BELTON, Texas – The
Mike Stawski era for the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor baseball team will open this weekend as the Cru hosts Schreiner University for a three-game series to start the 2020 season. UMHB will face the Mountaineers for a 6 pm single-game on Friday before the two teams close out the weekend with a noon doubleheader on Saturday.
Stawski took over the Cru baseball program this summer after Ben Shipp announced his retirement. Stawski came to UMHB from Concordia Chicago, where he posted a 150-51 record in four seasons as head coach, leading the Cougars to a pair of NCAA Division III World Series appearances during his tenure. Stawski also spent three years as the head coach at Spalding University and has a career head coaching record of 232-95. The Cru returns 22 letter winners this season, including nine position players who started 17 or more games last year. The UMHB pitching staff welcomes back eight pitchers, but only three of those started a game in 2019. The Cru will count on a deep and talented recruiting class to help eat up some of those innings. Senior
Landon Dieterich is the only returning All-Conference selection after he led UMHB with a .312 batting average, four home runs and 32 RBI last season.
Malek Bolin,
Garrett Gonzales,
Caimyn Holiday and
Jacob Dellipoali all started 29 or more games as infielders or designated hitter last season and Dieterich,
Jack Herbert and
Dawson Shibley were mainstays in the outfield.
Hunter McQuary started 29 games behind the plate for the Cru. All of those players are back this year, but will be pushed by the newcomers on this year's roster. UMHB is carrying 37 players on the roster with 15 of those in their first season with the Cru.
Schreiner will come into this weekend's series with a 1-1-1 record after splitting a three-game series with UMHB's American Southwest Conference rival McMurry University last weekend. The Mountaineers took the season opener 12-10, lost game two 8-6 and the two teams played to a 13-13 tie with game three stopped due to darkness. The Cru swept a three-game series from Schreiner last season in Kerrville the last time these two programs faced off.
UMHB was picked to finish ninth in the ASC in the conference's Preseason Coaches and Media Poll. Freshmen pitchers
Rahul Champaneri and
Alex Palczewski were both named to the league's Preseason Players to Watch list.
Following this weekend's series, UMHB will continue its home stand with a 6 pm start against Southwestern University on Tuesday. The Cru will then open ASC play with a three-game series at Louisiana College on February 21-22
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