Baseball Team Returns Seven Everyday Starters, Four Pitchers
New Skipper Tim Briggs Seeks Improvement on 9-22 '98 Season
SELINSGROVE, (Pa.) — The 1999 Susquehanna University baseball team returns all but one everyday starter and four of its top five pitchers from last season, and with the addition of some key newcomers rookie head coach Tim Briggs is optimistic it can be much-improved from its 9-22 record and eighth-place Middle Atlantic Conference Commonwealth League finish of 1998. The Crusaders lost eight one-run games, including four in the league, as they saw their string of three-straight 20-win seasons come to an end while suffering their first losing season in seven years.
Younger brother of Susquehanna head football coach Steve Briggs, serving as his defensive coordinator in the fall, Briggs will make his head coaching debut on Sunday, March 14, in a 1 p.m. game against Gettysburg at the Cocoa Expo Complex in Cocoa, Fla. That game will officially unveil the return of wooden bats to Susquehanna’s baseball as the Crusaders are only using wooden bats this season, and only playing teams which also use wood.
“I think we lost the eight one-run games last season because we didn’t take care of the little things. That’s what we’ve been working on,” said Briggs, who was an assistant coach with the program for the past two seasons. “The big question is how deep our pitching staff goes. The use of wooden bats should help them, we hope. We have a good group of young pitchers and we’ll pitch by committee if we have to.”
THE INFIELDERS
The Crusaders have returning starters at every infield position but second base, and will likely have a senior with past starting experience playing there.
The team’s returning MAC Commonwealth League All-Stars and “Killer Bs” of juniors Denny Bowers (Westminster, Md/Westminster H.S.) and Andy Berwager (Hanover/South Western H.S.) top the list of returnees at first and shortstop respectively, although Bowers will play right field this season. Both were starters on last fall’s league championship Cruader football team, with Bowers earning first-team All-Star honors as a defensive end, and Berwager academic honors at quarterback.
Berwager finished ninth in the MAC in doubles last season, recording a team high nine (.31 per game) while finishing second on the team with a .371 batting average (33 of 89). With a .456 on-base percentage and a team high 20 runs scored, he settled in as the lead-off hitter in the batting order. After some early-season problems, he also became a reliable defensive shortstop by season’s end. Berwager is also projected as one of the team’s top starting pitchers.
Sophomore Chris Knickerbocker (Hampden, Maine/Hampden Academy) might have the best hands defensively on the team and started at both short and third last season. He’ll share the shortstop spot with Berwager this season, starting there when Berwager is pitching. Knickerbocker appeared in 20 games a year ago, batting .237 (14 of 59) with a double, triple, three stolen bases and 11 runs scored.
Rejoining Berwager and Knickerbocker on that side of the infield will be four-year starting third baseman and senior Chris Hutchins (Flanders, N.J./Mt. Olive H.S.), who should be healthy this season after being a “medical miracle” a year ago while playing with a torn anterior cruciate knee ligiment. With the injury, Hutchins batted just .280 (26 of 93) last season with four doubles, a triple and 17 RBIs, also struggling some defensively because of his decreased mobility. Briggs is optimistic that a healthy Hutchins can regain his sophomore form, when he hit .365 (38 for 104) with five doubles, three triples, two home runs and 20 RBIs. He will also be the ace of the pitching staff.
When Hutchins pitches, expect senior Jason Hartelius (Caldwell, N.J./James Caldwell H.S.) to slide to third from second base, where he is projected as the starter. A versatile fielder who can play practically anywhere except behind the plate, Hartelius was a spot starter who appeared in 14 games last season. He hopes to better his .194 batting average (6 of 31) from last season, which included a double and four RBIs.
A pair of young locals will also vie for time at third in sophomore Mike Sauers (Mifflinburg/Mifflinburg H.S.) and freshman Matt Springman (Montoursville/Montoursville H.S.).
With Bowers starting in right, sophomore Lyle Hosler (Lititz/Manheim Township H.S.) will get the nod at first. Hosler started at first when Bowers went to right late last season and failed to make an error in 81 total chances. He also steadily improved at the plate, batting .250 (9 of 36) with a double and three RBI. Hosler had the game-winning single in last season’s final game vs. Messiah.
Lanky junior Chad Walters (Oley/Oley Valley H.S.) might also start some games at first, but most likely will see duty as a designated hitter. With one of the team’s best-looking swings and some left-handed power for Bollinger Field’s “short porch” in right, Walters is expected to improve his offensive numbers from a year ago when he had just two hits in 21 at-bats (.095).
Sophomore James Sciarra (Warwick, N.Y./Warwick H.S.) got the most starts behind the plate last season and will begin the season as the starter, although the roster has no less then five catchers. Sciarra played in 17 games last year and had just one error in 44 fielding chances (.977 fielding %), also hitting .306 (11 of 36) with a double and six RBIs.
