MOUNT VERNON – The outlook is bright for coach Seth Wing's Cornell baseball program, in particular the next several days as the Rams catch some Florida warmth during a six-game, season-opening stay in Fort Myers.
The Rams open a promising campaign Friday with a nine-inning game against Saint John's (Minn.). Cornell has dates with Northland (March 8), Lakeland (March 9, doubleheader), Wisconsin Lutheran (March 11) and Skidmore (March 12) as part of the Gene Cusic Classic.
Wing is anxious to unveil a deep roster stocked with young talent. The Rams feature 28 freshmen and sophomores on the 34-man squad.
"When you have this many young guys, there's going to be more energy," Wing said. "These guys are hungry. They want this. That's why they came here, to turn this thing around. There's a lot of good vibes in the program right now."
The Rams are coming off a 12-22 season with half of the losses decided by two runs or less. They finished 7-8 in the MWC South Division, one-half game short of a potential berth in the MWC Tournament.
Cornell is expected to contend for the division crown this spring with the aid of five returning position starters and its entire pitching rotation intact. The Rams are picked second in the five-team South, just one point behind defending division champion Knox, and one point ahead of 2013 postseason qualifier Grinnell.
"Ever since missing the conference tournament last year, that's been the only thing on our guys' minds," said Wing, entering his third season at the helm. "Last year's freshmen helped us take a step forward. The next step is to make the conference tournament."
The Rams return virtually every inning thrown from last year's pitching staff. Junior Kyle Stennes is at the top of the rotation, posting a 4-3 record and 4.50 ERA in 2013. Senior Jeremy Ryan led the team with nine starts and 47.1 innings pitched.
Junior Beriah Quick and sophomores Jared Henry, Kevin Stahmer, Tyler Riggs and Chuck Rocker all logged at least 20 innings on the mound. Stahmer compiled a team-best 3.60 ERA.
In addition to the experienced arms, Wing said three freshmen pitchers could potentially crack the starting rotation.
The same competition can be said for position battles on the team. "A lot of spots are up for grabs, and probably will be for the first 15 games," noted Wing. "Auditions will continue through the month of March. Whatever happens down in Florida will no doubt be beneficial for us."
Quick, a middle infielder, is the team's top returning hitter with a .364 average, 17 RBIs and 14 runs last season. Sophomore first baseman Max Freilinger (.296, 20 RBIs, 7 2B) and sophomore third baseman Wyatt Kurzejeski (.304, 16 RBIs) combined for 47 starters at the corner infield spots.
Sophomores Jake Lehman (.333, 16 RBIs, 12 2B) and Brandon Davis (.333, 13 runs) bring starting experience to the outfield. Sophomore Buddy Mattern (.304, 17 runs) also had a solid rookie season at catcher and designated hitter.
In all, the Rams have 19 letterwinners back on the team. Infielders Alex Schnebbe and Kody Karjala are three-year letterwinners. Quick, Stennes, Ryan and Chris Rana make up the junior class.
Wing welcomes 15 first-year players to the Hilltop.
"We will have some freshmen make an immediate impact to our success this year," Wing said. "Overall, we're more athletic, we're faster, we have stronger arms and we're better defensively. We don't have a big bopper like (2013 All-American shortstop) Zach Rogers in the middle of our lineup, but one through nine we're going to be relentless through the batting order."
Upon returning from Florida, the Rams are scheduled to play Hamline in a March 16 doubleheader in Columbia, Mo. They also have neutral site games slated against Presentation (March 22) and Northwestern (March 23) in Altoona.
Cornell opens its 16-game division schedule April 5 at Knox. The next day, Knox comes to Mount Vernon for the Rams' home opener. Cornell also has home dates on April 18 (Monmouth), April 26-27 (Illinois College) and May 3 (Grinnell).
The top two teams in the North and South divisions qualify for the MWC Tournament May 9-10. The Rams are seeking their first postseason berth since 2004.
"The South Division is up for grabs," Wing said. "Every single conference weekend is going to be a challenge. Our goal is to win every series, and we can."
