SEASON PREVIEW | Kutztown Baseball ready to take offseason work and translate it to success in 2023

KUTZTOWN, Pa. -- As the spring approaches, Kutztown University baseball is ready to translate its hard off-season work to the diamond in 2023.

The Golden Bears struggled on the field in 2022, going 11-35 with a 4-20 mark in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) play. KU finished second-last in the conference in ERA and batting average. For fourth-year head coach Eric Folmar, last season is a memory he and his squad are trying to put behind them.

"In our first team meeting we talked about last season for maybe five minutes before putting it behind us," Folmar said. "We're focused on this year and what we need to do to improve and put ourselves in a better position on and off the field."

That transition from last season to now started in the fall, which according to Folmar was the best fall he's had while at Kutztown.

"The biggest thing for us this fall was making some adjustments to put our guys in a place where they have the chance to be a success," Folmar said. "A lot of it has to do with the great leaders and guys around our program that have bought in and have been working hard."

For Folmar and KU, it will now come down to transitioning what was learned in the fall to the field in the spring. The Golden Bears' experienced roster with guys who have been in the program for multiple years will help that transition. KU's roster is filled with a large number of familiar faces with collegiate baseball experience, including 16 upperclassmen

"One of the strengths of the team is that we have guys that have been in the program that know what we're about and what PSAC play is all about," Folmar said.

One of the Golden Bears' top returners is senior Gavin Moretski (Harleysville, Pa./La Salle College H.S.). The Harleysville, Pa. native led KU in home runs (4), RBI (23), and was second on the team in batting average (.326) and hits (44). The 2021 All-PSAC Second Teamer is a four-year member of the Golden Bears and will prove to be a key cog at the plate and on the mound for KU in 2023.

"We're excited Gavin is back and we're excited to see what he brings to the table in the box and on the mound," Folmar said.

Along with Moretski, the KU pitching staff returns its top guys who logged the majority of innings in 2022. Zach Male (Royersford, Pa./Spring-Ford), Dominic Proietto (Norristown, Pa./Norristown), Paul Moretski (Harleysville, Pa./Lansdale Catholic), Jake Skrocki (Royersford, Pa./Spring-Ford), and Tyler Cleveland (Pillow, Pa./Upper Dauphin) are all the other Golden Bears who logged over 25 innings last season and will be back for 2023.

Hitting was another point of struggle for KU in 2022, but multiple Golden Bears have shown flashes offensively before that. Mitchell Peers (Gilbertsville, Pa./Boyertown) and Ethan Martini (Trevose, Pa./Father Judge) are two major offensive weapons that are primed to have bounce-back campaigns in 2023.

Peers, along with the previously mentioned Proietto and Skrocki were selected as the team captains for the 2023 season. Peers and Proietto both served as captains last season, with Skrocki being named a captain for the first time in his career.

"All three of them are great kids who work their tails off, are great students and are respected by their peers," Folmar said. "All three of them are great examples of what we want in this program."

As for newcomers, KU welcomed freshmen Zach Tropiano (Springfield, Pa./Springfield), Ryan Maloney (Boyertown, Pa./Boyertown), and Michael Burns (Levittown, Pa./Harry S. Truman) to the program. The Golden Bears also added some more through the transfer portal with Cody Barberio (Green Lane, Pa./Quakertown) and Michael Lennon (Harleysville, Pa./North Penn), both pitchers from West Chester.

"We expect some of those new guys to help us right now," Folmar said.

When it comes to expectations for the 2023 season, the Golden Bears are looking to take it one day at a time. Folmar and his staff want to see their guys improve holistically on and off the field.

"We had a 3.1 GPA in the fall and we're proud of that," said Folmar. "For us, if we get a day better every day, it will be a successful season."

As the majority of northern schools do, KU will open the season with an extended trip down to Virginia and North Carolina. Long trips like the one coming up are great for team building and seeing what KU's hard off-season work will look like in action.

"For them to get on a bus and spend a lot of time together is great and helps chemistry grow," said Folmar. "We're excited to take what we did in the offseason, in the classroom, on the field, in the weight room, and get tested to see where we're at."

After some changes to the original schedule, the Golden Bears' first game of the season will be on Feb. 18 against Tiffin in Sutherland, Va. First pitch is set for 5:30 p.m.

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Players Mentioned

#32 Tyler Cleveland: RHP; 5' 11"; Sophomore; R/R

#31 Zach Male: RHP; 5' 11"; Junior; R/R

#4 Ethan Martini: OF; 6' 2"; Junior; L/R

#23 Gavin Moretski: RHP/INF; 6' 3"; Senior; R/R

#24 Paul Moretski: LHP/UT; 6' 2"; Sophomore; L/L

#17 Mitchell Peers: INF; 6' 0"; Graduate Student; R/R

#33 Dominic Proietto: RHP/INF; 6' 3"; Senior; R/R

#3 Jake Skrocki: RHP; 5' 9"; Redshirt Junior; R/R

#5 Zach Tropiano: OF; 5' 7"; Freshman; R/R

#18 Ryan Maloney: C; 5' 11"; Freshman; R/R

Players Mentioned

#32 Tyler Cleveland
: 5' 11"; Sophomore; R/R
: RHP

#31 Zach Male
: 5' 11"; Junior; R/R
: RHP

#4 Ethan Martini
: 6' 2"; Junior; L/R
: OF

#23 Gavin Moretski
: 6' 3"; Senior; R/R
: RHP/INF

#24 Paul Moretski
: 6' 2"; Sophomore; L/L
: LHP/UT

#17 Mitchell Peers
: 6' 0"; Graduate Student; R/R
: INF

#33 Dominic Proietto
: 6' 3"; Senior; R/R
: RHP/INF

#3 Jake Skrocki
: 5' 9"; Redshirt Junior; R/R
: RHP

#5 Zach Tropiano
: 5' 7"; Freshman; R/R
: OF

#18 Ryan Maloney
: 5' 11"; Freshman; R/R
: C