Coming off one of its top offensive seasons in recent history, the Drew University baseball team will take to the diamond with hopes of continued improvement under third-year Head Coach Brian Eberly this season.
 
The Rangers will bring back plenty of bats from last year's squad that finished among the top-10 in school history in numerous categories, including runs scored (second), home runs (second), RBIs (second), doubles (third), hits (tied for fourth), slugging percentage (eighth), and stolen bases (tied for 10th). 
 
A total of 40 Rangers will dot the roster this season, including 22 returners from last year's squad that bolted to a 9-1 start. A large class of 18 newcomers will also provide outstanding depth for Drew this season.
 
Behind the plate, the Rangers return senior Billy Coleman, who made a big impact in his first year at the Forest. He batted .316 while tying for the team lead in doubles (11) over 23 games and 21 starts. Three additional backstops return in senior Lewie Weaver, junior Mike Gallaro, and sophomore Benjamin Cacoilo, while freshman Jack Mocik could also see time behind the dish.
 
At first base, senior Nate Miller is back after an impressive debut season with the Rangers. He batted .305 with 26 runs, 20 RBIs, and four home runs, finishing second on the squad in hits, tied for second in homers, and third in runs. Sophomore Thomas Zammitti and freshman Zachary Chhabria could also see action at first base this season along with junior Matt Myers, a versatile performer who has played in 54 games over the past two seasons.
 
Drew returns three additional starting infielders from last season in seniors Luis Fuentes and Anthony Diaz Jr. and junior Dallas Lorenzetti. Fuentes, who started at second base last season, finished as the team's fourth-leading hitter, batting .309 while also collecting 18 runs and 18 RBIs. As the team's starting shortstop, Diaz led the Rangers with 23 walks and scored 25 runs a year ago after finishing as the team's leading hitter (.339) in 2022.
 
Lorenzetti returns after starting 70 games at third base over the first half of his career at Drew. Mocik will also compete for playing time at the hot corner along with with sophomore Kyle Johnson and Zammitti, who batted .364 over 17 games and 33 at-bats last season.
 
The Rangers will feature an experienced cast in the outfield, led by senior centerfielder Anthony Hernandez. In his first year after transferring to the Forest, Hernandez enjoyed a big all-around season, batting .351 and slugging .500. He drilled eight doubles and four home runs while posting 31 runs and 27 RBIs. In addition, he tied for seventh in school history in stolen bases, finishing 22-for-24 on the bases.
 
Hernandez is joined by a pair of returners in the outfield in juniors Ryan Jones and Raiden Yost. Jones, who has started 70 games over the last two seasons, batted .270 as a leftfielder a year ago while posting 20 runs, 19 RBIs, and eight stolen bases. Yost made his presence felt in his first year as a transfer, finishing as the team's third-leading hitter (.329) and leading the squad in on-base percentage (.467) over 28 games in rightfield.
 
Freshmen Tanner Blendinger, Tre Francis, Aiden Mitchell, Daniel Murawinski will also push for playing time in the outfield.
 
Eleven pitchers return to the Rangers this season, including sophomore Brandon Kobryn, who finished 4-2 with a 2.90 ERA and 33 strikeouts over 40 1/3 innings in 2023.
 
Additional experience returns in the form of Johnson, who made 10 appearances and four starts while finishing third on the team in strikeouts (19) over 34 innings a year ago, and Yost, who pitched in nine games and made five starts, striking out 17 over 31 1/3 innings. Junior Kenny Yonker is also back after making 10 appearances and four starts, working 29 1/3 innings and fanning 16.
 
Junior Dominic Goodenough tossed 15 innings and made a pair of saves last season while classmate Connor Ruscansky worked 13 2/3 innings and registered one save. Senior TJ Shuman also returns after hurling 12 1/3 innings last season along with senior Brian Lavelle, junior Alex Barbarisi, and sophomores Devan Sutaria, Luke Tambasco, and Chris Tobia.
 
A host of newcomers will also vie for innings this season, including senior Vincent Desantis, juniors Matt Colucci, Nic Curcio, and Kendall Kendrick, and freshmen Aidan Bauer, Tyler Bell, Justin Bonito, Alex Feeney, Graham Ross, Nate Sica, and Blendinger.
 
The Rangers open their season on Saturday, when they visit Kean in a non-conference match-up starting at 12:30 p.m. Drew will also take on Saint Elizabeth and FDU-Florham at FDU on Feb. 23-24 before embarking on a five-day, six-game spring break trip at the RussMatt Central Florida Invitational March 4-8 The Rangers play their Landmark Conference opener with a doubleheader at Wilkes University on March 16, and their home opener is set for March 20 versus Montclair State.