Returning for his second full season in charge of the SVSU baseball program, head coach Chris Ebright and company will look to improve upon a 20-20-1 finish a year ago.
The large roster turnover from last season will be the storyline for a young team looking to compete near the top of the GLIAC.
A strong offseason was the first step towards where the team looks to go this season.
“Fall ball was great,” Ebright said. “We got better every single day. We put in our type of offensive philosophy and brought in a new strength and conditioning coach, which is huge.”
Now, as the team’s regular season begins, SVSU won’t have any time to get its feet wet.
The Cardinals’ spring trip features some of the toughest competition in the country.
“On our spring trip, we are playing two of the top teams in the south, and on our way back, we’re going to play three top teams in our region,” Ebright said. “We’re going to see where our baseball program is at this current time.”
Last season, SVSU was the top defensive team in the GLIAC, while possessing the second best pitching staff in the conference.
In order for this year’s team to compete near the top, the offense must contribute heavily as well.
“We need to execute offensively,” Ebright said. “If we execute offensively the way we should and stick to our approach, there’s no reason we can’t be at the top of the conference.”
The Cardinals’ lineup will feature several newcomers.
Redshirt freshman Adam Fitzgibbon will be in center field, while junior outfielder Greg Kazmierski and infielder Garrett Soule join the team after transferring from the junior college level.
The team will also look to freshman catcher Carson Eby and freshman shortstop Jordan Swiss to play well in their first collegiate seasons.
The team also returns Rich Guglielmi, who hit .315 last season, and infielder Chad Carson, who batted .396, along with Brendan Harrison, a .279 hitter a season ago.
The pitching staff will return two of the GLIAC’s top pitchers from last season in redshirt junior Scott Sency and redshirt sophomore Michael Ellenbest, both of whom were second-team All-GLIAC last season.
Ellenbest was also the GLIAC’s Freshman Pitcher of the Year in the GLIAC.
“The pitching staff is very deep this year,” assistant coach Jordan Schwellenbach said. “We have a good mix of young guys and older guys. If we are going to compete for a championship, we need every pitcher to do his part.”
