PONCE, P.R. – The Villanova University baseball team will open its 2025 season at the inaugural Puerto Rico Challenge. From Feb. 14-16, the team will face Rice, No. 2-ranked Virginia and Michigan at Francisco Montaner Stadium. The event is expected to provide an intersection of competition, education and celebration of the rich cultural heritage of Puerto Rico.
 
Familiar Faces
Entering the program's 160th season, the Wildcats will return several key players from 2024. Catcher Jason Neff and infielder Michael Whooley will be relied upon heavily offensively. Neff hit nine home runs in 2024, tying for second most among Wildcats, while maintaining a .260 average. He also tied a team-best 43 RBI. Whooley drew a team-best 32 walks, and finished top-five in hits, doubles, home runs and RBI in 2024. On the mound, Luke McCollough will look to put together another solid season after posting three scoreless appearances last year. Stephen Turzai and Alec Sachais will return to anchor the bullpen.
 
Intriguing Transfers
Kevin Mulvey and his staff went deep into the transfer portal this offseason to bring in five difference-making players. First, junior Bobby Finn (St. Bonaventure) will make an immediate impact as a crafty lefty out of the bullpen. Redshirt-Freshman Austin Lemon (Oklahoma State) and graduate student Jake McElroy (Holy Cross) will be effective additions to the outfield. Graduate student Bobby Olsen (Nebraska) will likely be of the team's top starters upon arrival on the Main Line. Lastly, infielder Tyler Shaw (Claremont McKenna) will be a staple near the top of the lineup.
 
New Kids on the Block
Meanwhile, the Wildcats have signed a remarkable 13 incoming freshmen for the 2025 season, the most of Head Coach Kevin Mulvey's nine-year tenure. It is also the most incoming freshmen for Villanova since 2009, when the program had 17 first-year players. Of the baker's dozen of newcomers, three have PerfectGame.org ratings of 8.0 or higher: Brayden Leonard (8.5), JP Podgorski (8.0) and Ben Pew (8.5).
 
The Wildcats were projected to finish seventh in the BIG EAST Preseason Coaches' poll after closing the 2024 season in fifth place.
 
On Friday (Feb. 14), Villanova will play its first-ever matchup with Rice at 7 p.m. ET. Then, at same time on Saturday (Feb. 15), the Wildcats will face No. 2-ranked Virginia -- the 'Cats' first game against a top-five team since 2022. Lastly, the Blue and White will face Michigan on Sunday (Feb. 16) at 10 a.m., closing out the event against another prestigious opponent.
 
All games will be streamed live on ESPN+. Follow @villanovabaseball on Instagram and @VUBaseball on X (formerly Twitter) for more coverage.