WILKES-BARRE – The Wilkes baseball team gets set to take the field for their first action of the 2025 season this weekend, looking to improve upon a promising first season under head coach Mike Guy.

"[There's] a lot of excitement," Guy said of the energy around the team. "…[We] can't wait to get outside, we're kind of tired of being indoors!"

The Colonels finished 2024 with a 22-16 overall record and an 11-13 record in their first season of Landmark Conference play.

This season, the Colonels 39-man roster consists of one graduate student, seven seniors, eight juniors, five sophomores and 18 first years.

Pitcher Caleb Graham (Exeter, PA/Wyoming Area) is the lone graduate student on the team, transferring from cross-town rival King's College. In his two seasons with the Monarchs, Graham pitched 43.1 innings with 22 career strikeouts.

Third baseman Luke Spencer (Lehman, PA/Lake Lehman) heads up the senior class after being named to the All-Landmark Second Team last season with a .341 batting average, 45 hits, 35 RBIs, and 70 total bases, all team-highs. He is joined by fellow All-Landmark Second Teamer Mike Show (Clarks Summit, PA/Abington Heights), who proved to be a dual threat in the outfield and on the pitcher's mound. Utility man Zack Luksic (Shavertown, PA/Dallas) completes the trio of returning All-Landmark Colonels, finishing last season with a team-high six home runs and an All-Region Third Team nod from D3baseball.com. Pitcher Colby Butczynski (Nanticoke, PA/Greater Nanticoke), outfielder Jimmy Brazofsky (Park Ridge, NJ/Park Ridge), first baseman Chase Vrabel (Gibsonia, PA/Pine Richland), and newcomer PJ Pisano (Pittston, PA/Pittston Area) round out a group that Guy commended on their leadership this offseason.

"…They've demonstrated [it] from the beginning of the season when we started in September…" Guy said. "We have a very strong senior class coming in who has been here for four years, the majority of them, just looking forward to the season."

Of the eight Colonel juniors, five can be found atop the pitcher's mound. Hunter Lawall (West Wyoming, PA/Wyoming Area), Daniel Storm (Wilmington, DE/Archmere Academy), Ethan Jezewski (Millerstown, PA/Greenwood), Braydon Wuestner (Gales Ferry, CT/Ledyard) and even outfielder Evan Melberger (West Pittston, PA/Wyoming Area) saw time on the mound last season. Lawall led the group with 43.2 innings pitched, 37 strikeouts, and one save. Outfielder Jacob Cambria (Elysburg, PA/Southern Columbia) and first baseman Devin Markert (Pittston, PA/Pittston Area) round out the returning juniors, with catcher Gavin Lacoe (Clarks Summit, PA/Abington Heights) joining them after transferring from Mount Saint Mary's.

All-Landmark First Team selection Nathan Loch (Effort, PA/Pleasant Valley) heads up the sophomore class after starting all 38 games as a first year with a .326 average, 44 hits, 64 total bases, and a team-high 22 stolen           bases. He is joined by dynamic pitching duo Zachary Lloyd (Scranton, PA/West Scranton) and Wilton Abreu (Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic/Liceo Americo Pérez Tolentino), who held a combined win-loss record of 11-1 in their first year. Lloyd was named All-Landmark Second Team last season and led the team in innings pitched (62.2), ERA (2.87), and strikeouts (41). He was the lone pitcher to pitch a complete game, going the distance in a 4-0 win over Penn State Behrend. Joining them is infield duo Matthew Show (Clarks Summit, PA/Abington Heights) and Jack Mathis (Exeter PA/Wyoming Area), who joins the team as a transfer from East Stroudsburg University.

The Colonels also welcome 18 first years, bolstering the pitching staff with nine new arms in the forms of Tyler Uram (Carbondale Twp, PA/Lakeland), Sal Colello (Highland Mills, NY/Monroe-Woodbury), Kyle Rentschler (Downingtown, PA/Downingtown West), Riley Jagger (Hop Bottom, PA/Mountain View), Parker Rutkowski (West Milford, NJ/Pope John XXIII), Ethan Grodack (Lake Ariel, PA/Western Wayne), Gavin Sutton (Tower City, PA/Williams Valley), and Shaun O'Donnell (New Tripoli, PA/Northwestern Lehigh). They also welcome five outfielders in Gannon Decker (Hawley, PA/Wallenpaupack Area), Andres Cruz (Wayne, PA/Radnor), Ryan Campbell (Wilmington, DE/Archmere Academy), Luke Kraszewski (Milford, PA/Delaware Valley), and Richie Rossi (Hazleton, PA/Hazleton Area). Bobby Croneberger (New Tripoli, PA/Northwestern Lehigh) and Trehnon Hugo (Wyalusing, PA/Wyalusing) are the two incoming infielders, joined by catcher Michael Sabella (Cornelius, NC/Hough) and utility man Mark Nazar (Clarks Summit, PA/Abington Heights).

Despite over half the roster being comprised of first-year players and incoming transfers, Guy expects the group to compete for valuable spots on the team.

"[Their expectation is] to push the upperclassmen," Guy said. "To step in, have roles, and if they can win roles that's great. But I think for a lot of them, they are ready to go if we have to put them in today."
The Colonels open the season this weekend with a Sunday doubleheader against Shenandoah University at Kevin Anderson Field at Bridgeforth Stadium in Winchester, Virgina. The Hornets are receiving votes in the D3baseball.com/NCBWA Preseason Top 25, and Guy believes a matchup like this is a strong way to start the season.

"It's a good test right out of the gate to give us a measuring stick and hopefully come home with two wins," he said.

First pitch for Sunday's doubleheader against Shenandoah is scheduled for 12:00 p.m.