Scots Poised to Make Big Strides in 2025

The College of Wooster baseball program is encouraged by the culture resonating throughout the team and the buy-in from every single player, resulting in the Fighting Scots having high aspirations for a much-improved 2025 season.

"Our players are living by the pillars of our program and the mission statement we created last year," said veteran Div. III head coach Aaron Swick, who is in year two leading the Scots. "We feel like there is more talent up the middle, especially on the mount. In addition, the team has taken their effort to a different level and I'm definitely encouraged by the consistency in which they are working."

Junior All-American Ryan Kramer headlines a talented lineup. He led the North Coast Athletic Conference in average (.437, 55-for-126) last year, a mark that ranked in the top-25 nationally. He is continuing to develop, and by "stressing the process and keeping to being the best version of ourself every day," Swick is confident that we will see Kramer enjoy continued success.

"Ryan is an excellent player and has worked on getting stronger and using his mental game to keep things simple while at the plate," shared Swick. "He can change the game at any time with one swing. His presence and experience helps the rest of the lineup."

Wooster's much more experienced in 2025, as six position players who started at least 20 games are back, plus two others who likely would have reached that number if not for injury. Swick's confident the Scots will be able to "build on that experience and success."

Rising sophomore Zack Barienbrock and senior Nick Pett join Kramer as returning starters in the infield. Barienbrock projects to move to third base full-time, while Pett will anchor one of the middle infield positions, per Swick. Barienbrock made an immediate impact to the team as a first-year, earning a spot in the middle of the lineup and being among the team's leaders in hits and RBI. Pett's career year in the power department led to a debut on the all-conference team. He knows what it takes to compete at the championship level from his first-year season, when he was a starter on Wooster's Super Regional squad.

"Zack was our best hitter this fall," said Swick. "He was consistent with using the whole field. He has a strong understanding of the strike zone and his swing. His plate discipline allows him to swing at his pitch. Nick had a good junior season. He has a strong understanding of his swing and can change the game with both his bat and his legs. Between Nick, Ryan, and Zack, and a couple of others, we feel like the lineup will be tough to navigate."

Four first-year middle infielders are vying for the other starting spot up the middle, per Swick. The quartet all bring different strengths to the position offensively and defensively, and the staff is working "to help develop each of them in their own way. Any one of them could be the guy next to Nick," according to Swick.

Senior Andy Heintz adds depth to Wooster's infield.

Catcher is a position of strength for Wooster, and having rising junior Colin Leslie back from injury is a huge part of that. Leslie is a "difference maker with what he brings both offensively and defensively. He is another great athlete who can impact the game with his bat and his legs, is an incredible leader on the field, and helps to manage the pitching staff exceptionally," per Swick. Leslie's intangibles "are like having another coach on the field."

Junior Nathaniel Huxtable "learned a lot from playing last year," per Swick, who noted he is "a really good athlete and wants to play a pivotal role somewhere." That gives Swick another capable player with experience at backup catcher or as someone who can be looked to for at bats and innings from other places.

Senior leadership is fully prevalent in the Scots' outfield, where Leo Widtmann enters the year as the projected starter in center and likewise for Alex Gerdenich in right. Widtmann "had a really good fall offensively and gets on base in many different ways," per Swick, who also touted the senior "stepping up as a leader with his vocalness and taking some of the younger guys under his wings."

Gerdenich did a "really good job of understanding situations and hitting in big spots," per Swick. Those improvements included hitting while behind in the count and with guys on base. Gerdenich is one of the Scots' relief pitchers, and if "he is pitching a lot, that means we have a chance to win," according to Swick.

With Wooster's depth, Swick projects to look at "who is playing well at that time," and other circumstances for who starts in left field. Senior Bryn Langley, sophomore Jay Hanzie, and sophomore Andrew Kerr are the three vying for at bats at the position.

"Jay has worked really hard at improving his swing and learning a new position," said Swick. "Bryn has the ability to change games with his power production and his athleticism. Andrew had a really good summer coming off of injury and has found some keys to be successful out there."

Senior Ben Carroll could see time in the outfield as a late-inning defensive replacement or when Gerdenich is on the mound, and sophomore Tamlin Ferguson adds depth to the senior-heavy outfield.

Wooster's pitching staff "will have more depth and more experience" heading into 2025. Eight new arms are in the program, giving the team much needed depth, something that "was a big key from the recruiting side of things," per Swick.

Four to six guys have the capabilities to be in the rotation, and Swick is high on the "assortment of pitchers who have different strengths." Wooster projects to have the arms needed to provide more different looks and the ability to create favorable matchups when needed with its mix of returnees and newcomers.

Juniors Devin Anthony and Jack Spring are returning front-end arms. Anthony, who battled injuries, is looking to return to his all-conference form from his debut season. Spring improved vastly down the stretch and is looking to build off that success this spring.

"Devin throws a lot of strikes and understands how to pitch really well," said Swick. "Someone with Devin's experience is valuable to the rest of the staff. Jack has improved, and those innings last year were really helpful for him. He rgrew in understanding how to dial in his stuff as the season progressed and he mixes pitches well."

Wooster's sophomore class gained valuable experience last year and are poised for big strides this spring. Those pitchers include Michael Scarpelli, Ben Tarpey, and Constantine Vernadakis.

"Each of the sophomores can point to one or two outings and pull some of the good stuff they did," shared Swick. "Our sophomores have all improved and are stronger. They developed new pitches and harnessed the ones they already had. The valuable innings they threw last year will be a big part of being more prepared for roles this season."

Wooster turned to the transfer portal to help with its pitching depth, adding juniors Tahj Orona and Patrick Wiggins.

"Tahj and Patrick command multiple pitches for strikes and have a chance to pitch significant innings for us," said Swick. "They pitched really well in the fall."

Senior Thomas Gfell "had some big outings for us last year," and is an arm that "brings valuable to the staff," per Swick. The Scots' coach is "looking forward to him helping us out in a bullpen role."

Junior Cooper Baer, one of several Swick's seen significant improvements from, is another right-hander looking for a bigger role as an upperclassman. Swick noted over the summer Baer "found the physical cues and mental consistency" to better harness his pitches.

First-years Maanav Bhatt (infield), Liam Dufour (pitcher), Alex Eusebio (pitcher), Dame Frayne (pitcher), David Guldin (infield), Aidan Krantz (infield), James MacMillan (pitcher), Ben McLean (catcher), Carter O'Neill (pitcher), Luke Rizzo (infield), and Maxwell Snyder (pitcher) round out Wooster's roster.

"Our first-years stepped on campus and were ready to work," summed up Swick. "They are very talented and I could see a lot of them stepping into a variety of roles this season and providing a spark."

Wooster's schedule starts on February 15 with a game against North Park University (Illinois) at Berea College (Kentucky). Wooster is home for the first time against State University of New York Brockport on March 8. NCAC play starts against Ohio Wesleyan University on March 29.

"I like the diversity of the teams we are playing from different regions, and I like playing more games before spring break," concluded Swick. "Of course I like playing more home games. There is less of a bottleneck of midweek games throughout the year, which will enable us to focus on practice, player development, and keeping our team healthy throughout the season."