Bonnies Baseball Brings High Hopes Into 2025 Season

The St. Bonaventure baseball season kicks off on Valentine's Day with the start of a four-game series at Gardner-Webb. 

Before the Bonnies greet their fans at McGraw-Jennings Field at Handler Park for the first time, they will play their first 20 games away from home. 

Those early season road trips will provide many new faces an opportunity to break in with the program in some marquee games - among the early season trips are dates at perennial powerhouses Vanderbilt and Tennessee.

Once the Bonnies finally get home though and Atlantic 10 play begins, the Bona coaching staff believes this year's roster will be able to compete for an A-10 Tournament spot.

BEHIND THE PLATE, the Bonnies return sophomore Antonio Cordeiro who had an impressive collegiate debut with the squad last spring. 

Cordeiro started 33 games and appeared in 39 overall, hitting .266 with four homers, 27 RBIs and a .371 on-base percentage. He was strong behind the dish with a .971 fielding percentage and threw out 12 attempted base stealers.

An Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week selection, he had seven multi-hit games and eight multi-RBI contests.

The Bonnies also add freshman Brian Carrothers who impressed during the fall season. Carrothers played his high school ball at Christian Brothers Academy in the Albany area and figures to see playing time during the season. 

Redshirt junior Jack Pawlowicz and redshirt freshman Jeremiah Atwell provide depth to the catcher position as well.

“We are very lucky to have talented young guys that carry strong skills with the bat as well," head coach Jason Rathbun said. "This position is in a great situation not only now, but for the future as well. It is a strength for us as far as roster construction goes.”

THE BONNIES HAVE strength around the infield with several familiar faces in 2025.

Senior Morgan Little provided stability to the lineup and first base in his Division I debut last year as he played in 43 games while hitting .274 with six home runs, 28 RBIs and a .402 on-base percentage. He also was strong defensively at first with a .993 fielding percentage. 

Little got stronger as the year went on, adjusting to Division I pitching with a .294/.407/.559 slash line in Atlantic 10 play.

Senior David Marshall Jr. was an Atlantic 10 All-Conference selection at shortstop last year but will likely see the bulk of the innings at second this spring. He made a seamless transition from the junior college ranks as he slashed .313/.405/.440 with four homers and 35 RBIs last year. He was even better in A-10 play where he hit .326. 

Marshall provided strong defense and a clutch bat in his first D-I season, posting a .375 batting average with runners in scoring position. 

Junior Chris Hoalcraft has been a utility player for the Bonnies in his first two seasons with the program, playing both in the infield and outfield. He saw most of the action at shortstop during the fall and will likely get the first crack there after starting 46 of his first 61 career games at various spots around the diamond. 

Senior Harrison Kaufman brings pop to the hot corner after hitting .362 in 27 games last year including three homers and a .451 on-base percentage. The Washington State native was also in his first D-I season after a standout junior college career.

Sophomore Gavin Constantine stands as one of the team’s strongest defenders and brings a steady glove and plus range to both middle infield positions. 

Newcomer Tucker Genovesi, a transfer from Guilford Technical CC where he was an All-Region pick last year and helped his team to the NJCAA Division III World Series, impressed the coaching staff during fall ball and will contend for time at second and in the outfield. 

Northeastern Junior College transfer Ryan Kucy also joins the Bonnies this year and will likely see time at third.

Another junior college transfer, Alex Hebenstreit, hit .333 with four home runs at Hartford CC and will see time both at first and DH after a strong fall. 

Senior Ryan Davis brings another left-handed bat to the first base position after seeing action in 18 games in 2024.

Western Nebraska CC transfer Ashton Ross can also play first or provide depth behind the plate.

“We have guys that have played a lot of college baseball in our infield. Morgan Little is a rock for our program as an above average defender at first base as well as important part of the middle of the lineup," Rathbun said. "David Marshall is our best pure hitter and will benefit with the move to second base. Harrison Kaufman showed flashes last year and has improved his game. Ryan Kucy is a super talented guy that will push for time at the hot corner as well. The key to the infield will be our play at shortstop. Chris Hoalcraft had an incredible fall and Gavin Constantine is a very good defender. Genovesi, Hebenstreit, Davis, and Ross all provide offensive options for us.” 

BONA’S OUTFIELD already looked settled entering the fall season before a big late addition in the form of graduate student Mike Gunning. 

Gunning, who first played with Rathbun at Herkimer CC, was an All-America East First Team honoree at Binghamton last year when he smacked 16 homers. He led the America East in home runs while ranking fourth in the conference in slugging percentage (.627) and sixth in OPS (.997). He also started all 50 games as a junior when he made just one error in 88 outfield chances as the Bearcats right fielder.

