Baseball 2008 Season Preview
The Penn State Behrend baseball program has racked up 82 wins over the past three seasons, and attacks the 2008 schedule with one goal in mind.
“Our program’s goal is to compete every day, win the AMCC championship and continue in postseason play every year,” said head coach Paul Benim. “Regardless of the players we have returning or lost, that is always going to be our goal.” Behrend has played in the conference championship game in three of the past six seasons, capturing the title in 2003. Behrend has also captured a pair of ECAC Southern Region titles during that stretch, while participating in the ECAC Tournament in four of the past six seasons.
The blue and white must start by replacing last season’s graduating class of seven seniors that were involved in the everyday line-up. The blue and white will be relying on the return of 23 experienced players. The group is headed up by five seniors that have all earned their reps. “We have a solid foundation of experienced players that will need to help our younger players get accustomed to the college game.”
Five senior position players can provide leadership and may all be in the line-up on any given day. “This group is really looking forward to an outstanding season,” said Benim. “They need to take advantage of the early opportunities and produce.”
Jason Bartlett (Erie/Iroquois) and Paul Henry (Export/Kiski), two veteran catchers, will both work behind the plate this spring. They handle pitchers exceptionally well and lead the team in several ways. Bartlett had several clutch pinch-hit at-bats and hit .579 in a reserve role in 2007, while Henry played in 29 games and batted .262. Also in the mix is Adam Martin (Rochester/Rochester). Martin, an All-AMCC third baseman last year, will also see time behind the dish. He had an exceptional season hitting .417 with two home runs in spring training in Florida. Martin finished the season with a .316 average and produced 22 RBIs. “These three guys are hardworking athletes that have made a positive impact on our program,” said Benim. “We are fortunate to have players of their character and caliber on our squad.”
Two additional seniors will guide the offense. Zach Sullivan (Oil City/Oil City) is the incumbent at first base. Sullivan hit the ball hard last spring and contributed a .333 batting average in 45 at-bats. He will be working to improve his run producing numbers and continue to pick balls in the dirt. He was chosen by his teammates as the program’s Most Improved Player after a solid junior season. Joe Breiter (Finleyville/Ringgold) hit .300 with 13 RBIs and eight stolen bases. He will be anchoring the team from left field as well as providing veteran leadership to the rest of the outfielders. “Zach and Joe both have the ability to have strong senior seasons, and we expect they will each contribute during 2008.”
The strength of this year’s club will be the pitching depth. In addition to claiming the ERA title for the third time in the past four seasons, the staff made several hitters swing and miss, ranking twenty-second in the country in strike-outs per nine innings at 7.5 a game.
Starting pitcher David Koerbel (Pittsburgh/Central Catholic) has been instrumental in the program’s past success. As a freshman Koerbel was named the league’s Newcomer of the Year after winning five games and posting the sixth best ERA in the AMCC. He followed it up by earning All-AMCC honors again last season with a 5-1 record to go with an ERA of 2.87. Koerbel limited the opposition to a measly .216 average and struck out 55 hitters in 53.1 innings of work. “David is really good. He has performed exceptionally well for us and we expect much of the same this spring,” Benim said.
There are several relief options entering this season. The back end of the bullpen features Ben Cain (Venetia/Peters Township), Ryan Smith (Franklin/Franklin), and Mike Leo (Harmony/Central Catholic). In 31 career games, Cain has thrown almost 60 innings out of the bullpen while earning a 5-2 record and recording four saves. Smith is a finisher for the blue and white. His two-year numbers look great on paper and are even better in action. Smith has 13 saves and six wins from his closer role while holding opponents to under a .235 average. “Our program has the luxury of using a couple of high-quality arms in the later innings,” said Benim. “These guys are very effective and compete in every outing.” Leo posted an ERA of 2.84 last year. He returns after off-season surgery last summer and will be battling for innings in 2008.
Junior Andrew Chrobak (New Castle/Laurel) made a big splash with the Behrend Lions in his first season. Chrobak was a top end starter who made nine starts. He went 5-4 with a 4.44 ERA and completed four games. Chrobak has a ferocious work ethic and will be even better in 2008.
