LA GRANDE, Ore. – Mountaineers baseball is ready to hit the diamond for the 2022 season! Eastern Oregon made the most of their 2021 spring campaign and with a now experienced squad, the team is ready to make strides this year. Read below to learn about this year's squad, the 2022 schedule, and much more.
2022 Season Outlook
• Going into this year, the Mountaineers are picked to finish sixth in the CCC Preseason Coaches' Poll.
• Eastern was tabbed sixth ahead of Bushnell University who is in its first season as a program. In the poll, EOU tallied 13 points.
• The Mountaineers do bring back 27 players from the 2021 campaign, with the majority having seen action on the diamond at multiple positions.
• In all, Eastern has 53 players on the roster. Going into the season opening weekend, 38 of the 53 players are numbered with the expectation of seeing potential field time.
• Those not numbered are likely to redshirt in 2022 as a way to gain experience, but as time moves forward anyone may be called up to play for Eastern.
2021 Season Review
• EOU battled all through the spring season last year, despite obstacles from the global COVID-19 pandemic.
• The Mounties posted a 5-31 overall record and went 5-27 in CCC play.
• As a team, Eastern hit .242 for the year and scored 157 runs. Defensively, Eastern had a fielding percentage of .940 for the year.
• On the mound, the Mounties had a team ERA of 8.81 and fanned 258 batters. They pitched 298.1 innings for the year and gave up 40 home runs.
The Mike McInerney File
•
Mike McInerney enters his second season as head coach of EOU Baseball in 2022. He was named the first head coach for the revitalized Mountaineer Baseball program since it was cut in 2006 back in January 2020.
• In his first season at the helm in 2021, the Mountaineers posted an overall record of 5-31 along with a record of 5-27 in conference play. McInerney picked up his first win as head coach on March 6, 2021, in a 2-0 shutout road victory over the College of Idaho. It was also EOU's first victory since 2006 with the sport's reinstatement. The Mountaineers' first true home win since 2006 was on April 11, 2021, in a 6-4 win over the College of Idaho.
• Prior to coming to La Grande, McInerney was the Associate Head Baseball Coach at NCAA Division II school Western Oregon University in Monmouth. He was with the Wolves for eight seasons from 2012-19.
2022 Schedule
• This year's schedule will be a fully loaded one as the Mountaineers are expected to play 51 games this spring.
• Of the 51 games on deck, there will be 12 series in all that are made up of them. Fans will be able to watch EOU at home in four series this season at Optimist Field in Pioneer Park.
• Home series listed for Eastern are as follows: College of Idaho (March 5-6), Bushnell (March 26-27), Lewis-Clark State (April 8-10), and Corban (April 30-May 1).
• Of the 51 games this year, 27 will be non-conference bouts. In those non-conference tilts, some will feature games against Cascade Collegiate Conference foes, NCAA Division II and III opponents, and quality opponents from around the NAIA.
POSITION BREAKDOWN
INFIELD
Catchers
• This year, the Mountaineers have nine catchers on deck in
Justin Duso,
Matt Garcia,
Mario Landeros,
Elliott Marks,
Jamie Powell,
Josh Robbins,
Mason Van Arsdall, and
Brooks Wann.
• Looking to lead this group as a full year rettuner will be
Elliott Marks. He appeared in 27 games last year, all as a starter and was fourth on the team in hitting at .237.
• Defensively, Marks had 188 putouts and turned three double plays. He also threw out 19 base runners and had a fielding percentage of .982.
•
Matt Garcia adds depth as aplayer who joined mid-year last season. He started 11 games last season and managed to hit two home runs. Defensively, he had 18 putouts and a .905 fielding percentage.
First Base
• Eastern currently has four first basemen on staff in
Garrett Beckman,
Trevor Curl,
Tristan Fergus, and
Donovan Gonzalez. All four are returners from a season ago.
• Of the four, Gonzalez was the only mid-year transfer. Curl saw the most action playing in 25 games before going down with an injury late in the season.
• Fergus saw limited time on the infield and was primarily a designated hitter for EOU. Beckman played in 11 games early on in the year, but ultimately redshirted the 2021 campaign.
• Gonzalez came in last year midday through the season and appeared in just seven games.
