VILLANOVA, Pa.—The start of the 154^th season of varsity baseball at Villanova is just two weeks away, and leading up to the Wildcats season opener on February 15 we will be profiling each position on the field.  In today's first installment, we take a look at the infielders on the Villanova roster. 
 
Five of the eight regular members of the starting lineup who return to the Wildcats this season are expected to play primarily in the infield, making the infield an area of strength for the team.  Villanova has produced at least one all-conference infielder in four of the last five years.  This year's group is highlighted by junior first baseman Ryan Toohers (L-R, 6-5, 213), a first team All-BIG EAST selection last season who also garnered preseason honors this year in a poll of league head coaches. 
 
Toohers led or tied for the team lead in eight different offensive categories as a sophomore in 2018.  He batted .298 (53-for-178) with a .403 on-base percentage and a .472 slugging percentage while hitting 14 doubles and five home runs.  His 31 runs batted in were a team-high and he also finished second on the squad with 28 runs scored. 
 
Toohers was the MVP of the Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League over the summer after he batted .391 and set single-season league records with 57 RBI and 106 total bases.  He also tied a league record with 10 home runs, added 13 doubles, and finished the summer with a .492 on-base percentage and a .679 slugging percentage.  He started the PGCBL All-Star Game at first base and was a first team All-PGCBL selection in addition to adding league MVP honors.
 
Junior third baseman John Heilenbach (R-R, 6-3, 219) had a breakout season in 2018 after missing the previous year with an injury.  He started 44 games and batted .242 (38-for-157) with a .346 on-base percentage, drawing 15 walks and tying for the team lead by getting hit by a pitch 10 times.  Heilenbach also had 10 doubles on the year. 
 
The most experienced member of the team's infield mix is senior JP Radvany (R-R, 6-3, 208), who has started 91 of the 109 games he has played in over the past three seasons.  Radvany offers power potential from the right side of the plate and hit four home runs to go along with six doubles and a .351 slugging percentage in 38 games last season.  His natural position is first base, and he has also seen time as the designated hitter while batting in the middle of the lineup. 
 
Middle infielders Timothy Lilly (R-R, 6-2, 178) and Pat O'Neill (B/R, 5-11, 165) are each among the team's strongest defensive players.  Lilly appeared in 41 games as a sophomore last season, making 20 starts at second base and 17 at shortstop.  He committed just five errors in 135 total chances and finished the year with a .963 fielding percentage.  O'Neill started 34 games in his collegiate rookie season, including 31 at short and three at second base.  He is coming off a strong fall campaign in which he went 4-for-10 at the plate with three runs scored, two runs batted in and a walk in five games. 
 
Two of the interesting players to watch during the year will be junior Dominic Sarro (R-R, 6-0, 180) and sophomore Jeff Manto (L-R, 6-2, 205).  Sarro had a torrid bat during fall ball and was the team's top offensive performer, going 7-for-14 at the plate with five runs scored, five RBI, three doubles, four walks and a stolen base.  He compiled a .611 on-base percentage and a .714 slugging percentage in 18 plate appearances.  Sarro came on strong late in the 2018 campaign and started 18 of the 25 games he played in.  He batted .254 with a .329 on-base percentage for the season and compiled a .973 fielding percentage with two errors in 73 chances while playing both second base and third. 
 
Manto has similar defensive versatility and has shown the ability to be a key bat on the left side of the plate.  He saw action in 32 games as a freshman, with eight starts at second base and three at third, and built upon the experience he gained by having a strong summer season playing for the Quakertown Blazers of the Atlantic Collegiate Baseball League.  There were four Villanova players on the Blazers, which made a run to its first ACBL title in 13 years, and Manto led the squad with five home runs while posting a .554 slugging percentage. 
 
The infield mix will also benefit from an influx of three newcomers who each have a great deal of potential.  Freshmen Nick Lorusso (R-R, 6-2, 198) and Dylan McNary (R-R, 6-0, 180) are each two-way players with the ability to hit and pitch their way onto the field.  Lorusso batted .462 during fall ball with four runs scored and four walks, while also giving up just one run over six innings of work on the mound.  McNary had a .583 on-base percentage in 12 plate appearances and logged 2 2/3 innings pitched during the fall schedule. 
 
Freshman first baseman Matt Pinone (R-L, 6-3, 180) similarly made a strong first impression as he enters his first collegiate season.  He appeared in all five games during fall ball, going 4-for-8 with three walks, to runs scored, one triple and a stolen base.