With four starters and several others with varsity experience returning from last season, Orange is hoping to win the close games they lost last season.
The Lions, who finished 5-13 overall and 5-5 in the Chagrin Valley Conference Chagrin Division, lost four games by one run.
“The coaching staff is optimistic as we start the season that we should be able to compete in a very tough CVC Chagrin Division,” said Orange coach Fred Zupancic. “You know that every league game is going to be a fight and you better be ready to play. Last season, we were not always ready to play consistently at a high level and finish games. We struggled with consistency and doing the little things that are needed to win baseball games. They say the baseball diamond is the best classroom and we did a lot of learning last season. Lessons have been learned, skills have improved, and we are looking forward to getting on the field.”
In addition to its returning starters, Orange has several players returning from a year away from the team.
“Cole Schreibman is back at Orange after being away last season and will play outfield and pitch for us,” Zupancic said. “Major Calhoun was out last season with an injury and should help us defensively. Gabe Pflaum lost most of last season coming out of wrestling and will provide some energy and enthusiasm to our lineup.”
The Lions return a pair of all-conference performers from last season.
Senior first baseman Branden Wang, an MIT football recruit, was a first-team selection after batting .312 in league play.
“We expect him to continue to grow as a player,” Zupancic said.
Senior pitcher/catcher/shortstop Johnny Neal was an honorable mention selection. He was 3-2 on the mound with a 2.40 earned run average and 35 strikeouts in 29 innings of work. He also batted .333 with seven stolen bases.
“Schools are missing the boat on this kid; he can flat-out play,” Zupancic said. “His best position may be catcher, but he is too important to us a pitcher.”
Senior Tyler Diviney will start at third base and also see time on the mound.
“He is a program kid,” Zupancic said. “He came in as a freshman with little in terms of baseball experience and had developed into a solid player. He will start the season as our third baseman and our No. 2 or 3 starting pitcher.”
Junior Jake Vallone is back behind the dish.
“He stepped up last season as a sophomore and was learning on the fly,” Zupancic said. “Jake had a very good summer and offseason and gained a lot of experience behind the plate. We are expecting good things from him.”
Senior Gabe Pflaum and freshman George Gallup will play in the middle infield with Pflaum at second and Gallup at third.
Sophomore Trevor McKinnon started one game as a freshman and proved to be an outstanding outfielder. He earned the starting nod in left field.
“He has the ability to cover gap to gap,” Zupancic said. “He should see improvement as a hitter this spring. He got better as the year went on.”
Senior Cole Schreibman will play center field, and senior Avery Goldman is in right. Junior Xavier Carlisle-Winston will DH.
Goldman can play both corner outfield positions and will work as a relief pitcher.
Junior first baseman/DH Xavier Carlisle-Winston will provide depth.
Zupancic is confident the Lions have a deep pitching staff that should enable the Lions to compete in close games.
“Our biggest strength at the start should be our pitching staff,” he said. “While short on experience, we should have a deep rotation that has shown some promise early in camp and should help to take some pressure off our offense.”
Senior Tyler Diviney, junior Blake Jacops, and Pflaum will chew up innings for the Lions.
The Lions have several pitchers with little to no experience, but their talent should help Orange solidify its rotation and bullpen.
Junior Simmon Claypool will pitch in relief and start in spot situations. Sophomore Luke Neal and freshman Danny Neal are among the young arms the Lions are excited about.
Sophomores Russell Melvey and Caden Wang and freshman Josh Tomaselli will start on JV but will see varsity action.
Orange already has developed a strong culture within the program and Zupancic is confident that it will help the Lions to handle any adversity that comes their way.
“Our biggest strength is our team’s culture and love for each other,” Zupancic said. “They are extremely coachable and willing to work and believe in each other. When you have a group of upperclassmen who are pulling the younger players up and the younger players pushing the upper-class, you are in a good place. A third of our program is related–brothers or cousins–and this group leads by example and strength with a strong sense of family to all that we do.”
Orange’s keys to victory aren’t all that different from any other team’s.
“For us to have success this season we need to cut down on the errors and be a better team at scoring runs,” Zupancic said. “We lost six games by fewer than three runs, and it was mostly due to errors on defense. If we can fix that and get a couple of timely hits, we should see success on the field.”
