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The Wilkes University baseball team will open their 2006 season on Saturday, March 4th when they host Cazenovia College in a doubleheader beginning at 12:00 p.m. at Artillery Park.
Wilkes is coming off a season in which they fashioned an overall record of 22-19-1. The Colonels advanced to the Freedom Conference playoffs for the fourth consecutive season, the longest streak of consecutive post-season appearances in school history.
The Colonels pitching staff will be led by three seniors Kevin Konschak, Mike Toomey and Mike Quinn. Konschak led Wilkes in victories a season ago when he posted a 6-4 record and 4.47 earned run average. Toomey had a 3-3 record on the hill with an ERA of 6.56. Quinn will likely move into the starting rotation this spring after serving as the team’s closer during each of the last two campaigns. Last season he was 0-1 with four saves and a 5.25 earned run average.
Junior John Milius and sophomore Brad Woznisky will also be counted on to provide additional help on the hill. Milius had a 1-0 record with one save and a 1.74 ERA a season ago, while Woznisky was 1-1 with an ERA of 7.71.
“We will rely very heavily on Toomey, Quinn and Konschak if we are going to make a run at a conference championship this season,” commented head coach Joe Folek. “We plan on using each of them in various roles, including Quinn, who will be getting a start for the first time since his freshman season. We will also need both Woznisky and Milius to make major contributions to our staff. Freshman Justin Huff and Ryan Pepper are two freshman who will certainly get an opportunity to take the mound for us this season. We will also use several position players, Paul Migliorino, Kyle Follweiler and Dan Nearhouse, to round out our staff.”
Junior Matt LoPresto will take over the catching chores on a full-time basis this spring. LoPresto appeared in 29 games, including 21 as a starter, last season and hit at a .370 clip with eight doubles, one triple, one homerun and 15 runs batted in. Freshman Andy Garofoli will provide depth behind LoPresto.
“Matt now has a full-time job on his hands,” stated Folek. “Defensively, we feel that he is very capable of handling the pitching staff. On the offensive side we are looking for him to be very productive in the middle of our order.”
Five veterans return in the infield for the Colonels, including sophomore Chris Mayerski. Mayerski was a first team All-Freedom Conference selection during his rookie season. He appeared in 41 games, including 38 as a starter, last season and hit .301. Mayerski led Wilkes with 15 doubles, four triples, seven homeruns , 44 runs batted in and 40 runs scored.
Seniors Casey Kulago, Kyle Stover and Migliorino, along with junior Justin Popovich are also back. Kulago battled through an injury-plagued season in 2005 and hit .263 in 21 games. Stover had a .303 average at the plate in 30 games, while cracking three doubles, one triple and driving in 15 runs. Migliorino was used mainly as a pitcher last season when he went 1-2 on the hill with a 5.45 ERA. However, this year he will platoon at first base with Popovich. Popovich hit .266 and had four doubles and 10 runs batted in during his sophomore campaign.
“We have a solid and versatile group in the infield this season,” added Folek. “Mayerski will be all over the field this season and could see time at any of the infield positions, in the outfield, or behind the plate. We also expect him to continue to be one of our top run producers. Kulago will move to shortstop this season and should provide both experience and excellent leadership. The tandem of Popovich and Migliorino will give us a solid platoon at first base, while Stover, Chris Yonki, Tony Giuffrida, Geoff Miller and Nearhouse provide us with ample depth.”
Sophomore Kyle Follweiler leads the group in the Wilkes outfield. Follweiler played in 28 games last year and hit at a .346 clip. He had four doubles, one triple, one homerun and 15 runs batted in. Others expected to vie for time in the outfield include Mayerski, senior Josh Campbell and freshmen Gennaro Zangardi, Eric Wetzel, Jon Cohen and Ed Kamenas.
“Follweiler and Mayerski will be relied on to anchor the outfield,” said Folek. “Both Zangardi and Wetzel have outstanding speed and should find some playing time immediately. Campbell, Cohen and Kamenas will also push for playing time. We also have the option of using some of our veteran pitchers like Toomey, Konschak and Woznisky in the outfield if needed.”
Despite the loss of several key players from a year ago Folek still believes that this year’s team has the ability to make a run toward a Freedom Conference title.
“This year is going to be full of challenges for us as a team. But, I believe we have excellent senior leadership and that this group of players can rise to those challenges and get us back to Quakertown for the post-season. Our goal, as always, is to win the Freedom Conference championship. We are expecting another exciting season of baseball at Artillery Park.”
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