Excitement surrounds ’06 DC Baseball

DEFIANCE, Ohio-- The 2006 Defiance College Yellow Jackets will hit the diamond with motivation and excitement on their side. After the school’s first-ever Heartland Conference Tournament appearance in 2004, the ’05 Jackets skidded to a 10-23 mark and out of the postseason. Prior to the start of the ‘06 season, DC was voted to finish 7th in the HCAC with the league’s top-4 qualifying for the tournament.

Head coach Chad Donsbach and the Jackets are motivated to return to their 2004 form. “There has to be motivation in that,” said the fifth-year skipper. “The majority of our players were in the conference tournament two years ago. They want to prove to people, after last season, that (the appearance) was not a fluke and that this team is that good.”

Donsbach realizes that his squad is viewed as an underdog in the conference. “There better be motivation in it. It doesn’t mean a whole lot because it’s a matter of who comes ready to play on Friday and Saturday.”

This season’s squad is led by a core of four senior captains; Eric Tipton, James Yenser, Russ Lupica and Jeremy Vance.

“Our senior leadership has been outstanding from day one. The four guys that are our captains, Tipton, James Yenser, Lupica and Vance, outstanding young men, have a real good idea of what I expect out of captains,” Donsbach continued. “They have a great ability to communicate with the players.”

DC Baseball has added another position coach to their staff as Donsbach welcomed former collegiate standouts, Brett Rauch (Hanover) and David Barkholz (Bowling Green).

Rauch will work with the pitchers and has already established himself as a leader of talented hurlers.

“Brett brings a quiet confidence to this team,” said Donsbach. “He brings a pretty sizable amount of pitching knowledge. A lot of the things he does are similar to our previous pitching coach so it has been a very easy transition for our players. All the pitchers respect him and he is doing an outstanding job with them.”

Barkholz comes to the staff after starring at BGSU and coaching at Bowling Green High School.

“Coach Barkholz is as fired-up as they come,” Donsbach said of his first-year assistant. “He brings a Division-I mentality of ‘let’s compete’. The players are responding to him very well.”

“It is a neat staff, because Coach Rauch is laid-back, Barkholz is the opposite end of the spectrum, and then I am kind of in the middle. It is a really neat mix,” added Donsbach.

As with all teams, the success of the squad hinges on the ability of the pitching staff to get the job done and sit batters down.

“The rotation is probably going to be very similar to what it was last year with Tyler Stork, Russ Lupica and Derek Hanson getting the nod on conference days. That fourth starter, or weekday starter is up in the air. A couple young freshmen, Cory Bergfeld and Dustin Zizelmen had pretty good fall seasons so there will be a competition down in Florida. Another freshman, Jake Reckner had a pretty outstanding fall,” added the Jacket mentor.

Stork has been named All-HCAC twice and enters his senior season as the club’s ace. The Paulding product won a team-high five games in ’05 while striking out 32 in 53 innings of work. The right-hander had a career best 4.08 ERA and held opposing batters to a career-low .246 batting average a year ago.

“‘Storky’ has come into this year with a new desire,” stated Donsbach. “He has really worked hard this off-season at his condition and strength. The younger players are looking up to him because they see the success that he can have. I can’t wait to see him throw his first conference game because he is going to be pretty darn good.”

Hanson, a sophomore from Wauseon, had a tremendous freshman campaign earning All-HCAC honors after striking out 51 batters in 52.2 innings-pitched. The right-hander ranked seventh in the HCAC in Ks, held a 4.10 ERA and allowed just nine extra-base hits.

After Hanson’s initial season, Donsbach is excited by the prospect of Hanson’s career, “I am expecting Derek to be outstanding this year. He has straightened out some mechanical issues and is better than he was last year and he was pretty darn good last year.”

Lupica, a senior from Napoleon, Michigan is a reliable part of the rotation for DC. As a junior, he grabbed All-HCAC recognition for carrying a 4.38 ERA in a team-high 63.2 innings. Lupica struck out 34 batters after sitting down 25 batters as a sophomore.

Speaking of Lupica’s approach, Donsbach admired, “Russ is a bulldog. He doesn’t overwhelm you with his velocity but he mixes up the batters’ timing with his breaking ball and splitter. He will go out there and he will compete until he cannot compete anymore and then he will try to keep the ball and finish the game.”

Handling the pitching staff and adding punch to the offensive lineup will be up to a platoon of four catchers who are all competing for playing time.

“We have four catchers, Tim Yenser, Jordan Wack, R.J. Chidester and Chad Ballee and it is very much up in the air,” commented Donsbach. “The nod, right now, would go to Tim because of his experience, but we will have to wait and see what happens in Florida. They each bring something different to the table. Timmy is probably the best offensively. Jordan is probably the best defensively and R.J., who is pretty talented, is working at everything to get better.”

Tim Yenser, a senior catcher and Continental product, has four doubles and a home run in his career, while adding 59 put outs.

First base was a position, a year ago, that gave the Jackets a breakout performance from Jeremy Vance, while another talented player in Phil Kosier gave DC a left-handed bat and consistent glove.

Speaking of first base, Donsbach stated, “It’s an interesting position because we have two pretty talented young men there. I am expecting big things out of both Vance and Kosier this year. I think they both have to be in the lineup at some point if we are going to be successful.”

The best returning bat for the Jackets rests in the hands of Vance, a senior. The Metamora native hit .319 in ’05, leading the Jacket in home runs, RBI, total bases and slugging percentage while earning All-HCAC honors. He also recorded a team-high 144 put-outs and 12 assists in the field, while committing just two errors.

