Meet the 2023 Baseball Team: Season Preview In Pictures

With only a couple weeks before their first series of the season, Villanova's baseball team is preparing to build off their 19-29-1 season from 2022. With eight members of the starting lineup returning and a slew of graduate transfers and freshman joining the roster, the Wildcats look to get a new season underway.

SCROLL DOWN TO MEET EVERY MEMBER OF THE 2023 WILDCATS

RETURNERS

#4 Will Reiner - Graduate Student, Captain, Catcher, L/R, Madison, Conn., Daniel Hand

Will Reiner rejoins the Wildcats for his fifth season as the starting catcher appearing in 104 career games with 90 starts.

Reiner has been a strong presence behind the dish with 717 putouts, 69 assists, and has thrown out 30 would-be base stealers. His six pickoffs are third-most by a Villanova catcher.

The fifth year owns a slash line of .194/.326/.282 resulting in nine doubles, three triples, four home runs, 45 runs scored, 39 RBIs and two stolen bases.

Reiner is a three-time BIG EAST All-Academic Team selection and five-time member of the Athletic Director’s Honor Roll.

#1 AJ Hansen - Senior, Captain, Infielder, R/R, Collegeville, Pa., Perkiomen Valley

Senior infielder AJ Hansen appeared in 48 of the team’s 49 games last season, starting in 44 of them.

Hansen stepped up to the plate 156 times last season, resulting in 34 hits, 24 runs, 21 RBIs and a slash line of .218/.361/.372.

The captain clipped six doubles in 2022, while posting the second most triples and stolen bases with three. His four home runs were second-most on the team, as well.

Hansen is a three-time selection to the BIG EAST All-Academic Team and six-time member of the Athletic Director’s Honor Roll.

#5 Cole Vanderslice - Senior, Pitcher, R/R, Ocean City, N.J., St. Augustine Prep

Cole Vanderslice has made 26 careers appearances, typically emerging from the bullpen.

The senior owns a 2-3 record with a 8.25 ERA spanning 36.0 innings.

On the mound, Vanderslice has struck out 21 batters who have a .296 hitting clip against him.

The pitcher has completed two putouts and made seven assists during his career.

#6 Jack Povey - Senior, Pitcher, R/R, Red Bank, N.J., Red Bank Regional

Senior pitcher Jack Povey has made eight career relief appearances for the Wildcats

Out of the bullpen, Povey has logged 9.0 innings pitched with an ERA of 3.00 in his career.

Povey has one career save and has faced 42 batters who averaged .235 against him.

Povey is one of 10 Villanova baseball players from New Jersey.

#11 John Whooley - Senior, Catcher, R/R, Wyckoff, N.J., Ramapo

Senior catcher John Whooley has appeared in 58 career games with 45 starts for the Wildcats.

Whooley has a strong arm behind the plate, making 167 putouts, 17 assists, and has thrown out 10 would-be base stealers.

The senior has slashed .221/.360/.262 resulting in seven doubles, 38 hits, 31 runs scored, 26 RBIs and two stolen bases during his career.

Whooley is a three-time BIG EAST All-Academic Team selection and three-time member of the Athletic Director’s Honor Roll.

#32 Chic DeGaetano - Senior, Pitcher, R/R, Sugarloaf, Pa., Hazleton Area

Chic DeGaetano went 4-0 with a 5.79 ERA across 51.1 innings pitched last season with opponents batting .234 against him.

The local pitcher had a career-high 10 strikeouts through seven innings pitched, only giving up one hit in an April home series against Lafayette.

DeGaetano appeared in 17 games, starting in nine and averaging 8.24 strikeouts per inning.

He was named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll on April 11 last season.

#33 Brandon Siegenthaler - Senior, Pitcher, R/R, Montvale, N.J., Pascack Hills

Senior pitcher Brandon Siegenthaler has appeared in 16 career games with 10 starts for the Wildcats.

Siegenthaler owns a 3-5 record with a 5.06 ERA spanning 53.1 innings facing 258 batters.

Siegenthaler averaged 8.13 strikeouts per nine innings with opponents batting .318 against him.

The two-time member of the Athletic Director’s Honor Roll had a season high nine strikeouts over 6.1 innings in the 5-3 win over Georgetown on May 3 last year.

#36 Jack O’Reilly - Senior, Captain, Infielder, R/R, Villanova, Pa., Notre Dame

Jack O’Reilly has been a key player in the Wildcat lineup, appearing in 83 career games with 82 starts.

During his career, O’Reilly has tallied 414 putouts and 62 assists while playing at either first or third base.

The Villanova native’s offensive totals include 79 hits, 16 doubles, two triples, three home runs, three sacrifice flies, 44 runs scored, and 56 runs batted in.

