Philadelphia, Pa. – (2/26/2014) – Despite the successes of 2013, Head Coach Robert Spratt and the Chestnut Hill College baseball team are just looking to get better every day. Replacing 143.1 innings on the mound, the Griffins will rely on heavier lineup, improved infield defense, and a young core of live arms to return to the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) Championship. Seniors, third baseman Raymond Puskar (Green Lane, Pa.), outfielder Joseph Mullin (Warrington, Pa.), and second baseman Mark Woltemate (Philadelphia, Pa.) will captain a roster that finished 2013 with a program-record 20 wins (20-27, 10-10 CACC) and features the reigning CACC Rookie of the Year in sophomore designated hitter Brendan Looby (Sewell, N.J.).
 
A year removed from the 2013 storybook season that saw Chestnut Hill College use a late-season run to return for the CACC postseason and upset #3 Concordia College (NY), #2 Dominican College, and #5 Felician College, before challenging #1 Wilmington University for the league title, the Griffins are looking to replace the work of Robert Hopkins '13, Micah Winterstein, and Joseph Crane '12, who combined for a 3.70 earned run average (ERA), a 10-5 record, eight saves, and 106 strikeouts over 143.1 innings. In 2014, the Griffins look for junior pitcher Dominic Raia III (Philadelphia, Pa.) to headline the rotation and captain a staff that will demand quality outings from four newcomers; freshmen Eric Tidwell (Roslyn, Pa.), James Langlois (Mays Landing, N.J.), Nicholas DiPietropolo (Pilesgrove, N.J.), and Michael Borelli (Philadelphia, Pa.), and a host of returning hurlers that include seniors, Richard Cavazza (Highland, N.Y.) and John Bernhardt III (Lafayette Hill, Pa.), juniors, Dane Gahr (Brick, N.J.) and Vincent Manzella (Matawan, N.J.), and sophomores, Robert Andris (Oreland, Pa.), Zachary Crim (Horsham, Pa.), and Casey Kern (Stony Point, N.Y.). Crim and Gahr split 14 starts and combined for a 5.23 ERA, a 3-8 record, one save, and 50 strikeouts over 82.2 innings of work in 2013. Raia was an All-CACC Second Team honoree who recorded the program's first no-hitter (4/20/2013 @ Caldwell College, gm2) and offered a single-season high, seven wins (7-4) on a 3.47 ERA and 49 strikeouts.
 
Moving around the diamond; the Griffins place transfers, sophomore Robert Slagle III (Lafayette Hill, Pa.) and junior Allen Umbenhauer (Whitehall, Pa.), behind the plate along with freshman Christopher Demey (Phoenixville, Pa.). Slagle started seven games for Villanova University while Umbenhauer led Lehigh Carbon Community College with 40 runs scored and 40 runs-batted-in (RBI) on a .400 (48-for-120) batting average that included seven doubles, a triple, and three homeruns.
 
At first base, sophomore Patrick Campion (Norristown, Pa.) returns as the starter after a .254/.322/.330 (AVG/SLG/OBP) freshman season that saw him record 16 runs and 11 RBI. He will be backed-up by Mullin, junior Seamus Finnegan (Collegeville, Pa.), and Langlois. Mullin also figures into the outfield depth chart, looking improve on a .206 (27-for-131) batting average that still plated 18 runs in 2013.
 
Woltemate and junior Taylor Steen (New Egypt, N.J.) will vie for time at second base. Steen looks to bounce back to his freshman form (.289/.403/402) while Woltemate fights for regular time after several successful seasons as a reliable reserve infielder and a heady pinch hitter.
 
At the hot corner, Puskar returns the starter. A mainstay in the middle of the Griffin lineup, Puskar tied for the league lead in walks (36) to post a .442 on-base percentage (OBP) while plating 20 runs and scoring 30 on a .280 (42-for-150) batting average and ten extra-base hits. He will be relieved at times by freshman Grant Opalisky (Ambler, Pa.), who also figures into the depth chart at second base and in the outfield.
 
Junior transfer Preston Koehler (Bath, Pa.) has established himself as the Griffins starting shortstop during early preseason practices. He will be expected to replace Crane '12, who knocked in 24 runs with a .270/.296/.331 graduate season, with the .318 (35-for-110) batting average, 32 runs, and 28 RBI he recorded for Northampton Community College in 2013. Borelli and fellow freshmen Rafael Fernandez (Cheltenham, Pa.) and Austin DiBonaventure (Plymouth Meeting, Pa.) complete the middle infield depth chart.
 
The Griffin outfield will house a wealth of talent which is highlighted by the return of senior Desmond Lites (Philadelphia, Pa.), junior Michael McLaughlin (Philadelphia, Pa.), and the addition of a couple quality newcomers in sophomore Nobel Unger III (Hatboro, Pa.) and freshman Brandon DiBona (Southampton, Pa.). Spratt's additional outfield options include Looby, Mullin, and junior transfer Ryan Palsgrove (Barnesville, Pa.), and freshmen Christopher Newman (Hammonton, N.J.) and David Dorsey (Philadelphia, Pa.). Leading the Griffins in batting (.335, 53-for-158), hits (53), RBI (32), and slugging (.399), Looby ranked seventh in the CACC for average, tenth in hits, and sixth in RBI as the All-CACC First Team designated hitter and the league's top rookie.
 
The baseball team will open the 2014 season in Florida on March 1, when they face Lynn University in a 12:00 p.m. doubleheader.