Coming off of a 25-19 season, three NCAA Division II tournament appearances, and two PSAC championships in the past four years, the bar has been set high for Bloomsburg Baseball.

Bloomsburg comes into the season ranked fifth in the preseason conference poll. After missing out on the postseason last year, the Huskies will have an uphill battle, losing some offensive firepower with the departure of outfielder Ben Newbert and second baseman Kyle OFier. This past season, Newbert broke Bloomsburg’s single-season record for home runs, crushing 22 homers. His teammate OFier, trailed right behind him with 19, giving him the second most in a season in school history. OFier also holds Bloomsburg’s record for most career homers, slugging 47 throughout his time as a Husky. Both players rank top ten for their career in home runs, RBIs, runs scored, and doubles.

Bloomsburg will also be losing some key defensive pieces as well, with shortstop Jake Reed and catcher Jared Burcin also graduating. Burcin and Reed became staples of the Husky infield, both starting well over 100 games.

While Bloomsburg lost a lot due to graduation, they still have plenty of solid players returning. Outfielder Carter Chasanov is returning for his final season with the Huskies. Chasanov has started 138 games as a Husky and had his best season last year. Chasanov slashed .330/.402/.571 and batted in 30 runs in 2022. He posted college career highs in hits, doubles, triples, home runs, RBIs, and slugging percentage. Look for Chasanov to try to post some new career highs this year.

Pitcher Jared Marshman is also returning for his final season. Marshman is coming off a 9-1 year, where he posted career highs in ERA, innings pitched, wins, and strikeouts. In 2022, Marshman pitched 69.2 innings while posting a 1.81 ERA, a 1.13 WHIP, and 71 strikeouts. The righty was awarded PSAC East Pitcher of the Year for his performance on the bump last season.

Out of the bullpen, look for Matt Verieri to have another solid season. Verieri logged 6 saves in the 2022 season, and a WHIP of just 0.93.

Outfielder Brady Gibble will also be a key piece to the Huskies’ success this season. In the 2022 season, Gibble started 36 games and had the best on-base percentage of any returning starter and also hit eight home runs

Look for catcher Tyler Wiik to possibly fill the void left by Burcin’s departure. Wiik has started 42 games for the Huskies, and last season batted .292 in limited play.

Bloomsburg Baseball will start their season on February 17 down south, visiting the University of Charleston for a three-game series. Then they will head to North Carolina to play in the Wilson Tobs Tournament.

Their first home game will be a doubleheader played on Friday, March 3 against Fairmont State University.

Bloomsburg’s toughest series will be saved until the very end of the season, matching up with Millersville, the reigning PSAC champion, in their last series before the PSAC championship. Last year, the Huskies dropped their last 2 versus Millersville, being outscored a combined 32-10.

After the loss of some historic offensive firepower, as well as some defensive prowess, the huskies will look to retool and make it back to the postseason this year.