McHenry, MD – Baseball, at every level, generally comes down to pitching. Garrett College head baseball coach Eric Hallenbeck said that will surely be the case for this year's Lakers.
"I think we're going to hit and play good defense," said Hallenbeck, who starts his 20th season as head coach this weekend against national power LSU-Eunice. "What's going to make or break us is our young pitching staff – how quickly they can transition from high school baseball to college baseball."
The Lakers only return two pitchers from last year's squad – lefty Collin Cottrell (4-2, one save) and righty Coleman Bullard, who pitched a combined 84 innings in 2023.
"Being the only two guys we have with experience, we're going to lean on them," said Hallenbeck. "That's especially true early on and against our region competition."
Hallenbeck brought in 14 freshman pitchers and is expecting several to break out from the pack as the season progresses.
"We're looking to get them innings this year – hopefully by the end of the year they'll get their feet underneath them," Hallenbeck said of his freshman hurlers. "We're young, but we're going to have some pitching talent."
Hallenbeck has significantly more experience back among his position players, especially in the infield. First baseman Chance Ritchey (.285 batting average, team-high 32 RBI), catcher Giancarlo Bernardo (.274 average), and 2023 shortstop Kellen Kinsler (101 at bats) are all returning.
Zach Hallenbeck, who hit .325 as a freshman in 2022, is back this year after a redshirt season. His return allows Kinsler to move over to second base in what should be a very experienced infield.
"We've got a lot of experience up the middle and they complement each other well," Coach Hallenbeck said of his returners.
Redshirt freshman AJ Sanchez, who can play second and third, should also see time in the infield. Jacob Kennell, a redshirt freshman who played six games before being injured last season, will see time in the outfield.
Hallenbeck indicated NJCAA Division II Region 20 may be tougher than ever this year.
"Frederick's always going to be the team to beat, along with Catonsville and Essex," said Hallenbeck. "Montgomery is generally good. Hagerstown dropped down from Division I, and Westmoreland moved up from Division III. It's gotten better, top to bottom, the last two or three years. It's going to be a little tougher to make the region tournament this year."
Hallenbeck said one advantage the Lakers have this year is their new turf field, which permits them to be on the field much more frequently than in the past.
"We've been out more [practicing in February] this year than in the 19 previous years I've been here," said Hallenbeck. "Hopefully that translates into more wins. Historically we're a slow-starting team because we're just getting outside when the games begin."
Hallenbeck is looking forward to the four-game series against LSU-Eunice, which is ranked second in the nation in the preseason and has won eight national championships.
"The coaches and I were sitting in my office over the summer when I got an email from Jeff Willis, the LSU-Eunice coach," related Hallenbeck. "For one reason or another, they needed early season games and we were like, 'Why not? Let's see what a Top 5 team in the country looks like.' "
The Lakers are scheduled for a single game on Friday (6 p.m.), a Saturday doubleheader starting at 1 p.m., and a single game Sunday at 1 p.m.