Second Base/Third Base
• This group is made up of five players. This group is infielders, with the potential to play elsewhere. In this group are
Zach Archibald,
Brooks Dyer,
Rogelio Gonzales,
Tomo Horie,
Payton Hamilton,
Carsten Manderbach,
Zac Rackham,
Adrian Roa, and
Slayder Watterson.
• Dyer, Gonzales, and Horie are designated at Shortstop primarily, but may be called upon to help at second when needed.
• Retuners Hamilton and Roa both saw time at second last season. Roa played in 26 games and started 20. He hit .288 for the year and had 13 runs and six RBIs. He also posted an .890 fielding percentage.
• Hamilton had a .944 fielding percentage in 19 game appearances. He batted .189 as well for the year.
• Manderbach appeared in 27 games last season primarily at third base. He was the team's third leading hitter at .243 and had nine RBIs.
Shortstop
• Dyer, Gonzales, and Horie are the only three players primarily listed at Shortstop, with Dyer being the lone returner from a season ago.
• Dyer was the team's leading hitter with a .311 batting average. He started 32 games and had a team-high 19 RBIs to go along with 20 runs scored.
OUTFIELD
• The Mountaineers have eight outfielders listed for this season in
Hector Carreon,
Justin Frederick,
Austin Gerding,
Harrison Goyette,
Garret Kollar,
Kyler Lunny,
Bill Miller, and
Easton Watterson.
• Of this group, the returners are Frederick, Gerding, and Watterson. Watterson led the way in playing time having played in all 36 games and was a starter in 30.
• Watterson made his presence known in right field during 2021. He posted a .928 fielding percentage for the year. Offensively, he was second in batting average at .245 and had nine RBIs.
UTILITY
• Going into this season, the Mounties have five players listed at utility who may be called upon to play across multiple positions. In this group is
McKlane Elgin,
Matt Garcia,
Jonathan Gonzalez,
Dane Kelsey, and
Noah Zohn.
• Garcia, Kelsey, and Gonzalez all came in last year as midseason transfers and made appearances as the season progressed.
• Kelsey saw the most playing time with 15 game appearances and made 12 starts. He hit .422 in the short span and had eight RBIs.
PITCHERS
Right-Handed
• 16 players make up the pitching staff that will throw right-handed. On staff in this group is
Michael Bennett,
Ben Bergonzine Austin Brown,
Davis Brown,
Zach Brown,
Caleb Deaton,
Alex Farnsworth,
Nick Jennings,
Bennett King,
Jeter Larson,
Dylan Myers,
Zac Rackham,
Cooper Roberts,
Slayder Watterson, and
Jaydon Yancey.
• Leading the way for this group and for the pitching staff as a whole will be Jennings. He was the ace for the Mounties last season starting a team-high nine games.
• Jennings also pitched the most innings at 58.0 and fanned a team best 59 batters. He finished with a 4.97 ERA and threw one shutout on the year. He held batters to a .221 average for the year.
• Also back is
Jaydon Yancey who started nine contests as well. He was third in innings pitched at 52.1 and struck out 36 batters.
• Both Austin and
Zach Brown will look to add depth to the bullpen for EOU in 2022. Both saw time on the bump for the Mounties and combined for 29 strikeouts.
Left-Handed
• The lefties for Eastern will be made up of five players in
Kolbe Bales,
Jacob Farnsworth,
Cooper Lund,
Summit Nell, and
Logan Valtierra.
• Farnsworth and Bales both come back from 2021, as does Nell who was a mid-year transfer.
• Farnsworth was second on the team in strikeouts with 54 and he pitched the second most innings at 52.2.
• Bales finished fourth in strikeouts fanning 26 batters in 21.1 innings of work.
Scouting the Competition - Coach Calderone Invitational
Arizona Christian Firestorm | Watch | Live Stats
• The ACU Firestorm enter the weekend with two games under their belt and are 2-0 to start the season.
• The Firestorm are hitting .386 to start the year and are already at a .684 slugging percentage. They also have an on base percentage of .529.
• In the two wins, ACU has already scored 34 runs and hit three homers. In 57 at bats they have successfully tallied 28 RBIs.
• Defensively, ACU has 48 putouts and 16 assists. Their field percentage is currency clean at 1.000 in two games played.
