Baseball Preview, Part 2: Youngstown State

Feb. 12, 2007

With 17 newcomers and three redshirt freshmen taking the place of nine seniors, it might be easy for one to dismiss Youngstown State's upcoming baseball season as a year to rebuild and gain experience for the future. Considering many of those seniors were four-year starters gives the idea even more weight.

But after witnessing an impressive fall season from the younger players and the development of the team's chemistry, the thought of rebuilding hasn't even come close to crossing ninth-year head coach Mike Florak's mind.

"I feel very strongly that this is the best core of leadership that we've had since I've been here, but I also feel like this is the best group of followers we've had, too."

"As long as the scoreboard is on there is no such thing as playing for next year. You have to play for that game whatever that game is."

Even with the loss of those seniors, the Penguins have a strong group of returning upperclassmen with five position players who started at least 30 games and three who appeared in every game coming back. Add two returning starters in Lucas Engle and Chuck Schiffhauer from the weekend rotation and one of the Horizon League's best closers in Ryan Sellman to the mix, and Florak has a group with the potential to not only avoid a rebuilding year, but also a chance to maintain the competitiveness that the program has been accustomed to in recent seasons.

"We're pretty versatile and we have more depth than we've had in years past," Florak said. "There are more than 20 guys I'd feel comfortable playing with right now [at the beginning of February], and that's not something I've always been able to say."

In fact this season is eerily similar to a similar situation Florak faced four years ago when he routinely started up to six freshmen from last year's senior class. That season the Penguins finished with 27 wins and set the tone for the following season when they won the Horizon League Championship for the first time in school history.

Five current players, including three of the team's captains in Brent Parks, Erich Diedrich and Josh Page, were all members of that championship squad in 2004. Having those three in the lineup every day will provide a big boost, Florak said.

"It does help [to have the returners] because those guys know what it takes. They're mentally tough enough to understand how demanding it is to win. Not only will our younger players want to listen to them because they're veteran players, but they'll want to emulate the things they do on the field."

"Since September up to now, it's been the most fun I've had with one group because they want to work so much. These guys just want to play so badly and do well so badly that nothing is really going to deter them from doing that."

Infield
Diedrich and Page were YSU's top hitters last season and return as juniors to anchor an experienced infield that has five players who appeared in more than 35 games a year ago.

Diedrich was a First-Team All-Horizon League selection as a sophomore, posting team-high numbers in average (.357), home runs (nine), RBIs (58), total bases (120), slugging percentage (.571) and on-base percentage (.448). He played in every game and started 54 out of YSU's 55 games in 2006, including 22 at catcher and 21 as the designated hitter. Diedrich will begin the season as the DH while working his way back from a shoulder injury.

Redshirt freshman Dustin Wachter will likely begin the season as the starter, but sophomore Rayce Robinson and fellow redshirts Rob Sullivan and Andy Todor could also see significant playing time early.

Page started 53 games and had a breakout season as YSU's second-baseman and leadoff hitter last year. He improved his average by 94 points to hit .346 and posted the sixth-most hits in a season in school history with 74. Also a standout fielder, he committed only four errors in 262 chances.

Sophomore third baseman John Koehlein returns after earning Second-Team All-Horizon League and All-Newcomer Team honors last season. He played a major role down the stretch last year, hitting .337 and scoring a team-high 23 runs over the final 26 games.

Senior Lou Gattozzi hit .271 last season and has the ability to play shortstop, third or first. He started 41 games in 2006 after beginning the season on fire, hitting .412 before April 1.

Junior Mike Turjanica is also experienced after playing in 37 games at first last season and 39 as a freshman. Junior Sean Lucas is a middle infielder with speed who could see action after playing in 18 games last season.

Redshirt freshman Tom Clayton is a power threat from the left side who will likely see innings at first, and freshmen Anthony Munoz and C.J. Morris will compete for playing time up the middle. Lee Bainbridge, a First-Team All-Ohio selection as a senior, will provide depth at third.

Outfield
Parks will be the lone returning starter in the outfield and one of just five returning players on the roster with experience in the grass. However, he'll have a deep and versatile group of newcomers to surround him in right and left field.

Last season was Parks' first as a full-time starter, and he responded by hitting .287, driving in 36 runs and hitting a team-high 20 doubles. He also committed just one error in 94 chances and gunned down six runners.

Robinson appeared in eight games as an outfielder last season and could see more time when not catching. Diedrich, who started 11 games in the outfield last season, could also play right or left once his shoulder heals. Lucas and Koehnlein are the only other returning players with experience in the outfield.

Freshmen Cory Hornyak, Ryan Dunlap and Eric Marzec can all play the outfield and pitch, and classmates Bryan Hamrick, Joe Iacobucci, Jason Reitenbach and Ben Miller will all compete for playing time.

Pitching
Engle and Schiffhauer will be joined by junior college transfer Adam Kalafos as the probable weekend starters entering the season, and Sellman anchors a bullpen that will also feature veterans Andy Svitak and Joe Antinone.

Engle was YSU's workhorse last season, setting the single-season record for innings pitched with 99 and tying the mark for starts with 14. He went 4-4 with a 4.36 ERA as the No. 1 starter in the weekend rotation.

Schiffhauer was the top mid-week starter and moved to the No. 3 spot in the rotation when a senior went down with an injury. In 10 starts, he went 4-2 with an ERA of 3.68, and his inning total of 52 ranked third on the team.

Kalafos will be looked upon immediately to contribute as a junior in a staff with nine underclassmen. He had success at the Community College of Baltimore County-Catonsville, compiling an ERA of 2.48 over 54 1/3 innings as a sophomore.

Sellman returns after collecting team-highs in wins and saves last season and appearing in a school-record 30 games. He finished with a record of 6-1, six saves and an ERA of 2.62.

Antinone appeared in 20 games last season and Svitak pitched in 18, and both could be candidates for midweek starts. Antinone has started just one game in his career, but Svitak went 5-1 as a starter during his sophomore year. Sophomore Ryan Wackerman, who is one of only two lefties on the staff, could also compete for a spot in the bullpen or weekday rotation after starting two games and appearing in seven last season.

With seven freshmen and a walk-on sophomore on the staff, YSU will have to have some younger players step up and throw strikes. Along with Dunlap, Hornyak and Marzec, Corey Vukovic had a strong fall and has shown control of the strike zone. Alex Earley, an early signee who has been battling a shoulder injury, Brett Crocker, Aaron Swenson and Ray Pollum will also be counted on to provide depth to the staff.

Story provided by YSU Office of Sports Information