2023 Outlook: No. 22 Wooster Primed for Another Run at Championships

Sustained success is synonymous with The College of Wooster baseball team, which will see its ability to reload tested from day one with the graduation of two All-Americans, its entire starting outfield, catcher, and several key pitchers. Alumnus Barry Craddock, who leads the program he helped build into an annual title contender as the lead assistant prior to being named head coach upon the retirement of Tim Pettorini, is very confident the Fighting Scots are armed with the blueprint to successfully capture another North Coast Athletic Conference title and make a deep postseason run.

"We are reloaded again to compete for the NCAC title and beyond," summed up Craddock, whose team is ranked 22nd in the D3baseball.com/National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Preseason Top-25 Poll. "We have quality guys who are back, talented returnees who have been waiting for their opportunities, and we have an extraordinarily talented first-year class."

Wooster's sustained success centers on the team scoring often, something the Scots have done nearly nine times per game (8.91) over the last quarter century. Last year's team was able to rely on All-American RBI machine Tyler Chumita and the lightning-fast duo of All-American Ben Gbur and Ben Hines for plenty of run production, something the likes of the very capable Eli Westrick, Dane Camphausen, Nick Pett, and Dean Brown will be tasked with spearheading as returning starters.

"Eli is just an outstanding all-around player," highlighted Craddock. "He is the number one pitcher from a team ranked in the top-25. He will be in the top of the order after hitting .373 last year, and he's going to challenge to hit .400 this year. He is one of the top utility guys in the region."

"Nick is on his way to being an All-American-type player, continued Craddock. "You can't think about the types of awards though; you just have to do the work, put up your numbers, feel good about that, and hopefully that gets us one step closer than we got last year. Dane is the type of guy who can hit 15-20 homers in a season if he gets on a roll. We are seeing a marked improvement with contact with Dane in practices. When he makes contact, it goes pretty far."

The team-first mentality and "what can I do to help this team be successful" is something that is regularly preached to recruits and discussed within the team setting daily at practices, per Craddock. That has led to an uptick of two-way players within the program, like Westrick who is a front-end starting pitcher and infielder. Brown, a starter at third base, who has taken on increased pitching responsibilities, projects to start in right field this year, and could see a short relief role similar to Gbur's from last season.

"I think Eli is going to be one of the top three pitchers in the conference," shared Craddock, who loves the junior's consistency when it comes to filling up the strike zone. "Dean is going to pitch right from the get-go. He has played an awful lot of baseball in a Fighting Scots' uniform, and I'm very confident with his abilities. He is going to go out and give us his best, and his best is pretty good."

Third base has been where some of Wooster's most talented two-way players have made their home of late. All-American alumnus Chandler Dippman earned the starting third base role as a first-year, and went on to graduate as the starter, plus Wooster's number one pitcher. Brown was the latest first-year to start every day at third base, and a Wooster first-year could be there again this year. Ryan Kramer's "tremendous amount of talent," has him as the projected starter heading into the season, per Craddock, who could rely on him for some innings on the mound as well.

Patiently waiting for opportunities, then seizing them, is another hallmark of Wooster's program, and Pett is one of the recent success stories in this area. The then-first-year broke into the mix with opportunities at second base and in a small relief role, and by season's end, he was a regular in the lineup while starting at either second or third base. He projects to be Wooster's starting shortstop as a sophomore.

"Nick and Tyler (Chumita) are different players, but they are both excellent defenders," summed up Craddock when comparing Pett to Wooster's graduated star. "Nick is probably even one step better than Tyler defensively. I see Nick taking that step towards being an All-American with the offensive numbers. He is a special talent who we are excited to have for the next three years."

Senior captain Riley McErlean and first-year Colin Leslie project to split time at catcher, per Craddock, while beyond Brown, the Scots' coach is not ready to name projected starting outfielders.

"I think Dean is going to be out there in right field," shared Craddock. "We are still figuring out center and left. We have some leaders in the clubhouse right now, but their lead is very small. We have a lot of talented outfielders who are vying for those spots, both returning players and first-years."