• On the mound, the Firestorm have struck out 18 batters and allowed 18 hits. They have yet to give up a home run but have allowed seven runs, all earned. They have a team ERA of 3.94 and are holding batters to .286.
• Oliver Frias leads the way in at bats with eight and is hitting .500. He has hit one homer already and drawn one walk. He's scored four runs and tallied three RBIs.
• Randen Garrison leads the team in RBIs with five so far. He is batting .600 and has scored three runs.
• Justin Ramirez has the highest batting average early on in two starts with a .750. He has three hits in four at bats and scored six runs already. He also has one home run and two RBIs.
• Defensively, Kurtis Roberts already has 17 putouts and boasts a clean fielding percentage of 1.00.
• On the hill, Sergio Heguertty has seven strikeouts to lead the way. He has pitched six complete innings and allowed just two runs.
• Jackson Hohensee is second in strikeouts with four in 3.2 innings of work.
Embry-Riddle Eagles (Ariz.) | Watch | Live Stats
• The Eagles are off to a 2-1 start for the year with a series win over San Diego Christian College.
• Offensively, ERAU is hitting .270 and sports a .397 on base percentage. They slug .460 to start and have two home runs so far.
• ERAU has racked up 22 RBIs and has hit 11 doubles. In 100 at bats they have scored 25 runs and tallied 25 hits.
• Defensively, the Eagles already have four errors in three games played. They are fielding .957 and turned three double plays.
• In 22.0 innings pitched, ERA has a team ERA of 8.18. The team has struck out 23 batters and allowed 19 walks. They have surrendered just one homer and 20 hits.
• Luke Jespen leads the way with a .556 batting average in three games. He has five hits in nine at bats and scored five runs to go along with three RBIs. He has also hit one home run. Jespen also has four extra base hits to lead ERAU.
• Travis Strickler is second in batting average at .400 with four hits in 10 at bats. He had a team best five RBIs and scored twice. He has also hitone homer so far.
• Owen Cain leads the defense in putouts with 21 and has turned one double play.
• Sean Boskovich and Bryson Ho led the way in double plays with two, respectively.
• Zach Sharp leads the way in strikeouts with four early on this season.
Oklahoma Panhandle State Aggies | Watch | Live Stats
• The Aggies will make their season debut at the Coach Calderone Invite and will play in four games.
• OPSU last season played in 36 games and went 12-38 overall with a 6-18 record in the Sooner Athletic Conference.
• As a team, the Aggies hit .271 in 2021 and scored 258 runs. They had 223 RBIs for the year and hit a total of 36 home runs.
• Defensively, OPSU sported a .941 team fielding percentage and had 88 errors.
• On the mound, the Aggies had a 8.81 team ERA and struck out a total of 285 batters. They did give up 48 home runs.
• Lane Field led the team in hitting last season and is back in 2022. He hit .374 and had a team best 36 RBIs. Ge also led the way in homers with nine.
• The top returning pitcher for the Aggies is Zeke Dougan. He was second last year in strikeout with 45. He led the team in innings pitched at 52.2 and had a 3-5 record.
No. 23 Benedictine Mesa Redhawks | Watch | Live Stats
• The Redhawks ar eoff to a 2-1 start to begin 2022. They enter this season ranked Np. 23 in the NAIA preseason top-25 poll.
• The Redhawks are hitting .302 as a team to start and have an on base percentage of .396. They are slugging .405 to start and have scored 29 runs.
• Mesa has 23 RBIs so far and drawn 14 walks. They have 35 hits thus far and tallied four stolen bases.
• Defensively, the Redhawks are at a .981 fielding percentage through three games. They have two errors on the year and 84putouts.
• On the mound, Mesa has racked up 41 strikeouts and given up one home run.
• Orlandy Lorduy is the top hitter to start with a .571 average in three games. He has eight hits in 14 at bats and scored four runs to go along with two RBIs.
• Second in hitting is Mason Velasquez at .429. He has six hits in 14 at bats and one RBI.
• Josh Hernandez is hitting an even .400 through three games. He is tied for the team lead in RBIs with three.
Up Next
• Following the Coach Calderone Classic, Eastern will remain on the road for a three-game series at Linfield University Feb. 4-6.
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