats however he can. Perez hit a robust .435, slammed 11 homers and drove in 56 last year at Anne Arundel Community College.

Ryan Cannistraci is a polished freshman from Lebanon, Pa., and has the defensive skills to contribute right away. But for him to crack the lineup, he will have to produce offensively like Chesler and Perez.

“He has above average skills behind the plate for a freshman,” said Shehan. “He's the opposite of Chesler. He's going to be a guy that down the line will ease into the leadership role. He needs to work offensively.”

Shehan also tried redshirt freshman Zach Stone behind the plate in the fall. According to Shehan, Stone has the right mentality but is probably a year away from developing into a good catcher.

INFIELD
Under Shehan, Millersville has consistently ranked near the top of the PSAC in defense year in and year out. This year is no different as the team returns Kline and McCormick and adds a pair of new, defensive minded players on the left side.

With a .985 career fielding percentage, Kline is as solid as they come with the glove at first base. The former PSAC East Rookie of the Year has an impressive career batting average of .352 and is well within reach of setting a bundle of school records. He needs 140 at bats, 51 runs, 42 hits, 40 RBIs and 13 doubles to become the all-time leader in each category.

While his career numbers are impressive, 2010 was a major disappointment for the slugger. His averaged dropped from .393 to .295. His slugging percentage dipped from .595 to .449 and his on base percentage sunk by more than 50 points. The slump could partially be blamed on his increased focus on pitching. He also felt added pressure with injuries to middle-of-the-order hitters Chris Edgar and Corey Phelan. Regardless, he'll need to return to form if the Marauders are going to do better than its .270 average and 5.1 runs per game.

“(Kline) realizes now that maybe his preparation wasn't where it should have been,” said Shehan. “His production dropped off on both the mound and at the plate, and it was a humbling experience for him. He's a confident kid. Losing a lefty like Edgar who was hot really caused some problems against the right-handed breaking ball for us. Derek learned a lot from last year. He has experience and has had success.”

Once a week, the Marauders will need another player to fill in for Kline while he is pitching. There is no lack of depth for Shehan.

“We have a lot of options at first base,” said Shehan. “We are right-handed dominant there. Tim Mayza does give us some left-handed depth. He could see some time there while Kline is pitching if the right-handed breaking ball continues to give us problems. Carlos Medina had a solid fall. Right now he has to be our back-up, but there is a lot of competition behind Kline.”

Medina is a 6-2 junior transfer from Bloomsburg. While with the Huskies, he was a two-year starter playing mostly one of the corner outfield spots. He drove in 35 runs in two seasons and batted .261 as a sophomore in 2009.

If Perez isn't catching, he may see time at first. Also in the mix is senior Scott Stevens, who hit .282 in spot duty a year ago. Redshirt freshman Dan Johnson is a 6-2 right-handed bat and could play first or outfield.

Ryan McCormick is shifting back to his natural position of second base. In 2009, he was an All-PSAC East pick at the position but moved to shortstop last year. He fielded the position well, posting a .949 fielding percentage. Like Kline, though, his offensive numbers dropped dramatically. He went from hitting .331 to .263. His on base percentage sunk from .448 to .380. He also failed to hit a homer and drove in eight fewer runs.

Still, McCormick was one of the team's top run producers, scoring 36 runs andhe swiped 15-of-17 bases. He's a quick and aggressive base runner that will hit at the top of the lineup again. Shehan believes 2010 to be an aberration.

“His confidence is high,” said Shehan. “Last year he knew he could play shortstop, and he played it well. His fielding percentage was one of the best in the conference. His range wasn't what it was at second base and offensively he struggled. There were some fundamental things with his swing that we cleaned up in the fall. Moving him back to second base you'll see a good shortstop go back to being probably the best defensive second basemen and one of the top two full package second basemen in the conference. He's our guy at leadoff, and he'll need to produce. The rest of the team leans on him, and I think he likes that role.”

Stepping in next to McCormick at shortstop is Anne Arundel Community College transfer Mike August. Shehan believes the Bishop McNamara graduate to be one of the best defensive shortstops in the league, and he'll make an immediate impact. Last year, August hit .395 with 15 doubles and stole 37 bases in 41 tries.

“He's an all-region gold glove type of player,” said Shehan. “He will greatly improve our defense on the left side. He gives our pitchers so much confidence. He is a clean middle infielder and plays extremely hard.”

Where he fits into the lineup remains to be seen, but he projects into the two, eight or nine slot.

Backing up McCormick and August is West Chester transfer Nick Bonadies. He spent last season behind West Chester's All-PSAC East First Team pick Nick Spisak. The Scotch-Plains, N.J., native will serve the Marauders as a super utility player. He is a right-handed bat and can play any infield spot. He can also play outfield and may see time at designated hitter.

