By Steve Beard, LebCoSports Senior Baseball Contributor
You can do one of three things in a baseball game. You can win, you can lose, or it can rain.”
— Casey Stengel
Well, at least it wasn’t snow. Rain wiped out multiple mid-week matchups, including Messiah at Eastern Mennonite, LVC at Johns Hopkins, and York at Catholic University. Rainouts continued over the weekend with shortened series and outright cancelations. Continue to check our “Upcoming Schedule” link for each player to follow all of the changes.
Our Tracker now includes current national rankings from divisions for teams that are part of the tracker. In addition to D3 through D1 in the NCAA, we also track D2 and D3 in the NCJAA, and one school in the USCAA. We currently have no NAIA or D1 JuCo players on the billet. For NCAA teams, we will use the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association poll. NJCAA and USCAA publish official sanctioned polls that will appear in the article. Next week, they will appear toward the end of the column, but for week one, they appear below.
Do you have highlights to share for The LebCoSports.com College Baseball Tracker? Reach out to Steve Beard at lebanon.longshots@gmail.com if you don’t use Twitter/X.
If you do use X, please be sure to tag us at @LebCoSports1 and @Longshots_BBall and we will re-post and link to the Tracker.
The Rankings
Teams we track: # 15 Alabama, Mount Saint Mary’s
Teams we track: Bloomsburg, Clarion, Lock Haven,#7 Millersville, Shippensburg
Teams we Track: Albright, Delaware Valley, Lancaster Bible, Lebanon Valley, Messiah, Mount Aloysius, Penn State-Altoona, Penn State-Harrisburg, Stevens, Stevenson, Virginia Wesleyan, York
(Preseason is latest poll)
CCBC Essex, Chesapeake
(Preseason is latest poll)
Northampton
(Preseason is latest poll)
Central Penn
This column will always use the current week poll and only the poll listed above. For that reason, you might see an apparent conflict in our reporting versus what the college websites will say (and they will always use the poll that ranks their team the highest).
FEATURED PLAYER HIGHLIGHT
Noah Gonzalez, Northampton Community College (Cedar Crest ’22) Season Stats Upcoming Schedule
Sophomore OF Noah Gonzalez was used this weekend primarily as a pinch hitter and was brought in during high leverage situations late in the game. In a tight game one against #2 (USCAA) Penn State Dubois, Gonzalez drew a walk, stole second, tagged on fly ball to move to third and scored on a hit for the Spartans’ fourth run in an eventual 5-4 win (Box Score). Gonzalez was hitless in one plate appearance against each PSU Schuykill (Box Score) and DuPage (Box Score). Rocking the retro 1970s Baltimore Orioles orange, complete with high socks, Gonzalez laced a single (Video) in an 8-0 win over New River Community College (Box Score). In addition to the unique challenges in the JuCo world that might not be present at other levels of baseball, being the guy to have to be ready at a moment’s notice with no guarantee of an opportunity, easy or difficult, requires a certain level of mental toughness and lack of ego. We’ve selected Noah Gonzalez, in his second and likely final year of college baseball, as our Featured Player Highlight as a sort of tribute to not only JuCo guys, but as a “tip of the cap” to the players who work just as hard as any other player, but fill a unique and often thankless role on the college baseball roster.
FEATURED PITCHER HIGHLIGHT
Caleb Fisher, Chesapeake College (Palmyra ’22) Season Stats Upcoming Schedule
Staying in the JuCo world, we feature Caleb Fisher for an outstanding perfomance against a stout perennially ranked team. Chesapeake’s spring trip to Hoffman Stadium in Vero Beach, FL opened up with a Friday doubleheader with St. Cloud Technical and Community College (#11 D3 JuCo), followed by doubleheaders with Delta College, and College of Lake County. The sophomore LHP drew the game against St. Cloud and did not disappoint. Fisher scattered 7 hits and three walks over 6.2 innings, allowing three runs (two earned) with five strikeouts as the Skipjacks defeated St. Cloud 4-3 (Box Score).
