The Saint Joseph's baseball team, voted ninth in the Atlantic 10 preseason poll released this week, will open its 2020 campaign on Friday at the annual Snowbird Classic in Port Charlotte, Florida.  The Hawks will take on Ohio State and Pitt on Friday before meeting Iowa on Saturday and Kent State on Sunday.

Prior to heading to the Sunshine State, head coach Fritz Hamburg shared some insight into the upcoming season, his 12th in the SJU dugout:

• Last season, the Hawks tied for seventh in the Atlantic 10 and just missed out on reaching the A-10 Championship.  With so many pieces of last year's squad returning, what do you think is the most important takeaway from last season that the team will carry into this year?
 
The strongest aspect we can take away from the 2019 season was how important each and every day is with respect to growing as a team. Everyday is a new day and an opportunity to get better.  We had too many days where we just did not execute the way we were capable of executing.  I think that's the important thing and it's something we addressed through the course of the fall, and we still touch on it almost every day.   Our hope is that this takeaway and obviously some other key points guide and push the group through this season, so that we're ready to compete and respect every opportunity we get.
 
• Certainly making it back to the A-10 Championship and winning it is a team goal; what do you think is the biggest key factor for this year's squad when it comes to fulfilling that goal?
 
The biggest factor will be the makeup of our club, staying together and pushing each other to accomplish the goals that this team wants to accomplish.  The other big point is staying healthy.  The schedule is certainly very challenging early, and there is a chance that we're going to take some bumps, but there is also going to be a great opportunity for us to win some big games against some quality programs.  We are hopeful that those victories will give us the momentum and confidence that we are hunting.
 
The injury bug caught us last year as well as running a young group out onto the field. We were very thin on the mound, and I think everybody knew that.  But that is not an excuse, it was just the case and unfortunately, we just couldn't get over the hump. I think we're a year more experienced, the guys are more experienced, and we are healthy, which adds to our options.  We have several positional starters returning.  I feel those guys have learned a lot from the last couple years, so I think we have a lot of things in place to give us an opportunity to fulfill the goal of playing beyond the regular season.
 
• How do you see the starting lineup shaking out?  Was there anyone who impressed in the fall and will challenge for early playing time that maybe you weren't necessarily expecting?
 
We saw good things this fall out of some of the younger guys, but because we return so many veterans that continue to improve, I don't know if those opportunities are going to come right away.  I do feel that with the way they're playing and the way they're working, if there does happen to be an injury or two, we should be able to keep in stride.
 
That said, there are still a few positions and the rotation that we need to iron out.  Guys that didn't get as many opportunities in the past may have that in the early weeks.  As for the lineup, sophomore Nate Thomas and junior Liam Bendo should be steady at third and second base, respectively. However, both senior Chris Skermo and freshman Cam Walker have played well in the preseason and both are pushing for playing time, while freshman Alec Rodriguez will serve as a backup at third.  Either senior Matt Cuppari or freshman Luca Trigiani is going to win the shortstop spot.  Matt has a good bit of experience, but we need to see more offensive output from him.  We graduated Dominic Cuoci last year and he certainly had a big impact for us in the middle of our lineup last year. Senior Brian Markoski, sophomore Luke Zimmerman, and freshman Brandon Drapeau are all options at first base, while senior catcher James McConnon could also slide over if needed.   

In the outfield, we will most likely platoon in left field between seniors Langston Livingston, Tim Johnson, and Kadar Namey and junior Tim Cavanaugh.  Langston and Tim have both had solid preseasons and both work very hard at their game and we are looking forward to seeing what they can do.  Junior Brendan Hueth will anchor center field, with freshman Adam Fine working behind him.  Junior Jake Artz returns in right.  We are certainly looking for both of those guys to have big seasons.  
 
Behind the plate, like last year we have senior James McConnon and sophomore Andrew Cossetti doing the bulk of the catching.  I feel junior Brian Vance is certainly going to be in the mix once he returns to being 100%.  I feel that the catching experience will certainly play a huge factor in our performance.  All three know the pitching staff and I have confidence in all of them to help our pitching staff execute our plan.
 
• Who do you see being the Hawks' top arms in the rotation and in the bullpen?
 
From a pitching standpoint, we've got six guys that are in the mix for the starting rotation, and that's a good thing to have.  I am excited that we have some quality options from this end.  All six should throw significant innings, whether they are starting or coming out of the bullpen.  There is no doubt that the best years we have had over the last decade, all had two very good starters, and the third starter was very competitive as well, and I think we can say that we are in that position this year.  This weekend, we will start senior Jordan DiValerio in game one against Ohio State, junior Ryan Devine against Pitt, senior Hayden Seig against Iowa, and graduate student Lucas Rollins against Kent State.

We are very excited to have Jordan back, as there was talk that he would have the opportunity to go in the draft last year.  He has another year to prove himself and help our ball club and hopefully, that opportunity comes to fruition in June for him.  Getting Lucas Rollins back is very exciting.  Lucas has had two challenging years dealing with various injuries, but he has been throwing the ball very well and we feel like he is getting closer to where he was when he was a starter for us in 2016.  I'm very excited to see things come together for Hayden.  He has worked very hard for this opportunity and he has definitely added key points to his repertoire.  Junior transfer Noah Weber is positioned to be a big part of the staff as well as sophomore Luke Zimmerman.  Ready to be part of the mix when we open is sophomore Mike Falco, junior Matt Kennedy, junior Jose Martinez, and junior Luke Smith.  Junior Cole Stetzar will be working the back end of the game.  Senior Slater O'Brien, junior Jack Fiala, and freshmen Patrick Shearer, Brandon Drapeau, Nick Embleton, and Peter Gallo, will also be competing for innings.

 We have a lot of guys who have some presence, and have some stuff, and I'm looking forward to seeing how they all compete together.
 
• The Hawks always play a challenging schedule, and this season's is as tough as they come.  What are the benefits of playing such tough competition outside the league?  What are you hoping to see from the squad in those early games?
 
If I'm a player at SJU, this is the kind of schedule I want to play.  I feel like we do our best to put together a challenging schedule up front to help prepare us not only for conference play, but also to prove to the players that they belong.  Part of this journey for these players is to have the opportunity to prove their ability is strong and to show that they may have the ability to play at the next level.  Gaining victory over schools in the Power 5 conferences and top "mid-major" teams is great for our program and our confidence, and is a true measuring stick as to where we are and what we need to improve on.
 
This season's schedule may be the most challenging since I've been here, but I think the players deserve to know that this is one of the many reasons they came to Hawk Hill to be part of our program.  I've never believed in playing a soft schedule; I'm focused on giving our players the best opportunity to prove themselves against the best that we can play.
 
Our conference schedule is significantly tougher than last year as well.  We play six of the seven teams that made it to the conference tournament last season, so it's going to be a very challenging schedule, and the players all know it; they've known it since the fall.  And we're looking forward to it.