2004 Baseball Preview: Rock-Solid Eagles Look To Maintain Usual Level of Success
January 22, 2004

Ashland University has taken on a new look in the past several years. The trend started with the construction of the student apartments and continued with the building this year of the Richard E. and Sandra J. Dauch College of Business and Economics.

Those buildings are built to last and very few alterations will be needed over the years. The resident architect on campus, AU head baseball coach John Schaly, has a program that’s built to last, too. But unlike the senior apartments or the business building, Schaly has to do some rebuilding every year.

The good news is that the foundation is solid and in place. That’s why the Eagles have advanced to the NCAA Division II playoffs five consecutive years. In 2004, the Eagles must replace the bulk of their pitching staff and fill some position spots with newcomers. But there’s no sense of panic around the Eagles. There’s every reason to believe the Eagles can approach, or go beyond, last year’s 37-20-1 finish.

“Lineup-wise we have pretty good experience returning,” said Schaly, who will welcome back six starters from a team that played in the North Central Regional Tournament. We feel with the mix of new guys we’ll have a solid lineup offensively and defensively. We feel confident we’ll be able to score runs and play good defense.

“We’re definitely younger than we’ve been in awhile,” continued the AU head coach. “We’ll have more freshmen playing than at anytime since I’ve been here. But we think they’re good players. They’ll get better as the year goes on.”

The biggest holes the Eagles have to address concern the pitching staff.

“Obviously we’re losing some quality pitchers,” said Schaly. “Ryan Hartzell is in just about every career record category. Jon Krugman and Nate Wright won a lot of games for us and Chris Skibinski threw a lot of innings. We’ll have a whole new pitching staff. Who’s going to start and who’s going to relieve, we don’t know right now. During the early part of the year we’ll start defining some roles.”

Here’s a quick look at the 2004 Eagles as they get ready for the season.

The Everyday Lineup
In mid-January the Arctic Blast comes to Ashland University. That’s a three-day event where ice sculptures are shown all over campus.

From early March through late May the Ashland Blast will blow through NCAA Division II baseball. That Ashland Blast consists of senior catcher Josh Gaub and senior centerfielder Brandon Cornell. Both are highly skilled all-around players. Both were first team All-GLIAC and first team All-Great Lakes Region selections a year ago. They played key roles as the Eagles finished seventh in the country in team batting average (.352) and 15th in runs scored (8.3 rpg.). Ashland led the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference in nine offensive categories, including batting average, slugging percentage, on-base percentage, runs, hits and total bases.

Gaub, the 2003 GLIAC player of the year, hit a team-best .402 with 16 doubles, two homers and 38 RBI. He was in the GLIAC Top 10 in six categories. His value for the Eagles goes beyond those numbers. He’s a leader for the Eagles on and off the field, a no-holds-barred player who’s an exceptional catcher.

“He’s got to be one of the best players in the country,” said Schaly. “He’s just a great all-around player. He’s the ultimate team player. He’s a great defensive catcher, runs the game, calls a really good game. On top of all of that, he can hit.”

Cornell is the same type of player. He’s a do-it-all centerfielder who ranked in the GLIAC’s Top 10 in seven offensive categories. Cornell hit .377 with a team-leading eight homers and 45 RBI (tied for second on the team). He was the team’s best base stealer, swiping 21 bases in 24 attempts.

“He’s very similar to Gaub, an all-around great player,” Schaly said. “He hits for average and power and he’s a stolen base threat. He’ll hit in the three hole again.

“Defensively, he can run it down,” contined Schaly. “If it’s anywhere near to him he’ll get to it. He’s a good leader and a hard, hard worker.”

The Eagles have three players working hard to establish themselves behind Gaub. That trio consists of sophomore Ray Frisbee and freshmen Matt Grewe and Brian Smith. Frisbee played in 10 games last season.

At first base, it appears as if 6-4, 215-pound freshman Ron Oneson is the frontrunner for the starting job.

“He had a good fall offensively,” Schaly reported. “With his size, he’s got some power potential and he’s a nice target to throw to.”

The AU coaching staff is still in the process of sorting out the picture behind Oneson, but one option is freshman Jeff Yates, a 6-5, 180-pound lefty who could also play in the outfield.

The starting job at second base belongs to junior Adam Wilson. The righthanded hitting Wilson hit .287 a year ago and had 10 stolen bases in 11 attempts. He could be a perfect fit in the leadoff spot. Wilson’s also matured defensively.