AROUND THE HORN & ON THE MOUND
Gage Miller, Alabama University (Palmyra ’21) Season Stats Upcoming Schedule
The #16 Crimson Tide rolled into Birmingham on to visit University of Alabama/Birmingham before a trip to Frisco, TX for the Frisco Classic with games against Indiana, Arizona, and Dallas Baptist. On Tuesday night, ‘Bama went down 4-0 early, but fought back over middle innings, with Miller in the middle of most of it. He was hit by a pitch in the seventh and scored on a home run that tied the game. His eight inning single put the Crimson Tide up 6-4 (Video). He then launched a double down the right field line in the tenth for the go ahead run (Video). Alabama closed it out, 9-7 (Game Story and Box Score). Alabama crushed #21 Indiana on Friday in Texas, with Miller tallying a 1 for 3 day, including a HPB, scoring twice and knocking in a run on sac fly in a 12-0 win (Game Story and Box Score). Miller extended his hitting streak to ten games on Saturday, as the Crimson Tide ran their record to 11-0 with a 7-6 win over Arizona (Game Story and Box Score). His 2 for 5 performance was highlighted by a RBI single in the fifth. In the finale, #23 Dallas Baptist showed why they are perennially ranked in the top 25 as the handed Alabama their first loss, 7-5 in twelve innings. Miller was 1 for 4 and hit by pitch twice (Game Story and Box Score).
Tyler Long, Mount Saint Mary’s University, (Annville-Cleona ’20) Season Stats Upcoming Schedule
The Mount took a three day trip to Starkville to visit the Mississippi State Bulldogs. Long was featured briefly on the pregame on SEC Network (Video). Long was 1 for 3 with a run and an RBI and played stellar defense, and while MSM hung around til late, they were failed again by their pitching and lost 12-2 (Game Story and Box Score). Long was hitless for the remainder of the series, adding a walk and a stolen base as the Mount fell 7-2 (Game Story and Box Score) and 6-0 (Game Story and Box Score). MSM returns home and will attempt to get it going mid-week versus University of Maryland Eastern Shore (away) before hosting against Lehigh.
Austin Baal, Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania (Palmyra ’19) Season Stats Upcoming Schedule
The Shippensburg Raiders hosted first year team Holy Family University for a weekend four pack of games. Baal ran across another familiar face in Holy Family Pitching Coach Tyler Morder (Palmyra ’13). And while Morder’s face might have been familiar to him, Baal was anything but nice to the pitchers coached by Morder. In an 8-2/4-0 doubleheader sweep, the lefty first baseman was 2 for 4 with four walks and two runs. In game one, Baal was 0 for 1 with two walks and a run scored. In the second game, the former Cougar hit an RBI double in the first and a solo HR in the seventh enroute to a 2 for 3 effort with two RBI. (Game Stories and Box Scores). The rest of the four game series was rained out. Baal is first in batting average (.444), OPS (1.425), OBP (.610) and RBI (10—tied) on the Raiders roster. Ship visits then hosts Mansfield as PSAC conference play starts this coming weekend.
Christian Kreiser, Stevens Institute of Technology (Palmyra ’20) Season Stats Upcoming Schedule
Following a mid-week makeup game with William Paterson, the Ducks faced Rutgers-Newark for a home-away Friday/Saturday set, and hosted Massachusetts Institute of Technology on Sunday. Kreiser walked and scored in the third, singled and stole second in the fifth and was hit by a pitch in the seventh as Stevens edged William the Pioneers, 3-2 (Game Story and Box Score). Kreiser did his part as Stevens blew out Rutgers-Newark, 15-0, with a 2 for 5 stat line with a two RBI double in the 7th (Game Story and Box Score). In six plate appearances in a Sunday extra inning win, Kreiser was 2 for 5 with two RBI (including a sac fly), and scored twice as Stevens prevailed over MIT, 12-11 in ten (Game Story and Box Score).
Gavin Neal, Lock Haven University of PA, (Palmyra ’21) Season Stats Upcoming Schedule
Lock Haven headed south to Charleston WV to face the University of Charleston Golden Eagles for two on Saturday and two on Sunday. While Bloom was swept on Saturday, Neal was 1 for 3 with a double and a HBP in game one and 0-2 with two walks and a run in the second game (Game Stories and Box Scores). Lock Haven was able to tally ten hits in the Sunday doubleheader, and Neal collected two of them, adding a run, a walk and an RBI as Charleston swept Sunday, 3-0 and 12-1 (Game Stories and Box Scores).
