3/22/19
Head coach – Jeremy Haas (1st season)
Assistants – Shawn Betz, Mike Mihalik, Brian Coffman (JV coach), Jason Geist, Bobby Mirth, Justin Fizer
Home games – Church Lane Park
Season-opener – March 23 vs Pocono Mountain East (Home/11 am)
Last year – 16-6 overall/12-4 EPC ; defeated Liberty 10-0 in EPC quarterfinals, lost to Easton 7-3 in semis …..lost to Pocono Mountain East 7-3 in districts
Players lost to graduation – OF Evan Marushak (.382, Hagerstown CC), P/1B Adam LeMaster (.328, ESU), SS Ryan Kasye (.321), 2B Gunnar Schichtl (.302), P Brendan Lynch, Utility Ryan Domingues
Returnees – Jr. 3B Wyatt Henseler (team-leading .424 avg), Sr. OF/1B Brandon Robinson (.392), Sr. P/1B Kellan Tulio (.375/4-3 3.00 ERA), Sr. LF Justus Darville, Sr. C Ian Kauffman (.373/injured), Sr. P/OF Robert Church (3-0, 0.81 ERA), Sr. P Dylan Lehman (4-0, 2.27 ERA), SR. OF/P Austin McEllroy, Sr. SS Keegan Nytz (.347), Sr. CF/RF Cameron Brooks, Sr. P Jaime Hamilton, Sr. P Everett Horton, Sr. OF/DH Tyler Ritter, Jr. CF/RF/P Jude Negron
Newcomers: Jr. C Jadon Diaz, Jr. 3B Joel Freeman, Jr. P/1B Addison Holtzhafer, Jr. 2B Joe Koprowicz, Jr. 2B Matt Madigan, Jr. P Vince Petrizzi, Jr. OF Nick Rodriguez, Jr. P Jason St. Pierre, Soph. P/OF Braden Waller
Outlook: Expectations are high for the Hornets who are coming off a 16-6 season a year ago and lost just three starters to graduation … The program is long overdue to win a championship this season, having not won a league title since 2006 and a District XI title since 2005 …..The team is led by a strong senior class of 12 ….There’s no shortage of pitching this season with as many as three lefties (Tulio, Lehman and Waller) in the starting rotation and more talent in the bullpen …..Offensively, the Hornets feature a balanced lineup led by hitting-leader Henseler, Tulio and Robinson
Coach Haas – “We’re going to be a quality team littered with college talent and we understand that we’re going to have a target on our backs this season. We are going to get everybody’s best on any given day.”
“What I love most about this team is our pitching, our lineup and the flexibility that we have, but what I actually love more is our leadership. Our seniors have taken ownership.”
“Our focus right now is every day to get better. I told them that if their aspirations aren’t league, district or state titles then there’s no place for them here. That’s our goal and everyone is going to have their role, no matter how big or how small, whatever it is. Everyone is going to have their chance and their moment this season.”
EPC challengers – Parkland, Liberty, Easton, Stroudsburg
Follow the team on social media: Twitter (@Emmaussports.com), Facebook (Emmaus baseball), Internet (pennsportsradio.com)