2019 Baseball Season Opens With Home Doubleheaders This Weekend
MEDIA, Pa. – Despite the snow falling outside, doubleheaders against SUNY Cobleskill on Saturday and Sunday signals the beginning of spring and the 2019 baseball season at Penn State Brandywine.
This year's team will have a new look with 19 newcomers among the 27-member roster. Head Coach Vinny Gallo, entering his third year as skipper, will have just two seniors and a total of 10 upperclassmen, including three junior college transfers, in 2019.
PITCHING STAFF
Brandywine, coming off a 20-win season and runner-up finish in the Penn State University Athletic Conference, will lean on junior all-American and first team all-conference pitcher Kevin Sessa and senior right-hander Tyler Michaels to lead the pitching staff. In 12 appearances, Sessa went 7-2 with a 4.30 ERA and two complete games, striking out 26 in 52.1 innings on the mound. Sessa, who tied for the conference lead in wins and ranked in the top five in ERA and innings pitched, was dominant against the PSUAC, posting a 5-0 record, while allowing just seven earned runs in 28.2 frames. Michaels, Brandywine's most experienced hurler with 28 appearances in the last three years, was a three-game winner in 2018. He has led Brandywine in strikeouts during the previous two seasons, fanning 61 batters during that time.
Also returning to the pitching staff are senior Joey Buoni and sophomores Chris Edwards and Nick Petrella. Edwards pitched in nine games as a rookie, including four starts, posting one victory and 19 strikeouts in 26.1 innings. Buoni, a knuckleballer, was 0-1 in limited time on the mound spanning 10.2 innings, but is expected by the coaching staff to get more innings this season. Petrella's role will also increase after earning one win in four relief outings as a freshman.
Brandywine also features nine new members of the pitching staff, including junior transfers Ben Mutz and Tom Donahue and rookie Joe Hurley, who are in line to make immediate impacts early in the season.
"We believe our pitching staff is very deep. Coach Hepfer has done an incredible job developing our young arms. As far as the staff goes, we will rely heavily on our senior Tyler Michaels, who has earned an opening day start for the first time in his career," said Gallo.
"Kevin Sessa should be fully healthy by the time conference play begins, which will be a big boost considering what he did last year against the PSUAC. Kevin is tremendously talented with the ability to shutout any offense we face. We will also be relying on Chris Edwards, Joe Hurley, Joey Buoni and Nick Petrella to give us big innings, along with a plethora of young arms out of the bullpen, to bridge the gap to our closer, Ben Mutz," added Gallo.
OUTFIELDERS
When not on the mound, Buoni will also serve as the team's starting right fielder, a place he has spent 67 games during the last two years. A left-handed hitter, Buoni will bat in the middle of the Lions' lineup after scoring 18 runs and knocking in 12 in 2018.
Buoni is one of just two outfielders with college experience, joining sophomore Tony Valente, who drove in two runs in limited action as a freshman.
"Having some really good athletes this year has given us a lot of depth in the outfield, and Coach Valis is doing a great job with the little things for our outfield defense. Moving Nick Wright to center and Dalton Palmer to left to join Joey Buoni in the outfield will give us what we feel is a top defensive outfield in the league. Many of our outfielders have great speed, which will give us a boost offensively on the bases as well," commented Gallo.
INFIELDERS
Junior Brian Reynolds will shift from behind the plate to first base this season after two solid seasons as Brandywine's top catcher. A career .286 hitter, Reynolds was named PSUAC Rookie of the Year in 2017 and owns 60 hits and 38 RBI through two seasons.
Reynolds will continue to see some innings as a catcher as well and will be joined behind the plate by newcomers Hayden Altimari and Dane Groce.
The Lions' additional three starters around the infield will also be newcomers. Among the host of players competing for playing time will be Tom Donahue and twin brother Sean Donahue, along with Mutz, who plays first base, Hurley, a shortstop, and Wright, who can play the outfield as well.
"We expect big things out of our infield from both an offensive and defensive stand point. The Donahue twins, Joe Hurley and Ben Mutz will play major roles this upcoming year. Also, having Brian Reynolds split his time between first base and behind the plate will give us a ton of options. With so many infielders available, it gives us the ability to be flexible throughout games," said Gallo.
SCHEDULE
This weekend's four-game series against SUNY Cobleskill will be the first of 16 games against Division III opponents for the Lions. Brandywine will also play home non-league games against Central Penn, Eastern, Clarks Summit and St. Joseph (VT).
Brandywine will make its annual trip to the RussMatt Invitational from March 1-7, facing off with PSUAC rival Penn State Fayette and Division III powers SUNY Oneonta, Fontbonne (Missouri) and Coe (Iowa).
The Lions will again play a three-game series against each of its five East Division rivals in the PSUAC. This year's conference tournament returns to Penn State DuBois during the first week of May.
SEASON OUTLOOK
"Having a roster comprised of a number of new faces will present its challenges, but it's a challenge we cannot wait to face. The addition of three junior college transfers in Tommy and Sean Donahue and Ben Mutz helps us even out the roster and we will be relying on our captains Joey Buoni, Brian Reynolds, Tyler Michaels and Kevin Sessa, who have done a phenomenal job so far. We can already see the difference in culture and work ethic in the 2019 squad," concluded Gallo.