Garnet Baseball on Rise in 2009
Optimism surrounds the Garnet baseball team as the 2009 season approaches. Last season saw head coach Stan Exeter's squad post the highest win total in nine years and an influx of first-years has the campus full of the sounds of baseball.
Despite the last winning Centennial season occurring in 1996, the Garnet remain confident that 2009 is the season where the page will turn. Exeter, entering his third year at the helm, has re-invigorated Swarthmore baseball in two simple ways: hit better (team average was over .300 for the first time six seasons) and field better (.934 fielding percentage best in six years). With a new line-up and team dynamic, the team turns to their seniors for leadership in a quest to for the program's first berth in the Centennial playoffs.
"This is a season where our players can see what it means to play competitive baseball,” stated Exeter. “In years past, our team was over matched in the Centennial Conference but off-season workouts and a new philosophy has changed the attitude of Swarthmore baseball.”
Leading the Garnet bats will be senior infielder Conor Casey (San Francisco, Calif. / Lowell) a three-year starter who has appeared in the Swarthmore uniform 74 times, a team-high. Casey (pictured below), who has seen time at both shortstop and third base, had his 
best collegiate season in 2008, posting career-highs in doubles (team-high 10), batting average (.342), on-base percentage (.419) and slugging percentage (team-best .450).
Defensively, the Garnet have strengthened the middle of the diamond, led by spry senior second baseman Kevin Kooi (Lafayette, Calif. / College Prep.). Kooi led the team with 12 steals in 2008 (has only been caught once in 24 career attempts), tied for second on the squad with 17 RBIs (career-high) and was third in batting average (.316, another career-high). Look for freshmen Spencer Ross (Chappaqua, N.Y. / Horace Greeley) and Anthony Montalbano (Edison, N.J. / John P. Stevens) will challenge for time on the left side of the infield.
The outfield is anchored by right-fielder Jimmy Gill (Lewes, Del. / Cape Henlopen), a two-year starter, who leads all current players with a .358 career slugging percentage and is second to Casey with 35 RBIs at Swarthmore. Joining Gill (pictured below) will be sophomore outfielder Ben Schneiderman (Easton, Pa. / Easton) made a big splash in 2008 and will be taking over the centerfield duties from the departed Scott Dalane ’08. The speedy Schneiderman hit at a .310 clip last season, swiped 11 bases and tied Dalane with three outfield assists.
The biggest challenge for the Garnet will be shoring up the defensive play behind the dish. Swarthmore yielded over 100 bases to opponents in the 2008 season. The team will look to senior Andy Bender (Baltimore, Md. / Beth T. Elioh), back from an arm in jury in 2008, as well as a trio of freshmen Matt Lamb (Pacific Palisades, Calif. / Loyola), Mike Waterhouse (Weston, Conn. / Weston), and Miles Santo (Middletown, N.J. / Middletown South) to help turn a glaring weaknesses into a position of strength in 2009.
The Garnet pitching staff has its work cut out and the Swarthmore coaches are mixing in new arms with savvy veterans in hopes of neutralizing some of the best bats in the Conference. Sophomore right-hander Neil Meija (Oak Park, Ill. / Park River Forest) (below) is the top-returning starter, having beaten Centennial squads Franklin & Marshall and Washington College in 2008.
"Neil will continue to develop but with a deeper staff in 2009, will not have to carry such a heavy load for the Garnet," said Exeter
Swarthmore has a slew of lefties to compliment Mejia in the rotation, including Gill, Andy Allen ’11 (Manchester, Maine / St. Dominic), and Adam Koshkin ’11 (Oakland, Calif. / Head-Royce School). The freshman class possesses several talented arms, including Kyle Crawford (Mississuga, Ontario, Canada / Cawthra Park School) and Ignacio Rodriguez ’12 (Silver Spring, Md. / St. John’s College HS), who will be called on to provide quality innings for the Garnet early in their careers.
The bullpen is chock full of experienced hurlers, led by strapping senior Dylan Smith (Patchogue, N.Y. / Patchogue-Medford) who has made 37 appearances in his Swarthmore career. Junior right-hander Zach Sinemus (Short Hills, N.J. / Millburn) is one of Exeter’s top options, having made 19 appearances in 2008 and earned his first collegiate save against City College of New York (he was named Centennial Conference Pitcher of the Week after allowing just two hits in 3.0 innings to CCNY on March 16). Look for sophomores James Bernard (Philadelphia, Pa. / Friends Select) and Isaac Han (Los Angeles, Calif. / Damien) to contribute to the Swarthmore relief corps as well.
The Conference schedule kicks off at Muhlenberg on March 24. Coach Exeter has added a pair of former Centennial players to his coaching staff, Jordan Wyckoff (Dickinson ’06) and Dan Tischler (Franklin & Marshall ’08) with hopes of pushing the Garnet farther up the Conference ladder. The Garnet set up a challenging schedule for 2009, featuring non-conference games against Vassar, Rutgers-Camden (at Campbell Field, home of the Camden Riversharks), Widener, Misericordia, and the full slate of Centennial Conference opponents. The Garnet will take a trip to the warmer climate of Arizona to play a series of games against University of Pittsburgh-Bradford and Wesleyan University, two teams from the Northeast.
Swarthmore opens the 2009 slate at Clothier Fields on March 1, welcoming Vassar to campus for a 12:00 p.m. double header. Centenary College and head coach Scott Kushner ’02 (former Garnet player and assistant coach) are scheduled to visit campus on March 3rd before Swarthmore heads to Arizona for the annual spring trip.