LebCo College Baseball Prospect Tracker: February 27, 2024
Kasey Shugart, Clarion University of Pennsylvania (Palmyra ’20) Season Stats Upcoming Schedule
Clarion continues to find ways to lose games by a run or two, as they fell 2-1 and 5-3 in a Saturday doubleheader when the Lake Erie Storm rolled into Clarion. Hitless in game one, the senior outfielder was 2 for 3 with a double and a run in game two (Game Stories and Box Scores) on Saturday. Shugart was 1 for 3 with a run as Clarion won the series finale, 5-4 (Game Story and Box Score). The senior outfielder remains among the team leaders offensively.
Mason Kepler, Clarion University of Pennsylvania (Palmyra ’21) Season Stats Upcoming Schedule
Kepler continues to recover from an injury sustained in a play at the plate was limited this weekend in his return to the lineup. He DH’d and was 1-3 with a walk and scored the tying run in the fourth as Clarion secured a much needed 5-4 win (Game Story and Box Score). Clarion has four more games in North Carolina this coming weekend before heading into conference play, where they will clearly need Kepler’s bat.
Dylan Beard, Messiah University (Cedar Crest ’21) Season Stats Upcoming Schedule
The Messiah Falcons were rained out Tuesday for an away game with the Eastern Mennonite University Royals, rescheduling the game for March 12. They made their annual first weekend in March trip to play the Randolph-Macon Yellow Jackets. The junior DH/IF singled and walked in five plate appearances on Friday at the Falcons raced out to an early six run lead before nearly squandering it, holding on for a 6-4 win, the first time they have beaten RMC in program history (Game Story and Box Score). And, despite three of four balls being absolute scorched balls, Beard was hitless in four PA in a Saturday single game that was shortened from a doubleheader due to weather, a 9-5 loss (Game Story and Box Score). Messiah plays Gettysburg on Tuesday before hosting Houghton for a doubleheader on Saturday.
Jonathan LaBarbera, Bloomsburg University of PA (Cedar Crest ’20) Season Stats Upcoming Schedule
The Huskies were off for several weeks and returned to action against the Fairmont State Fighting Falcons (Mountain East Conference). The senior third baseman provided a spark for Bloomsburg in game one. Following an early sac fly, LaBarbera started the rally for the Huskies, hitting the front end of a back-to-back home run sequence that helped propel Bloom to an 8-4 win. LaBarbera was 1 for 3 in game two that saw the Falcons earn the series split, 8-0 (Game Stories and Box Scores). The 2-4 Huskies travel to Philly to face Chestnut Hill on Tuesday.
Amani Jones, Millersville University of PA (Cedar Crest ’20) Season Stats Upcoming Schedule
Millersville opened “The Coop” for a Friday doubleheader with Goldey-Beacom then visited Wilmington DE on Sunday to complete a four game set with the Bolts. Opening at home on Friday, a day early, Jones had an RBI sac bunt, but was hitless otherwise as the #7 Marauders and the #23 Bolts split the doubleheader (Game Stories and Box Scores). Millersville swept the Sunday double header, 10-1 and 8-3. Jones was tallied a hit in game one and was 2-4 with a walk, a run scored and two stolen bases in the series finale (Game Stories and Box Scores). Millersville opens PSAC East conference play this weekend with home/away twin double headers scheduled with Bloomsburg.
LebCo College Baseball Prospect Tracker: 2024 Season Preview
Austin Beard, Northampton Community College (Cedar Crest ’22) Season Stats Upcoming Schedule
Despite a scheduled Sunday start against College of Dupage, the sophomore RHP was summoned from the ‘pen to close game one of NCC’s Ripken Experience (Myrtle Beach) in a tight game against #2 (USCAA) Penn State-DuBois. Entering with a runner on second and a two run lead, Beard struck out two and got a pop up to earn the save, 5-4, the only inherited runner scoring on an errant throw by the catcher (Box Score). In his start against DuPage, a four run fourth derailed the sophomore RHP’s start. Still, Beard managed to work around trouble in every inning as the offense struggled to get anything going, striking out five in a 4-1 loss (Box Score).
