GROVE CITY, Pa. – Nineteen returning lettermen and a large crop of newcomers comprise the 2022 Grove City College baseball roster as the Wolverines look to capture the Presidents' Athletic Conference title this spring. The Wolverines won a program-record 28 games last season, including a 22-5 mark in conference play. Seventh-year head coach Matt Royer welcomes back numerous key contributors in the field and on the pitching staff from the 2021 campaign.

INFIELD
Grove City returns three starters in the infield: junior catcher C.J. Saylor (Lancaster, Pa./Hempfield), fifth-year senior first baseman Bubba Hamilton (Garner, N.C./Waynesboro, Pa.) and sophomore shortstop Lucca Baccari (Irwin, Pa./Penn Trafford).

Saylor earned First Team All-Mideast Region and All-PAC First Team in 2021 after leading the conference with 52 runs scored. He hit .359 and posted a .577 slugging percentage while also swiping 12 bases in 12 attempts.

Hamilton belted a school-record 22 doubles last year and hit .333. He drove in 32 runs and captured Second Team All-PAC honors. Baccari solidified Grove City's infield defense in his 37 starts. He returns for his second season on the left side of the infield.

At third base, senior Matt Lew (Redmond, Wash./Bellevue Christian) and junior Noah Cyphert (Kittanning, Pa./Armstrong) are both in the mix after seeing time there in 2021. Lew hit .279 in 13 total starts last year while Cyphert started 11 games and posted a .239 average.

Sophomore Matson Higgins (Lucinda, Pa./North Clarion) and several rookies are competing for the starting nod at second base, according to Royer.

Sophomore Isaak Flaming (Dresden, Maine/Morse) hit .333 as a part-time designated hitter in 2021 and could spell Hamilton at first base.

A number of newcomers are vying to be Saylor's primary backup behind the plate.

OUTFIELD
Grove City returns two All-PAC honorees and three other seasoned veterans in the outfield. Fifth-year senior Jesse Clary (Cranberry Township, Pa./Eden Christian) returns as Grove City's starting left fielder while junior Anthony Tambellini (Pittsburgh, Pa./Montour) returns in right field. Both men earned Second Team All-PAC recognition in 2021.

Clary shared the team lead with four home runs last season. He tied for second on the team with 40 runs scored while manning the leadoff spot.
Tambellini hit .353 last year, his first season as a starter. A converted infielder, Tambellini will look to retain the No. 2 spot in the batting order behind Clary.

Seniors Joey Kolb (Riverside, Calif./Arlington) and Colton Lineman (Apex, N.C./Northwood) both return for their fourth season.

Kolb has made 29 career starts and has played extensively as a defensive replacement. He will challenge for the center field job. Lineman, meanwhile, has started 59 games in the corner outfield positions during his career. He will look to reclaim a full-time spot this spring.

Junior Aaron Jenks (Fairport, N.Y./Fairport) will also compete for the center field job this season. He hit .279 in 13 starts last year.

A number of newcomers are also in the outfield mix, according to Royer.

The Wolverines may use several men in the DH spot again this year.

PITCHING
Grove City returns the ace of its starting rotation in senior right-hander Tate Ostrowski (Essex, Mass./Covenant Christian). An All-Region and All-PAC selection last season, Ostrowski went 8-2 with a 1.78 earned run average in 10 starts. He limited opponents to a .191 average and allowed only 69 total baserunners in 70 2/3 innings.

Grove City also returns fifth-year senior righty D.J. Newby (McKeesport, Pa./McKeesport) and junior left-hander Elijah White (Zelienople, Pa./Portersville Christian) as potential starters this season.

Newby struck out 108 men in 103 innings over his first two seasons and will look to recapture that form this season. He made five starts last season.

The 6-foot-7 White went 3-1 in seven total appearances in 2021. He limited batters to a .215 average as a junior.

Sophomore left-hander Nick Guidas (Gibsonia, Pa./Pine-Richland) went 5-2 with two saves and a 2.32 ERA in 16 total appearances last season. He averaged nearly 11 strikeouts per nine innings as a freshman and could move into the rotation on a full-time basis this year.

Royer expects several newcomers to compete for spots in the starting rotation.

Senior left-hander Noah Sedmak (Falls Church, Va./Falls Church), senior Robby Randolph (Cranberry Township, Pa./North Catholic), sophomore Nate Hamel (Pittsburgh, Pa./Upper Saint Clair) and sophomore Christian Hoffmann (Venetia, Pa./Peters Township) are among the candidates for Grove City's bullpen.

Sedmak went 1-0 in four appearances last season. Randolph also pitched in four games in 2021. Hamel made six appearances and tossed a complete game in his lone start while Hoffmann made one appearance in his freshman season.

SCHEDULE
Grove City will open the 2022 season February 19 with games against Kentucky foes Asbury and Berea. The Wolverines will then head to central Florida for a week of games in early March. Grove City's 27-game conference schedule begins March 25 at Geneva.