After three seasons of struggling to find consistency and production at third base, Shehan may have found an answer. Redshirt freshman Zach Stone and freshman Tyler McDonald locked in a preseason battle for the starting job, but Stone, a former walk-on, came out as the winner because of his bat.

Over the last three years, Millersville has tried different answers at the position but none fielded better than .910 and the combined batting average at the position the last two seasons was .238.

“It's the hardest position to play in college baseball, and it's one of the hardest positions to recruit at our level because your prototypical big third basemen with power and arm strength are Division I guys,” said Shehan. “Give Coach Preli a lot of credit for recruiting Tyler McDonald, who defensively, is excellent.”

McDonald was a slugger for Chambersburg High School, helping the team to a District 3 AAAA Championship in 2009. His bat, however, is slightly behind his defensive skills. He is slated to redshirt this season with an eye for 2012. At the plate is where Stone is making a name for himself.

“Stone surprised everyone in the fall,” said Shehan. “He led the team in hitting and in quality plate appearances. He led us in doubles. He is a scrappy kid and has something to prove as a walk-on. Everyone has pulled for him because of that. It's going to be fun to watch those two develop over the next couple of years because we have some ability there now.”

OUTFIELD
Millersville boasts an athletic, fast and strong defensive outfield if the starters stay healthy. And when talking about Corey Phelan and Chris Edgar, that's a big if. Both players have produced at a high level for the Marauders, but both have been bitten by the injury bug more than once.

Phelan is a former Atlantic Region Gold Glove winner that is shifting from center to left field this season. He's endured knee surgeries, arm problems and last year, he suffered a quad injury that kept him out of nine games. Despite the hardship, he still hit .294 with three homers and 26 RBIs. He boasts a career average of .317 and an on base percentage of .400. The injuries have slowed him some and he isn't the base stealer he once was, but he'll look to add more power to his game this year.

“Phelan was pretty banged up and made a commitment in offseason to turn himself into more of the prototypical power left fielder,” said Shehan. “Fundamentally, he's still our best outfielder. He has great routes to the ball. Even with the injuries, he'll be more than adequate. He'll hit in the middle of the lineup and give Derek some protection.”

Edgar is one of the few left-handed sticks in the Marauders' lineup, and with him in right field last year, the team was 14-9. He played in just 27 games. His rookie year was also cut to 31 games after breaking his wrist on a diving catch at Shippensburg.

Edgar handles the bat well, though, hitting .297 with a .397 on base percentage in 58 career games. He's also outstanding defensively, committing just one error in two seasons.

“Both are as healthy as they've been in three years,” said Shehan. “Both are looking good right now, knock on wood. Edgar is back 100 percent from the hamstring, groin and wrist injuries. Edgar will do the same and give us some balance in the lineup. With both of those guys being healthy, it will really help us offensively.”

The Marauders plan to platoon sophomore righty Jeff Heisey and freshman lefty Mark Maiorano in center. Both possess speed and range but are different players at the plate.

Because of injuries to Phelan and Edgar, Heisey was pressed into the starting lineup a year ago, and after a slow start he finished with a .245 average. He showed some pop with three homers and 15 RBIs. Maiorano, a graduate of Allentown High School in N.J., was an all-state third team selection. Shehan sees him as a top-of-the-lineup guy.

“(Maiorano) runs really well, can bunt and get on base,” said Shehan. “He handles the bat well. He will most likely get the start against righties, and Heisey will most likely start against lefties. We'll platoon that position until someone wins the job outright.”

SCHEDULE
The PSAC Eastern Division is always a dog fight and this year will be no different. The top five teams in the division won at least 11 league games last year and the top four won no fewer than 26 overall.

Defending division champion West Chester lost six All-PSAC East selections but returns first team second basemen Joe Wendle and PSAC East Freshman of the Year Fred Breidenbach on the mound. Kutztown, which won a league-high 42 games last year, returns Shayne Houck, who won player of the year honors as a sophomore in 2010.

Millersville opens PSAC Eastern Division play at home on March 18 against West Chester. Kutztown doesn't arrive at Marauder Park until April 1. The conference schedule fittingly closes with East Stroudsburg--the team Millersville has lost tiebreakers with each of the last two years.

The non-conference slate begins on Feb. 18 with a trip to North Georgia. The Marauders play four games in three days before returning home. The team has two more southern swings. From Feb. 25-27, they play three nine-inning games against Davis & Elkins and Fairmont State in Williamston, N.C. Trips to Wingate and Chowan--both in N.C.--also dot the spring schedule.

Millersville's home opener is earlier than usual. It hosts PSAC West foe Clarion in a doubleheader on March 5 and a nine-inning game on March 6.