ITHACA, N.Y. — Two words came to the mind of Dan Pepicelli, the Ted Thoren Head Coach of Cornell Baseball, when he was posed the question of the team's top storyline heading into its opening weekend tilt with Georgia Tech (4-0) at Mac Nease Baseball Park at Russ Chandler Stadium: Depth and health.

"It's really nice having everyone back healthy. It's a big deal to have them all back," Pepicelli stated. "And I'm really happy with our depth. It gives us a lot of options and we're going to play a lot of different people. We can go two-deep at a lot of positions — between the new guys and getting guys back healthy — it has allowed us to have very competitive intrasquad games. I expect to use a lot of different people, certainly in the first four weekends of the season, as people start to settle into roles.

"I feel good about the returning players, with them being a year older, and there's a bunch freshmen that have proved they can handle college baseball so far up to this point." 
 
PITCHING
Returners (11): RHP Chris Ellison, RHP Will Long, RHP Story Kimura, RHP Ethan Hamill, LHP Noah Keller, RHP William Stephens, LHP John Gerfen, RHP Tom Clancy, RHP Carson Mayfield, RHP Von Baker, RHP Josh Shea
Lost (2): LHP Spencer Edwards, RHP August Biben
Newcomers (5): RHP Max Foster, RHP Graham Biben, RHP Ethan Van Sice, LHP Nathaniel Jennewein, RHP Asher Gardy

The Big Red only lost two hurlers from last year's team in left-hander Spencer Edwards (18 games, four starts) and right-hander August Biben, who appeared in nine games out of the bullpen.

Nearly 82 percent of the team's innings pitched and 83 percent of its strikeouts return to the squad. In addition to the 13 hurlers who logged at least one appearance last season, the Big Red could add as many as seven new arms to this year's roster, including a pair of two-way, left-handed pitchers in freshman Huxley Holcombe and junior William Jaun.

"I just can't say enough good things about the depth and the opportunity it gives me to manage a game now with righties and lefties," Pepicelli said. "We've got some competitive arms; we have a bunch of them, and I'm happy with that."

Along with the competitiveness, Pepicelli noted that the players that were pretty busy for the team last year have all gotten better. Rising sophomores Noah Keller (2-5, 5.37 ERA), Ethan Hamill (2-6, 7.38 ERA), and Carson Mayfield (1-2, 4.89 ERA, two saves) all fit the bill in pitchers who may see a jump in production from their inaugural collegiate season.

Three freshmen Pepicelli pinpointed that have stood out to him in the last couple of weeks of practice include Holcombe, right-hander Max Foster, and southpaw Nathaniel Jennewein.
 

CATCHERS
Returners (2): Braden Mack, Nathan Waugh
Lost: None
Newcomers (2): Mark Quatrani, Jackson Marko

Catching duties could heavily rely on senior backstop Nathan Waugh, who is coming off a junior campaign in which he led Cornell in batting average (.330), on-base percentage (.423), and slugging percentage (.573). Waugh was tied for the team lead in home runs with Sam Kaplan (6) and matched junior infielder Max Jensen for the second-most RBI (23), one behind Kaplan for the most by a Big Red hitter (24).

Waugh is looking to pick up where he left off in 2023, as he hit for a .442/.510/.674 clip over the final 11 games that featured four doubles, two home runs, and 10 RBI. After going 4-of-30 to open the year, he ended the season with a .411 batting average and registered a 1.189 OPS (on-base plus slugging percentage).

After missing the entirety of the 2023 season due to injury, senior Braden Mack will look to get back into the lineup for the first time since 2022.

Freshman catcher Mark Quatrani could also battle for playing time, as the first-year is one of four freshmen who have impressed Pepicelli in practice early on.
 
INFIELDERS
Returners (3): Matt Barnhorst, Max Jensen, TJ Swidorski
Lost (4): Ryan Ross, Franco Alonso, Shane Russell, Joe Hollerbach
Newcomers (3): Luke Johnson, Owen Carlson, Kevin Hager

Cornell only has three infielders returning from last year, which does not include two-way player Ryan Porter, who has moved out to the outfield this season.

Looking to continue his success from last season, junior infielder Max Jensen will vie to continue to lead the team in doubles (10) and walks drawn (20) as he did in 2023.

The other three freshmen hitters who have impressed Pepicelli in practice as of late include Luke Johnson, Owen Carlson, and Kevin Hager.

 
OUTFIELDERS
Returners (5): John Quinlan, Caden Wildman, Kyle Musser, Matthew Walters, Jakobi Davis 
Lost (3): Wils Guy, Sam Kaplan, Elijah Diaz
Newcomers: None

Speed could play a factor in Cornell's outfield this season, as 30 of the team's 53 steals from a year ago are from players tentatively scheduled to make up the three positions that will patrol the grass.

Junior center fielder Jakobi Davis led the Big Red in steals last season (13) while logging a .269 batting average with five doubles, a triple, a pair of home runs, and 10 RBI. Davis finished as a Second Team All-Ivy selection last year along with former Big Red right fielder Sam Kaplan. 

