Philadelphia, Pa. – (3/1/2019) – "We will be replacing some very experienced seniors with younger guys," admits Head Coach Bob Spratt. "But make no mistake, this is a talented group. We have a great blend of pitching and hitting, and we will compete every inning. Our goal remains the same, winning a CACC (Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference) Championship. We've lost three in recent years and we were bounced from the postseason in the first round last year. We are, without a doubt, determined to return to Waterbury."
 
In 2018, Chestnut Hill College enjoyed their fifth 20-win season (23-21, 18-14 CACC) in the last 11 years and qualified for their eighth CACC Championship Tournament appearance in the last nine seasons. Including All-CACC First Team shortstop Alec Craig '18, Chestnut Hill College graduated seven student-athletes from the 2018 roster. Craig orchestrated the greatest offensive season in Chestnut Hill College history with single-season records in hits (60), runs (53), triples (11), total bases (104), slugging (.698), on-base percentage (.520), and stolen bases (47-of-48, .979), with his totals in triples and stolen bases earing him individual National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division II statistical championships. Craig finished his collegiate career reaching base in his final 51 games and second all-time in hits (181). He was an Athletic Director's Award winner, a two-time Most Valuable Player (MVP), a four-time All-CACC performer (2018: 1^st Team), 2015, 2016, and 2017: 2^nd Team), and a earned 2018 all-region recognition from the Division II (D2) Conference Commissioners Association (CCA) (2^nd Team), the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA)/Rawlings (2^nd Team), and the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) (3^rd Team, Honorable Mention). Also of note are the departures of first baseman Matthew Owens '18 and pitchers, Patrick Kelley '18 and Andrew Sibson '18. Owens ended his collegiate career with an outstanding senior season as he set program's all-time, single-season home run mark (7) while offering a .340 (51-for-150) batting average, a .443 on-base percentage, and a .547 slugging percentage that produced 34 runs and 36 runs batted in (RBI). Kelley and Sibson were mainstays in the Griffins' starting rotation; the former earned an All-CACC Second Team and All-Tournament Team laurels as a sophomore (2016), while the latter finished his collegiate career second all-time in wins (15) and third all-time in strikeouts (144).

In 2019, the Scarlet and Gold will be captained by senior catcher Eric Gilham (Deptford, N.J.), junior middle infielder Ameir Uzzell (Levittown, Pa.), sophomore shortstop/third baseman Jared Healey (Philadelphia, Pa.), sophomore first baseman/pitcher Andrew Dietz (Warrington, Pa.), and sophomore pitcher Billy Bethel (Yardley, Pa.). Gilham earned 2018 All-CACC Second Team and American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA)/Rawlings All-East Region First Team honors, while posting a .373 (50-for-134)/.480/.433 slash line that produced 24 runs and 34 RBI. Uzzell batted .282 (51-for-181) and connected for a team-high 12 doubles en route to 37 runs and 19 RBI. He also finished third on the team in stolen bases with 17 (17-for-20, .850). Healey was one of several freshmen to contribute in 2018; he offered 16 runs and 12 RBI on a .288 (23-for-80)/.400/.313 slash line while starting 25 games (36 games played) at third base. Dietz – who will also see time on the mound in 2019 – offered a .262/.292/.377 slash line with 13 RBI last season, while Bethel is in line to be the ace of the Chestnut Hill College starting rotation after recording a 6-2 record, a save, and a 3.14 earned run average (ERA) in his freshman campaign. Coach Spratt will look for Healey and Dietz to provided power in the middle of the lineup and believes both could be significant contributors to the pitching staff as well.
 
The Scarlet and Gold infield will feature some new faces; junior transfer Patrick Meenan (Oreland, Pa./Cumberland County College), sophomore transfer Dutch Reardon (Lafayette Hill, Pa./Rowan University) and freshmen Luke LeBeau (Pittsfield, Mass.), Eddie Salkowski (Riverside, N.J.), Matt Mastrogiovanni (Sicklerville, N.J.), and Nick Sondon (Miami, Fla.), as well as some familiar ones in junior catcher/first baseman Thomas Spratt (Doylestown, Pa.) and sophomore first baseman Grant Schwartz (Delta, Pa.). Meenan is an athletic infielder, who can contribute with the bat as well, Reardon offers some left handed power and the ability to control the strike zone, and LeBeau has had a strong preseason, displaying patience at the plate and solid defense at various positions.
 
