WEBSTER GROVES – After winning 37 games and advancing to the NCAA Division III World Series for the fourth time in the last eight years a season ago, Webster University Baseball comes into the upcoming season with aspirations of walking off Perfect Game Field in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, in early June with the 2020 Division III Baseball National Championship trophy.

That journey to the national championship begins in earnest for Webster this weekend as preseason nationally No. 2 ranked Gorloks open its 33rd season of intercollegiate baseball by playing three games in three days in Memphis, Tenn., at Stauffer Field on the campus of Rhodes College. The Gorloks will open the season with a 10:30 a/m. game on Friday, Feb. 21 against Transylvania, before facing Rhodes on Saturday, Feb. 22 at 2 p.m. and concluding the weekend with a 10:30 a.m. game on Sunday, Feb. 23 against preseason 18th-ranked Coe College, who advanced to the NCAA Super Regional round last season before falling in two games to eventual national runner-up Birmingham Southern.

"Well obviously expectations are high. You come off a great season like last year and return a good bulk of your team, you are always looking to take that next step and as we take that next step as a program, we're getting awfully close to the final steps," Webster head coach Bill Kurich said. "The guys are preparing and have been really focused on a really big trophy and that is what they talk about and that is what we talk about as a team. There are a lot of steps along the way this season, but that is the goal."

Kurich's 14th Gorlok team will be well stocked to make a run at that national championship trophy as they return seven position starters, its top three starting pitchers and five of its top six pitchers overall from last season's team that went 37-13 overall and captured its 13th consecutive regular season St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference title, its fifth SLIAC Tournament championship and also won both the Whitewater Regional and Concordia-Chicago Super Regional en route to advancing to the Division III World Series for the first time since 2015.

At last year's World Series at Perfect Game Field in Cedar Rapids, the Gorloks lost back-to-back one run games to both UMass-Boston and Washington & Jefferson and Kurich thinks that experience at last year's World Series will help his team as they navigate the upcoming season with the hopes of returning there at the end of this season.

"The experience has nothing to do with the bright lights and big city of Cedar Rapids. We play in a minor league stadium every day, so playing in a stadium like Cedar Rapids, which is beautiful, is nothing new to our guys," said Kurich, who is 433-169 as Webster's coach. "But the experience comes from playing one run games and playing games where everything is on the line, your seasons on the line and that is the experience and that is what we're taken from that is to understand how important every detail of the game is and that is the experience we will carry forward and help us this year."

If the preseason polls are any indication, that national trophy title could be taking up residence at Webster at the end of this season as the Gorloks open the 2020 campaign ranked No. 2 in both the ABCA/Collegiate Baseball and D3Baseball.com/NCBWA Preseason polls and is ranked No. 1 in the Perfect Game Preseason Division III rankings. Webster ended last season ranked seventh respectively in both of those polls at the end of last season following its 37-13 overall record and its 18-4 mark in the SLIAC.

"We have not shied away from it (preseason expectations) at all. Do I try and temper things, yes, certainly we understand there is going to be ups and downs and high and low moments throughout the season and being ranked No. 1 at the end is what you're trying to be, not No. 1 at the beginning," said Kurich. "Now if you ask me, do I think we're one of the best teams in the country? Yea, I do, 100 percent and I think we prepare that way each and every day. I don't expect the lofty preseason rankings to affect the way our team plays this season."

Among the position starters returning for the Gorloks are junior All-American third baseman Ben Swords (Freeport, Ill./Freeport), senior All-American first baseman Kyler Kent (Pottsboro, Texas/Pottsboro), junior shortstop Matt Staker (El Cajon, Calif./Saint Augustine), senior outfielder A.J. Smith (DuQuoin, Ill./DuQuoin), senior outfielder Aron Hopp (Lincoln, Ill./Lincoln College), junior outfielder Adam Lovell (Lafayette, Ind./Saint Joseph's College) and senior catcher Joe Swanson (Park Ridge, Ill./Maine West). Those seven combined for 325 hits, 223 runs, 77 extra base hits and hit a combined .311 on the season.

Swords, who was an ABCA/Rawlings Third-Team All-American and a First-Team All-Region and All-SLIAC selection a season ago, finished the 2019 season with a .358 batting average as he led the team in at-bats (187), hits (67), runs scored (53), doubles (20), RBI (52) and was tied for the team lead in home runs with seven. In addition to Swords, Kent, who was a Third-Team All-American as a sophomore in 2018, hit .295 last season, but was second on the team in hits (54) and RBI (41), third in runs scored (36) and tied with Swords for the home run lead as he also hit seven last year.

