CLARION, Pa. (EYT) — It’s a new beginning for the Clarion University baseball program this year under first-year manager Anthony Williams.
(Photo: Dillon Wolbert could become a key figure for the Golden Eagles in 2017)
Williams, who came to Clarion from Pitt-Greensburg, has the Golden Eagles off to a 3-6 start, which might not sound like much until one realizes the program has averaged 7.5 wins per season over the last four years with last year’ 10-32 overall mark (4-24 in the PSAC West) being the high-water mark for victories.
Still, the new manager isn’t sure how to take his team’s start.
“It’s tough to say when you’re 3-6,” Williams said. “You don’t really settle for mediocrity. Right now, we are trying to get better each day. I think we are doing a good job taking some of the things we are emphasizing in practice trying to apply them in games. We really stressed a lot of the little things that win and lose ball games. We have improved our processes and how we approach practice and games and things like that. I think you are seeing a little of it showing up on the field.”
Clarion, which is slated to open up conference play Friday and Saturday vs. Slippery Rock (some of the games might be moved to Sunday because of the forecast), has had some bright spots in the early going including senior first baseman Tyler Falk being named the PSAC West Player of the Week Monday.
Falk, who tied Clarion’s single-season home run record in 2015 with seven while hitting .378 that year, has had a fantastic Golden Eagle career that saw him hit .368 as a freshman and .374 last year with two home runs and 13 doubles while driving in 30 runs. He is off to fast start this season hitting .500 (12 of 24) with three doubles, four RBIs and five runs scored.
“It’s huge having him for a lot of reasons not just offensively,” Williams said. In the classroom. In practice. In the weight room. He kind of sets the tone for these guys. He is letting his play speak for itself, but he is doing ll of the other things that good leaders do. He has certainly been very helpful to me transitioning here to Clarion. He has been nothing but spectacular both on and off the field and as a leader for this group.
“He has kind of done everything here but win. That is kind of the final piece we are trying to put in place for all of these seniors, trying to give them something where they can go out with a bit of a better taste in their mouths than they have had the last three years.”
Falk is the leader of a Clarion offense that is a bit of a mixed bag.
The Golden Eagles have four regulars hitting over .300 but no other starter hitting better than .235. Williams is looking for more consistency out of the lineup.
“We definitely need to be able to turn the lineup over at the bottom,” Williams said. “But we need to have good trips through the middle of the order when we put guys on base. I think we have probably been 50-50 with that this year. We started out okay. Then I think we faltered a bit in some of those middle games down in North Carolina. We are still at the point, even though we are nine games into the season, where we are trying to find the right mix of guys, the best combination lineup wise. We need contributions from everybody, and we need to lengthen the lineup.”
One of the players who has a chance to help lengthen that lineup is sophomore Dillon Wolbert, whose dad and stepmom live in Lucinda.
Wolbert hit .280 as a freshman (14 of 50) with a pair of double and four RBIs making 16 starts. He also pitched in three games as a rookie out of the bullpen with a 4.26 ERA in 6 ⅓ innings of work.
This season, Wolbert is 2 of 11 at the plate with two RBIs making three starts while also pitching in two games of relief allowing eight runs in 3 ⅔ innings of work.
“Dillon is a guy who has been a two-way player for us,” Williams said. “He has had a couple of appearances for us on the mound, and he has appeared a little in the infield and outfield. He is a guy who got a decent amount of at-bats last year as a freshman and a guy we feel can be a two-way guy for us.”
Wolbert is making the transition to the outfield, where an opportunity exists for regular playing time, according to Williams.
“We are searching for a third outfield to step up and grab that opportunity,” Williams said. “Dillon is a guy who brings a little experience of having played in this league as a freshman.”
Wolbert can also be a change-of-pace reliever for Clarion.
“He has done a decent job of throwing strikes,” Williams said. “We expect him to be a strike thrower for us on the mound, a guy who can mix his off-speed pitch anytime he wants with any count. He will be a nice change-of-pace guy who can keep hitters off balance, maybe come in behind a Kane McCall or a Jeremy Frazier, a guy like that. He is definitely a guy we look to be a versatile guy for us both with the bat and on the mound. Hopefully, with more experience and repetitions he is a guy who can be an everyday guy for us.”
A District 9 product who is also playing a key role in the lineup is senior Mitch Holmberg from Johnsonburg.
Holmberg, who hit .287 last year, is off to a .308 start this year and has scored seven runs.
“Mitch is a gamer,” Williams said. “That is definitely the word to describe him. If you are going to showcase event or something of that nature, he may not be a guy who stand out to you. But when the lights go on, he is there and ready to go.”
Holmberg patrols center fielder for the Golden Eagles and is a steady defender, Williams said.
“He is one of the leaders on our defense,” Williams said. “He has very good insticnts. I would say he has above average instincts on the field. He does a great job of making the routine plays. Every once in awhile he will go out and make a spectacular play, but the majority of the time he is steady Eddy. He makes the routines ones for us.”
Holmberg has seen time in the leadoff spot for Clarion.
“He has kind of assumed some leadoff duties for us because hs is having some quality at-bats and putting the ball in play,” Williams said.
A younger player who has seen a bit of time on the offensive side for the Golden Eagles is freshman Ty Bittner, a DuBois Central Catholic graduate.
Bittner is 3-for-10 with an RBI in limited time making a pair of starts and playing in four games.
“Ty looks the part,” Williams said. “He is a very physical kid. He is young. He is still learning, still getting adjusted to college pitching. He has had a handful of at-bats with mixed results, but he is a kid who works hard, comes to practice every day looking to get better. I think he is a kid who, hopefully, with more opportunity, more repetitions, more experience can improve each and every time out.”
The one thing the Clarion offense is lacking in the early going is power. The Golden Eagles have no home runs, no triples and just 11 doubles among their 70 hits.
“Ideally, you want to try to score in two swings,” Williams said. “If we can score in two swings, we will be an efficient offense. It’s something we need to get a little bit better at. Some of it boils down to approach at the plate. What we are looking for in the county we are in and trying to take advantage of those mistakes when we do get them.”
Williams said power is important, but he also believes Clarion can find other ways to score.
“We have to find anyway to score. We have to play more small ball this year with the makeup of our club, and that’s what we will do. I think we put a lot of new stuff in this year, just different stuff offensively, that these guys really haven’t done in the part to try to score runs anyway we can. Whether that’s run and hit, bunting guys over, delayed steal, things of that nature. I think guys have taken to that so far.”
Like the offense, Clarion’s pitching has seen mixes results as well.
Freshman Jeremy Frazier, who didn’t join the team until January, has been the best of the group so far with a 1.92 ERA in two starts allowing three runs, two earned, and seven hits in 9 ⅓ innings of work.
“He has done a really good job of giving the club a shot in the arm,” Williams said. “He has brought some energy, and he’s actually done a pretty good job commanding the strike zone.”
Another local product, senior Kane McCall from Union High School, has also had a solid start to the season going 0-1 with a 4.50 ERA in three starts. He has struck out 14 and walked seven in 16 innings of work.
“I think Kane is a guy who is very motivated to be a leader of the staff this year,” Williams said. “He has made three starts now, and I think we have had an opportunity to win each of his starts and did win one of them. He has given us a chance to win each time he has taken the ball, and I expect him to do that each and every time this year. He is a guy we lean on.”