Designated hitter is an area of high competition this preseason. Craddock noted sophomore Taylor Cann and junior Bryn Langley are among the group pushing hard to be in that spot, and should one of them earn it, it will give the lineup great lefty-righty balance. However, ultimately the "hot hand" will prevail, per Craddock, who relies heavily on the designated hitter position to put up runs.

Other returning position players for the Scots include sophomore outfielder Ben Carroll, sophomore outfielder Alex Gerdenich, sophomore utility Andy Heintz, junior infielder Grant Mitchell, senior outfielder Jack Whitehouse, and sophomore outfielder Leo Widtmann.

Craddock feels strongly that his team has "very good pitching," and that area is "one of the most underrated parts of the team." Wooster did have to figure things out during last year's incredible run to the NCAA Div. III Super Regionals, often piecing pitching together during the three-week postseason ride, but that is something that should bode well for more traditional success this spring.

"Guys like Owen Barnard, Ryan Sullivan, and Ethan Samangy really grew up down the stretch," said Craddock. "The fact that those guys are all seniors and all pitched crucial postseason innings is a huge plus for us. They are not going to get intimated by any situation. We have other talented returning pitchers and brought in a strong first-year class to complement that group."

Junior Corey Knauf and Barnard are Wooster's other returning starting pitchers. Knauf made headlines as a sophomore with the program's first 15 strikeout game since 1944, while Barnard started games Wooster won on consecutive days at the Alton Regional.

"We've considered Corey to have number one stuff written all over him since he arrived on campus," added Craddock. "He has had flashes of that, there's no question. If he can put together a season's worth of performances like he has shown us he is capable of, the sky is the limit for Corey. Owen has transformed himself since he has been here and has gotten really, really good. He is a stronger athlete than he has ever been and is more confident in himself and his teammates."

Throwing strikes consistently and being "willing to challenge hitters" leads to opportunities out of the bullpen, something the likes of Sullivan, Samangy and senior Christian Johnston capitalized on last year. Sullivan and Samangy led the team with 25 appearances and Johnston was right behind with 22. Good preparation throughout the season led to the trio being called on multiple times per week, and even multiple times per day during the postseason run.

"We're going to continue to lean on our relief core when we need to," stated Craddock. "Guys who fill up the strike zone are going to get in there, whether that is guys who we relied on last year, seniors, juniors, or sophomores who are patiently waiting for opportunity to be earned, or first-years."

Other returning pitchers include Gerdenich, sophomore Thomas Gfell, senior Steven Leicht, senior Ian Leon, and senior Hayden Sherry.

Wooster's roster is rounded out by a first-year class consisting of pitcher Devin Anthony, catcher/pitcher Cooper Baer, pitcher Taran CoyneSmith, pitcher Logan Creamer, pitcher Sammy De Maio, outfielder Dan Hanson, catcher/utility Nathaniel Huxtable, Kramer, Leslie, infielder Andrew McGowan, outfielder John Panstares, and outfielder Matt Roche.

"We couldn't be more excited by the depth and breadth of this class," stated Craddock. "There is at least one, maybe as many as four or five potential All-Americans in this class. That is how talented we think it is."

Wooster's season starts with a noon home doubleheader against Grove City College on Saturday, February 25. The team then heads to Florida for a 11-game slate before returning home to take on John Carroll University at 4 p.m. on Wednesday, March 29. NCAC play starts with a doubleheader at Oberlin College on Saturday, April 1, while Wooster and Denison University renew their baseball rivalry on Saturday, April 15 in Granville, Ohio. Wooster has nine games scheduled against teams either ranked or receiving votes in the D3baseball.com/NCBWA Top-25 Poll and 11 against teams that made last year's NCAA Div. III Regional field.

"The NCAC will be highly, highly competitive," wrapped up Craddock. "There are six or seven teams who will vie for the top four in the tournament. We certainly cannot take any team for granted. We stubbed our toe a couple times last year, put our backs against the wall, and that forced us to win out just to make the NCAC Tournament. We want to compete against every team like they are the top team in the country. If we compete at a high level every single pitch, I like our chances."