The Rocky Point, N.Y. native brings a middle-of-the-order bat that could well solidify the Bonnies lineup this spring.

Redshirt sophomore Jayce Tharnish has flashed five tool potential when healthy the last two years and gives the Bonnies a solid option in center after hitting .296 in 27 games last year. He was perfect in the field last year, making 16 starts in center and five in left while slashing .360/.431/.420 in 13 A-10 starts after returning from a midseason injury. 

Paul Vossen was Bona’s primary centerfielder for much of last year, hitting .315 with a .405 on-base percentage along with 11 stolen bases before a shoulder injury cut his season short. The Nevada native spent much of the fall battling back from that injury as well and looks to return to full strength this spring after being a spark plug for the offense last year.

Redshirt sophomore Conner Vercollone was one of the success stories of the fall following a redshirt year last season. 

His impressive fall came on the heels of a strong summer when he earned a spot in the Futures League All-Star Game after hitting .288 with 10 doubles and 21 stolen bases with the Brockton Rox.

Robert Mannino started 22 of 26 games last year, hitting .304 with 13 RBIs including a .357 batting average in 14 Atlantic 10 games and will also figure into the outfield equation for the Bonnies.

“Having a full season of Jayce Tharnish is a huge part of this group," Rathbun said. "His talent is the highest of any offensive player we have. Mike Gunning gives us the one piece we were missing with a proven Division I power threat. His move to the cleanup position gives our lineup great balance. Vercollone is a talented offensive player and very strong defender in the outfield. Paul Vossen gives us a veteran outfielder who can cause havoc on the base paths. Genovesi, Mannino, and Hebenstreit gives us options out there and depth we are excited about.”

THE BONNIES HOPE to have a strong top-of-the-rotation punch between junior Michael Salina and Bona newcomer James Capellupo.

Named by Perfect Game and D1Baseball as the top MLB Draft prospect in the Atlantic 10, Salina led the Bonnies with 64 strikeouts in 58.1 innings of work in his Bonaventure debut last year.

Salina, who hit triple digits during fall ball, averaged nearly 10 strikeouts per nine and ranked top-10 in the conference for punchouts last year with some of the most electric stuff in the A-10.

Capellupo figures to be an A-10 starter for the Bonnies after joining the program from UMass Lowell where he went 4-2 with 25 strikeouts across 33.2 innings in 20 games as primarily a reliever during his freshman campaign in 2024. He was named the All-Greater Rochester Player of the Year as a senior at Hilton High School before starting his collegiate career.

Sophomore Alex Barger made great strides through his freshman season and this fall after a debut campaign that saw him record a 2.57 ERA in six Atlantic 10 appearances.

Senior lefty Kade Walker gives the Bonnies a veteran arm who can pitch both in the rotation and out of the bullpen. Last year, he split his 14 appearances evenly between starting and relieving while striking out 39 in 40.1 innings of work. 

Senior Chance Moore also can provide innings either in bulk out of the bullpen or in a starting role. He recorded one of the more memorable starts in program history last season when he pitched the Bonnies to a win at Louisville.

Fellow senior Luke Roggenburk figures to be a back-of-the-bullpen fixture this season after serving in various roles the last three seasons. He is the veteran-most arm on the Bonnies staff, having logged 151 innings over the last three years.

Senior southpaw Gabe Watts has 47 career appearances under his belt in a Bonnies uniform and senior Cam Demos also returns for a second season with the program.

The Bonnies feel that they can get strong innings out of several newcomers to the staff as well.

Junior right-hander David James posted an 8.6 strikeouts per nine ratio the last two seasons at USC Upstate while lefties Tom Wilke and Conor Wolf have two years of collegiate experience each. Wilke is a 6-foot-5 frame from Drew (N.J.) University and Wolf posted a 0.98 ERA in 27.2 innings at Neosho County (Kan.) CC last year.

The pitching staff also includes freshmen Jaxson Ross, a Salamanca product, and 6-5 righty Sam Barrouk as well as junior college transfers Noah Soper and Gilbert Saunders III along with redshirts Ethan Catney-Forbes and Ryan Klementowski. 

“It is a great feeling as a coach to have a legitimate ace on the staff and Michael Salina provides that for us," Rathbun said. "Capellupo and James are two big transfers that we need to step into important roles for us this year. Watts and Moore give us guys that have had experience starting. Luke Roggenburk will be swing guy for us that we use in high leverage situations and a veteran strike thrower. Alex Barger has had success in the bullpen along with Kade Walker. Conor Wolf has experience closing. Ross and Wilkie are talented left handed arms. Barrouk, Saunders, Catney-Forbes, and Klementowski are young but talented arms. Demos and Soper will provide bullpen depth. It’s a large group of arms and we are looking for guys that will step up and help improve our staff performance.”