Kosier, a junior from Bradford, came on strong as a sophomore, fielding perfectly in 97 chances at first base, while batting .244. His left-handed bat can cause problems for pitchers and added muscle should increase his power numbers.

The second base position offers Defiance their defensive leader in Eric Tipton, while Craig Holman is a very capable back up.

“Eric Tipton is a coach on the field,” said the DC mentor. “If there is anyone you want running your defense, it is him. He gets the job done and does the right thing at the right time. He does everything for us. He will be at the top of the lineup because he can run.”

Tipton, a senior from Paulding, earned All-HCAC recognition last season. He has a career fielding percentage of .942 and recorded 61 assists a year ago. Tipton handles the bat well and can sacrifice to advance runners. He committed just four errors in 115 chances a year ago.

“Craig Holman can also get the job done. He has really dedicated himself in the weight room this off-season. He will be a really nice utility man for us, playing second, short stop or third,” said Donsbach.

Holman saw time in three games as a freshman at second base. The Wauseon native had a .250 batting average with an RBI and recorded two assists in the field.

Third base should be a solid defensive position with Eric Schwab and a group of utility players adding to the lineup.

Speaking of the likely lineup Donsbach said, “Schwab is probably going to be the man at third base. There is no doubt that he can pick it from the hot corner. He was a high school short stop so he has decent range, a strong enough arm, he fits the bill.”

In his career, Schwab, a Custar native, has seen time at second and third base, registering 20 assists in 2005. He can drive the ball, hitting four doubles and two triples in his career.

Zach Metzner, a utility senior from Delphos, saw time on the mound in 2005. He struck out four batters in 6.2 innings and held opponents to a .280 batting average.

“Zach has been quite a surprise. He is understanding what his role is going to be as a utility player, being a relief pitcher, playing in the infield and even the outfield.”

At shortstop, Jeremy Hawkins enters his third season and will look to improve on his sophomore-year numbers.

“Hawkins has to be a .320 to .340 hitter. He is probably going to be in the five or six-hole so we need him to be an RBI guy,” added Donsbach. “He is going to have to pick it up. He can do it. He has all the talent in the world, the arm strength, the mobility, the ability to hit for power. I am excited about what Jeremy can do.”

Hawkins, a junior from Lexington, Ohio, earned All-HCAC honors in 2004, hit .237 with 11 RBI last season and led the Jackets with 68 assists in the field.

The outfield boasts a core of three talented players in Mike Hill, James Yenser, and Lenny Koesters.

Speaking of his core of outfielders, Donsbach gave praise to his senior leader. “You can’t say enough good things about James Yenser. He does things the right way, plays his heart out and gives you everything he has. Lenny Koesters is back and will be in left field. He is going to have to get back to his freshman form, hitting .280 to .320, getting on base and stealing bases.” The DC coach spoke of his projected right fielder, “Mike Hill is another guy that needs to return to his freshman form when he hit around .350. He will probably be in the middle of the lineup and be another RBI guy. Our outfield is thin, but talented. I am expecting nothing to fall in.”

James Yenser, a senior from Ayersville, enters his final season in center field while also contributing on the mound. A two-time All-HCAC selection, Yenser hit .257 in 2005 with 10 RBI and a team-high 15 runs. His excellent range in the outfield has resulted in 256 career putouts and committed just one error as a junior. He struck out 16 batters in 20+ innings on the mound last year.

Hill is another athlete that can play in the outfield as well as contribute on the mound. A junior from Ashland, He is hitting .289 for his career and was named All-HCAC as a freshman in ’04. Last season, he hit two doubles and drew eight walks, while striking out 12 and holding opposing batters to a .231 average.

Koesters saw time as a designated hitter a year ago and will return to the outfield as a junior. The St. Henry native has a career batting average of .242 and has driven in 16 runs. His speed has earned him 10 stolen bases, while he recorded 59 put outs as a freshman right fielder.

Adding a strong bat for Defiance will be designated hitter, Dave Jackson. The sophomore from Blanchester hit .319 as a designated hitter a year ago with a team-best .452 on-base percentage in 33 games played.

A Jacket bullpen will be called up to close out wins while also supplying the squad with some weekday starters.

Chad Casey, a left-handed reliever from Lima, appeared in 12 games in ’05, striking out nine batters with a team-low 1.80 ERA.

“Chad Casey is stronger than ever and throwing the ball very well. He had a decent fall with a lot of strikeouts,” added Donsbach. “We need Chad Casey to slam the door shut. The rest of the bullpen is young and will have two more lefties in Bergfeld and Reckner. Hill can see relief duty with the great movement on his pitches. The key to our bullpen is throwing strikes with guys on base. We have to make the opposing batters hit our pitches and not their pitches.”

Jimmy Roberson is also expected to return to action as a senior.

“Jimmy may be able to make it back into the mix by midseason after completing injury rehabilitation,” said Donsbach.

Donsbach closed his preseason analysis with some thoughts on what the season promises and what the fans can look for in this DC team.

“We have to work on getting our lineup set. If you start to see the same guys over and over again in the lineup early in the season, then that means things are pretty well set. If you see changes in the lineup a couple weeks into the season then that means we are still juggling, still guessing and still trying to find who can get it done.”

Donsbach ended, “If off-season work translates into wins, then this is going to be an exciting year out on Craig Rutter Field because these guys have worked their tails off since fall ball. Their off-season work is a true testament to their character, our senior leadership and coaching staff. After how last year went, that makes everyone want to work even harder.”