Oberlin, Ohio - The Oberlin College baseball team went through lots of transition throughout the offseason, but it heads into the spring with a mixture of veteran talent and promising underclassmen who are ready to compete. 

Now in his second season as head coach of the program following one year as acting manager, Johnathan Ray is excited to see the development of the roster continue to come together and grow as the season progresses.

"We have a competitive group capable of winning games in a multitude of ways," Ray said. "Our captains and seniors have stepped up and set the tone for how we want this team to perform on our daily tasks. This team gets after it every day, and their best trait is their selflessness. I expect to see a lot of different names helping us get wins this year on the mound, at the plate, and in the field."

Pitching
The senior duo of Jay Aghanya and Justin Fuls headline the front part of the rotation and will be heavily relied upon to eat up innings once conference play gets underway. Classmate Andrew Shen will also see an expanded role after a strong junior season. 

Aghanya led all starters with a 3.79 ERA a season ago, posting a 2-3 record over his eight starts. The Herdon, Virginia, native totaled 38 innings, allowing just 16 earned runs to go along with the 30 strikeouts. A power-arm whose fastball will be in the low to mid-nineties, Aghanya held opponents to a .243 batting average against last year and tossed at least four innings in seven of his appearances, which included a seven-inning complete-game shutout against Hiram. 

A lanky right-hander from Bernardsville, New Jersey, Fuls, has the stuff and ability to be consistently successful but it hasn't quite translated into game situations as he looks to execute better this spring. It was a bit of a mixed bag for him last year as he racked up 30 punchouts in 32.2 innings but the 2024 co-captain also walked a team-high 28 batters. 

Shen posted a 3.57 ERA and 1-1 record over seven appearances a season ago, which included one start against John Carroll University where he went six innings and struck out seven. In his six other relief appearances he only surrendered two runs. 

Oberlin is blessed with experienced bullpen options that Coach Ray can turn to when needed, led by junior Max Wassarman and senior Luigi Smarro. Smarro made a team-high 15 appearances in 2023, totaling 25 innings while posting a 3.96 ERA and a record of 1-2 to go along with two saves and 18 strikeouts. Wassarman went 3-0 over nine outings that saw him fan 19 hitters in 22 innings of work. 

Left-handed senior William Kennedy returns after missing all of last season with injury while junior Zachary Ritts also provides an experienced option. 

Yeomen faithful should also expect to see expanded roles for sophomore southpaw Liam Rose and classmate Aden Ochstein after they combined for just five appearances and four innings as rookies. First-years Calvin Burkholder and Davis Hayes have also shown promise throughout preseason camp. 

Catching
Senior Sean Livingstone, who made 11 appearances and seven starts last season, will have the first opportunity to solidify the catching position with sophomore Anton Shelton also mixing in as well. Shelton posted a .500 on-base percentage over six games and three starts as a freshman as he went 3-for-10 at the plate and drew three walks to go along with four stolen bases on five tries. 

Sophomore transfer Nik Mezzanotte will also push for time behind the dish as he continues to learn the staff after arriving in January. 

Infield 
The Yeomen are experienced up the middle along the infield with the senior tandem of Harry Kaplan and Joe Strabley making up the double play combination at shortstop and second base.

A native of Bethesda, Maryland, Kaplan's glove has been brilliant at times but he hopes to be more consistent this year. In 14 starts over 20 appearances in 2023, Strabley hit an impressive .354 with five doubles and 10 RBIs. 

Junior David Curtin has the ability to play both corner positions but will get the first opportunity at third base. In limited opportunities he went 3-for-13 at the plate last spring. 

Freshman Kyle Baxt, who hit .324 throughout his high school career at Palm Beach Central is slated to handle the bulk of the duties at first base with Aghanya factoring in as well when he isn't pitching.

First-year Grayson Black fills a utility role and can play any of the fourth spots if called upon, while sophomore Alex Gaetano also brings extra versatility up the middle. 

Outfield
Junior co-captain Ethan Hurwitz had a breakout 2023 season, hitting .331 with team-highs in doubles (11) and home runs (3). The left fielder drove in 18 runs, totaled 62 bases, and posted a team-best .488 slugging percentage. 

Junior Zach Masnikoff slides into a full-time role in centerfield after seeing action in just nine games a season ago as a transfer, while rookie Brady Groves is slated to handle the duties in right field. 

Mezzanotte and first-year JT Schoessel will also push for time on the green pastures. 

Schedule
Oberlin opens the season this weekend (Feb. 24-25) with a three-game set at Brevard College (NC). The home opener is scheduled for March 6 against Grove City with NCAC play getting underway at Coach Ray's alma mater - Wooster - on March 30. 

Fans will be able to watch most games live online while all home games will also be carried on the Oberlin Sports Network OTT app on any Roku, Amazon Fire, or Apple TV-enabled device.