The Penn State Altoona baseball team found itself in an
unfamiliar position at the conclusion of last season. Head coach Joe Piotti’s
squad finished 11-25 and failed to make the conference playoffs for the first
time in program history. With a young but talented 2008 roster highlighted by
four key upperclassmen, the Lions are determined to get back to the postseason
and erase the memories of 2007.
“We were disappointed with last year’s results,” noted Piotti, who
enters his 13th season as skipper. “We did have a lot of injuries but did not
get good production offensively. Despite being very young, I think we will
improve our offensive performance and make a playoff push this season.”
A major aid to that cause is the return of fifth-year
senior Tony Petulla, a two-time Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference
Co-Player of the Year and Triple Crown winner. The Philipsburg native played
three games last season before suffering a season-ending wrist injury. He was
granted a medical redshirt and is back for another year. After playing infield
his whole career, Petulla will move behind the plate in 2008 and handle an
extremely young pitching staff. The lone upperclassmen among the hurlers is
junior Paul Keith, a flame throwing righty who sported a 1.98 ERA and fanned 18
batters. Classmate RJ Barnard, an Altoona native, has been a mainstay at second
base and hit .345 a season ago. 53-year-old senior John Wilson, one of the
oldest collegiate athletes in NCAA history, will be a positive influence and
role model for his younger teammates.
“Tony Petulla is the best offensive player in the league, and Paul Keith
has the potential to be one of the best pitchers,” stated Piotti. “RJ will
anchor our infield and Johnny is essentially another coach out there. With such
a young group, we have to get great production from those guys.”
The Penn State Altoona roster is typically ‘freshman
heavy’, and the 2008 depth chart is no exception as more than two-thirds of the
players are in their first year. Grady Luzier will step in and play first base
while shortstop duties will be split between Altoona alum Tyler Stiffler and
Brian Smith. Ryan Pollicino and Andy Slifko will see time at third base to
round out the infield. The entire outfield will consist of freshmen led by Zack
King, who Piotti says has unlimited ability and very good speed.
“The youthfulness on the pitching staff is a concern, but I
believe we have a lot of natural talent at all positions,” said Piotti, who led
the 2000 Lions to their first and only AMCC title. “All of our young guys come
from solid high school programs, and they know how to play baseball. We just
need to get them adjusted to the college game quickly.”
Penn State Altoona will have to improve both offensively
and defensively to crack the postseason this year. The Lions were near the
bottom of the league in team hitting (.283), team pitching (6.09 ERA), and team
fielding (.922 fielding %) in 2007 and were hit hard by injuries. As usual,
the 2008 schedule will afford Altoona no breaks. The squad begins its season
in the Orlando area for a series of 10 games during spring break. During that
stretch, Altoona will meet some of the top Division III teams in the nation.
New Jersey City University is currently ranked 14th in the nation
while Transylvania and Westfield State are both receiving votes in the Top 25
poll. Nonconference match-ups with Waynesburg, Washington & Jefferson, and
Juniata are scattered throughout the season, and an April 27 home date with
soon-to-be AMCC member Franciscan University will serve as senior day.
Frostburg State has won back-to-back league titles and is
the coaches pick to win for the third straight year. Traditional powers La
Roche, Penn State Behrend, and Pitt-Bradford will also prove difficult tests
while Pitt-Greensburg returns the 2007 AMCC Player of the Year in Matt Stanziano.
The Lions are picked seventh in the AMCC Preseason Coaches Poll which would be
an improvement from last season’s ninth place finish. But Piotti and the team
have much higher aspirations that include making the playoffs and challenging
for an AMCC crown.
“We are looking forward to another season and a return to
the postseason,” noted Piotti. “With some luck and solid play, we expect to be
competitive in the conference. Our confidence level is high, and I think the
guys really believe this can be a great season.”
Piotti will be assisted by Ryan Michaels and Mike Morgan.
Michaels was an assistant on the Lion staff from 2000-2003 and will serve as the
pitching coach. He received a baseball scholarship to Division I West Virginia
and was named the Rookie of the Year there in 1996. Morgan has been involved
with the game of baseball as a player, coach, and umpire for more than 30
years. He is also a PIAA official in several sports and played basketball and
baseball at Juniata College in the late 1970’s.
Penn State Altoona opens its season on Saturday, March 8,
with a doubleheader against Wheaton (IL) in Orlando, Florida. The 2008 home
opener is Tuesday, March 25, as Waynesburg comes to the Ivyside Athletic Field
for a 1:00 PM doubleheader.