"If we're going to be really good, we have got to have nine good hitters, but they can all do different things," Kurich said. "Obviously, Ben racks up a lot of total bases and extra base hits and so does Kyler and so does (A.J.) Smith. A.J. is another guy that is going to be right in the middle of the order that had a tremendous season last but didn't get the accolades, but if you go and down of who our best offensive player was last year, it was Ben, but A.J. was right behind him."

As a junior in 2019, Smith hit .342 and slugged .497 as he was second in runs scored (40), third in base hits (53), fourth in RBI (31) and had 11 doubles, two triples and tied for the team lead in walks with Swords as both players were walked 29 times. Smith and Swords also combined to go 27-for-34 in stolen bases as Swords was 15-for-18 and Smith was 12-for-16 in steals.

"Those three guys will be in the middle of the order again. We'll figure out how we'll going to him them and split them up, but those are three guys that can change the game in a hurry," added Kurich.

One area Kurich would like to see this year's team improve upon is getting on base at the top of the order as that is something Webster struggled with last season and is something that needs to be changed.

"Hopefully, Adam (Lovell) is going to provide some of that and Matt (Staker), who is a great on-base guy and is getting bigger and stronger and has become more of an offensive threat and handles the bat well," said Kurich about the top of the batting order. "We need guys to get on bases in front of the bigger guys in the line-up."

Among some of the candidates to take over the top of the order are Lovell and Staker. Lovell, who missed a majority of the season last year due to a broken hand at Spalding, hit .311 in 15 games and was 6-for-8 on stolen bases, while Staker, who set a school record with 14 sacrifice hits last season and was named a First-Team All-SLIAC selection, hit .329 with 47 hits, 32 runs scored, four doubles and 37 RBI as a sophomore last season.

"Unless you're a part of our team, and you don't realize, Matt (Staker) is the hardest worker, you just can't work any harder than him," Kurich said about his two-year starting shortstop. "He is continually getting better and better and better. Had a great fall and struck the baseball very well this fall and has gotten bigger and stronger and is driving the ball better and also bunts very well, walks a ton, gets hit by pitches and is just an on-base machine. I expect another step forward offensively for him this year."

Another hitter Kurich is looking to provide some offensive spark this season is Swanson, who hit .302 last season and had 45 hits, scored 25 runs, hit seven doubles, one triple and had 19 RBI and struck out just 15 times in 149 at-bats.

"Joe has turned himself into a really good college hitter," the Webster coach added. "As I look at the order, there aren't a lot of easy outs like it was when they were younger. They've all gotten bigger and stronger, all played summer baseball and faced good pitching and have a lot of experience. The key to scoring runs is to continually turn your line-up over and over and get guys on base."

One area of concern for Kurich entering the season is who will play second base as three-year starter Danny Strohm, who earned a Division III Gold Glove last season, graduated last spring and his absence creates a big hole in the middle of the infield.

Among the players expected to see time at second base this season are two juniors - Kellen Quigley (Bolingbrook, Ill./Bolingbrook) and Jake Knoebel (Plainfield, Ill./Plainfield East) and two freshmen – Hayden Kent (Pottsboro, Texas/Pottsboro), who is the younger brother of Kyler and Caleb Zbrozek (Normal, Ill./Normal Community).

"Replacing Danny at second base is going to be tough. It might be a scenario this season where we kind of mix-and-match out there and it is going to be a little bit of a battle at that spot," Kurich said. "I think Kellen (Quigley), who is a junior, has done a lot of really positive things for us and is going to get an opportunity here early to step into that role, but we're going to kind of use a three-headed monster over there. Hayden (Kent) is also a really nice player, Caleb (Zbrozek) is probably the best defender of that group as a freshmen and Jake (Knoebel) is another kid that does a great job as he has kind of played third, but could easily play second."

The only other position starter that graduated off last season's team was rightfielder Nate Tholl, who is now serving as one of Kurich's assistant coaches this season. As a senior, Tholl hit .309 with 51 hits, 35 run scored, 14 doubles, a triple, two home runs and 21 RBI and was 23-for-27 on stolen bases.

