By Nate Beutel
PENDLETON — They’ve got arguably the nicest ballpark in the area. This spring, the Starpoint baseball squad hopes to look just as good as the diamond it plays on.
“We’re really looking forward to playing some quality baseball on Thomas J. Sarkovics Field,” Spartans coach Tim Racey said recently. “We’ve made a bunch of adjustments to the field, including a permanent fence and warning track, so the kids are excited to get out there and play for the first time.”
The team is also looking forward to the challenge of joining ECIC II after four fairly successful seasons in ECIC III.
“The first couple games are going to be tough, but once we see the competition a few times I think we’ll settle right in and hopefully get into a groove,” senior center fielder Joe Delelio said.
“We have limited experience against most of the teams we’re going to be playing, but I’m anxious to see what we can do,” Racey added.
The Spartans will be anchored by a deep pitching staff, which includes seven players that Racey believes can give the team “quality innings.” Junior right-hander Andy Lane will likely be at the top of the rotation with junior southpaw Andy Boyce just behind. Juniors Jon Corbi and Andy O’Donnell should also see a good deal of time on the hill, according to Racey.
The lineup will be led by senior catcher Garrett Britton, an all-ECIC III selection a year ago. Boyce and Paul Lane will platoon at first base with Matt Miller, Ryan Austin and Corbi in the mix at second and third base. Andy Lane will play shortstop when he’s not pitching.
Delelio leads a strong outfield in center with O’Donnell and Ben Ruppert to man right and left fields, respectively. Erik Eisenhauer, Tyler Kroening and Brendan Reinert round out the roster.
“There are a lot of question marks, especially after losing two legit college players (Tim Szalkowski, Canisius and Kevin Hughes, ECC) ... but this is a great group of guys and I think some our young guys are going to surprise people this year,” Racey said.
“We have high expectations for ourselves,” Delelio added. “If we can jump out on teams early, we’re going to be tough.”
Contact reporter Nate Beutel at 282-2311, ext. 2262.
STARPOINT BASEBALL
• COACH: Tim Racey
• KEY RETURNEES: Andy Boyce (Junior, P/1B), Garrett Britton (Senior, C), Jon Corbi (Junior, SS/P), Joe Delelio (Senior, CF), Andy Lane (Junior, P/SS)
• QUESTION: Can the Spartans’ offense provide enough support for their arms?
• PROJECTION: Will surprise a few of its new foes in ECIC II, despite young roster.
