SEASON PREVIEW

In a state best known for a big hole in the ground, the Muhlenberg baseball team will begin to try to fill some of the holes that caused it to have a disappointing 2004 season.

After going to Florida for Spring Break the last nine years, the Mules will fly out to Arizona, the Grand Canyon State, this season. They are scheduled to begin play with a Saturday night game against Wheaton (Ill.).

Muhlenberg reached the Centennial Conference championship series in both 2002 and 2003, posting the first two 20-win seasons in team history.

A career .330 hitter, Kessler hit safely in 22 of 31 games in 2004, including 15 multiple-hit games.

Despite returning its entire starting pitching staff intact, the Mules slipped to 12-18-1 and missed the CC playoffs last year.

“I think we had talent but lacked focus,” said senior right-hander Pete Lankarge. “This year we have still have the talent, but bringing focus is going to get us a lot more wins.”

Helping with that focus should be the presence of six seniors, double the number the team had last year. The seniors’ leadership will be critical in bringing along a strong sophomore class.

As always, the game will come down to pitching, and Muhlenberg boasts four seniors with starting experience on its staff. Southpaw Gregg Burkhart ranked in the top 30 in Division III in strikeouts per nine innings each of the last two years and needs 26 whiffs to break the school’s career record of 183. He is looking to return to his form of 2003, when he earned All-CC honorable mention after going 5-2 with a 3.39 ERA.

Co-captain Aaron Regensburg has been a staff workhorse throughout his career and leads all active pitchers with 11 career wins. After two years of doubling up as a starting infielder, he will concentrate solely on his pitching in 2005. Two-year starter Matthew Cooper, 2-2 a year ago, and Lankarge, who came on strong at the end of last season, round out the seniors on the pitching staff.

Underclassmen expected to contribute on the mound include sophomores Tom McDonald, Jason Bonder, Brandon Manekin and Eric Wolfer, all of whom saw spot duty as freshmen.

“Everyone’s throwing better than they were last spring, so we have a lot of positive signs,” noted Lankarge.

Offensively, the Mules return the top five hitters from an offense that hit .312 and averaged nearly seven runs per game. Senior shortstop and co-captain Matthew Long was an All-CC second-team selection after leading the team in batting average (.402), hits (43), doubles (nine), RBI (27), slugging percentage (.542) and on-base percentage (.489). He enters the 2005 season seven hits away from 100 for his career.

Long is part of a potent infield offense that also includes sophomores Pete Oris at third, Ryan Sassaman at second and Mike Hart at first. Last year, Oris hit .381 with two home runs, Sassaman batted .349 and stole a team-leading 14 bases, and Hart hit .339 with six triples and 23 RBI.

Juniors Matt Tobia and Rob Lehmann will push for playing time at third and second, respectively.

Senior centerfielder C.J. Kessler leads the returning outfielders. He hit .345 as a junior and led the squad in runs scored (31) and walks (19) from his leadoff position. Kessler is 10 hits away from the century mark. Junior Chad Hegstrom hit .277 last year in his first season as a starting outfielder.

Sophomore A.J. Bettini, who played in 12 games as a freshman, takes over behind the plate.

“It will be about executing fundamentals,” said Lankarge. “Making sure pitchers hit their spots, patience at the plate – that will come right from the focus.”