O’Reilly is a two-time member of the BIG EAST All-Academic Team and a four-time member of the Athletic Director’s Honor Roll.

#2 Cameron Hassert - Junior, Infielder, L/R, Longmont, Colo., Silver Creek

Cameron Hassert is a reliable player in the middle infield, starting in 40 of his 41 appearances with 59 putouts, 15 double plays, and leads the team with 102 assists.

In 2022, Hassert tied for the second most stolen bases (3) and was third in doubles (8) while tying for second for SAC bunts (6).

The lone Coloradan on the squad owned a slash line of .210/.309/.268 last season, resulting in 15 runs scored, 24 RBIs, and one home run.

Hassert had a season high three hits and four runs against Saint Joseph’s. He had at least two putouts in 20 games and at least three assists in 21 games.

#17 Patrick Montfort - Junior, Pitcher, L/L, Morristown, N.J., Morristown

Patrick Montfort is a left-handed pitcher who has appeared in 18 career games working primarily in relief.

Montfort has logged 15.1 innings out of the bullpen and struck out 23 batters with a 7.63 ERA during his career.

The lefty had a career-high four strikeouts in a home contest against Saint Joseph’s last season, walking one batter and giving up two hits in 1.2 innings of work.

Montfort has been named to the BIG EAST All-Academic Team twice and is a four-time member of the Athletic Director’s Honor Roll.

#19 Devin Rivera - Junior, Pitcher, R/R, Valley Cottage, N.Y., Don Bosco Prep

Devin Rivera has made 31 game appearances with eight starts in his career becoming a solid relief choice for the ‘Cats.

Rivera has logged 66.2 innings with a 6.62 ERA and has averaged 6.25 strikeouts per nine innings.

The junior owns one career save and has struck out 54 batters who are averaging .308 against him.

Rivera has been named to the BIG EAST All-Academic Team and has been a member of the Athletic Director’s Honor Roll.

#23 Cade Udell - Junior, Pitcher, S/R, Longwood, Fla., Duke

Junior pitcher Cade Udell has made his way out of the bullpen for eight career relief appearances.

Udell has logged 5.1 innings pitched with an ERA of 8.44 during his career.

On the mound, Udell has struck out seven batters with batters averaging a .111 hitting clip against him.

Udell is a one-time member of the Athletic Director’s Honor Roll.

#35 August Biggio - Junior, Outfield, L/R, Richmond, Vt., Riverdale Country School (N.Y.)

Junior outfielder August Biggio saw action in 12 games, 10 of which he started for the Wildcats last season.

Biggio had four putouts in the field and attained a .143/.256/.257 slash line at the plate.

The lone Vermonter hit his first career home run against Xaiver on April 14.

Biggio is a two-time BIG EAST All-Academic Team and four-time Athletic Director’s Honor Roll member.

#10 Marcus LaBuda - Sophomore, Pitcher, R/R, Sugarloaf, Pa., Hazleton Area

Marcus LaBuda appeared in nine games last season as a relief pitcher logging 9.1 innings pitched with a 6.75 ERA.

The sophomore had nine strikeouts in the 2022 season while opposing batters were averaging .357 against him.

The local pitcher had a season-high three strikeouts over two innings against Monmouth.

Current Villanova pitcher Chic DeGaetano is a former high school teammate of LaBuda’s.

#14 Connor Hale - Sophomore, Outfielder, L/L, Ashburn, Va., Broad Run

Outfielder Connor Hale had a standout freshman season, starting in 32 of his 39 appearances.

The Ashburn, Va. native owns a .204/.381/.235 slash line and produced 20 hits, 19 runs, three doubles, and four RBIs.

On the defensive end, Hale had 59 putouts, one assist and a .952 fielding percentage.

Hale had six putouts at Richmond on March 2 and scored four runs against the Spiders on March 3.

#18 Shane Solari - Sophomore, Outfielder, R/R, Brigantine, N.J., Holy Spirit

Sophomore outfielder Shane Solari has made 20 career game appearances with 16 starts.

In the field, Solari has been a strong defensive presence, making 37 putouts on 37 chances.

At bat Solari has slashed .157/.338/.157 resulting in eight hits, seven runs, and going 1-for-1 on bases stolen.

The outfielder had a season-high five putouts on five chances against Butler on April 10 last year.

#24 Josue Valdez - Sophomore, Catcher, R/R, Bronx, N.Y., Salesian

Sophomore catcher Josue Valdez appeared in 12 career games with 11 starts in his debut season.

Valdez has slashed .094/.237/.094 yielding four runs scored and three hits.

