W&J Tabbed PAC Preseason Baseball Favorite

W&J Tabbed PAC Preseason Baseball Favorite

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GREENVILLE, Pa. (pacathletics.org) – The Presidents’ Athletic Conference (PAC) released the results of its 2014 Preseason Baseball Coaches’ Poll Thursday, with Washington & Jefferson College and 12th-year head coach Jeff Mountain picked as the favorite to claim this year's championship tournament title.

The preseason poll collects votes from each of the league's nine head baseball coaches.

The Presidents, winners of last season's championship tournament, totaled eight of the league’s nine first-place votes, finishing with 80 of a possible 81 points. Thomas More College collected 71 points to finish second and was followed by Thiel College in third, who secured the final first-place vote while totaling 52 points.

Saint Vincent College was picked fourth (51), followed by Waynesburg University in fifth (49), Bethany College in sixth (39), Geneva College in seventh (24), Westminster College in eighth (22) and Grove City College in ninth (17).

"We want to test ourselves. Over the last five, six years we’ve done a pretty good job of playing a tough non-conference schedule, playing a good Florida schedule first and foremost. The expectations (going into this year) are high, but they were high going into last year, too. As much as we want to win our league, the league is only a path to getting to the NCAA Regional and that next step (for our program). I think this year, more than any other, we feel confident that this could be our best team," said Mountain.  

Headlining the returning starters for W&J are senior right-hander Eddie Nogay (Weirton, W. Va./Madonna) and senior outfielder Josh Staniscia (Export, Pa./Franklin Regional), who were both selected to the 2014 D3baseball.com preseason All-American first team. Both players were also featured by Collegiate Baseball newspaper in its 2014 NCAA Division III preview on the Players to Watch list.

The duo helped W&J achieve back-to-back, 30-plus win seasons and an 88-44 overall record (.667) since their arrival on campus. In PAC games, W&J has put together a 54-15 record (.783) with Nogay and Staniscia as members of the squad.

Nogay and Staniscia are the first players from the PAC to be selected to a D3baseball.com preseason All-America team since Thomas More first baseman Andrew Thole (2nd team) and shortstop David Kennett (HM) in 2012. Thiel designated hitter Chris Dunham was the last PAC player to earn a spot on the preseason first team (2009).

Nogay was selected to the D3baseball.com and American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA)/Rawlings All-America teams, respectively, in 2013 after earning D3baseball.com Mideast, Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) South and PAC Pitcher of the Year awards. He finished the year with a 12-1 record and a 3.01 earned-run average in 15 appearances. Nogay fired four complete games and three shutouts, while limiting opposing hitters to a .238 batting average against. He owns a 22-1 career record with a 2.61 ERA.

Staniscia, a three-time First Team All-PAC choice, batted .371 last season with a team-high 66 hits and 38 RBI. The two-time D3baseball.com First Team All-Mideast selection is a career .375 hitter and is just one RBI shy of 100 for his career. He has stolen 36 bases, produced 48 extra-base hits and only committed one error in 256 career chances.

The 2014 PAC Baseball Championship Tournament is scheduled for Thursday-Saturday, May 8-10. The top seed coming out of the regular season will host the championship tournament.

2014 PAC Baseball Coaches Preseason Poll
School (first-place votes) Points 2013 Record (PAC)
1. Washington & Jefferson (8) 80 33-13 (18-6)
2. Thomas More 71 31-16 (17-7)
3. Thiel College (1) 52 24-18 (17-7)
4. Saint Vincent 51 19-20 (14-10)
5. Waynesburg 49 22-18 (11-13)
6. Bethany 39 12-26 (8-16)
7. Geneva 24 14-22 (9-15)
8. Westminster 22 15-23 (7-15)
9. Grove City 17 6-22 (5-17)

2014 PAC Baseball Players to Watch

Bethany
Zac Edmiston – OF/LHP (Jr., California, Pa./California); Zak Kozlowski – RHP (Sr., Pittsburgh, Pa./Baldwin); Juls Leto – SS (Sr., McKees Rocks, Pa./Our Lady of the Sacred Heart); Ryan Meier – RHP (Jr., Elizabeth, Pa./Elizabeth Forward)

Geneva
Caleb Kilgore – RHP (Sr., North Apollo, Pa./Apollo Ridge); Garrett Swanson – OF (Jr., Beaver Falls, Pa./Blackhawk)

Grove City
Erick Locker – RHP (Sr., Canton, Ohio/Lake Center Christian); Mason Stephens – LHP, (Jr., Uniontown, Ohio/Lake)

Saint Vincent
Mike Cramer – LHP (Fr., Finleyville, Pa./Ringgold); AJ Kavinsky – INF (Sr., Pittsburgh, Pa./Baldwin); Ben Webb – INF (So., Greensburg, Pa./Greensburg Central Catholic); Jon White – OF (So., North Huntingdon, Pa./Greensburg Central Catholic)

Thiel
Matt Elko – LHP (So., Middlefield, Ohio/Berkshire); Dan Koller – C (So., Euclid, Ohio/Lake Catholic); Nick Schiavoni – OF (Sr., Boiling Springs, Pa./ Trinity); Cody Trinch – SS (Jr., Franklin, Pa./Franklin)

Thomas More
Jason Handley – OF (Sr., Cincinnati, Ohio/Oak Hills); Cody Makin – OF (Sr., Cincinnati, Ohio/Elder); Travis Miller – DH (Sr., Erlanger, Ky./St. Henry); Andy Roenker – RHP (Sr., Taylor Mill, Ky./Holy Cross)

Washington & Jefferson
Kyle McLain – IF/P (Sr., East Amherst, N.Y./Canisius); Eddie Nogay – RHP (Sr., Weirton, W. Va./Madonna); Brian O'Neill – RHP (Sr., Columbus, Ohio/St. Charles Prep.); Josh Staniscia – OF (Sr., Export, Pa./Franklin Regional)

Waynesburg
Parker Beatty – LHP (Fr., Mechanicsburg, Pa./Mechanicsburg); Luke Carter – INF/RHP (Fr., Saegertown, Pa./Saegertown); Brian Resnik – RHP (So., Burgettstown, Pa./Burgettstown); Clay Roman – OF (Sr., Bentleyville, Pa./Bentworth)

Westminster
Nicholas Reinthaler – 1B (Sr., Canfield, Ohio/Canfield); Jared Heck – 2B/SS (Jr., Pittsburgh, Pa./North Hills)