Sophomores Bill Cleary (Chester Springs/Bishop Shanahan H.S.) and Mike DiNorscia (Downingtown/Downingtown H.S.) also were catchers on last season’s team. Jameson Troutman (Halifax/Halifax H.S.) and Travis Zook (Belleville/Indian Valley H.S.) are freshmen catchers.
THE OUTFIELDERS
While he saw the bulk of his starts were at first base last season, the 6-2, 250-pound Bowers moved to right field for the final two weeks of the season. He earned league All-Star honors as a designated hitter last season, and hitting was what Bowers did best — finishing fourth in the MAC in batting average while posting the school’s seventh-best in a season at .435 (40 of 92). His offensive numbers included a team high three home runs and 25 runs batted in, along with six doubles and two triples or a team high .641 slugging percentage. Defensively, he also topped the regulars with a .985 fielding percentage which saw just three errors in 196 total chances.
Senior captain T.J. Lane (Brandon, Fla./Tampa Jesuit H.S.) was a 1997 MAC Commonwealth League First Team All-Star and will once anchor the outfield defensively from his center field spot. With some of the best range in the conference, Lane has just two errors in 62 fielding chances last season (.968 fielding percentage). He hit .402 (39 of 97) and had an on-base percentage of .491 in ’97, recording nine doubles, three triples, a homer and 18 RBIs. He suffered through an injury-plagued season in ’98 as his offensive numbers dipped to an average of .234 (15 of 64) with four doubles, two home runs and 11 RBIs.
While Lane will be a constant in center, the other two positions could see different players as no less than five returnees started in either right of left last season.
Of that group, sophomore Josh Pahl (Northumberland/Shikellamy H.S.) is the likely starter in left after being the primary starter there last season. Pahl started fast after getting the starting nod, but cooled off by the end of the season as he hit .250 (17 for 68) with six doubles, five RBIs and 11 runs scored.
Sophomore Mark Barnes (Hollidays-burg/Hollidaysburg H.S.) could start at any three of the outfield positions. Barnes played in 18 games last season and hit .262 (11 of 42) with three doubles, a triple five RBIs and eight runs scored.
Other contenders with starting experience last season in right include juniors Brian Forgione (Dunmore/Dunmore H.S.) and Lucas Newcomer (Sunbury/Line Mountain H.S.). Newcomer appeared in 13 games in ’98 and didn’t commit an error in 17 chances, batting .185 (5 for 27) with a pair of doubles. Forgione, meanwhile, played in nine games and hit .143 (2 for 14).
THE PITCHERS
The team returns four of its top five pitchers from last season and hopes to improve upon its bulging 7.17 staff earned run average.
Hutchins began last season as the ace, and probably would have stayed there if he hadn’t been bothered so much by the knee injury. The 6-4, 215-pound right-hander was 2-5 with a 5.32 earned run average last season, striking out 19 and walking 24 in 47 1/3 innings. Prior to last season and the injury, Hutchins had compiled a 6-3 record and 2.79 ERA in his first two campaigns.
Either Berwager or Bowers will likely get the nod as the other primary starter in league games. While Berwager was just 1-4 last season, he improved significantly with experience and pitched a complete-game win in his last start vs. heavy-hitting Wilkes — lowering his ERA to 5.71 in the process. He had 19 strikeouts and just 12 walks in 34 2/3 innings.
Bowers is certainly the most intimidating figure among the Crusader pitchers and had a disappointing season on the mound last year after a successful rookie season which saw him go 2-0 with a 4.03 ERA. He slipped to 1-5 with an 8.91 ERA last season, posting almost identical strikeout to walk numbers as Berwager with 19 Ks and just 13 walks in 31 1/3 innings.
Senior right-hander Brian Papson (Downingtown/Downingtown H.S.) will also return to the rotation after being the number five starter a year ago — going 0-2 with a 9.55 ERA. The 6-3, 215-pounder was the starting tight end in football this season and is bigger, stronger and throwing harder then past years.
The lone left-hander on the staff is junior Josh Shipton (Mifflinburg/Mifflinburg H.S.), who transferred to Susquehanna after academic stints at both York (Pa.) and Bloomsburg. He will round out the starting rotation.
Junior Rick Dowling (Madison, N.J./Madison H.S.) is also back and tabbed as the closer after pitching well in the fall. He appeared in four games last season.
Pahl has been slated for mid-relief after seeing just two innings last year.
Briggs is also expecting innings from freshmen John Jezowski (Moosic/Riverside H.S.), Pat Quillian (Nichols Hills, Okla./Casady H.S.) and Michael Libucki (Barrington, N.J./Haddon Heights H.S.).
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