With the spring semester under way, Mountain Lion baseball is ready to step up to the plate. Just days away from their first game, Penn State Wilkes-Barre players are excited for the season to start. Monday, Mar. 4 commences the 2024 season, where the team will travel to Williamson College of the Trades in Media to play their first double-header at 1 p.m. 

The next few months will be busy for Mountain Lion players, with 28 games and 24 of them being double-headers. The team has five home games to be played on Wilkes-Barre territory, Hilldale Park in Plains. 

Leading the team are head coach Jason McManus, assistant coach Jacob Claypoole, and assistant coach Rian Long, a previous player for our Mountain Lions who graduated Dec. 2023. Consisting of 15 student-athletes, Penn State Wilkes-Barre's baseball program is continuing to build its foundation for future years to come. 

 "I'm really excited about how hard these young men have been working, and I think the family, commitment, and culture they have embraced has changed immensely in one year," said McManus.  McManus emphasized the bond his players have made in a short period of time and their willingness to create an unbreakable unit, both on and off the field. 

"There's a big change coming to this campus, and these young men are going to bring that change," McManus said, confident in the shared excitement both players and coaches have for the games to come. 

Sophomore #11 Andrew Mentzer (Lancaster, Pennsylvania/Hempfield High School) is ready for his second season as a Penn State Wilkes-Barre student-athlete, giving voice for his love of the game and the campus. "I'm going to have time catching this year, and I just want to be there as much as possible for my teammates," Mentzer said. 

Coming from a former player for the Mountain Lions, new assistant coach Rian Long shared his thoughts about watching the game from a different perspective. "As my playing time came to a close, I found something inside of me that really wanted to build this program. It motivated me to help Coaches McManus and Claypoole take this program in a new direction," Long said, expressing his fondness, for both the baseball program and the campus. 

The approaching season brings many players to the plate, who are new to college baseball. Freshman players are juggling school and athletics one day at a time, thriving in their new environment. "You have to focus on academics, you have to get your grades up. I'm enjoying it; it's working out for me so far," said freshman #12 Michael Volker (Tunkhannock, Pennsylvania/Tunkhannock Area High School).

Like Volker, freshman pitcher #5 Ethan Bechel is another freshman eager to start the season—and one who is enjoying the culture of his newfound team. "We all want to work, we all want to get better. We want this team to be better than it has in previous years." 

In starting the 2024 season, the Mountain Lions will face new challenges, conquer any obstacles that come their way, and win and lose as a team. Building the program brick by brick is the main goal and to create a tight-knit environment amongst the players. 

As Penn State Wilkes-Barre baseball winds up for its first game, we wish them luck in the coming season. View their full schedule here.

Written by Kyler Burke

Photo Credits: Carrie Miner Yaple @v1sion_media