Fellow junior John Quinlan could see more playing time in the outfield after his breakout sophomore campaign in which he had the second-best batting average on the team (.278) to go along with six doubles, a triple, a home run, and 14 RBI.

Making the move from the infield to the outfield is junior two-way player Ryan Porter, who led the team in assists with 72 after spending the majority of 2023 at shortstop.

The trio composed roughly 57 percent of the team's steals in 2023, as Cornell's 53 steals were one away from entering the top 10 for most steals in a single season in program history. Cornell's 53 steals ranked third in the Ivy League, only behind Yale (81) and Columbia (59), as the 1.51 steals-per-game clip ranked 60th nationally.

"[Speed] plays a role, but we're opportunistic in how we use our speed," Pepicelli said. "The thing that I like about our speed is not about accumulating numbers; it's about us being able to do something when the game dictates it's a good time for it. We've got some savvy players that have run in the past and I think they know what we're looking for in terms of being opportunistic."
 
TWO-WAY PLAYERS
Returners (3): OF/RHP Ryan Porter, RHP/INF Beck Urfosky, LHP/1B William Jaun
Lost: None
Newcomers (1): LHP/OF Huxley Holcombe

After primarily serving as an infielder and as Cornell's de-facto closer, junior Ryan Porter has shifted into the outfield for the Big Red this season but will also continue to appear in some action on the mound when needed.

Urofsky will also have a chance to see action between the field and on the mound after he made 16 appearances with one start, logging over 26 innings of work.

The one two-way player Pepicelli is excited to see after missing his first two collegiate seasons is junior William Jaun. Pepicelli noted that the Loveland, Ohio, native is poised to make an impact for the Big Red.

"Getting [him] back is a big, big addition," praised Pepicelli.
   

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IVY LEAGUE PRESEASON POLL
The Ivy League preseason poll was announced on Monday afternoon, with Penn being named the unanimous favorite after receiving all 16 first-place votes.

Columbia was picked second, concluding with 101 points. Harvard (97 points) and Princeton (87 points) were selected to round out the four-team Ivy League Tournament field, picked to finish in third and fourth place, respectively.

Yale was slotted to finish fifth behind its 66 points, while two points separated Cornell (37 points) and Brown (35 points). Dartmouth finished in eighth place with 25 points.

2024 SCHEDULE
Cornell's 37-game schedule features 13 games scheduled to take place at Booth Field, the program's brand-new off-campus facility that will enter its first entire season as the home of Cornell baseball.

The Big Red opens its campaign with 12 straight road games with a quartet of three-game series against Georgia Tech (Feb. 23-25), James Madison (March 1-3), Georgetown (March 9-10), and Richmond (March 15-17). The program's home opener is slated for March 19 at 3 p.m. against its geographic rival Binghamton.

Ivy League play will commence the following Saturday (March 23) when the Big Red heads to Princeton to open Ancient Eight play. The first trio of home conference games will be on March 30 and Easter Sunday (March 31) when Cornell hosts Dartmouth.

Following a non-conference contest against crosstown rival Ithaca on April 1, Cornell will welcome Harvard on April 6-7 before heading to Penn on April 13-14. The first of two trips to Binghamton with 6:30 p.m. starts is scheduled for April 16 before returning to Vestal two weeks later on April 30.

Rounding out Cornell's Ivy League schedule includes a six-game homestand against Yale (April 20-21) and Columbia (April 27-28) before heading to Brown on May 4-5 to conclude the regular season.

SCOUTING GEORGIA TECH
Georgia Tech enters this weekend series with a 4-0 record after posting a three-game sweep of Radford, 21-8, 7-3, and 6-3, before posting a come-from-behind win against Georgia Southern, 7-4, on Tuesday in Statesboro, Ga.

The Yellow Jackets have four batters hitting at .400 clips or better entering this weekend, highlighted by Payton Green's .467 average (7-for-15). Green and Drew Burress (.412 — 7-of-17) both have three home runs and seven RBI on the season.

Pitching has excelled for the Yellow Jackets early on, as it has posted a 4.25 ERA in 36 innings pitched. Georgia Tech has struck out 46 batters over its four games, 11 of which have come from Cam Jones in two relief outings over 5.2 innings of work.

113 YEARS, 915 MILES, 4 MEETINGS
Cornell and Georgia Tech have met four times prior, all of which have come at Georgia Tech.

The Big Red opened the series with a 13-5 victory in the first contest on April 12, 1901, before thrashing Georgia Tech, 25-5, on April 2, 1902.

The teams split a doubleheader on March 23, 1991, in the most recent meeting between the two programs. Georgia Tech doubled Cornell in the opener, 10-5, as Yellow Jackets' freshman catcher Jason Varitek hit a go-ahead two-run home run to cap a five-run sixth inning.

Cornell salvaged a split of the twin bill with a 9-7 victory in the nightcap. Senior catcher Trevor Schumm went 2-for-4 with a double and three RBI in the triumph. Junior right-handed pitcher Brian Bailey recorded the victory for the Big Red.