George Washington University Athletics
GW Baseball Season Outlook
2/18/2016 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
2016 Quick Facts | 2016 Schedule | @GWBaseball1
George Washington at North Florida - Harmon Stadium - Jacksonville, Fla.
Friday, 6:00 p.m.: RHP Bobby LeWarne (0-0, 0.00 ERA) vs. RHP Matt Vaka (0-0, 0.00 ERA) | Live Stats
Saturday, 1:00 p.m.: RHP Robbie Metz (0-0, 0.00 ERA) vs. RHP Bryan Baker (0-0, 0.00 ERA) | Live Stats
Sunday, 1:00 p.m.: RHP Jacob Williams (0-0, 0.00 ERA) vs. TBA | Live Stats
Two years ago the George Washington baseball team was one of the youngest programs in the nation with freshmen accounting for starts in over half of the team's games in 2014.
Heading into the 2016 season, the Colonials are now one of the more experienced teams in collegiate baseball. Five of GW's projected position starters have at least 80 career starts under their belts while a pair of sophomores in Robbie Metz and Brandon Chapman each started 50 games in their debut seasons.
The experience also extends to the pitching staff. The Colonials return all three weekend starters from a season ago in seniors Bobby LeWarne (27 career starts) and Jacob Williams (21 career starts) along with the dual-threat Metz.
GW will open the 2016 season with a three-game series at the University of North Florida, the first test in what is shaping up to be one of the strongest schedules in the history of the program.
The Colonials will also face defending national champion Virginia (April 6) along with NCAA Tournament participants Maryland (March 9), Houston (March 24-26) and VCU (April 29-May 1). Additional high-profile opponents include Charleston Southern (March 18-20), Cal State Northridge (March 4-6), Ball State (Feb. 26) and Kent State (Feb. 26-27).
STARTING PITCHING
LeWarne, Williams and Metz will open the season as GW's weekend starters.
LeWarne followed a breakout sophomore campaign with a career year as a junior in 2015. He led the Colonials with eight wins and 67 strikeouts across 87.0 innings of work. The Des Moines, Iowa, native will be on the bump for the Colonials' season opener on Friday afternoon.
Williams rode his excellent fastball command to a career-best four wins and 3.32 ERA as a junior. For his career he has made 21 starts on the mound and has tallied nine victories. He was the winning pitcher in GW's Atlantic 10 Championship victory over Fordham, allowing four runs (three earned) in 8.1 innings of work with four strikeouts.
Metz impressed in his debut season as a dual threat. GW's everyday second baseman will be the final piece of the three-man rotation to open the season. On the bump last year, the Atlantic 10 All-Rookie selection finished with a 3-3 record and 3.23 ERA across 61.1 innings of work.
BULLPEN
Junior Eddie Muhl is coming off a record-setting campaign as GW's closer in 2015. His 17 saves led the nation in the regular season, he was a finalist for the NCBWA Stopper of the Year Award, set GW's single-season (17) and career-saves (18) record and the Atlantic 10 single-season saves record. He was also honored as an Atlantic 10 All-Conference First Team and American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) All-East Region Second Team selection.
Shifting into the setup role following the departure of Craig LeJeune will be senior Luke Olson, who has worn a variety of hats in his three seasons. He has appeared in 45 games to date and is coming off his best season last year where he posted a 2.59 ERA and 19 strikeouts in 19 appearances. Olson can be counted on as a setup man but also as a long relief man. He pitched 41.2 innings as a junior, a career-high mark.
Senior Randy Dalrymple, who allowed just one earned run across 19.2 innings of work last season, along with sophomore Brady Renner, junior Brandon Ritchie and junior Shane Sweeney will be counted on for long relief out of the bullpen in addition to the occasional midweek or spot start.
Renner went 2-2 with a 2.36 ERA across nine games last season. He was the hard-luck loser in GW's A-10 Championship loss to Davidson after he allowed two earned runs on six hits with two walks and 10 strikeouts. After gaining valuable experience in an intense playoff matchup, Renner is working his way back from an injury but figures to be a key member of the staff upon his return.
Ritchie posted 1-1 record and 3.98 ERA across 20 innings for the Colonials last season and Sweeney, a southpaw that played last season at the Community College of Baltimore Catonsville, will each provide key innings both as starters and relievers.
Junior Jordan Sheinkop and sophomores Chance Malek, freshman Justin Friedman and Tyler Swiggart will provide key innings out of the bullpen along with the occasional spot start. Additionally, sophomore Kevin Hodgson and freshman John Greeley are each working their way back from injury and will contribute later this spring.
INFIELD
A trio of juniors and one sophomore make up GW's starting infield, with familiar faces all around the diamond.
Bobby Campbell will be the everyday first baseman. The 6-foot-4 junior led the Colonials with 31 RBIs as a sophomore while batting .305 with 13 doubles. He has started 103 games across two seasons and will again be looked upon to thrive at the plate with runners in scoring position.
Metz will occupy second base following his All-Rookie campaign as a freshman. The four-time Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week selection started 41 games at second base last season. He finished second on the team with both a .306 batting average and 19 stolen bases.
Junior Kevin Mahala has started 102 games at shortstop in his first two seasons and will take up his familiar position on opening day. He batted .258 as a sophomore with three home runs, nine doubles and 26 RBIs.
Junior Eli Kashi, a versatile defender who started 39 games at third base and 13 games at second base last season, will open the season at the hot corner. He had a breakout season as a sophomore, tying for second on the team with a .306 batting average in addition to seven doubles, one triple, one home run and 25 RBIs. One of the best defensive fielders in the conference, he committed just two errors in 173 chances, helping contribute to GW's program-record fielding percentage last season.
Also projected to log time around the infield in 2016 is senior Andy Young, along with newcomers Ty Kobylinski, junior Cody Bryant and sophomore Colin Gibbons-Fly. All of which could see time as the Colonials' designated hitter.
OUTFIELD
GW's Most Valuable Player in 2015, Joey Bartosic will make the switch from left field to center field to open the 2016 season. He led the team in a number of offensive categories including batting average (.327), on-base percentage (.380), runs (39), hits (70), stolen bases (21) and multiple-hit games. He set GW's hit-streak record by hitting safely in 24 consecutive games (last 14 games of 2014, first 10 games of 2015) and ended the season by reaching base safely in 15 consecutive games.
Junior Andrew Selby will patrol right field following a breakout sophomore campaign that saw him bat .277 with 24 extra base hits. He totaled 14 doubles, 7 triples and three home runs while driving in 27 runs.
A number of players will log time in the final outfield spot. Senior Gabe Scott, junior Larry McCabe, the sophomore duo Mark Osis and Matt Cosentino along with junior Eric Ramsey will all contribute throughout the season.
CATCHERS
Sophomore backstop Brandon Chapman, who caught 48 games in his debut season, will be the starting catcher on opening day. He batted .247 with a team-best 16 doubles, one home run and 25 RBIs as a freshman. Defensively, he caught 19 attempted base stealers (.712, 19-of-47) and committed just three errors. He shined in the postseason, being named to the Atlantic 10 All-Championship team after driving in six runs and hitting .294 across four games.
Senior Matthieu Robert and freshman Camillo Spinoso provide adequate depth to the position and play a key role in the direction of GW's pitching staff throughtout the season.