The Griffins' starting outfield will consist of sophomores John Contoudis (Jenkintown, Pa.) and Sam Barletta (Royersford, Pa.), and senior transfer Franklin Ramirez (Reading, Pa./West Chester University). Contoudis is a dynamic player who made 35 starts (38gp-35gs) between right field and center field; he will start in center field after offering a .275 (36-for-131)/.324/.427 slash line with 14 stolen bases (14-for-20, .700), 25 runs, and 14 RBI last season. Barletta assumes the starting position in right field in addition to serving as a backup catcher. A valuable left-handed bat, he produced 12 runs and seven RBI last year with a .278 (15-for-54)/.394/.333 slash line. In left field, Ramirez offers both speed and power, scoring 10 runs and knocking in six more in 20 games with West Chester University in 2018. Additional outfield depth will be provided by senior Eric Small (Downingtown, Pa.), junior Zach Szumigala (Fairless Hills, Pa.), sophomore Michael Perugini (Tamarac, Fla.), as well as freshmen Josh Roach (Berlin, N.J.) and Jonas Baker (Delran, N.J.). Small will serve as the Griffins' primary designated hitter with his solid combination of speed and power (.228 (21-for-92)/.330/.315, 11 runs, 14 RBI, 10-of-13 (.769) stolen bases), while Szumigala returns after a season of injury to provide another power bat off the bench and a live arm out of the Scarlet and Gold bullpen. Junior transfer Will Brownlowe (Blue Bell, Pa./ Montgomery County Community College) is a wildcard, likely to appear at various positions on the diamond after impressive sophomore season (.430 (43-for-100)/.469/.550), 16 runs, 27 RBI) with the Mustangs.

Bethel will be joined in the Chestnut Hill College starting rotation by a pair of seniors - Matthew Kress (Lansdale, Pa.) and Dino Cattai (Philadelphia, Pa.) – and fellow sophomores; Thomas Hughes (Phoenixville, Pa.), Pat Woltemate (Philadelphia, Pa.), and Dietz. Kress enters his third straight season as a starter. He provides an experience presence and a reliable arm that matched Bethel's 2018 win total (6-4) while enduring for a team-high 59.1 innings of work. Another consistent hurler, Cattai went 4-1 (48.0 innings pitched) with a 4.69 ERA before suffering a season ending injury in 2018. He was an All-CACC Second Team selection as a freshman (2016), accumulating a 2-2 record and a program-record six saves on a 0.92 ERA. Hughes had an impactful debut season, breaking the program record for strikeouts in a single game (12; Andrew Sibson; at USciences; April 3, 2017) with 14 against Post University (L, 3-5) on May 1.
 
Out of the bullpen, Coach Spratt's options include senior Tim Casey (Ivyland, Pa.), junior Jerry Mangan (Wayne, Pa.), sophomores Justin Anderosky (Warrington, Pa.) and Will Shaffer (Sicklerville, Pa.), freshmen Quinn Danna (Phoenixville, Pa.), Jordan DeChurch (Marlton, N.J.), Brian Egolf (Philadelphia, Pa.), Dan Rockenbach (Holland, Pa.), and Ryan Stansbury (Hammonton, N.J.), as well as the aforementioned contributions from Contoudis, Healey, Salkowski, and Szumigala. Casey's left handed relief is a welcomed return after a year of injury, while Mangan and Anderosky will eat up a majority of the bullpen innings. Mangan logged 28.2 innings of work in 14 appearances last season; he finished the year sporting a 1-2 record and a save with a 3.45 ERA.
 
Chestnut Hill College's 2019 campaign begins tomorrow, Saturday, March 2, with a noon (12:00 p.m.) doubleheader at Florida Memorial University.