Men's Baseball Season Preview

The Hilbert Hawks baseball team members have been preparing for a tough 2011 spring season in the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference since their season ended in May 2010. Newly hired head coach Mark Messina and assistant coaches Jim Pernick and Jacob Simonick are very happy with the player’s work ethic and willingness to do more than ever before. The team has been able to physically prepare for the outdoor season in multiple arenas with exceptional resources and under new leadership. A bonus for the program has been their ability to utilize both the Hilbert gymnasium and the Upper Deck baseball facility (Hamburg, NY) for work outs. “We are excited to make the spring trip to Florida again this March with the team. As a staff we will continue to evaluate our talent, learn our strengths and improve on our weaknesses while bringing the team together position by position into one strong unit,” said Messina. 

Leadership within the team starts with captains Frank Simmeth (Cheektowaga, NY/St. Mary’s), Matt Militello (Depew, NY/Lancaster), Jim Pernick  (Tonawanda, NY/St. Joseph’s Collegiate Institute/Clarion University) and Nick Sherman (Lancaster, NY/Lancaster) guiding the veteran team. Simmeth, a steady 3rd baseman who can also pitch is a four-year starter who earned 20 RBIs and hit .340 as a junior last season. Militello returns as the team’s center fielder and was the 2010 most improved player. The junior hit .403, had 27 runs, team- leading 48 hits, 9 doubles and 73 putouts. Jim Pernick is a multi-sport athlete at Hilbert (Golf and club hockey) and returns as the 2010 team MVP.   Pernick can play many positions for the team on defense while leading the team with 21 RBIs, .548 slugging and 3 home runs on offense. Hilbert’s ace returning pitcher is Sherman as the fourth captain expected to bring the Hawks together. The junior lead the Hawks with 48 innings pitched going 3-5 with 7.08 ERA.   At the plate he whacked one home run, and had nine RBIs.

Senior Ryan LaCorte (Cheektowaga, NY/JF Kennedy) returns at short stop and is expected to be the lead-off hitter this season. Junior Chris Hoak (Hamburg, NY/St. Francis) is another returning multi-sport athlete who hopes to bring the winning attitude from the basketball court to the baseball diamond. The junior will play some infield, some outfield and appear on the mound a few games this season. Senior Aaron Lawrence (Fishkill, NY/John Jay/ECC) returns in the outfield and will join junior Pat Lagueras (Rochester, NY/Charles Finney) as a pitcher for the Hawks. Lagueras can also suit up behind the plate as well as move to the outfield when needed. Scott Walker (Rochester, NY/Bishop Kearney) will catch and play the outfield his third year with the Hawks. The only returning sophomore on the squad is Joe Hart (Eden, NY/Eden). During his freshman campaign he played in the outfield and is expected to continue in that fashion his year.

The Hawks have several first year players at Hilbert, all arriving in Hamburg after attending (but not necessarily playing at) another institution.   Junior Dave Haseley (Sanborn, NY/Niagara Wheatfield)  joins the team after previously attending Niagara County Community College and Coker College. Sophomore Ed Sarcione (Eden, NY/Eden) comes to Hilbert from Penn State Greater Allegheny and had a great fall soccer season for the Hawks (2nd Team All-Conference). Both Haseley and Sarcione will see time on the mound but Sarcione can move to the outfield when the lineup changes. Junior Ryan Ilardi (Orchard Park, NY/Orchard Park/ECC/Medaille) will play infield as well as outfield having college playing experience previously and sophomore Zack Taylor (Wattsburg, PA/Seneca/Thiel) will see time in the starting pitching rotation as well as outfield.

Seven freshmen join the team: Joe Pernick (St. Joseph’s Collegiate Institute), Frank Casey (Buffalo, NY/Leonardo DaVinci) and Grant Decz (Cheektowaga, NY/Cleveland Hill) will all see time in the outfield and will assist when needed on the mound; Rounding out the squad are Ryan Fleet (Addison, NY/Addison/Art Institute of Pittsburgh) as a dual outfield/infield player; Frank Mancuso (Cheektowaga, NY/Cheektowaga) as an infielder; Matt Young (Lancaster, NY/Lancaster) in the outfield and Joey Juszkiewicz (Derby, NY/Lake Shore) as a pitcher and third basemen.

The Hawks open their spring season up in Cocoa Beach, Florida during the college’s spring break from classes. After they return back north, Hilbert will play non-conference games against RIT, Keuka, Fredonia, Cazenovia, and Brockport. The traditional AMCC opponents find Hilbert hosting Penn State Altoona, Pitt-Bradford, Franciscan University, Pitt-Greensburg and D’Youville College. The Hawks have their own field on campus and all double header games begin at 1 pm.