St. Bonaventure baseball is under new leadership for the first time in 36 years. Jason Rathbun, known better as Coach Razz, has started building the foundation of the program under his direction after 18 years running a national ranked program at 2022 national champion Herkimer.
"I think from where we were on Labor Day to what we are now is a huge step in the right direction," stated Coach Razz. "We have identified roles for this year and figured out our roster not only for this year but as well as the future with 12 commitments for the 2023 recruiting class."
The new-look Bonnies have figured out key positions in the lineup for this year. Leading the way is returning two-year starter and team captain Jackson DeJohn (Rochester, N.Y.). The senior started all 39 games played, hitting .248 with 14 RBIs and a .350 on-base percentage last spring. He finished among the A-10 leaders by throwing out 15 runners on the base paths. DeJohn improved his approach at the plate and saw better production at the plate this fall with a .315 average. Jake Biscailuz (Valencia, Ca.) is an athletic catcher with the ability to play multiple positions and a tough out at the plate. Teddy Bishop (Bothell, Wash.) and Jack Pawlowicz (Mars, Pa.) provide depth behind the plate.
Jack Putney (Clarence, N.Y.) is a lefty hitter who will occupy third base as well as the 3-spot in the lineup. Putney had a huge fall hitting .430 and led the team in doubles, home runs and batting average after hitting .285 last spring. Artin Biageyian (Los Angeles, Ca.) and Kyle Caccamise (Hopewell Junction, N.Y.) are two junior college transfers who will work the middle infield and are outstanding defenders. Caccamise was 2022 NJCAA DIII National Defensive Player of the Year and World Series Offensive MVP.
Pierce Hendershot (Barton, N.Y.) provides some offensive punch to the infield spots. Freshman Chris Hoalcraft (Fayetteville, N.Y.) will see time at shortstop as well as the outfield with a power/speed combination at the plate. Aaron Herbst (Mooresville, N.C.) is a returning player with experience and can play all three infield spots.
First base duties will fall to two veterans in team captain Danny Manion (Bradford, Pa.) and Christian Szablewski (Lancaster, N.Y.) who both provide some thunder to the lineup with their power potential. Manion started 36 of 37 games played last year, hitting .261 with four home runs, eight doubles and 22 RBIs. He led the team in homers and ranked second in RBIs. Szablewski bravely battled back to the field at the end of last season after facing a cancer diagnosis at the start of the year and is looking forward to be ready to go for the full 2023 season.
The outfield will feature top prospect freshman Jayce Tharnish (Devon, Pa.) in centerfield. Jayce had a huge fall, hitting .350 with the most AB's from the leadoff spot. He led the team in stolen bases as well. Tharnish will spend this summer in the Cape Cod League.
Left field will feature a 2022 NJCAA All-American in Adam Rankie. Rankie played in 101 games at Erie CC, hitting .439 over two years. Last year he batted .493 while slugging eight home runs with 50 RBIs as well as 24 doubles and five triples. He led all NJCAA Division III players in both hits (99) and runs (90) in 2022 and was also second in the country in doubles (25) and fourth in batting average. He was also on the All-Glove Team as a center fielder, helping lead ECC to its first 40-win season. Thomas Grilli (Toronto, Ontario) will also see time in left field and DH. Grilli started 28 of 30 games played, hitting .290 with a .356 on-base percentage last season. Mark Darakjy (Randolph, N.J.) will see time in right field and first base, but more importantly will be an important bat in the middle of the lineup. Evan Dieter (Kingston, N.Y.) provides a power bat to the outfield and Conner Vercollone (Combine Academy, N.C.) will provide some elite defense and outfield depth.
The pitching staff returns lefty Liam Devine (Guelph, Ontario) who made 14 appearances including nine starts, logging two saves and leading the team in innings (68.1) and strikeouts (55) last year. Devine will look to work out of the back end of the bullpen this year where the experienced arms will show up on the depth chart. Seniors Tripp Breen (South Williamsport, Pa.), lefty Kyle Caringi (Williamsport, Pa.), and Rushil Bhat (London, Ontario) will look to fill the set up roles and bridge the game to Devine in the back of the bullpen.
"We are looking for these older guys to finish games up and hold down the lead late in games," added Rathbun. Junior Ryan O'Connell (Waterford, Conn.) is the hardest thrower of the group with a low 90's fastball. A group of sophomores look to take the next step of development after logging a large number of innings as freshman last year. Bryce Hediger (Chaffee, N.Y.) made eight starts and had 10 total appearances in 41 innings as a freshman, he posted a 3.49 ERA in five Atlantic 10 starts. Luke Roggenburk (Avon Lake, Ohio) made seven starts and 14 total appearances in 49 innings as a freshman. Gabe Watts (Johnsonburg, Pa.) appeared in 18 games out of the bullpen with 19 strikeouts in 23 innings of work as a freshman.
Nine freshman arms look to make impacts in their first collegiate season. The three "Ski's" lead the way for this freshman group in Ryan Klementowski (Syracuse, N.Y.), Nathan Klodowski (Burgettstown, Pa.), and Noah Czajkowski (North Huntingdon, Pa.) have all had a major impact this fall on the mound. All three arms hold upper 80's fastballs with multiple breaking pitches that cover both sides of the plate.
"I think these three arms, as well as a few other freshmen, can have a big impact this year for us and will be critical in the future of the program," stated Rathbun.
Andrew Ayers (Buffalo, N.Y.) is a very projectable lefty with good competitive breaking pitches. Lefty Bobby Finn (East Islip, N.Y.) is an IMG product and competitive arm who fills up the zone. Jonny Lintell (Weston, Conn.) is a big, 6'5"-220-pound hard-throwing righty who will add a dynamic arm to the staff. Chase Playfair (Penfield, N.Y.), Samuel Gil (Bronx, N.Y.), and Tucker Fenton (Bemus Point, N.Y.) are three other newcomers that have projectable arms that will look to build on their fall improvements.
The Bonnies open up their 2023 season on the road at Middle Tennessee State. More information on the spring schedule can be found here at: https://gobonnies.com/news/2022/9/23/bonnies-baseball-announces-2023-schedule.aspx
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