Related Links:
2013 Baseball Roster
2013 Baseball Schedule
The Capital University baseball team posted its highest win total in five years in 2012 and, if this season's experienced roster plays out to its potential, bigger things are on the way for the program in 2013.
The Crusaders return 26 players with game experience, including all nine positional starters (including designated hitter), five starting pitchers and nine relief pitchers. Capital improved its overall win total for the third consecutive year, posting a 15-22 record, including a 4-13 mark in Ohio Athletic Conference play. The team raised its batting average nearly 40 points as five players hit .310 or better.
Fourth-year head coach Ryan Grice is optimistic that this year's team can claim one of the coveted top four spots for a berth in the OAC Tournament.
"We're going from a very young team last year to a very veteran-laden team with a lot of experience," Grice said." For most of the juniors, this will be their third year in a row starting, and for the pitchers, I think we have 11 juniors who were pitching as freshmen and sophomores. We like our ball club, we like our make-up and we're excited for the season to get going."
The Crusaders are currently made up of five seniors, 16 juniors, five sophomores and 17 freshmen. Grice is excited about both the versatility and depth of the roster heading into the season.
"I like the flexibility of our team," Grice said. "We can play 5-6 guys in the outfield, and we're two-deep in the infield, which we haven't been in the past. We're deep at all of our positions and we have a lot of options at different positions, which is nice."
Capital opens the 2013 campaign this Friday at Huntingdon (Ala.). The team plays three games there before continuing south to Winter Haven, Fla., where five contests are scheduled.
Following the spring break trip, the Crusaders begin the home portion of their schedule on March 6 against Ohio Wesleyan. Conference play begins on March 29 against John Carroll at Clowson Field. After a visit to Ohio Northern on April 2, Capital heads to Marietta for a doubleheader against the reigning national champion.
"There are no easy days in the conference, everyone's good," Grice said. "Our guys know it's a grind. If you don't come to play your best baseball every day, you're going to lose both games."
See below for a complete personnel breakdown of the 2013 Capital baseball team.
Infield
Senior Brandon Natale (Westerville, Ohio; below right) returns as a team leader and the starting first baseman for the Crusaders. Natale hit .293 with 10 doubles and 27 runs batted in a season ago. He is likely to be joined on the right side of the infield by junior Brian Wyer (New
Albany, Ohio), who returns at second base. Wyer started 28 games in 2012 and was hit by a pitch a team-high 13 times. Among regulars, Wyer also led the team with a .443 on-base percentage.
Junior Anthony Calabrese is the team's returning starter at shortstop. The Hudson, Ohio, native finished second on the team in batting average (.323), hits (41) and fielding assists (106). Ryan Pearson, a junior from Springfield, Ohio, returns at third base after batting .318 with 10 doubles and 16 RBIs a year ago.
Sophomore Matt Carnahan (Moundsville, W.Va.) is the returning starter at catcher after appearing in 35 games with 34 starts last season. He was one of four players on the team to finish the season with a home run. Sophomore Taylor Patterson (West Milton, Ohio) appeared in three games last year and is listed as a catcher.
Senior Jacob Thuman (Westerville, Ohio) is versatile enough to play any infield position and will see time at designated hitter and pitcher. A 2011 All-OAC selection, Thuman batted .314 with a team-high 11 doubles to go along with 23 RBIs in 31 games last season.
Freshmen infielders: Logan Kane (C, Youngstown, Ohio/Austintown Fitch); Quinn Bender (1B, Massillon, Ohio/Jackson); Avery Moore (INF, Lewis Center, Ohio/Olentangy); Ryan Koch (INF, Jersey Shore, Pa./Jersey Shore); Kirby Boehm (C, Worthington, Ohio/Worthington); Ryan McSweeney (C, Seven Hills, Ohio/Trinity); Ryan Barnette (1B, Fairmont, Ohio/Fairmont); Ryan Kroll (C, North Olmsted, Ohio/North Olmsted)
Outfield
Senior Patrick Jackson (Grove City, Ohio; at left) leads an experienced, versatile group of outfielders. Jackson was named second team All-OAC in 2012 after leading Capital in batting average (.324), runs (31), hits (45), triples (2), RBIs (34) and stolen bases (17).
