The Harris-Stowe State University baseball team will be back on the diamond in 2025 after recently concluding their fall ball schedule. Coming off a disappointing season last year, the baseball program will look to bounce back come spring. Head coach Pernell Roberts believes they are in a good spot with personnel and recruiting to begin the year.
Roberts opens up about the baseball program.
New team, new season! After a very rough last season, I expect us to be in a much better place as I believe this is the best group I have had in my 4 years at HSSU… We’ve lost a couple of top contributors from last year’s team, but we’ve gained a lot of new faces who will contribute right away and look forward to a very solid year.
Key subtractions:
– Tyson Dent- 3B. Tyson was one of the purest hitters I’ve seen in a while. Very tough out and able to spray it to all fields. It is always rough losing that type of bat in the lineup, but we are confident with who we have brought in to fill that void.
– Julian Cintel- SS, LF. Julian was a guy who knew what it took to get it done and was able to play multiple spots AND swing a good stick for us throughout the year. Not to mention he battled through a handful of injuries.
Key returners:
– Walker Mann- RF. With a season full of injuries and sickness, Walker was never able to get a real groove last season. Brought in to be our “GUY”, I do not doubt him to perform as such injury free. Plus arm in right field and has power to all fields.
– Austin Martin-SS. Austin has the talent to be the best SS in the conference. He has every tool but didn’t have a true opportunity to showcase that due to injuries that lingered all season. Looking forward to an All-conference type of year from Austin.
– Logan Schwerdt- 1B/RHP. Logan came to us from Culver-Stockton prior to last year & has been one of the few bright spots. With the addition of more starting pitching, Logan has taken on the role of our guy out of the back end of the pen. His bat has really come around as well & he has formed himself into a big piece for us.
– Dakota Gaines-RHP. Dakota was our #1 guy in the rotation last year. We leaned on him quite a bit and I’m sure it took a toll on him. With the new additions, he won’t have to carry such a load & can reach a higher height!
Key additions:
– Stephen Huggins- 1B, P. Stephen is LHH/LHP and is coming to us from a program that went through similar tribulations as Stowe did last season. Although, he along with a couple of guys were the only bright spots. Stephen was a 2nd team All-American at the NCAA DII level during his stint at his previous program. Expect a monster year from Stephen this season.
– Juan Romero- RHP. Juan “Keke” Romero is joining us from William Penn. An experienced veteran with a great pitch mix who is going to fill the zone up, compete & get outs. Expecting him to be at the top of our rotation come spring.
– JoJo Mann- RHP. Joseph is originally from the Philippines and brings that pitching style to the mound. Very crafty and is great at mixing and matching. Jojo will be one of our better arms this season. Looking forward to watching him deal.
– Ronni Batista- RHP. Ronni will be joining us from the DR, more on the power arm side that will challenge guys as soon as they step into the box. Has touched 91 but sits around 86-88 consistently. I expect him to emerge as a top arm despite being one of the youngest.
– Dima Neal- C. Dima is a well-polished, and experienced catcher. He brings leadership, a loud bat, and plus-defense. Dima will be somewhere in the middle of our lineup come Spring & it will be very tough to get him out at the plate.
– Malvin Gutierrez- 3B. Malvin is coming in as arguably a top talent in the conference immediately. His IQ is off the charts, and he is far beyond his years at the plate. Great approach and can spray it to all fields. Came to us originally from the Dominican Republic by way of New York, Expect Malvin to have a great year.
– Michael Khatkar- 2B/SS. If you look at the definition of “consistent”, Michael’s name will be right there. He does everything the correct way; he isn’t the most athletic, but he will get the job done time in & time out. Great guy & looking forward to a very solid yr from him.