The Cardinals finished fifth in the GLIAC last season with a 30-22 overall record and an 11-13 mark in conference play. SVSU returns eight of the nine players from its everyday starting lineup, with the designated hitter spot being the lone departure. The Cardinals also lost starting pitcher JJ Arbini to graduation and closer Jake Shelagowski, who was selected in the MLB Draft by the St. Louis Cardinals.
On the mound, Saginaw Valley returns a strong core led by Jack Decker, Chase Raymond, Brady Baalaer, and Will Juday, who combined to start 36 of the team’s 52 games a season ago. Nathan Masar and Dan Wilcome also return as key bullpen arms after combining for 58.2 innings and 83 strikeouts.
Offensively, first baseman Ryan Jarvis led the team in at-bats with 188 over 50 games and hit .330. Center fielder Lucas Mead was the most productive bat in the lineup, hitting .420 with 10 doubles, six triples, and four home runs. Austin Cicerone enters his third season as the everyday third baseman after batting .313 with a .441 on-base percentage as a sophomore.
Ethan Scheib enjoyed a breakout campaign in left field, serving as the leadoff hitter for most of the season while batting .318 with a .413 on-base percentage. He totaled 49 hits, drew 20 walks, and stole 18 bases. In the middle infield, Buck Snabes steps into his junior season after appearing in 45 games and recording 43 hits, eight doubles, 25 RBI, and 11 stolen bases. Snabes is joined by reigning GLIAC Freshman of the Year Jordan Lewis at shortstop. Lewis batted .276 with eight doubles and a home run, while also contributing on the mound with a 2-0 record, one save, and 16 strikeouts in 8.2 innings.
Brady Carpenter rounds out the outfield in right field after playing 35 games last season and batting .243, while being caught stealing just once in eight attempts. Behind the plate, senior Connor Cornwell returns after catching 38 games and hitting .239 with six doubles, a triple, and two home runs.
Saginaw Valley welcomes 11 newcomers to the roster, including eight freshmen and three junior transfers. The incoming class features five pitchers, an infielder, an outfielder, a catcher, and three two-way players. Infielder Jacob Pitt and pitcher Andrew Pohlmann arrive from Grand Rapids Community College, while pitcher Drew Ferguson transfers from Kellogg Community College. Freshmen Eli Carpenter, Ryan Walters, and Brady Young bolster the pitching staff, Aiden Robinson joins the outfield, and J.T. Thomas adds depth behind the plate. Sam Briggs, Jack Sequin, and Brayden Simmon join the Cardinals as two-way players.
Head coach Adam Piotrowicz enters his fourth season leading the program with a 98-64 record through three years. His teams have produced back-to-back 30-win seasons, marking the program’s first such stretch since 2008. He is joined by pitching coach Justin McMurtrey, baserunning and outfield coach Brandon Evans, and hitting coach Christian Penn.
SVSU opens the season in Xenia, Ohio, with four games against in-region opponents Cedarville and Lewis University. Following a four-game home series against Lake Erie, the Cardinals head south for spring break, opening with a three-game weekend series at perennial GLVC and regional contender Maryville University. The first opportunity to catch Saginaw Valley at home in conference play comes when the Cardinals host Parkside for a four-game GLIAC series beginning Friday, March 27.
