Baseball: St. Bede to rely on strong pitching, hopes to be better offensively

Last season, the St. Bede baseball team went 21-8 on the strength of pitching and defense.

The Bruins’ pitching once again will be strong with a senior one-two punch back on the mound in Alex Ankiewicz and Seth Ferrari, who were the team’s co-MVPs in 2023.

Ankiewicz was 5-1 with a 1.98 ERA, while Ferrari was 6-1 with a 2.33 ERA.

Junior Alan Spencer, who coach Bill Booker said “might be our hardest thrower” also will be a key pitcher for the Bruins, while senior Nathan Husser also will take the mound when he’s not behind the plate.

“We’ve got three or four guys for the games we play during the week,” Booker said. “We have to find some relievers and maybe somebody who can shut the door. We’ve got a few juniors and even some freshmen in the mix who might be able to help with that.

“It starts with pitching first. It starts with pace. It starts with our location. Our pitchers know they’ll go as they go. For us to be successful, we have to play good defense, we have to have pitching and timely hitting.”

Senior Luke Tunnel is back at first base, Ankiewicz and sophomore Gus Burr will play middle infield, and Spencer will play third base. Halden Huebenurg, Joe Bima and Carson Riva also could see time at third.

The outfield is experienced with Seth Ferrari in left, senior Ryan Slingsby in center and senior Evan Entrican in right.

Sophomore Gino Ferrari also will see time in left, Riva will get some innings behind the plate, junior Aiden Mullane will be in the mix at second base, and junior Kaden Nauman will get time in the outfield.

“It’s experience, they’re used to me, they know what we’re trying to do,” Booker said about having so many starters back. “They have a great work ethic. They put in their time. They know what to expect.

“We have to mix in a few younger guys. If we come up with the right mix, we can compete with just about anybody.”

Although St. Bede was competitive last year on the strength of pitching and defense, Booker hopes the Bruins can produce better at the plate this spring.

Tunnel was one of the Bruins’ top hitters last season, as he batted .361. Booker said Slingsby and Burr hit the ball hard, while Mullane, senior Zach Popurella and junior Mason Moreno also are expected to contribute at the plate.

“We have to hit the ball better than last year,” Booker said. “Last year we were 21-8, and we did a lot with good defense and good pitching and timely hits. If we can put pressure on people offensively, I think we’ll be better than what we were last year offensively. That’s what we’re trying to work on.

“It’s going to be a trial-and-error process. It’s going to be mixing and matching lineups, seeing who can bunt, who can hit and run, who can run bases. We’re going to try to put the best product on the field.”

The Bruins are moving to the Tri-County Conference after leaving the Three Rivers Conference.

“Out of the frying pan and into the fire,” Booker said. “We still have some quality TRAC opponents we’ll play in nonconference. It’s good to still keep those teams [on the schedule]. When you look at the Tri-County, we’re going to have to be at our best because there are some strong teams in the conference. I hope they look at us coming in and think we help make the conference better.”