This year, the Seton Hill University (SHU) Griffin’s baseball team will come out swinging. SHU has always had a strong men’s baseball program since its start
in 2004. Head coach Mark Marizzaldi has led the Griffins to national status in the past and will work again to receive that same recognition in the 2009 season.
By Anne Williams
Staff Writer
This year, the Seton Hill University (SHU) Griffin’s baseball team will come out swinging. SHU has always had a strong men’s baseball program since its start
in 2004. Head coach Mark Marizzaldi has led the Griffins to national status in the past and will work again to receive that same recognition in the 2009 season.
Bob Stokes, a local high school and legion coach also assists the Griffin’s team. Stokes has been coaching part time with the Griffins since the team’s first season. Michael Houck also volunteers as a hitting and infield coach alongside Marizzaldi. Houck has coached high school and legion teams as well and brings experience to the team from his stand-out career at Bethany College. This will be Houck’s second season with the Griffins.
Two graduate assistants fall in with the rest of the coaching staff positions. Brandon Whitfield, a four year player at Seton Hill, with an impressive individual career, will give direction to players as a hitting and infield coach. Whitfield tops many of the all-time charts on the team’s stat records and will add depth to the coaching staff. Steve Long, also a graduate assistant, will work with the pitchers this season after his own standout pitching record with the Griffins from 2004-2007. Long will also bring experience in coaching from his position on the staff of Hampton High School last spring.
With a skillful coaching staff for the 2009 season and a team goal of winning the WVIAC conference title as well as making it to the Division II World series, the SHU baseball team can expect to go far.
With an overall record of 26-23 and a WVIAC record of 8-8 last spring, the team wants to stick with a successful season, but win more games. Despite their losses, SHU baseball has been ranked third in the Northern Division of the WVIAC conference, based on a coaches poll. Pitt Johnstown takes the number one spot, followed by the number two team, Shepard. SHU will take on both teams during their 2009 season.
The 2009 team is younger than last season’s. While losing only a handful of seniors, it has gained 15 freshmen. There are now three leading senior players that will bring strength to the team: Mike McCarthy, a key shortstop, Derek Donaldson as an outfielder, and Matt McCartney as leading pitcher. The roster includes five juniors and 12 sophomores with a diversity in positions. With a large freshman class, this may pose as a weakness for the team in college game experience.
However, freshman Mike LeViseur begs to differ. “We have a lot of talented young players on the team. That, combined with the experience and leadership of the upperclassman, makes us a formidable opponent,” said LeViseur.
The team has been preparing since the second week back from summer break and continued working hard through winter up until their first game that took place on March 4th at home against Fairmont State. The double header resulted in an 11-5 win and a 0-1 loss. The team also played over spring break in Florida, facing teams such as the number two ranked University of Tampa, Flagler College, and finished up their trip with teams in Winter Haven, FL.
According to Whitfield, this is the toughest schedule he has seen since the program started. “This will be an exciting group of guys to watch,” he said.
They play three of the top 25 nationally ranked Division II baseball teams. Some of these teams to look out for include University of Tampa, Shippensburg, and Ashland.
Sophomore outfielder, Pat Kohl, said, “I can’t wait to play against some of the best teams in Division II baseball and see what some of the new guys can do. It’s hard to say what our record will be at this point, but I think we will be a better team than last season.”
One of the focus points that the coaches are stressing is the importance of being mentally prepared. By keeping and showing a confident mindset, players will already know what they are going to do in game situations. With a strong running game, tough pitchers and catchers, and a solid infield and outfield, SHU baseball can be expected to fulfill all of their expectations.