2015 Olivet College Baseball Preview

Ten seniors to lead Comets in 2015

With the most seniors in the past eight years, the Olivet College baseball team is very confident heading into the 2015 season. Leading the way is three-year starting catcher Peter Panos (Davison), a 2014 second-team All-Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) selection. He was selected as the team's MVP in 2014 while compiling a batting average of .363. Panos also had a fielding percentage of .992 which was the highest in the league for starting players. With a career batting average of higher than .300, he is counted on to be one of the leaders for the Comets this spring.

After being sidelined for the majority of the 2014 season, Jonny Zawacki (Alpena) returns for his fifth year at Olivet to complete what has been a solid career. A versatile player, he can play the outfield and first base in addition to being a relief pitcher. Zawacki has a lifetime .300 career batting average with more than 70 runs scored, while compiling an on base percentage of .344.

Other three-year starters include infielder Tom Kort (South Lyon) and outfielder Drew Thompson (Plymouth Salem). Another versatile player, Kort has played in more than 100 games at Olivet at either shortstop or second base. Thompson has appeared in 115 games and has driven in 50 runs in his career. Both will be counted on as team leaders in 2015.

Also returning in the infield is two-year starter, senior Beau Langs (Climax-Scotts). In his two seasons, the speedy Langs has stolen 22 bases in 29 attempts and also scored 50 runs. Senior infielder Conner Magro (Bridgman) has played in more than 60 games in his career and will provide valuable experience for the Comets.

A junior college transfer prior to last season, senior Nikolai Jump (Williamston) has moved from the infield to centerfield where he proved in fall practice that he has found a home. Jump batted .267 in his first season as a Comet in 2014. Rounding out the senior position players is Troy Pickard (Goshen, Ind.) who had a fine fielding year in 2014 making only two errors in 18 games.  

Senior pitchers include potential starters Collin McCririe (Brighton) and Jimmy Schoof (Delta College/Merrill). McCririe has appeared in 34 games in his three years pitching for the Comets. The 2015 season will be the first opportunity for him to compete as a starter and based on fall practice he will one of many candidates. Schoof had a great fall as he was the winning pitcher in two of the fall world series games. An athletic player, he is also being counted on as a pinch runner in 2015.

The junior class is heavily dominated by pitchers. Of the ten members in the class, eight are hurlers. Leading the staff is two-year starting left-handed pitcher Colin Boak (Fowlerville). Selected as the team's most valuable pitcher in 2014, he posted a 3-3 record with an outstanding earned run average of 3.20. Boak's career record is 7-6 making him the winningest pitcher on the current Comet staff.

Fellow lefthander Ryan Roeske (Warren De LaSalle) also had an outstanding year in 2014 posting a miniscule era of 0.90 in 17 relief appearances. He has appeared in 29 games in his two years on the mound for the Comets. Roeske is expected to fill a bigger role in 2015.

Jarred Scheese (Chelsea) started two games last spring and is competing for a starting position this year. He had a 2-1 record in 2014 including a win versus league rival Albion College.  Also returning is Mitch Galloway (Coldwater) who has appeared in 18 games in his two years. A promising fall season has put himself in position to earn more innings in 2015.

Other junior pitchers include Tom Miller (Martin) and Nick Taylor (Holton). Both made their debuts in 2014 and both have improved following solid fall seasons. Miller is 1-0 in a Comet uniform after earning a win in his first collegiate start versus Rochester College. The left-handed throwing Taylor is going to be counted on as a lefty relief specialist.

Two other junior pitchers are two-way players with Stephen Botti (Decatur) and Tyler Parish (Niles) able to play first base when not pitching. Parish will also catch and bat as a designated hitter for the Comets. The left-handed hitting Botti will hit in the middle of the order and is counted on heavily to drive in runs for the Comets.

The only two juniors who do not pitch are Zach Kitzmiller (Merrill) and Ryan Hendricks (Delta College/Alpena). Kitzmiller will play the outfield, first base and also catch in 2015. Hendricks had a solid fall campaign and is expected to hit in the middle of the batting order along with playing the outfield for the Comets.

The sophomore class is small in numbers but big in talent with three position players and one pitcher. Andrew Dayfield (Brownstown), the team's freshman of the year in 2014, heads the class which also includes outfielder Austin Cleaver (St. Johns) and pitcher Cameron Hendrickson (Flint Powers). Dayfield batted .315 and can play the infield in addition to his main position which is catching. Cleaver batted .260 in his debut season and has improved considerably both offensively and defensively.

Based on their fall performances the freshman class will be counted on to contribute in 2015. The class of ten freshman are a large and talented group made up of five pitchers, three infielders, one outfielder and one catcher. The pitchers are lefthander Michael O'Brien (South Lyon), and right handers Sam Knoechel (Kalamazoo Central), Austin Hickey (Harrison), Aiden Holliday (Petoskey) and Joseph Crosby (North Adams).

Infielders include Luke Spotts (Fremont), Colton Dawdy (Crestwood) and Joey Richmond (Jackson Lumen Christi). Richmond also will spend some time on the mound for the Comets. Nick Jones (Plainwell) is the lone outfielder in the class, with Connor Murney (Lawrence) being the only catcher. Murney was a member of the successful Comet football team this fall.

The 2015 season gets under way Thursday, March 5, when they play Ohio Northern University in Fort Myers, Florida, at the Gene Cusic Classic. While in Florida, the Comets will play eight games. Olivet's MIAA-opening, four-game series will be Saturday and Sunday, March 21-22, against Alma College. The first two games will be played in Olivet, starting at 1 p.m.