Bethany Selected to Finish Third in Preseason Poll

Greenville, Pa. - The Bethany College baseball team was picked to finish third in the annual Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) Preseason Coaches' Poll announced Thursday afternoon.

Washington & Jefferson College was picked to win the PAC this season, with Grove City projected to finish second. There was a tie for third with Bethany and Thiel.

Waynesburg University was picked fifth and was followed by Saint Vincent College in sixth, Westminster College in seventh, Chatham University in eighth, and Geneva College in ninth.

The Bison landed five on the PAC Players to watch list. Seniors Ryan Anselmino (North Huntingdon, Pa. | Serra Catholic), Noah Rady (North Huntingdon, Pa. | Norwin), and Isaac Wengert (Jonestown, Pa | North Lebanon) are expected to lead the Bison this year with their seniority and numbers. Juniors Kyle Goodwin (Parkersburg, W.Va. | Parkersburg) and Ethan Young (McMurray, Pa | Peters Township) rounded out the players to watch for the Bison.

Catcher Ryan Anselmino looks to continue to be a force offensively and defensively for the Bison. He finished the season batting .324, with 20 runs batted in and 18 runs scored. The North Huntingdon, Pa native held a .424 on base percentage and .396 slugging percentage. Anselmino threw out nine baserunners last season.

Last season outfielder Noah Rady tied the single season record for triples (7). The North Huntingdon, Pa native finished the year batting .321 with 23 runs batted in, 43 hits, and 30 runs scored. Rady finished third on the team in slugging percentage of .485 and sixth on the team with an on base percentage of .376.

Junior pitcher Isaac Wengert earned a spot on the PAC Second Team for the second year in a row last season. Wengert led the team in wins (6), innings pitched (75.0), strikeouts (41), and was second on the team with an ERA of 3.60.

Shortstop Kyle Goodwin finished the season batting .346 while driving in 21 runs and scoring 16. The Parkersburg native, played a critical role for the Bison in the PAC tournament, going 8-9 (.889) with three RBI, in both elimination games to put the Bison in the PAC Championship.

Outfielder Ethan Young finished the season batting .290 with 42 hits, 34 runs scored, and 22 runs batted in. He hit eight doubles, six homeruns, and swiped seven stolen bases for the Green and White.

The Bethany College Bison finished their season PAC conference runners up with an overall record of 27-16 (14-10). The 27 wins tied the single season best with most wins in a season. The Bison led by first year head coach Justin Thomas led the green and white to their first PAC tournament win since 2005. The Bison advanced to the PAC Tournament Championship for the first time since 2001 where they fell to the Washington and Jefferson Presidents.

The Bison open their season up on Saturday, February 15, at Bethany Park against Penn St. Beaver at 2pm.