Coming off its second consecutive Freedom Conference Championship and NCAA Tournament appearance, the 2013 Misericordia University baseball team returns many of the necessary pieces to make a strong postseason run for the third consecutive year.

The Cougars open the season at Shenandoah, Saturday, February 16.

The key, according to fifth-year head coach Pete Egbert, will be how those pieces come together.

“We've got a number of talented players returning and a strong freshmen class,” said Egbert. “At the moment, we're just not exactly sure how they all mesh.”

The Cougars, who have posted a 66-26 overall record during the last two years, will rely on a strong pitching staff, headlined by seniors Evan Robaczewski and Matt Karabin.

“We feel really good about where we are on the mound,” said Egbert. “We have a combination of a lot of innings, veterans, guys with great experience, and some freshmen we think will contribute immediately.”

Robaczewski, the 2012 Freedom Conference Pitcher of the Year, set the MU single-season record with 10 wins last season. Karabin, a two-time All-Freedom First Team selection and MU's career ERA leader, posted a 7-2 record with a stellar 1.40 ERA.

“Karabin and Robaczewski will be big parts of our staff again this year,” said Egbert. “We also expect significant contributions from Will Minderjahn, Pete Doggett and Ron Guido- guys who have big game experience and have won conference games for us in the past.”

Minderjahn battled injuries last season, seeing action only in the outfield after pitching during his first two seasons. Doggett and Guido both had their best seasons in a Cougar uniform as juniors with both posting ERAs below 4.00.

Seniors Justin Shuleski and Max Weintraub, along with junior Shane McGraw, are all back healthy and will look to add veteran depth to MU's pitching staff.

Senior Kenny Durling will serve as one of the foundations for both the Cougar offense and defense. Ranking among MU's all-time leaders in nearly every offensive category, the centerfielder earned Third Team All-American honors from both the ABCA and D3Baseball.com last season after posting a .396 average with 52 RBI, 16 doubles and eight home runs.

“Durling is outstanding both offensively and defensively,” said Egbert. “He will hit in the middle of our lineup once again and play a significant role in our outfield.”

Another returning strength for the Cougars is in the middle infield, where senior second baseman Andrew Tressa and junior shortstop Ryan Cacchioli return after strong 2012 seasons.
“Cacchioli is an outstanding defender,” said Egbert. “Between him and Tressa, I truly believe that we have as good a double-play combination as any in the country.”

Junior Joe Tagliarini returns for the Cougars at first base while seniors Dylan Mazzo and Mike Impellittiere could factor into the mix in the infield.

“Tagliarini is an outstanding defensive first baseman,” said Egbert. “Mazzo and Impellittiere have both been role players in the past, but we'll be looking for more from them this season.”


Key positions still in question for the Cougars are at catcher, left field and right field, where the squad lost starters Chris Tuttle, Jeff Slanovec and Nate Hamlin to graduation.

Transfers Steve Sulcoski and Julian Faria will look to challenge for time behind the plate. The senior Sulcoski joins the Cougar program after three years at Shippensburg while Faria, a junior, played his first two seasons at Alvernia.

“Sulcoski and Faria will both look to see action behind the plate,” said Egbert. “Steve is outstanding offensively and will look to hit in the middle of the lineup, where he and Durling could make a very potent combination. Faria is coming off a very strong fall and offseason, and he could contribute in the outfield or as a designated hitter as well.”

Another player who could factor into the mix at catcher is fifth-year senior Andy Gonzalez. A 2011 All-Freedom Second Team selection at catcher, Gonzalez was involved in a near-fatal car crash just three games into the 2012 season but has worked hard to rehab and rejoin the MU squad this year.

“Andy Gonzalez is such a great story,” said Egbert. “He's getting better every day, and we are hopeful that he is able to contribute for us on the field at some point. If and when he does, it could carry us a long way as he could potentially answer the defensive problem behind the plate. He's an inspiration to everybody on the club and he brings some great leadership to the program.”

Senior Bubba Jasinski could play a key role in a number of areas after battling injuries the past two seasons.

“Jasinski missed the entire 2011 season and struggled through injuries last year as well,” Egbert said. “We think he's finally healthy. He hit .370 during his sophomore year, and if he can return to that form, he could be a big factor in our lineup and potentially in one of the corner outfield slots.”

The 2013 Cougars are faced with an interesting team dynamic, as they have 14 seniors and 23 freshmen but just seven combined sophomores and juniors.
“It's certainly interesting to watch,” said Egbert. “It's the first time I've ever dealt with this from a coaching standpoint. Our freshmen have really latched on to seniors, and our seniors have done a great job of mentoring to put the freshmen into a place to succeed. This is a very talented freshmen class with some guys who are going to be good players but may be stuck behind seniors this year.”

Even more impressive to Egbert has been the attitudes displayed by this year's freshman class.

“The thing that I've been impressed with the most is that their work ethic is outstanding,” said Egbert. We have some freshmen with great leadership ability, and I can't wait to roll the ball out and watch them play.”

Some freshmen who could factor into the mix early on are Chris Boroch, Ryan Dorosh, Justin Haddix, and Cory Vogeli.

“Boroch is coming off an outstanding fall and offseason,” said Egbert. “He will look to play some third base for us and possibly hit in the leadoff spot. Dorosh, Haddix and Vogeli will all see time as starters, relievers, or a combination of both.”

As two-time returning conference champions, Egbert knows that a lot will be expected from his club and that many teams will gear up for games against them.

“We have always held high expectations within the program,” said Egbert. “Now that we've started winning some games and some championships, we do play with a target on our back. Opposing teams put a star next to our name on the schedule, and more non-conference foes are throwing their top pitcher at us. It's a change for which we must be ready.”

The 2013 seniors especially will look to post a strong finish to their careers after a bit of a disappointing end to the 2012 season.

“Last year I thought that we were a better ball club, but we didn't have as much success at the end of the season,” said Egbert. “That left a bitter taste in our seniors' mouths. First and foremost, we are looking to take care of business in the conference again, but we also have a very strong non-conference schedule, as want to find out how good we can be at the national level.”