Behind the plate, Valdez has recorded nine putouts and one assist for a 1.000 career fielding percentage.

Valdez had a season-high five putouts and one assist against Saint Joseph’s on May 4 last season.

NEWCOMERS

#3 Paul Cooke - Graduate Student, Outfielder, L/L, Cranbury, N.J., Swarthmore College

Graduate outfielder Paul Cooke was a four-year member of the Swarthmore baseball team who has played in 58 career games starting 45 of them.

In the field, Cooke has made 75 putouts with two assists, no errors, and a 1.000 fielding percentage.

Cooke owns a .358/.449/.584 slash line hitting 13 doubles, one triple and eight home runs, scoring 48 runs and batting in 36 runners over his career.

Cooke made the ABCA/Rawling All-Region V Second Team, D3Baseball.com All-Region Third Team, All-Centennial Second Team, and was an Academic All-Centennial selection last season.

#8 Luke Mutz - Graduate Student, Infielder, L/R, Swarthmore, Pa., Swarthmore College

Star infielder of Swarthmore College, Luke joins his former teammates Paule Cooke and Zach Camp at Villanova this season after completing a total of 91 career games with 90 starts.

Over his career, he has made 132 putouts and 213 assists in the field and owns a slash line of .382/.450/.477 hitting 20 doubles, six triples, one home run, scoring 103 runs, batting in 54 runs and stealing 43 bases.

Mutz was named Centennial Conference Player of the Year, All-Centennial First Team, Academic All-Centennial and PhillySIDA Academic All-Area.

Mutz was named ABCA/Rawlings All-America Third Team, ABCA/Rawlings Region V Position Player of the Year, and ABCA/Rawlings All-Region V First Team, D3Baseball.com All-Region V First Team.

#16 Craig Larsen - Graduate Student, Infielder, R/R, Toms River, N.J., University of Pennsylvania

Former four-year member of the Penn baseball team, Craig Larsen joins the Wildcats after a strong 2022 season in which he started all 48 games at shortstop.

Larsen was a reliable member of the Quakers defense with 311 putouts and 175 assists.

The graduate student has a .293/.359/.434 slash line, going 135-461 with 22 doubles, two triples, 13 home runs, scoring 94 runs, batting in 95 runners, and stolen seven bases during his career.

Last season, Larsen earned an All-Ivy (SS) honorable mention and was named conference player of the week after a strong performance against Harvad in a two-game series where he had six hits, runs and RBIs each and hit three home runs.

#20 Zach Camp - Graduate Student, Pitcher, R/R, Smyrna, Ga., Swarthmore College

Graduate pitcher Zach Camp spent the last four years playing for Swarthmore College where he led the Centennial conference in saves, strikeouts, and average strikeouts per nine innings among relievers.

Camp is Swarthmore’s leader in single season appearances and is third in all-time saves.

The Smyrna, Ga. native owns a 4-5 record with six saves in his career, posting a 4.94 ERA over 100.2 innings pitched with 87 strikeouts, three putouts, and 10 assists.

Camp finished the 2022 season as an All-Centennial First Team Selection and an Academic All-Centennial member.

#25 Peter Giombetti - Graduate Student, Utility, R/R, Malvern, Pa., Catholic Univ. of America

Graduate utility Peter Giombetti finished his time at Catholic as the leader in single season home runs, total bases, and slugging percentage. He set the conference single season homerun record and total base record.

Giombetti is a two-time First Team All-Conference player and was named both the 2022 Landmark Conference and 2023 D3 Baseball Mid-Atlantic Region V Player of the Year.

He was a 2022 ABCA First Team All-Region, 2022 ABCA Third Team All-American, 2022 D3 Baseball.com Fourth Team All-American selection and a member of the 2022 College World Series D3 team.

The Malvern native appeared in 46 of the teams 48 games last season and recorded 60 hits while leading the team in extra-base hits (34), doubles (17), RBIs (59), and home runs (15), setting the single season home run record.

#26 Cabot Maher - Graduate Student, Pitcher/DH, R/R, Barrington, R.I., Colby College

Cabot Maher makes his way to the Wildcats after a four-year stint at Colby College where he started in 48 of his 49 appearances.

On the mound, Maher owns a 4-2 record with two saves and an ERA of 5.23 over 17.2 innings with opponents batting .254 against him.

Maher has collected 29 strikeouts and has made 47 putouts, four assists, and no errors in the field.

As the designated hitter, Maher has made 171 plate appearances, earning a slash line of .386/.476/.661 resulting in 19 doubles, two triples, eight home runs, 44 runs scored, 53 runs batted in and eight stolen bases.