“He got to play a lot last year and had a really good fall,” noted Schaly. “I think now’s his time to take off. He’s learned the game a lot better. He’s worked hard.”

Another option at second base is Mark Kahlenberg. The multi-talented senior can play second or shortstop. Kahlenberg started 18 games last season and hit .258.

The Eagles will head into the early days of the season looking to sort out the situation at shortstop. Kahlenberg is one option and sophomore Jim Barry is another. The other choice is senior Eric McDaniel and seeing if he can make the adjustment to shortstop could be one of the most interesting things to watch in the season’s early days.

A first team All-GLIAC pick in 2003 as a third baseman, McDaniel was one of the Eagles most solid players last season, especially late in the regular season and in the postseason. A 5-10, 210-pound righthanded hitter, McDaniel hit .338 with seven homers and 45 RBI. He has a strong arm and steady glove so it’s not far fetched to think that McDaniel can shift to the middle of the infield.

“He got off to a slow start last year but in the second half of the year he came on strong,” reminded Schaly. “He ended up being all-region. He’s sound offensively and defensively. He’s got a strong arm so that’s not an issue.”

If McDaniel nails down the shortstop job, it would appear that freshman Casey Jirsa would be the starter at third base. Jirsa is a 6-1, 185-pound freshman.

“He showed good power in the fall,” Schaly said. “He’s got a cannon for an arm and he showed good range in the fall. He can help us offensively and defensively and he’ll play somewhere.”

Josh Davidson, a 5-10, 205-pound freshman and John Hosgood, a 5-9, 185-pound sophomore, could also see time at third. Davidson hits from the right side and Hosgood is a lefthanded hitter. Hosgood hit .294 in 15 games as a rookie.

In the outfield, everything revolves around the steady Cornell in center. He figures to have some experienced players flanking him. In left field, the Eagles can turn to junior Allen Ayers and sophomore David Waters. Waters, a switch hitter, was an honorable mention All-GLIAC pick last year with a .336 batting average. Ayers hit .356 in 26 games and played well in the season’s latter stages.

“Allen just needed an opportunity to play,” said Schaly. “He’s played two years now in the system. He’s ready to step in. Waters has improved his arm a lot. Plus, he can run.”

In right field, the Eagles figure to turn to senior Bryce Bednarczyk. Last season was his first with Eagles after transferring from Columbus State. The lefthander hit .369 in 37 games.

“Bryce had a great fall hitting,” Schaly reported. “He’s got a great arm and he can run. He can do a lot of things. A year playing here will really help him. He could have a breakout year.”

The Pitching Staff
Jobs are open both in the starting rotation and the bullpen.

The one pitcher who doesn’t have to worry about work is junior Ryan Douglas. The lefthander was a second team All-GLIAC choice in 2003. Douglas is blessed with a live arm – he can pitch often and well. A year ago he was 5-3 with five saves. He led the conference in appearances (22), was third in saves, seventh in strikeouts (58) and eighth in opponents’ batting average (.251).

Several newcomers figure to get long looks. Junior Cody Castle, a 6-3, 185-pound righthander, joins the program from Sinclair Junior College. Todd Martinelli, a 6-3, 210-pound junior, comes to Ashland from Columbus State. Davidson, who figures in the mix at third base, threw well in the fall and Schaly believes he could be counted on for quality innings.

The Eagles also have a newcomer who throws from the left side in 6-1, 185-pound freshman Dan McGinnis.

As for the holdovers, the coaching staff will spend a great deal of time watching senior Larame Woodruff. A 6-0, 215-pound righty, Woodruff missed last season due to an injury. In 2002 he set the school single-season record for saves (9). Woodruff could go back and be the stopper out of the bullpen, but Schaly hasn’t ruled out the possibility of having Woodruff in the starting rotation.

“His rehab went pretty well,” said Schaly. “That’s a big plus. We’ll be very careful and ease him back into it.”

A couple of righties, senior Chad Moore and junior Matt Pignato, bring experience to the staff. Both have enjoyed success in the past. Moore was in eight games last year, going 1-0 with a 2.70 ERA. Pignato was in nine games, starting three, and went 2-1. As a freshman he was 5-1.

Barry, in addition to being a candidate for the shortstop job, could get some time on the mound. He appeared in six game last season. Freshman Matt Patton, a lefty, was redshirted last season and figures to benefit from a year in the program.

Another lefthander who can’t be forgotten is Bednarczyk. He pitched in four games a year ago and was 1-0 with a 1.64 ERA.