GETTYSBURG, Pa. – With nearly its entire roster intact from last season, the Gettysburg College baseball team will field a highly-experienced and talented squad in the 2010 campaign.

The Bullets finished 17-21 last season and tied for sixth in the Centennial Conference standings at 7-11. Their record was deceiving, however, as they lost 10 games in which they held a lead going into the last two innings.

This year, Gettysburg brings back its entire starting lineup except for its first baseman and returns four of the five pitchers who threw the most innings a year ago.

According to 24th-year head coach John Campo, holding onto leads late in the game will be critical for the Bullets, who were picked to finish fifth in the Centennial Conference preseason coaches poll.

“I feel good about the overall outlook for us this year,” said Campo, the all-time winningest coach in program history. “But whether we're just going to be OK or a championship-caliber club is going to come down to those games that are winnable for us in the last couple innings. We were one out away in a couple games last year, and in two games we were one strike away. If you look at our record, if you take even half of those and turn them around our way, you're looking at a totally different season.”

Offensively, Gettysburg will return its top six hitters from 2009 while the returning pitching staff won all but two of the team's games last year.

“I think we can score runs,” said Campo. “We have a veteran lineup, we have a veteran pitching staff, and I think we're going to be much better defensively.”

On the mound, the Bullets bring back a highly-experienced rotation in juniors Matt Karis (Southborough, Mass./Noble & Greenough School) and Kyle Conklin (Wantage, N.J./High Point) and seniors Michael Sweeney (Bethesda, Md./St. Anselm's Abbey School) and Derek Zaleski (Haddonfield, N.J./Haddonfield).

Karis was the workhorse of the staff last season, logging a team-leading 69 2/3 innings – which ranked third among the conference leaders – and tossing a team-best five complete games. He also tied for the team lead in victories, finishing 5-3 with a 3.75 ERA – second on the team and 10th in the Centennial Conference.

Conklin enjoyed a solid season in his first year on the mound at Gettysburg, going 4-2 with a 3.86 ERA while making four starts among his nine appearances. Sweeney pitched primarily as a reliever, making 12 of his 15 appearances out of the bullpen, but led the team and tied for second in the Centennial Conference in ERA (3.07) while picking up three saves. Zaleski was 5-3 over nine games and six starts.

“These guys have all been pitching since their freshman year,” said Campo. “They have a lot of innings under their belts and a lot of experience. And they all have shown that they can win at this level.”

The Bullets also bring back sophomore Mike Odierna (Weston, Conn./Weston), who relieved in 10 of his 11 games. After striking out 22 batters in 17 2/3 innings, he is projected to be the team's closer this season. Also returning is senior John Antrim-Cashin (Dobbs Ferry, N.Y./Fordham Prep), who turned in a 3.86 ERA and 11 strikeouts over seven games and 11 2/3 innings, and sophomore left-hander Bobby Martz (Lower Gwynedd, Pa./Chestnut Hill Academy), who pitched in five games.

Four freshmen will also vie for time on the mound in lefty Ryan Taylor (Eldersburg, Md./Loyola Blakefield), John Donovan (Fairfield, Conn./Fairfield Ludlowe), Steve Madison (Manhasset, N.Y./Manhasset), and Will Patterson (Ho-Ho-Kus, N.J./Northern Highlands).

Behind the plate, senior tri-captain Craig Barrows (Whippany, N.J./Whippany Park) is back after leading the team in hitting (.370) last year. Campo had high praise for his backstop in the preseason.

“Craig just does a nice job,” said Campo. “He's a great leader and a take-charge guy. He's smart and knows the game. He has a high energy level all the time. And he's really worked his tail off and improved his arm strength.”

Junior Cory Jackmuff (Woodbury, N.J./West Deptford) gives the team a solid backup after starting 12 games last year. Freshmen Matt Crane (Darien, Conn./Fairfield College Prep) and James Camire (Acton, Mass./Acton-Boxborough Regional) will provide additional options.

At first base, the Bullets suffered their only loss to the starting lineup with the graduation of Scott Vladyka '09. This season, Campo expects sophomore Sean Johnson (Mendham, N.J./Gill St. Bernard's), who has good pop in his bat, or classmate Clint O'Brien (Cranbury, N.J./Princeton Day School), a converted shortstop and a good athlete, to fill the vacancy.