"Nate was one of the best corner outfielders I've ever coached. He did a great job, was a tough kid and went and got a lot of baseballs out there in right," Kurich added. "It is going to be tough replace him."

Kurich says that Tholl's loss will be negated by the return of Lovell, who missed most of last season after suffering a broken hand at Spalding.

"One of those things in terms of replacement is Adam (Lovell) comes back. He was starting for us early and then broke his hand and he kind of fits back into that spot Nate was in," the Webster coach said. "He (Adam) is a little different type of player, a little bit faster, a little bit more of a top of the order on-base threat than Nate was so he is going to fit right in."

One area that Kurich likes about his team this year is the versatility they could employ late in games, especially in the outfield.
"We are going to have an opportunity late in games to make some moves to put three really fast guys out there in the outfield and cover a lot of ground," Kurich said about his team's versatility in the outfield.
In addition to Smith, Hopp and Lovell, who are expected to the primary starters in the outfield, Kurich sees several newcomers being able to contribute in the outfield. Among those newcomers are freshman Landon Vahle (Lee's Summit, Mo./St. Michael Archangel) and freshman Noah Hopkins (Keller, Texas/Liberty Christian).
 
"Landon is a really, really confident young man and someone we were excited to get and when he got here after the first couple of practices, the coaching staff looked around and said he's pretty good. He has gotten bigger and stronger and really goes and gets the ball in the outfield and is a fast, fast young man that battles with the bat and has hit good pitching all fall and doesn't play like a freshman," Kurich said. "Noah (Hopkins) another kid from Texas that is big and strong outfielder that is going to battle. He has hit some moon shots early in the preseason."

While its hitting and defense are expected to be strong components for the Gorloks this season, but perhaps the strength of this year's team is it pitching as Webster returns it top three starters from last season and also returns five of its top six pitchers out of the bullpen from a season ago.

The Gorloks finished the 2019 season with a team ERA of 2.86, which is the second lowest ERA in the program's history and they also recorded 358 strikeouts and walked just 125 opposing hitters in 416 innings of work.

"We expect to be very, very good on the mound again. We're healthy and everyone has been throwing the ball well at this point heading into Friday's opener," Kurich said.

When talking about Webster's pitching, the first two names that come to mind are senior All-American Matt Mulhearn (Chicago Heights, Ill./Marian Catholic) and junior All-Central Region honoree Sean Beaver (San Diego, Calif./Scripps Ranch). Those two pitchers combined to make 32 appearances, 27 starts, toss seven complete games, record 170 strikeouts, walk just 32 and went 20-5 with an ERA of 2.22 in 2019.

Mulhearn, who was a Third-Team Rawlings/ABCA All-American and an Honorable Mention D3Baseball.com All-American last year, finished with a 12-2 record and a 2.13 ERA. On the season, he made 19 appearances and 15 starts and tossed five complete games and one shutout. In 105.2 innings of work, Mulhearn, who was the MVP of the Whitewater NCAA Regional, allowed just 87 hits and 27 runs, while walking 11 and striking out 102. The 102 strikeouts are third most in a season in school history, while the 12 wins and 105.2 innings pitched were both new single season school records.

Beaver, who was a Third-Team All-Central Region selection and a Third-Team All-SLIAC performer last season, was just as effective as Mulhearn as he went 8-3 with a 2.30 ERA. On the season, he made 13 appearances, 12 starts and tossed two complete games. In 82.1 innings of work, the right-hander, who was the MVP of the SLIAC Tournament, allowed 71 hits and 28 runs, while walking 21 and fanning 68.

"The two guys are Matt and Sean and I expect they will carry the bulk of our innings again this year. Those two are just strike throwing machines and have good velocity and their off speed stuff is good and are very confident guys that have had the ball in big games for us," Kurich added.

The third returning starter from last season is sophomore Brendan May (St. Louis, Mo./St. John's Vianney), who went 4-2 with a 3.28 ERA and made 11 appearances and nine starts, including starting Webster's second game of the D-III World Series against Washington & Jefferson. On the year, he allowed 58 hits and 28 runs, while striking out 35 and walking 16 in 49.1 innings of work.

"Brendan stepped up huge for us as a freshman last year and we hope he takes another stride forward and continues to pitch in big games this year," Kurich said about May.