"Patrick is a multi-tool type of guy," Grice said. "He can play all positions in the outfield and I can hit him all over the lineup. He's more of a free swinger, so we like to get him down in the order so he can swing a little bit. He's been a good leader for us."
Juniors Andy Grillo (McArthur, Ohio) and Nate Campbell (Latrobe, Pa.) also return as starting outfielders from a year ago. Grillo hit .319 with six doubles and 18 RBIs, while Campbell tallied 11 RBIs, 13 stolen bases and a team-high 25 walks. Junior Taylor Branisel (South Euclid, Ohio) hit .333 in 21 games last season and projects to be in the rotation this season.
Senior Dean Langholz made 15 starts in 23 games last season, mostly as a designated hitter. The Pittsburgh, Pa., native hit .254 and knocked in 13 runs in 2012.
Junior Jake Nelson (Utica, Ohio) and sophomore Christian Ross (Bucyrus, Ohio) also return with game experience. Nelson played in 11 games and made two starts, and Ross hit 7-for-14 and scored seven runs in 12 games off the bench.
Freshmen outfielders: Dylan Litman (RHP/OF, Rittman, Ohio/Rittman); Cory Kotopka (OF, St. Clairsville, Ohio;St. Clairsville)
Pitching
Grice is confident that the return of No. 1 pitcher Justin Hoying (Fort Loramie, Ohio) will stabilize the team's starting rotation. The junior is 10 months removed from Tommy John surgery and could make one or more starts on the team's spring break trip to Florida, Grice
said.
"Justin is a difference-maker," Grice said. "He's the guy that sets everyone else into place. When we lost him last year, it was tough. The guys did a good job of adjusting, but when you lose a No. 1 starter who in my mind is a top three or four starter in the league, it's tough to replace. He's a low-90s type of guy, and he's a guy who every coach wants on the mound. He's a bulldog."
Hoying made 12 starts and led the team with 56.1 innings pitched and 39 strikeouts in 2011. He'll be joined by senior Garrett Griffin (Grandview, Ohio), juniors Anthony Klamic (Wooster, Ohio; at right), Jeremy Finchum (Galloway, Ohio) and sophomore Robert Fravel (Port Clinton, Ohio) in the starting rotation.
Griffin led the team with 12 starts last season and finished with three wins and 22 strikeouts in 55.1 innings pitched. Finchum was the team's leader in wins (four), appearances (16) and innings pitched (56.0), and posted a 4.98 earned run average.
Klamic, the rotation's lone left-hander, made six starts in 12 games last season, recording a 1-2 mark. Fravel registered the staff's best ERA at 4.91 while compiling three victories in 13 appearances (nine starts).
Junior Sam Sifferlin (Wooster, Ohio) made just two appearances last season before being shelved with an injury. He was the team's saves leader in 2011 and looks to lead the back end of the bullpen in 2013.
Five others made seven or more appearances, mostly as relievers, in 2012. Junior righty Michael Flegal (Akron, Ohio) made 14 appearances and pitched 25.2 innings, while junior left-handers Brent Willing (Madeira, Ohio) and Kevin Brennan (Mason, Ohio) pitched in 11 and 10 games, respectively.
Thuman made a team-high three saves in seven appearances, while sophomore right-hander Derek Colston (Port Clinton, Ohio) surrendered just three runs in 9.1 innings pitched.
Other returning relief pitchers include junior left-handers Jared Lee (North Bend, Ohio) and Andrew Mercer (Hudson, Ohio).
Freshmen pitchers: Adam Journic (LHP, Akron, Ohio/St. Vincent-St. Mary); Dylan Litman (RHP/OF, Rittman, Ohio/Rittman); Tyler Griego (RHP, Hillsboro, Ohio/Hillsboro); Dalton Golden (RHP, Reynoldsburg, Ohio/Licking Heights); Jeff Small (RHP, Sylvania, Ohio/Northview); Avery Walker (RHP, Pickerington, Ohio/Pickerington Central); Derek Peters (RHP, Fayetteville, Ohio/Fayetteville-Perry); Cory Spencer (LHP, Lawrenceburg, Ind./East Central)
