Though the memories of a championship season from a year ago are still vivid, the University of La Verne baseball squad begins a new season with their sights squarely focused on the upcoming 2013 campaign.
The Leopards prevailed in one of the most competitive SCIAC seasons in recent memory, finishing league play with a 20-8 mark while posting a 26-16 overall record. La Verne's league crown was the 20th in program history and the fourth under head coach Scott Winterburn, who has also guided the Leos to conference titles in 2004, 2005 and 2008.
With the right mix of talent, leadership and a firm commitment, La Verne looks to continue the success of last season as they return several key contributors from a year ago.
The squad will have to compensate for the graduation loss of several key members from last year's championship squad with included All-American outfielder and Division III Gold Glove winner Jacob Ludvik along with versatile right hander Anthony Cerafice, a First Team All-SCIAC selection as a pitcher.
Even with the losses, the Leopards enjoy a wealth of talented upperclassmen as they embark on the 2013 season.
"We have a fairly experienced group both on offense and defense, said Winterburn. "We're fortunate to have strong leadership with our veterans and we feel like the experience of our upperclassmen will be an asset on this year's team."
"We have an overall pitching staff that will have several roles. We won't be afraid to put a pitcher in the game in any situation, as everyone will be expected to contribute."
Among returnees, the Leopards boast of three players who earned All-Conference honors from a year ago. The trio includes senior catcher Jason Moralez, junior shortstop George Hanna and senior outfielder Cody Hazel.
A two-time First Team All-SCIAC selection, Moralez hit .329 last season with 3 home runs and a team-high 44 RBI, recording 51 hits while scoring 28 runs as the Leopards' starting catcher. Hanna scored 38 runs on the year which was second on the Leopard squad. He hit .285 overall and .301 in SCIAC play, posting a team-high 4 triples along with 8 doubles.
Hazel led the Leos in homers with five on the season as the starting leftfielder. He batted .299 overall and finished with a .312 average in conference games. He also collected 8 doubles while driving in 30 runs.
Other key returners include infielders Michael Stewart, Mason Stoltenberg and George Holland along with outfielders Dylan Leong and Adrian Franco and utility player Jared Hovsepian.
Stewart hit .301 with 30 runs scored a year ago primarily from the first base position. Stoltenberg became the starting third basemen last season and batted .271 with 29 runs scored. Leong returns after missing much of the 2012 season. During the 2011 campaign he played in 24 games, batting .296 and posting a 1.000 fielding percentage.
On the mound, juniors Phil Schick and Kevin Knight are likely to form the front end of the rotation. Other pitchers include JC Barcelo, Sean Beckman, Christian Grossi and Brett Early.
Schick led the Leopards in innings pitched (73.2) and strikeouts (52) in his 14 appearances last season en route to earning All-Conference honors. He registered two victories, including a win in the title-clinching game against Whittier.
In 12 appearances, Knight posted a 4-2 record with 29 strikeouts in 47.1 innings pitched. Grossi went 1-0 in seven appearances last season with a 3.38 earned run average.
The Leos open the season with four games at the Arizona Desert Classic (Feb. 7-10) before commencing with conference play with a three-game set against Redlands (Feb. 15-16). The non-conference schedule also includes games against Kean, Ithaca and North Park.
The conference, which included six teams finish the season .500 or better, now adds perennial West Region stalwart Chapman to the mix in 2013. Several teams in the conference are once again are likely to pose strong challenges for league supremacy. "We expect the league to be strong once again," said Winterburn. "The days of having just one or two good teams is over because the league is extremely balanced from top to bottom. While it's very challenging, it's also a lot of fun. This is what you play for."
