Baseball | 2/26/2016 3:08:00 PM

When the 2016 Lewis baseball squad takes the field on Sunday (Feb. 28) there will be plenty of familiar names. While the Flyers return plenty of veterans, that experience lies mainly in the field and in the lineup. It is the Lewis pitching staff that features several new names.

"We'll have some new faces, but I feel good," Lewis head coach Tim McDonough said. "We return 75 percent of our offense and I think if you look at the numbers the guys put up last year, it is reasonable to expect most of them to be able to replicate that this year if not improve on it."

INFIELD
Lewis' experience is obvious in the infield where three of the four starters will be seniors. The biggest hole to fill from last season will be at shortstop with the graduation of all-region performer Mike Barajas (Chicago, Ill./Nazareth). Senior Joel Rotkvich (Crestwood, Ill./St. Laurence) will take over for Barajas this year.

"Joel has bounced around a bit position wise in his time here but he has settled in now at short," McDonough said. "Joel is every bit as athletic as Mike was and has a stronger arm so the transition should be smooth."

Sophomore second baseman Neal Tyrell (Minooka, Ill./Minooka) busted on the scene last year to earn All-GLVC Second Team honors as a freshman. He finished the season hitting .319 with a team-high 53 hits.

"Last year was Neal's first ever at second base," McDonough said. "With more experience, he can take that next step you like to see a sophomore take."

At the hot corner, look for senior Kurt Becker (Palatine, Ill./Palatine) once again. He had 42 starts at third last year, hitting .305. At first, senior Joe Sparacio (Plainfield, Ill./Plainfield Central) will hold down the position again. A starter since his sophomore year, Sparacio owns a career on-base percentage just shy of .400.

"Those two are steady," McDonough said. "Joe has taken on more of a leadership role this year as a captain and knows the type of year he'll need to have for us to reach our goals."

McDonough feels good about the moves he can make late in games. Senior Chris Pikoulas (Frankfort, Ill./Carl Sandburg) and sophomore Sam Cybulski (Clarendon Hills, Ill./Lyons Township) give the Flyers some experienced backup options. Freshmen Alex Kiszkowski (Schaumburg, Ill./Schaumburg) and Neil Fischer (St. Louis, Mo./St. John Vianney) join the Flyers in 2016.

"We have a lot of talent on the bench," McDonough said. "A player like Neil is waiting his turn behind Joe (Sparacio) but he can be a guy down the road who does some good things."

OUTFIELD AND DESIGNATED HITTER
Right field will be Austin Mastela (Homer Glen, Ill./Lockport)'s once again. The senior started 46-of-47 games in right field last year.

"Austin is one of the best all-around outfielders in the league," McDonough said.

Look for junior Brandon Collins (Tinley Park, Ill./Lincoln Way North) to split time in left field and center field. Freshman Brandon Post (Elk Grove Village, Ill./Elk Grove) is also in position to earn some starts in center field according to McDonough.

"Brandon (Collins) is a guy who will be in the lineup everyday," McDonough said of the junior who hit .328 with a .467 slugging percentage last season.

Sophomore Ethan Bloom (Schaumburg, Ill./Hoffman Estates) was Lewis' everyday designated hitter for most of 2015. He gave Coach McDonough no reason to take him out of the spot, hitting a team-best .346 to earn All-GLVC First Team honors as a freshman.

"There aren't many players in this league stronger than Ethan," McDonough said. "He made his presence in the league felt very quickly."

Freshman Matt McCauley (Oakville, Mo./St. John Vianney) and left handed freshman Connor Rutherford (DePere, Wis./DePere) give Lewis depth in the outfield.

"We'll have some left-handed options which will give us some flexibility," McDonough said.

CATCHER
Lewis returns seniors Cale Robinson (Weldon, Ill./Clinton) and Cory Starnes (Machesney Park, Ill./Harlem) at catcher as well as welcoming junior transfer Austin Schultz (Greensburg, Ind./Greensburg) and freshman Zach Parker (Park Ridge, Ill./Maine South). Robinson owns the most experience at Lewis, hitting .299 in 26 games in 2015.

"Austin is a guy who will play quite a bit, either at catcher or designated hitter," McDonough said. "Austin and Cale will share the majority of starts."

PITCHER
The Flyers return only 38 percent of their innings from last season, but McDonough likes the depth from top to bottom.

"We've got 11 arms but I feel good about the 11 we have," McDonough said. "We usually have 13 or 14 so it is a little scary when you start thinking about injuries and how that will affect depth. But I think this year our gap from one to 11 is the smallest I've had at Lewis."

The Flyers' biggest strength is in the bullpen where the majority of experience lies.

"In Nick Davito (Crest Hill, Ill./Lockport), Phil Warner (South Elgin, Ill./St. Charles North), Sam Couch (Bolingbrook, Ill./Joliet Catholic) and Brad Elmore (Bolingbrook, Ill./Bolingbrook), those are four guys who have had success at this level," McDonough said. "I feel good handing the ball to any of them."

Warner is the only senior pitcher on the team. He is also a captain. Elmore led the Flyers in appearances last year with 23 while holding a team-best 2.55 ERA. He surrendered only four extra base hits on the season.

Flyer fans will see some new faces in the rotation this year as sophomore Dalton Hottle (Monmouth, Ill./Monmouth-Roseville), junior Alex Shake (Glasford, Ill./Canton), sophomore Eric Luecht (Lake In The Hills, Ill./Huntley), junior Jake Herron (Joliet, Ill./Joliet West) and freshman Pete Hamot (Downers Grove, Ill./Downers Grove South) are all vying for spots.

"Alex is someone that has really emerged in the winter," McDonough said. "Jake had some arm injuries in junior college but is a competitor who really understands the art of pitching."

Look for sophomore Brady Kostecki (Joliet, Ill./Joliet Catholic) and freshman Robert Talarico (Joliet, Ill./Joliet West) to be swing guys, who are used as mid-week starters and out of the pen on the weekend. Kostecki is a transfer from Roosevelt where he was the conference freshman of the year.

"Last year, I felt like we got hurt playing behind early in too many games," McDonough said. "I feel like if we can manage the first six innings, I really like our chances."

SCHEDULE
Lewis will see serious competition in their non-conference schedule this year, as the Flyers will play four of the six Midwest Regional qualifiers from last year. Lewis will take a weekend trip to Truman State on March 12-13, travel to Quincy for a midweek doubleheader on April 20, and play Ashland and Grand Valley State in neutral site contests.

March 18-20 will be a new wrinkle to the schedule for the Flyers, as they will head down to the Inaugural Midwest Region Crossover in Westfield, Indiana. The tournament is comprised of schools from each of the three conferences in the Midwest Region.

The season will get started Feb. 28-March 5 for the Flyers' annual trip to Florida for a week of games during Spring Break. First pitch for Sunday's contest against Seton Hill is set for 11:15 a.m. ET.