BEREA, Ohio - The No. 11 nationally ranked Baldwin Wallace University baseball team, led by fifteenth-year head coach Brian Harrison, is set to take the field again in 2025.
Coach Harrison, the Ohio Athletic Conference Coach of the Year in each of the past two seasons, brings in a strong class of incoming talent but returns two All-Region 7 players, eight All-OAC players, and 11 Academic All-OAC players from last year's squad that finished with a 36-10 record and a 15-3 record in conference play last season. The Yellow Jackets come off an Ohio Athletic Conference regular season title, an OAC Tournament title, and a NCAA Regional Tournament appearance.
The Brown and Gold returns three starters from last year's rotation including the OAC Pitcher of the Year junior right-hander Tyler Walker (Fairlawn/Copley) and senior All-OAC right-hander Vince Dolcemaschio (Los Angeles, Calif./Windward School). Walker, an All-Region and All-OAC selection appeared in 15 games last season with a team-best 12 starts where he posted a conference-best 9-1 record with two saves through 70.2 innings. He was second on the team snd seventh in the OAC with 57 strikeouts and finished with an ERA of 3.31 and a WHIP of 1.17 while holding opponents to a .238 batting average. Dolcemaschio appeared in 16 games with a team-best 12 starts in his first season as a Yellow Jacket where he finished with a 7-2 record with two saves and a 4.23 ERA through 76.2 innings. He led the team and was fourth in the OAC with 64 strikeouts and held opponents to a .272 average and a 1.29 WHIP. Sophomore right-hander Matt Moscarino (Strongsville/Padua Franciscan) also returns after appearing in 11 games and making five starts with 33.1 innings pitched in his freshman season. He struck out 28 batters and recorded a 5.67 ERA through 33.1 innings.
The conference's saves leader, sophomore All-OAC right-hander Jake Heatherington (Bellaire), also returns to close out some games for the Jackets after appearing in 19 games where he compiled a record of 5-1 with eight saves through 42.1 innings. He was second on the team with a 2.55 ERA and led the team with a 1.09 WHIP while notching 43 strikeouts and limiting the opposition to a .171 batting average. All-OAC right-hander Dylan Snyder (Stow/Archbishop Hoban) and Academic All-OAC right-hander Kade Swisher (Berea/Berea-Midpark) both return for their senior seasons and could see some time in the starting rotation or out of the BW bullpen.
Sophomore Mason Fixx (Canonsburg, Pa./Canon-McMillan) leads a young catching unit for the Jackets while senior Eric Coode (Painesville/Mentor) provides a veteran presence behind the plate. Fixx appeared in 22 games as the backup catcher last season where he tallied 17 hits for a batting average of .340 and drove in 14 runs. He hit six doubles and one home run for a .520 slugging percentage and threw out two runners defensively. Coode, an Academic All-OAC honoree, returns for his final season after appearing in seven games last year.
The BW infield features a handful of returners including senior Mally Kilbane (Olmsted Township/Olmsted Falls) and junior Matt Terzola (Uniontown/Archbishop Hoban). After rotating between first base, second base, and designated hitter in all 46 games last season, Kilbane, an All-OAC selection, will be a big bat in the heart of BW's lineup. He was second on the team and tied for third in the OAC with 58 hits including a team-high 21 extra base hits for a .349 batting average and a .530 slugging percentage. Kilbane drove in 34 RBI, and tallied 15 doubles, three triples, and three home runs in his first season wearing the Brown and Gold. Terzola, an Academic All-OAC honoree, will see his third straight year of starting in the middle infield after making the transition to shortstop last season. He appeared in all 46 games where he recorded 35 hits and a career-best 24 RBI for a .267 batting average. Terzola scored 32 runs and contributed eight doubles finishing with a .365 on-base percentage. Defensively, he led the team with 117 assists and was a part of 16 double plays. The infield also returns 2023 All-Region and All-OAC junior Sean Kolenich (Parma/St. Edward) after missing last season due to injury, and utility men senior Noah English (Perrysburg), sophomore Jace Druschel (Tampa, Fla./George Steinbrenner), and sophomore Colin West (Westborough, Mass./Worcester Academy) to provide more depth up the middle.
The outfield returns all three starters from last season in Joey Marousek (North Royalton), junior Dennis Ritlinger-Nirider (Grove City), and senior Brandon Gelpi (Monroeville, Pa./Central Catholic). Marousek was an All-Region and All-OAC selection last season after appearing in all 46 games in the leadoff spot. He led the team and the OAC with 66 hits and was third on the team with 35 RBI. Marousek also led the team with a .351 batting average and recorded a .436 on-base percentage and a .436 slugging percentage including nine doubles, two triples, and a home run. On the bases, he led the team and was third in the OAC with a career-high 23 steals and had 92 putouts defensively. Ritlinger-Nirider, another All-OAC selection, appeared in 41 games where he had 42 hits, 15 RBI, 27 runs scored, and seven stolen bases. He was second on the team with 12 doubles and finished with a .328 batting average, a .396 on-base percentage, and a .438 slugging percentage. Gelpi, an Academic All-OAC honoree, had 32 hits for a batting average of .286 and drove in 17 RBI through 35 games last season. He was fifth on the team with a .398 on-base percentage and had a .375 slugging percentage that included five doubles, a triple, and a home run. Juniors Reid Fleming (Pickerington/North) and Nolan Kellicker (Dover) will also split some time in the outfield grass this season after appearing in 27 games and 18 games a year ago, respectively.
BW opens the 2025 campaign this Friday, February 21 as they begin their roadtrip to Richmond, Kentucky to take on Franklin (Ind.) College at 10:30 a.m. in Earle Combs Stadium on the campus of Eastern Kentucky University.