While the top three starters return for the Gorloks, Kurich says that senior transfer pitcher Cooper Hake (Lincoln, Ill./IU-South Bend) will be in the mix for a spot in the rotation.

"Cooper just brings a level of experience that is nice to have on the staff. He is in his senior year of college, a one year transfer for us and he will throw a lot for us this year," said Kurich.

Perhaps the biggest strength of Webster's pitching this season is its depth, according to Kurich.

"We can go pretty deep in terms of the pitching staff and continue to find guys that can help us at a very high level this season," the coach added. "Everyone has a No. 1 and No. 2 that's kind of the deal and when you play the best teams, their top two or three arms are really good and you got to have those guys, they're just as they are important, but the guys that get you to the World Series, the guys that win the World Series, have that fifth, sixth or seventh pitcher that can win you a regional game, a conference tournament game or an elimination game in the loser's bracket. The beauty of our pitching staff is they have to compete against our hitters every day so competition breeds within the program."

Among the pitchers that are expected to contribute this season are sophomore Alex Foppe (St. Louis, Mo./St. Mary's), freshman Jordan Smevoll (Dyer, Ind./Marian Catholic), junior Jake Anderson (Bolingbrook, Ill./Bolingbrook) and junior Bobby Strandt (Frisco, Texas/University of Arkansas).  

"Alex (Foppe) has gotten so much bigger and stronger and better and has been dominant against our own hitter early in the preseason and he is going to make a jump and find himself in the rotation. Smevoll is a left-handed kid from the Chicagoland area that has just been awesome throughout the fall and the preseason and is going to log a lot innings for us as he can pitch out of the pen or start," said Kurich. "Jake (Anderson) has been in the program for two years and has battled arm injuries, but seems to be healthy and is throwing the baseball well and will help us in the bullpen quite a bit and Bobby (Strandt) is a kid that has transferred out and in to our program and is been just awesome and is another guy that is getting healthy and is going to right in the mix as well."

In addition to those pitchers, some other pitchers expected to contribute are senior Dakota Borman (Freeport, Ill./Highland CC), junior Andrew Padilla (Burbank, Ill./Reavis), junior Ben Kowalski (Ottawa, Ill./Ottawa Township) and sophomore Joey Marko (Winfield, Mo./Winfield).

"Those are guys that are in the mix and are going to get the ball in some huge spots for us and they're ready," added Kurich. "We are just trying to figure out the opening weekend and it will change over time. Guys will have good outings and bad outings and get opportunities and make the most of them. We have a lot of really nice arms that are going to be in the mix."

The only pitcher of significance that Webster lost was Adrian Santiago, who was the team's closer as a senior in 2019. In 2019, Santiago made a team best 26 appearances out of the bullpen and compiled a 7-3 record and a 2.29 ERA and recorded a single season school record nine saves. In 55 innings, Santiago, who as a Second-Team All-Central Region selection, allowed 34 hits and 15 runs, while striking out 56 and walking 19. His nine saves were ninth in Division III.

"Adrian had a tremendous season last year for us and his loss is tremendous, but not as bad as it might be thanks to the depth of pitching we have this season," the coach added.

Kurich says that one of the keys to his team's success this year is the ability to turn double plays at second base. Last season, Webster turned 42 double plays and in 2018, turned a school record 44 double plays.

"We certainly expect to be a very good defensive team, but we are going to have to turn double plays at second base that is a big deal. We did a great job with that and got our pitchers out of a lot of jams," Kurich stressed.

Along with being able to turn double plays at second base, Kurich says that some another key for his team's success in 2020 are the top two spots in the batting order.

"If you look at last year, we struggled and I think it is really hard to be good unless the top two guys in the order get on base and become a real nuisance," Kurich added. "Aron (Hopp) did a nice job for us, but struggled getting on base at times and in turn, our two-hole hitter, also struggled at times getting on base. If those guys become .425-plus on-base percentage-type guys and are on base to set the stage for the middle of our order, then I think we'll be good."

Kurich added that the defining deal for his team this season is their ability to score runs against good pitching.

"You have to be able to compete against the best. Certainly, we've done it in the past and we had a great run at the end of last year and you saw when the offense was going good, we scored a lot of runs, but it is just a consistency thing," the Webster coach said. "It is really about getting on base. If we consistently get guys on base, consistently threatening, it changes the entire game as you get in a team's bullpen, run up pitch counts and making them throw more pitches in stressful spots."