A pair of freshmen – George Caswell (Kennett Square, Pa./Unionville) and Drew Hoppes (Baldwin, Md./Loyola Blakefield) – will also compete for playing time.

The middle infield has been reversed from last year, as junior Chris Simard (Lexington, Mass./Belmont Hill) will move to shortstop, where he started 25 games as a freshman before starting all of his 37 games at second base last year, while sophomore Augie Stadtmueller (Bernardsville, N.J./Bernards) will slide over to second. Simard hit .241 and was second on the team in stolen bases last year, going 8-for-9. Stadtmueller batted .255 in 2009 while starting 17 times at shortstop.

“I think we have a good solid middle infield,” said Campo. “They both played well in the fall and they're both good baseball athletes.”

Senior Mike Backus (Piscataway, N.J./Immaculata) gives the Bullets a formidable weapon at third base. A team tri-captain, he hit .292 last year and was third in the Centennial Conference with 15 doubles. He is a career .334 hitter, a two-time all-conference selection, and all-region pick in 2008.

“We're obviously looking for big things from Mike with the bat,” said Campo. “But the thing that has impressed me the most is that he's really worked hard on his defense to be more consistent as a third baseman. He had a great fall defensively.”

Providing the team a highly-versatile infielder is senior Cory Beddick (Columbia, Pa./Hempfield), who hit .304 in 24 at-bats last year. Freshmen Brett Norton (Milwood, N.Y./Horace Greeley) and Pat Landry (Old Lyme, Conn./Lyme-Old Lyme) give the team additional middle infielders while classmate Dan O'Malley (Oak Brook, Ill./Northfield Mt. Hermon ([Mass.]) will push for time at one of the corner spots. O'Brien can also play third base for the Bullets.

The starting outfield of senior tri-captain Kevin Langhauser (Basking Ridge, N.J./Ridge), sophomore Drew Roy (Needham, Mass./Needham), and junior Cam Riera (Medway, Mass./Medway) also comes back. Langhauser and Roy will trade positions, however, with Langhauser moving to center and Roy taking over in left.

The speedy Langhauser, who performed well in center during the fall, hit .312 last year and tied the single-season school record with nine triples. The team's leading base stealer, he swiped 13 bags on 15 attempts. An All-Centennial honoree in 2008, he ranks sixth in school history in steals, going 29-for-32.

Roy turned in an impressive freshman season last year, batting .345 – second among the Bullets –
while starting all 38 games in centerfield. Riera will man rightfield again after finishing third on the team with his .338 average.

Other outfielders who will vie for playing time are senior Matt Zwaan (Berwyn, Pa./Malvern Prep), sophomore Eric Williams (Cortez, Fla./St. Stephens), and freshmen Brett Clarke (Newtown, Conn./Pomfret School) and Pat Cody (Chesapeake, Va./Great Bridge). Taylor or O'Brien could also see time.

Karis also doubles as the team's designated hitter and excelled in his role at the plate last season, hitting .302 and setting a school record with 29 walks.

An extremely snowy February has forced the Bullets to hold all of their practices indoors. However, Campo is confident his team will be ready to go when it digs its spike into the dirt for the first time this year.

“We're inside at this time of year anyway,” said Campo. “We hit every day in the cages, our pitchers throw inside, we get our infield work done, we long throw. So it really hasn't affected us that much.”

After having their first two games of the year cancelled due to snowy fields, the Bullets added a doubleheader at Bridgewater (Va.) College for this Sunday, making it the team's new season opener. Gettysburg will then visit Catholic University March 3 before heading south for its annual Spring Break trip, playing 10 games in seven days at Vero Beach, Fla.

The Bullets play their home opener against Penn State-Harrisburg on March 16, and their Centennial Conference opener is scheduled for March 23 at home against Johns Hopkins University.

Centennial Conference Preseason Coaches Poll
1. Johns Hopkins (6), 78 pts.
2. Franklin & Marshall (2), 71 pts.
3. Haverford (2), 64 pts.
4. Ursinus, 49 pts.
5. Gettysburg, 46 pts.
6. Muhlenberg, 39 pts.
7. Dickinson, 38 pts.
8. Swarthmore, 29 pts.
9. Washington, 21 pts.
10. McDaniel, 15 pts.

First-place votes in parentheses