The 2008 Moravian College baseball team was 17-21 this spring under the direction of second year head coach Paul Engelhardt. Engelhardt had the Greyhounds off to an 11-5 mark over the team’s first 16 games of the season.

Junior first basemen Joseph Durso (Middletown, NJ/Christian Brother Academy) led the Greyhounds with a .407 batting average to go along with 50 hits, 10 doubles, one home run, 26 RBIs, nine walks and four stolen bases.  Durso, pictured at right, became the second player in school history to collect 50 hits in a single season and the 14th player to get to 100 career hits. He is currently ninth with 115 hits heading into his senior season.  Junior outfielder Eric Shea (Madison, NJ/Morristown Beard HS) contributed a .333 average off of 35 hits, two doubles, two triples, one home run, 13 RBIs, 13 walks and a team leading 14 stolen bases.

Sophomore catcher Brad Bodine (Mt. Bethel, PA/Bangor HS) put up a .316 batting average with 30 hits, three doubles, one triple, one home run, 17 RBIs, and six stolen bases. Junior outfielder Josh Hinkle (Allentown, PA/Allentown Central Catholic HS) recorded a .286 average with 24 hits, five doubles, 14 RBIs and four stolen bases while senior second basemen/pitcher Brett Stout (Easton, PA/Easton HS) connected for 29 hits, five doubles, 11 RBIs, and nine walks in his last year as a Greyhound and Stout struck out three batters, allowed one walk and earned one save in 2 2/3 innings of work..

Junior third basemen Kevin Gambrino (Brick, NJ/Monsignor Donovan HS) had 25 hits, four doubles, 25 RBIs, four stolen bases and a team leading two home runs while freshman catcher Jon Baltz (Easton, PA/Easton) posted 21 hits, one double, 15 RBIs and four walks. Junior catcher Thomas Czarnecki (Columbia, NJ/North Warren) had 12 hits, three doubles, one triple and 12 RBIs while freshman shortstop Jake Schweitzer (Bethlehem, PA/Bethlehem Catholic HS) knocked in five RBIs off of one homer, one triple, three doubles and 19 hits on the year.

Freshmen infielder Jason Huber (Bethlehem, PA/Liberty HS) had 19 hits, five doubles and 12 RBIs while sophomore third basemen/outfielder David Lengyel (Bethlehem, PA/Freedom HS) contributed 14 hits, two doubles, and nine RBIs on the year. Sophomore outfielder Andrew DeLio (Parsippany, NJ/Parsippany HS) connected for seven hits and four RBIs and tossed 11 2/3 innings with 11 strikeouts and six walks while Scott Brady (Montgomery, NJ/Montgomery HS) added 11 hits, one double, one triple and eight RBIs.

Leading the pitchers for Moravian was sophomore Christopher Morrison (Middlesex, NJ/Immaculata HS), who had a 3.64 ERA and a 5-3 record to go along with 40 hits, 18 walks, 30 strike outs, and three complete games in 42 innings pitched. Morrison, pictured at left, was also named to the 2008 Landmark All-Conference Second Team. Sophomore Joe Melchionna (Marlboro, NJ/St. John Vianney HS) had a 5.17 ERA and a 5-3 record with 53 hits, eight walks, 30 strike outs and one save in 47 innings pitched.

Senior Trevor Lawrence (Lansford, PA/Marian Catholic HS) had a 5.77 ERA and a 2-2 record to go along with 48 hits, 15 walks, 21 strikeouts and one complete game in 34 1/3 innings pitched. Senior Matthew Swartz (Dunmore, PA/Dunmore HS) had a 1-3 record off of 37 hits, 10 walks, 22 strike outs and one save in 27 1/3 innings pitched while sophomore Brandon Palmisano (Mountainhome, PA/Pius X HS) has a 2-3 mark with two saves, a 4.67 ERA, 28 strikeouts and ten walks in 27 innings. Sophomore Andrew DelRossi (Medford, NJ/Bishop Eustace) contributed a 1-1 record including four walks and four strike outs in 11 1/3 innings pitched while freshmen Luke Skutches (Bethlehem, PA/Bethlehem Catholic) had a 1-0 record off of nine walks and seven strike outs in ten innings of action.

Schweitzer completed 10 1/3 innings on the mound with one save, six walks and eight strike outs while sophomore Ryan Cummings (Toms River, NJ/Toms River East HS), who was injured early on in the season, threw 7 2/3 innings including one save, three walks and seven strike outs on the year. Junior Thomas Murray (Staten Island, NY/Moore Catholic HS) threw 11 2/3 innings while contributing four walks and 11 strike outs and sophomore Dustin Pflug (Clark, NJ/Arthur L. Johnson HS) contributed eight walks and eight strike outs this season as well in 7 1/3 innings.

Also contributing for the Greyhounds this past season were sophomores Zachary Andes (Moscow, PA/North Pocono HS), Michael LaVerghetta (Center Valley, PA/Southern Lehigh HS), Dan Cahill (Easton, PA/Easton HS), Philip Spence (Lafayette, NJ/Newton HS), Richard Schultz (Drexel Hill, PA/The Haverford School) and Keith Shaffer (Honesdale, PA/Honesdale HS), and freshmen Kirk Pastre (San Marino, CA/San Marino HS) and Jacob Millen (Whitehall, PA/Whitehall HS).

Andes had two hits and a run at the plate and three strikeouts and five walks in 4 1/3 innings pitched while LaVerghetta had four runs, six hits and three RBIs.  Cahill added four hits, a run, a double, a homer, three RBIs and four walks.  Spence was 0-3 with 17 strikeouts and 14 walks in 19 innings while Schultz had an 0-1 mark, seven strikeouts and seven walks in 7 2/3 innings.  Shaffer had 4 1/3 innings of work with three strikeout and three walks.  Pastre contributed six runs, three hits and a double while Millen added ten hits, five runs, two doubles, a home run and nine RBIs. Sophomore second basemen Michael Zubia (Bethlehem, PA/Bethlehem Catholic HS) was sidelined the entire season due to a wrist injury.

Swartz, Czarnecki, Gambrino, Hinkle, DelRossi, Lengyel, Melchionna, and Spence were all named to the 2008 Landmark Conference Spring Academic Honor Roll.

With the loss of only four seniors, coach Engelhardt expects the team to be able to challenge for a playoff berth in the Landmark Conference next year.

Review written by Nick Pepi '10.