While the Gorloks return seven position starters and a majority of their pitchers from last season's World Series team, Kurich said that several players have stood out in the preseason and are expected to step in and contribute this season.

Among those players Kurich mentioned are sophomore catcher Zach Goodman (Greenwood Village, Colo./Arapahoe) and freshman infielder Dylan Coleman (Chicago, Ill./Notre Dame Prep), along with the previously mentioned Vahle and Smevoll.

"One guy that has come alive is Zach (Goodman), who we expected big things out of, but has just gotten so much stronger and with the bat has been really good and is going to continue to earn himself more and more at-bats because he can really catch, and throw and do things behind the plate, along with Joe (Swanson), but Goody has given himself an opportunity in the DH (designated hitter) role when he's not catching," said Kurich. "Dylan (Coleman) is a freshman who can just hit. He's hit from the day he walked in the door here. He came in as a second baseman, but we moved him over to first, but he's going to battle for that DH role right off the bat, as well."

Much like every other season since Kurich has been running the Gorloks program will always play a strong non-conference schedule as this year is no different as Kurich's 14th Webster team is scheduled to play eight games against team that advanced to the NCAA Tournament a season ago, including a rematch with Washington & Jefferson from the 2019 NCAA Division III World Series and play 15 teams that won 20 or more games in 2019 and a total of 16 schools that posting winning records last season.

"We try and schedule the very toughest teams we can find. We are not going to be dodge anyone as we are actively seeking the very best teams we can find," Kurich said about his team's schedule. "The schedule helps you for the conference season. Year-to-year, the strength of our league is going to change, but conference games are always tough, so in the games we are seeking, we are trying to find the best teams we possibly can to prepare ourselves for those conference battles and also prepare us for those tough opponents you'll see in the postseason."

Since taking over the Gorloks program prior to the beginning of the 2007, Kurich has led the program to unprecedented heights and has built what has become one of the premier Division III baseball programs in the country. Since arriving as Webster's coach, Kurich has won 433 games, captured 13 straight SLIAC regular season titles, won 10 SLIAC Tournament championships, earned seven SLIAC Coach of the Year honors, guided Webster to 11 NCAA Tournament appearances,10 30-win seasons and four appearances in the Division III World Series, all of which have come in the last eight seasons.

This weekend's first three opponents this weekend went a combined 79-51 last season, including Coe posting a 37-8 overall record.

"It will be a tough opening weekend and you go in with the hope of winning all three games, but you know you are going to have three tough games out of the gate," Kurich responded when asked about this weekend's three games.

Transylvania will be Webster's first opponent this weekend and they enter the 2020 season looking to improve on its 16-24 record from a year ago. The Pioneers, who are coached by Zach Getsee, who is a former assistant coach of Kurich's, return a majority of their line-up from last season that advanced to the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference Tournament last season for the first time in four years.

"We open the season with Transylvania and Zach (Getsee) is their head coach and my former assistant. It is a team that we're very familiar with and they are familiar with us and how we play the game," Kurich said. "I expect Transylvania to be really good. They swung the bat great last year, but were just a little thin on the mound and those things I'm sure have changed this year and I'm sure we're going to have our hands full."

Webster's second opponent, Rhodes, went 26-19 last season and comes into the weekend sporting a 4-2 record so far this season, including picking up a 12-6 win last weekend in Mount Berry, Ga., against Webster's SLIAC rival, Greenville University. In 2018, Rhodes advanced to the championship game of the NCAA Central Regional hosted by the Gorloks at GCS Credit Union Ballpark, but fell in the title game to eventual Division III National Champion, the University of Texas-Tyler.

"We play Rhodes all the time. We know that they are always going to be a team that is contending to win their conference, to get into a regional and knocking on the door of a World Series. They play the game very similar to the way we play the game," the coach added. "We had their number for a while, but they've beat us the last three times we've faced them."

The final opponent for the Gorloks this weekend is Coe College, who advanced to the NCAA Super Regionals last season before dropping both games at Birmingham-Southern. Coe is ranked 11th and 18th respectively in the ABCA/Collegiate Baseball and D3Baseball.com preseason polls.

"Coe has gotten some early preseason attention. They had an outstanding run last year," the Webster coach said. "We have not played Coe for years, but (Coach Steve) Cook, does a great job with his guys and I'm sure that game will be one that both teams will have circled."