Dalton Reinhart, Stevenson University, (Cedar Crest ’21) Season Stats Upcoming Schedule
The Mustangs continued to make use of their turf field that is not affected by snow or rain, hosting Marymount on Tuesday and Franciscan University for a Friday game that was shortened from a Saturday dobuleheader. On Tuesday, Reinhart DH’d with an 0 for 2 day highlighted by being hit by pitch twice in a 7-3 loss (Game Story and Box Score). In an 18-3 drubbing of the Franciscan University Barons, Reinhart was 3 for 5 with two runs, highlighted by an RBI single and two RBI double. (Game Story and Box Score).
Robbie Best, CCBC Essex, (Palmyra ’23) Season Stats Upcoming Schedule
CCBC Essex headed south mid-week to visit Caldwell Community College (D3 JuCo #5 in the nation) and William Peace JV. The freshman was called upon to pinch hit late against Caldwell in the ninth in his first collegiate plate appearance (Box Score). Against William Peace, Best entered the game at catcher in the sixth. Best grounded out twice in search of his first collegiate hit, but Essex prevailed (Box Score). Best was hitless in his only at bat of the weekend in a 17-0 loss to Harford Community College (Box Score).
Jared Ecenroad, Delaware Valley University , (Northern Lebanon ’23) Season Stats Upcoming Schedule
DelVal headed to (RV) Immaculata for a Tuesday afternoon matchup. They headed south to Vero Beach, FL to face Norwich followed by a Sunday doubleheader with Ursinus. In a loss to Immaculata, the freshman infielder notched his first collegiate base hit (Video) and subsequently scored his first career run in the rain shortened 7-inning 8-3 loss (Game Story and Box Score). Ecenroad entered late in game one in Vero Beach and made his time count. His fielder’s choice RBI groundout pulled the Aggies to within a run in the eighth and his walk loaded the bases for the eventual winning run as DelVal battled back to win in extras, 11-10 (Box Score). Ecenroad did not see action in a 4-3 loss to Ursinus (Box Score).
Jacob Deimling, York College of Pennsylvania (Palmyra ’22) Season Stats Upcoming Schedule
YCP’s long awaited season opening on February 28 with the Catholic University Cardinals was postponed by rain. They traveled to #5 Lynchburg for a three game weekend set. York upset the Hornets in game one (Game Story and Box Score) but Deimling did not see any action. The Spartans split with Lynchburg on Sunday. Deimling was did not register a hit in his only at bat, a pinch hit appearance in game one (Game Stories and Box Scores).
Brian Coburn, Lancaster Bible College, (Palmyra ’20) Season Stats Upcoming Schedule
Following a weather-shortened weekend, the Chargers hosted Penn State-Behrend for two on Monday, Dickinson for one on Tuesday, and Hood for one on Friday before heading to Myrtle Beach for spring break. (Note that LBC’s scoring on the website attributes all Coburn activity to Bronson thus far, however, Brian is the SS/2B while Bronson is a PO. The stats on the back side are correct, but the stories and box scores have been incorrect. We continue to work with well placed sources to get correct information for you.) In game one Monday, Coburn was 1 for 3 with a run and a walk as the Lions defeated LBC, 12-4 (Game Story and Box Score). On Tuesday, Brian Coburn was again 1 for 3 with a run and an adding an RBI, but was met rudely on the mound by the Red Devils in one inning of relief. Dickinson routed the Chargers, 22-6 (Game Story and Box Score). Brian was hitless in an 18-4 loss to Hood (Game Story and Box Score). LBC plays this week in Myrtle Beach at the Ripken Experience.
Bronson Coburn, Lancaster Bible College, (Palmyra ’23) Season Stats Upcoming Schedule
Bronson Coburn pitched in game two on Monday versus Penn State -Behrend. The game was not finished and the stats in the game did not count. (Note that LBC’s scoring on the website attributes all Coburn activity to Bronson thus far, however, Brian is the SS/2B while Bronson is a PO. The stats on the back side are correct, but the stories and box scores have been incorrect. We continue to work with well placed sources to get correct information for you.) Bronson saw one inning of work on Friday before the Chargers headed south, notching one inning with one earned run and two strikeouts as Hood won convincingly, 18-4 (Game Story and Box Score).
