ADRIAN, Mich. – The Siena Heights baseball team is set to open its new baseball complex in 2012, hoping to make a repeat appearance when it hosts Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference Tournament in May. The Saints will return a solid core, including five All-WHAC honorees.
Senior shortstop Cory Lehman (Toledo, Ohio/Central Catholic) is a three-time All-WHAC recipient – First team in 2011 and Honorable mention in 2009 and 2010 – and is threatening to move into the Top 10 of several career offensive categories in SHU history.
Senior first baseman Josh White (Brooklyn, Mich./Columbia Central), senior third baseman Brett Howard (Sylvania, Ohio/Saint Francis de Sales) and junior catcher Dan Abbott (Plymouth, Mich./Lutheran Westland) will also provide strong veteran experience in the infield.
White was an All-WHAC Honorable Mention in 2011 while Abbott was an Honorable Mention in 2010. Meanwhile, Howard was the team’s top run producer last season, leading the Saints with 19 RBIs and four home runs.
While Lehman led SHU in most offensive categories – hitting (.336), runs (26), hits (51), doubles (14), total bases (68) and stolen bases – White was typically the runner-up. White batted .287, finishing with 39 hits, 21 runs, three homers and 17 RBIs.
Abbott missed most of the season after suffering a jaw injury during the team’s Spring Break trip to Florida. In eight games, he had a .333 average with three doubles, a triple and seven RBIs.
On the mound, SHU coach John Kolasinski plans to start out with a 1-2 punch including two-time All-WHAC Honorable Mention right-hander Brett Kuebler (Toledo, Ohio/Central Catholic), who was honored in 2009 and 2011, 2010 Honorable Mention lefty Corey Alexander (Toledo, Ohio/Whitmer).
Kuebler went 2-5 with a 3.79 earned-run average and 33 strikeouts last season. Alexander was 2-7 with a 5.56 ERA and team-leading 42 Ks.
“The key returners this season are the veterans,” Kolasinski said. “(The top two pitchers) will definitely be a factor. They can win games in the conference and give us the ability to win.”
With four of the non-pitching infield positions seemingly spoken for, the one spot still up for grabs is the second-base spot. Junior Kyle Benschoter (Hudson, Mich.) and sophomore Mike Lollo (Allen Park, Mich./Cabrini) are expected to log innings there.
In the outfield, Kolasinski may employ three freshmen -- Dennis Sharp (Monroe, Mich./Monroe) in left, Todd Vandercook (Boca Raton, Fla./West Boca Raton) in center and Chaz Poindexter (Ypsilanti, Mich./Milan) in right – but several others figure into the plans including junior B.J. Salazar (Lansing, Mich./Lansing Eastern), sophomore Drew Byers (Osseo, Mich.) and freshmen Kyle Johnson (Adrian, Mich./Adrian) and Corey Caldwell (Ypsilanti, Mich./Lincoln Consolidated).
Caldwell, who did not play at his previous school, Washtenaw Community College, is a unique addition to the club. He can also catch and play second base.
“He’s an older guy who has come to play,” Kolasinski said. “He shows great leadership, great enthusiasm and an ability to play. He’s going to be able to do some different things for us.”
Others who will look to contribute in the field are junior Bryan Mullen (Ypsilanti, Mich./Huron), sophomore Robbie Schwartz (Adrian, Mich./Adrian) and freshmen Eric Henderson (Howell, Mich./Howell), Tyler Karcher (Middleville, Mich./Thornapple-Kellogg) and Joe Williams (Westland, Mich./Livonia Churchill).
Mullen is a first baseman and catcher; Schwartz is a first baseman; Henderson is a shortstop and pitcher and Williams and Karcher are third basemen.
“There is a enthusiasm; there is excitement,” Kolasinski said of his team and its younger players. “Our new people are pretty good players. They can play. If they perform to the level they’re capable of, we’ll have a pretty good season.”
Junior righty Jake Sperry (Livonia, Mich./Westland John Glenn) and sophomore left-hander Matt King (Rockville, Ind./Rockville) will get early auditions to the four-man weekend rotation, which Kolasinski will use during the WHAC schedule.
Junior Jake Kret (Wyandotte, Mich.) and sophomore Ryan Grant (Myakka City, Fla./Braden River) are right-handers who could earn starts while sophomore lefty Travis Mielcarek (Toledo, Ohio/Central Catholic) could also challenge to enter the rotation.
Those who will offer depth out of the bullpen are sophomore Riley Smith (Farmington, Mich./Farmington) and freshman Tyler Butlin (China, Mich./Saint Clair), Taylor Thelen (Cadillac, Mich./Grand Ledge) and Nathan Wilkerson (Osseo, Mich./Hudson). Smith and Thelen are righties; Butlin and Wilkerson are southpaws.
“The key for this season will be to find those 12 to 15 core guys,” Kolasinski said. “We need to compete right when we step on the field (to start the season). When we compete and play hard, we will be okay and give ourselves an opportunity to be successful.”
Tentatively, the season is scheduled to begin on Monday, Feb. 20, when the Saints play their first-ever game at Siena Heights Baseball Field. Rochester will visit for a 2 p.m. start.
On May 2-4, Siena Heights will host the five-team WHAC Tournament.
“We will be able to give the fans and the players the best experience that they’ve had in many different ways,” Kolasinski said. “Not only the playing surface, but the batting tunnels next to the field, the restroom facilities being so close and seating that other places don’t have. We have some nice places in the conference, but I think ours is a notch above everyone else.”