Four sophomores will be jockeying for position on the innings board. Steve Miller (Union City/Union City) and Charles Zimoski (Oil City/Oil City) both saw plenty of action last spring. Miller was the number-three starter, making eight starts, and striking out one hitter per inning as he registered a 3.03 ERA. Zimoski had an excellent strike-out to walk ratio and went 2-0 with a 3.43 ERA in 21 innings. Fran Haus (Wexford/North Allegheny) and Zachary Sheffer (Cranberry/Cranberry) were reliable arms who both gained valuable experience as freshmen. Haus was 4-1 in ten appearances while Sheffer went 1-0 with nine K’s in ten innings. “These four sophomores have the stuff to be very successful. All four must focus more and grow in new areas,” added Benim. “If they continue to improve like we expect, they will be out there in key situations.”
Additional relievers out of the bullpen will be junior Ben Wilson (Edinboro/General McLane), sophomore Ryan Antolik (North Braddock/Woodland Hills), and sophomore Jarryd Pearson (Erie/Iroquois).
In the outfield, junior David Miller (St. Marys/St. Marys) and sophomore Jonathan Gray (State College/State College) are both competing for playing time. Miller finished the season as one of the hottest hitters on the club. He carries a lifetime average of .285 with a pair of home runs, 24 RBIs and eight stolen bases after logging two seasons in the outfield. Gray earned a starting role in centerfield a year ago. He played outstanding defense tracking balls down in the gaps and had a strong offensive season. Gray collected a .330 average, scored 21 runs and stole 11 bases.
Four sophomore infielders are positioning themselves for time. Josh Fyffe (Fredonia/Sharpsville) was the starting shortstop last year. He had an All-Region season, and became the fourth Behrend player to earn AMCC Newcomer of the Year honors. Fyffe was an offensive stalwart hitting .394 while leading the team in hits, doubles, and RBIs. Dustin Dubensky (Punxsutawney/Punxsutawney) and Ryan Liddle (DuBois/DuBois) played in 22 and 23 games respectively and are both working to be the starters at third and second base. Dubensky hit .310 with a home run last year. He is striving to be more consistent and will push for time, while Liddle made six starts and is looking to improve his .208 average. Travis Turkalj (Greensburg/Hempfield) was a reserve and played in 10 games last year hitting .250. “This group was on the field quite a bit in 2007 and should grow to be even better after earning a year of experience,” Benim said. “Our infielders are very athletic and have strong arms,” said Benim.
The 2007 Behrend baseball freshman class includes: Rich Doyle (Pittsburgh/North Allegheny), Adam Hartwig (Wexford/North Allegheny), Ed Kessler (Bethel Park/Bethel Park), Kyle Kline (Clearfield/Clearfield), Andy Kountz (Canonsburg/Bethel Park), Harry Latta (Waterford/Fort LeBoeuf), Tom Pasinski (West Mifflin/West Mifflin), Blake Pavlik (Apollo/Kiski), David Smith (Brockway/DuBois Central Catholic), Glen Sult (Cranesville/General McLane), and Ryan Zamiskie (Jeannette/Penn Trafford). Also joining the blue and white this year is transfer Geoff Lang (Pittsburgh/North Allegheny). Last season Lang was a member of the baseball team at the University of Maryland Baltimore County.
“Our staff is looking forward to seeing what these young players can do. Several will earn time on varsity, while junior varsity will give them all a chance to perform,” said Benim. “The freshman class is deep with talent.”
The 2008 spring schedule will be a strong test for the blue and white. The season begins with four games in Kentucky on March 1 and March 2. The opener is a Saturday double-header at Transylvania followed by a single-nine inning game and junior varsity game at Berea on Sunday. Transylvania was ranked as high as thirteenth in the Division III polls last season and Berea is a respected NAIA club. The next weekend Behrend heads to Fort Pierce, Florida, for spring training. The slate includes eight varsity games and three junior varsity contests. “The travel experiences are an important part of the collegiate experience. We get a chance to play early against good teams in good weather,” said Benim. AMCC play opens against the reigning AMCC Champions of Frostburg State when they come to Erie in late March. Then twelve of the next sixteen games are conference contests. The AMCC tournament runs on back-to-back weekends in May with the winner earning the league’s spot in the NCAA Tournament.
“Our schedule is very strong. Northern baseball is very demanding and it will challenge our team this year,” said Benim. “Historically the team that is playing the best at the conference tournament usually moves on to the postseason. We are working to put ourselves in that position.” Behrend has played in the conference tournament in eight of the past nine years, and have been regulars in the ECAC Tournament. The program has begun preparations to make another postseason run in 2008.