Jeremy Eck, Mount Aloysius College, (ELCO ’21) Season Stats Upcoming Schedule
The Mounties weekend was scrambled into three scheduled games against Mary Baldwin. Despite no evidence of allowing a baserunner, the game one box score indicates that Eck allowed one run in one inning of relief in a 7-5 Mt. Aloysius win. (The scoring suggests that the run was likely an inherited runner that scored on a ball in play and was incorrectly tallied against Eck, who should have also been credited with a save Box Score.) Eck allowed a couple runs in a Sunday loss to the Fighting Squirrels (Box Score).
Thomas Zeigler, Messiah University (Palmyra ’21) Season Stats Upcoming Schedule
Zeigler did not play this week at Randolph-Macon
Dylan Byerly, Virginia Wesleyan University, (Northern Lebanon ’23) Season Stats Upcoming Schedule
Following a mid-week clash with William Peace University, the Marlins traveled to Buena Vista, VA for a Saturday doubleheader with Southern Virginia University. Byerly awaits his first opportunity in game action.
LebCo College Baseball Prospect Tracker: 2024 Season Preview
Riley Blatt, Penn State-Harrisburg (ELCO ’21) Season Stats Upcoming Schedule
The Lions were set to split a home/away three game set with the Arcadia Knights, who were fresh off of a weekend that saw them split with #3 Baldwin Wallace after which they took down the (now former) #1 team in the nation, Johns Hopkins. Shockingly, weather forced it to a Sunday doubleheader with the final game being played Monday (see our next LebCoSports.com Tracker for the details). Blatt did not see any mound time against Arcadia.
Braden Collazo, Penn State-Harrisburg (Lebanon High School ’22) Season Stats Upcoming Schedule
Collazzo awaits his first appearance this year. Penn State Harrisburg figures to need plenty of arms with upcoming six game week.
Cameron Dubbs, Penn State Altoona, (Palmyra ’20) Season Stats Upcoming Schedule
The PSU Altoona Lions returned to Auburndale, FL as they did in 2023 to play in the Russ Matt Central Florida Invitational, with ten games in six days. Dubbs has not pitched for the Lions in 2024.
Jordy Polanco, Lebanon Valley College, (Lebanon High School ’23) Season Stats Upcoming Schedule
Field conditions forced postponement of a mid-week match up at McGill Field with Muhlenberg College as well as the trip to face the now former #1 team in the nation, Johns Hopkins on Wednesday. Hopkins tumbled from the top spot to sixth. They then headed south to Fort Pierce, FL, opening their spring trip with a Sunday doubleheader with the Norwich University Cadets. Billed as a RHP, Polanco has not seen mound time for the Flying Dutchmen yet.
NOTES
-
- Neumann University (Nick Pagano) did not play this week in advance of a trip to Myrtle Beach.
- Central Penn College (Brian Lowen) will return to the field March 9.
- Albright (Deklyn Marks) was rained out for the week and will resume with Gettysburg on Monday.
FEATURED MOMENTS
Cedar Crest alumnus Jon LaBarbera in action over the weekend.
Photo Source: Baseball Splits Non-Conference Doubleheader with Fairmont State – Bloomsburg Athletics (buhuskies.com)
Dylan Beard (13) during Friday pre-game work with teammate Evan Wagaman (Friday, March 1, 2024 against Randolph Macon College).
Photo credit: Steve Beard
Messiah at Randolph Macon College on Friday, March 1, 2024. / Photo credit: Steve Beard
Messiah in prayer before game one against Randolph Macon College on Friday, March 1, 2024. / Photo credit: Steve Beard
Sophomore OF Noah Gonzalez at the Ripken Experience, Myrtle Beach, SC on Sunday March 3, 2024 in action against New River Community College. / Photo credit: Steve Beard
Northampton Community College Baseball in pre-game prayer before their match up with New River Community College on March 3, 2024 in Myrtle Beach, SC. / Photo credit: Steve Beard
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