SEASON PREVIEW | Kutztown Baseball ready to break down the postseason door in 2024 - Kutztown University Athletics (2024)

Chris Sponagle/Kutztown University

Baseball 02.15.24 Connor Donohue, Sports Information Graduate Assistant

KUTZTOWN, Pa.-- After a 2023 season that saw the Kutztown University baseball program have its best season in almost a decade, the Golden Bears have their eyes set on the bigger and better things at North Campus Field in 2024.

Fifth-year coach Eric Folmar led a resurgence last year after a rough start to his tenure in the Maroon & Gold. The Golden Bears went 26-19 (12-12 PSAC) last season, a 15-win improvement from 2022 and the most wins for the program since 2014. Folmar was voted the 2022-23 KU Dr. Dennis Roth Men's Coach of the Year for his efforts. Despite KU's success, it missed out on the PSAC Tournament due to a tiebreaker.

Hope is high in 2024 that the Golden Bears can finally break their 10-year postseason drought. KU only graduated three players from last year's roster, returning 80% of its total at-bats and 84% of its innings pitched. The Maroon & Gold were also ranked fifth in the PSAC East Preseason Coaches poll, the highest preseason ranking since 2015.

The top returning Golden Bears are two All-PSAC East Second Team selections, Ethan Martini (Trevose, Pa./Father Judge) and Jake Skrocki (Royersford, Pa./Spring-Ford). Martini set career-highs in almost every offensive category in 2023, leading KU with a .333 batting average, eight home runs, 57 hits, three triples, 40 RBI, and 50 runs scored. Martini finished second in the PSAC in runs per game (1.11). The senior outfielder started in 45 games last season and is sure to be a centerpiece at the plate for KU in 2024.

Skrocki is set to be the ace of the Golden Bear rotation. The redshirt senior went 8-3 with a 3.35 ERA, striking out 48 in 80.2 innings pitched. Similar to Martini, Skrocki set career highs in almost every statistical category in 2023. The righty from Royersford finished tied for second in wins in the PSAC last season.

The rest of the KU rotation and bullpen remain intact for this season. Zach Male (Royersford, Pa./Spring-Ford) started 11 games last season, striking out 55 batters in 64.1 innings. Utility player Dominic Proietto (Norristown, Pa./Norristown) started in 10 games, going 5-3 with one shutout and one complete game in 48.0 innings. Although he didn't see much action at the dish, Proietto also finished second on KU in batting average (.318) with 66 plate appearances.

Tyler Cleveland (Pillow, Pa./Upper Dauphin), Trevor Leverington (Kutztown, Pa./Kutztown), and Cody Barberio (Green Lane, Pa./Quakertown) saw the majority of the action in relief in 2023 and will take on bigger roles in 2024. Gavin Grande (Newtown Square, Pa./Malvern Prep), Michael Lennon (Harleysville, Pa./North Penn), and AJ Torres (Blandon, Pa./Fleetwood) were other relief pitchers used by Folmar last season. Redshirt sophom*ores Abel Saft (Kintnersville, Pa./Moravian Academy) and Paul Moretski (Harleysville, Pa./Lansdale Catholic) return to the KU pitching staff after missing last season with injuries. Right-handed freshman Kannon Zdimal (Morgantown, Pa./Twin Valley) is the only first-year addition to this year's pitching staff.

Similar to the pitching staff, the KU lineup remains mostly intact for this upcoming season.

Graduate catcher Antonio Rossillo (Warrington, Pa./Archbishop Wood) will look to take that next step this season after finishing tied for the team lead with eight home runs while being third in RBI (32) and fourth in batting average (.287). Junior third baseman Jimmy Kerley (Indian Trail, N.C./Sun Valley) and senior outfielder Jason Wolff (Hillsborough, N.J./Hillsborough) had solid showings at the plate last season but will need to find more consistency after being third and fourth on the team in total at-bats in 2023. Brennan Rozich (Oxford, Pa./Oxford), Joey Pettinelli (Broomall, Pa./Marple Newtown), Brian Finn (Warrington, Pa./Springside Chestnut Hill Academy), and Cole Regn (Berlin, N.J./Eastern Regional) were other consistent staples of the KU lineup that will suit up again in 2024.

Along with all the returners, Folmarwelcomed seven new freshmen to this year's squad. The previously mentioned Zdmial is the only pitcher, while the other additions include Preston Warne (Nazareth, Pa./Nazareth), Ty Frattaroli (Waxhaw, N.C./Cuthbertson), Zack Wertman (Mifflinburg, Pa./Mifflinburg), Bo Barthol (Breinigsville, Pa./Parkland), Dalton Furst (Kutztown, Pa./Kutztown), and Bryce Schafer (Kempton, Pa./Kutztown).

KU kicks off the season with a challenging three-game series down in North Carolina against Mount Olive. The Trojans entered the season ranked No. 20 in the NCBWA National Poll and currently sit fifth in this week's Southeast Region poll. The Golden Bears' early season travels include four games at the USA Baseball National Training Complex in Cary, N.C., and a four-game series against Salem down in West Virginia.

The Golden Bears kick off conference play at North Campus Field with a doubleheader against West Chester on Friday, March 8 at noon. KU will have 10 home dates this upcoming season, with the final "home" game taking place at Coca-Cola Park in Allentown against East Stroudsburg on Thursday, May 2.