The Wyoming Area baseball team was represented at the second annual Bill Howerton Baseball and Softball Media Day by: coach Rob Lemoncelli, Dominic Donati, Jeremy Layland and Tom Carlin.
MOOSIC – Wyoming Area coach Rob Lemoncelli is relying on experience and a flexible lineup to return the Warriors to prominence after a surprising slip back in the 2023 season.
The Warriors had won two straight District 2 Class 4A titles and appeared in a Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association state championship game before winning only four games last season.
“These guys got some good experience last year,” Lemoncelli said during an interview at the second annual Bill Howerton Baseball and Softball Media Day at PNC Field. “We had a tough year. We bring a lot back.
“We have a lot of younger players and we think with the experience they bring back from last year and the youth that we have coming up that we have the makings for a pretty good season.”
Jeremy Layland returns at catcher after batting .327 last season as a sophomore.
“We definitely didn’t want that last year,” Layland said. “It was not the season we projected to have, but we have a lot of talent back, with a lot of athleticism on the team.”
A day before the start of official practices, Lemoncelli said it was too early to project positions, but that he had a large pool of candidates in the infield.
Anthony DeLucca and Brady Noone are back. Alex Vacula joins them.
On the corners, Tom Carlin has experience and Colton Krogulski saw some playing time. David Fath is another infield candidate.
“We have a lot of options,” Lemoncelli said, “a lot of talent we think we can use.”
So much that those players could end up elsewhere.
Jacob Snyder returns to the outfield after batting .448 as a freshman. Matt Rusinchak and Dominic Donati also return with experience.
“Some of those guys in the infield are utility guys, so you’ll see some of them out in the outfield at different times, depending on who’s on the mound,” Lemoncelli said. “We’re a pretty flexible lineup.”
The pitching staff features three lefties, including Carlin, who made a team-high 11 appearances last season.
“We think we can be pretty good on the mound if we can throw strikes,” Lemoncelli said.
Carlin has heard that message.
“I’m just trying to get more comfortable around the team,” he said. “Properly through strikes, which is what my coach wants. I don’t want to overdo it. I don’t want to let people on. I just want to throw strikes and let my team do the work, which I know they can.”
Snyder can also make an impact there after not pitching last season because of injury. He and Chase DeSando are the other lefties.
Krogulski and Rusinchak also pitched a year ago.
“We have a mix of righties and lefties that could see time on the mound,” Lemoncelli said.
The Warriors will try to create a winning mix.
“We have a lot of young guys coming up this year” Donati said. “I’m focusing on being a leader for them, like the way the seniors did for me when I was young.
“I really want to show them the Warrior Baseball Way basically.”