#28 Stephen Turzai - Graduate Student, Pitcher, R/R, Wexford, Pa., Franklin & Marshall College

Stephen Turzai joins the Wildcats after a four-year career at Franklin & Marshall where he made 28 game appearances primarily in relief.

Turzai owns a 2-4 record with six career saves and a 5.61 ERA spanning 33.2 innings pitched, striking out 32 and averaging 8.55 strikeouts per nine innings.

The graduate transfer had the fifth most saves in school history and was second in single-season pitching appearances.

Turzai was a two-time Centennial Conference Academic Honor Roll member and graduated with Cum Laude Honors.

#30 Steve Grober - Graduate Student, Infielder, S/R, Hillsborough, N.J., Seton Hall

No stranger to the BIG EAST with his last four years spent at Seton Hall, Steve Grober totaled 152 career appearances with 144 starts for the Pirates.

Throughout his career in the field Grober has made 162 putouts, 291 assists, and only 12 errors.

Grober owns a career .241/.317/.341 slash line, hitting 19 doubles, six triples, six home runs, scoring 70 runs, batting 61 runners in and swiping three bases.

Last season alone he had 41 putouts, 71 assists, 2 errors and a slash line of .255/.339/.329.

#47 Sal Fusco - Graduate Student, Pitcher, R/R, Albany, N.Y., UMass-Lowell

Sal Fusco played the last four seasons with the River Hawks, tallying 49 career games primarily in relief.

Fusco owns a 3-7 record with one save and a 6.79 ERA over 89.2 innings pitched.

The New York native has five career putouts and has struck out 86 batters with opponents averaging .250 against him.

Fusco posted a career-high nine strikeout performance when the River Hawks faced Canisius.

#48 Luke Dziados - Senior, Pitcher, R/R, Cicero, N.Y., Binghamton University

The senior transfer from Binghamton, Luke Dziados has played in 26 career games with eight starts.

Dziados owns a career 1-3 record with a 5.21 ERA over 38.0 innings pitched.

Opponents have batted .292 against him while collecting two putouts, four assists, and no errors in the field.

He is one of four players on this year’s roster hailing from New York.

#13 Michael Whooley - Freshman, Infielder, R/R, Wyckoff, N.J., Ramapo

Michel Whooley was a three-time varsity baseball letterwinner during his high school career.

Whooley was a First Team All-County and Second Team All-County selection for Ramapo.

The freshman made his way into the Ramapo record book with the second-most career RBI.

Whooley joins his older brother John on this year’s squad.

#15 Luke Matta - Freshman, Pitcher, R/R, Shenandoah, Pa., Shenandoah Valley

Luke Matta was a three-sport athlete at Shenandoah Valley, playing baseball, basketball, and golf.

Matta earned a total of 11 varsity letters and was chosen to the BIG 26 Baseball Classic as a junior.

The freshman pitcher threw the first perfect game in Shenandoah Valley school history.

Over his high school career, Matta threw three no-hitters and struck out 70 batters over 35 innings pitched.

#21 Jake Bollin - Freshman, Catcher, R/R, Raynham, Mass., Noble and Greenough

Freshman catcher Jake Bollin was a first team All-ISL selection as a senior.

The catcher was a two-sport athlete, playing baseball and football.

Bollin averaged .415 at the plate his senior year and spent the offseason playing for the Nokona baseball team.

Bollin earned 8 total varsity letters and two MVP selections.

#22 Collin Quintano - Freshman, Infielder, R/R, Easton, Pa., Notre Dame Green Pond

Freshman infielder Collin Quintano was a two-sport athlete competing in baseball at third base and football as a quarterback.

Quintano was named First Team All-Area (3B) and First Team All-League (3B) his senior year.

Quintano’s baseball career totals include 92 hits, 17 home runs, and he holds the record for most home runs in a single game (2).

The freshman completed his scholastic career earning a total of eight varsity letters.

#29 Aidan Barry - Freshman, Pitcher, L/L, Medford, Mass., Medford

Freshman pitcher Aidan Barry was a three-time All-Conference baseball player in high school.

Barry was a three-sport athlete in baseball, basketball, and football.

Barry finished his high school career with a slash line of .448/.515/1.013.

In high school, Barry earned the title of captain for all three sports.

#43 Graham Moore - Freshman, Pitcher, R/R, Jacksonville, Fla., The Bolles School

Freshman pitcher Graham Moore was a three-sport scholastic athlete in baseball, basketball, and football.

Moore earned a total of 12 varsity letters over his high school career.

During his senior year, Moore had a 1.6 ERA, allowing just six hits and striking out 34 over 17 innings pitched.

Moore joins Cade Udell as the only Villanova players to hail from the Sunshine State.