MANSFIELD – The Mansfield University baseball program will open the 2018 season this weekend at the USA Baseball Complex in Cary, N.C.
 
The Mountaineers are set to play a doubleheader on both Saturday and Sunday against Assumption College (Mass.) from the Northeast-10 Conference. Mansfield's originally scheduled season opener at King University (Tenn.) last weekend was cancelled due to weather.
 
Now in his 32^nd season guiding the program, skipper Harry Hillson is looking forward to seeing what a veteran pitching staff with solid defense behind it can do in the competitive PSAC East landscape.
 
Mansfield returns 17 players from last year's team that won 20 games including its top five pitchers in ERA.
 
Evan McAndrew returns to the mound after posting four wins and striking out a team-best 35 batters in 54.1 innings worked last season. Last year, senior Edwin Lopez made seven starts in 13 appearances on the bump and returns as a weekend starter this season.
 
A new face in the rotation is freshman right hand pitcher Hunter DePrimo who will see action as a weekend starter along with Tyler Guidos and Luke Hils. Guidos posted four wins and four saves a year ago both as a starting pitcher and in relief and Hils made 11 starts with five complete game efforts and three wins.
 
When not starting on the mound, Guidos will be one of the Mounties' primary relievers along with Bryce Zaparzynski and Joseph DePerno. Zapazynski was second on the team last season in ERA through 10 appearances with DePerno pitching 19.1 innings in 15 appearances and earning three saves.
 
Joe Grober made 14 appearances in relief last season and will look to be another key piece of the pitching staff in 2018. Billy Gregory is bouncing back from an injury last season and will see action in relief again this year along with Tyler House and Kyle Jackson. Tom Heenan is a transfer from Cecil Community College and will be another arm out of the bullpen for Mansfield.
 
The Mountaineers welcome back a strong outfield corps with the likes of veterans Dio Infante, Colby Shearer, and Spencer Zuraski. Infante recorded 35 runs and 27 RBIs last season with Schearer posting a .978 fielding pct. Zuraksi is a four-year member of the Mountaineer baseball program and a career .250 batter. Eric Senior and Jordan Cowen offer depth in the outfield for Mansfield.
 
Catcher Zach Merkle returns to the Mountaineer line-up and will be the designated hitter this season. A pair of newcomers in junior college transfer Camren Ney, who Hillson describes as a difference maker and freshman Tony Brown round out the catchers.
 
Redshirt senior Owen Lukens will occupy the hot corner at third base this season after missing last year because of injury. Lukens made 38 starts in 2016, batting .314 with 19 runs and 17 RBIs. Newcomer J.P. Bonanca is a Division I transfer from Coppin State and will start at shortstop. At second base, Brady Mengel returns after making 48 starts last season while posting 18 runs and 14 RBIs. Guidos will also see plenty of time at first base when not on the mound.
 
Carlos Espinosa, Jake Manke, Glenn Addicott and Colin Treaster will all look to make an impact in their first season playing for the Mounties.