The Wayne State College baseball team began their season with four games in Tucson, Arizona, from Friday, Jan. 31 to Sunday, Feb. 2. The Wildcats ended the weekend with a 1-3 record, winning their final game.
The Wildcats struggled from a pitching standpoint in their first four games over the weekend, giving up double digit runs in each of their first three games. They rounded out the weekend the right way with a walk-off win in extra innings against Colorado State Pueblo.
The Wildcats dig into the 2025 season needing to fill a lot of holes left by last year’s team. As WSC head coach Alex Koch says, “It all starts on the mound,” and it’s where the Wildcats will need to see the most players step into new roles.
WSC loses four of their five starters in the pitching rotation, with senior Jackson Shelbourne being the lone returner. To pair with with new No. 1 in Shelbourne, Koch’s staff sees a lot of transfers enter. Southpaw Brooks Kneifl is the headliner of the transfer class, transferring over from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln to join his brother, Jacob, on the pitching staff. Tyson Romero was Nebraska Wesleyan’s ace last season and has made the jump to the Division II level. Carson Obrecht is a freshman entering the program that could see some starts in the rotation.
“These transfers and freshmen that are coming in are going to have to eat up a lot of innings,” Koch said. “A guy that eat a lot of innings and sets the tone for the weekend is the guy we have to try to find.”
The bullpen saw lots of struggles last year but sees a lot of faces return. Shutdown closer Braden Cannon highlights the bullpen again in 2025. Other pitchers like Kadyn Van Hill, Eli Crnkovich and Josh Kilzer saw flashes of brilliance in 2024 but will be looking for more consistency on the mound. Transfers like Clement Febus and Keinan Lentell will also bolster the bullpen.
“Those middle innings, it just guys with experience,” Koch said. “That’s what a lot of this early season stuff is going to be. See how it shakes out and see who fits where.”
As much as pitching matters, the player catching balls and strikes also matters a lot. Both primary catchers from last season in Trey Wells and Kyler Essink are both no longer with the team. Wells transferred to a Division I program in Virginia and Essink graduated. Two transfers enter the catching room. Gabe Monosmith and Casey Prychak enter from the Junior College / Community College level and both play different styles.
“Gabe is a big hitter you’ll see at the DH (designated hitter) spot quite a bit,” Koch said. “He’s big, he’s physical, and does a nice job behind the dish. Casey is more of our all-round catcher. He can receive well. He can block. He’s a great catch and throw guy.”
The outfield is also a place where WSC will need to fill some gaps. Colin Lynam graduated, and Carter Thomas left the program, two huge weapons both defensively and at the plate. Colin’s brother Cade also leaves the team due to graduation. Cam Madsen split time with Cade Lynam in right field last year and will return to start this year. Max Heard played in a fair amount of games last year and shows lots of promise in the batter’s box. Noah Strizek is an experienced player who is expected to see plenty of starting time. Two-sport star Brayden Chaney could also see time in the outfield.
There is one element of consistency from last year to this year is the infield, as every starter from last year’s squad returns: Kaden Young at first base, Chase Douglas at second base, Quinn McCafferty at shortstop and the two-way player Cannon at third base. That troop of players helped the Wildcats lead the nation in double plays.
“Having that double record last year, it’s more of a team reward,” Koch said.
Players like returner Nate Cunningham and Ohio University transfer Taylor Gill will also see time in the infield, although Gill could see time in the outfield as well, being a utility guy for WSC.
Last season, WSC was a team that played what is commonly referred to as ‘small ball’, meaning they will get on base, steal bags, and drive the runner’s home with hits into the outfield gaps.
“It wouldn’t necessarily categorize it as ‘small ball’,” Koch said. “We are going to drive gaps and steal bags. When I think of ‘small ball’, I think of bunting a lot. We are not a huge bunting team. We just preach getting better in the running game.”
WSC begins conference play on Friday, Feb. 21 when they start a four-game series with the Minnesota Crookston Golden Eagles in Pueblo, Colorado.