Entering the 2020 season, expectations surrounding the Penn State Altoona baseball program are at the highest point in recent history. The Lions were announced as D3baseball.com's favorite to win the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference this year in the site's Mideast Region preview, and the team was also voted second in the AMCC Preseason Coaches' Poll.

After going 28-17 overall, tying for second in the AMCC regular season standings with a 12-6 record, and reaching the conference championship game last spring – where the Lions fell to eventual champion La Roche University – Penn State Altoona baseball is hoping to take the next step this year.

Fourth-year head coach RJ Barnard understands that his squad needs to stay grounded in order to achieve the level of success many have predicted, but he is also eager for the Lions to prove themselves on the field.

"Although expectations are high, we still know, in order to win the conference, we will need to knock off La Roche, something we haven't been able to do in my three years," said Barnard. "The guys know this could be a special group, and they are hungry to get on the field to show that last year's success wasn't a fluke."

Penn State Altoona's roster is highlighted by 13 upperclassmen – nine seniors and four juniors – who have grown together and are now looking to make their mark on the program.

"The leadership and the leading by example that this senior class brings to the rest of the team is probably their best quality," Barnard stated. "Our seniors are our hardest working guys, and it is creating a trickle-down effect to the younger guys. We will be relying heavily on our seniors to carry much of the load, and to keep the morale of the team high when things are not going our way."

Five seniors figure to hold down regular spots in the Lions' lineup, as spots one though five in the batting order will regularly include shortstop Hunter Breon (Boiling Springs, PA/Boiling Springs), outfielders Chase Clouser (Dublin, OH/Dublin Jerome), Peter Jacobs (Dix Hills, NY/Half Hollow Hills West), and George Stiuso (Milford, NJ/Gill St. Bernard's), and first baseman Catcher Cumming (Altoona, PA/Altoona). Stiuso was a first team All-AMCC pick last season, Clouser earned second team All-Conference honors, and Cumming took third team All-AMCC recognition. Stiuso and Clouser also earned honorable mention spots on the All-Eastern College Athletic Conference Division III team.

Last season, those five seniors each ranked within the top 20 players in the AMCC in several different statistical categories, including Stiuso ranking second in the AMCC in on-base percentage (.494), Breon being second in stolen bases (19), Cumming ranking fifth in runs batted in (40), Clouser finishing sixth in home runs (6), and Jacobs being eighth in home runs (3).

Also seeing time in the lineup will be senior infielder Dylan Bates (Towanda, PA/Towanda) and senior outfielder Andrew Culp (Oxford, PA/Oxford), as well as junior catcher Richard Carey (Milton, DE/Cape Henlopen) and sophomore utility players Clayton Hain (Schaefferstown, PA/Eastern Lebanon County) and Joey Brown (Wading River, NY/Shoreham-Wading River). Freshman outfielder Jared Ennis (Richboro, PA/Council Rock South) and freshman catcher Timothy Richard (Douglassville, PA/Daniel Boone) are also expected to get opportunities.

"Our lineup this year will be much of the same of what we saw last year. One through five in the lineup will be identical, with some sort of combination of Breon, Clouser, Stiuso, Cumming, and Jacobs. All of those guys are three or four-year starters," Barnard explained. "Dylan Bates will also return as a four-year starter, seeing time at third base, second base, and on the mound. Richard Carey, Andrew Culp, Clayton Hain, and Joey Brown will once again see significant playing time, and freshmen Jared Ennis and Tim Richard both should see plenty of opportunities."

On the mound, right-handers Bates and Hain will join senior righty Zane Leister (Middleburg, PA/Midd-West) and freshman right-hander Alex Kitko (Houtzdale, PA/Moshannon Valley) in seeing the bulk of the starts. Junior right-handers Tyler Manger (Lindenhurst, NY/Lindenhurst) and Hunter Johnson (Shippensburg, PA/Shippensburg), along with sophomore righty Austin Miller (Orbisonia, PA/Southern Huntingdon), are expected to have significant roles out of the bullpen. Freshman right-hander Pete Manger (Lindenhurst, NY/Lindenhurst) will swing between starting and long relief roles.

Bates posted a 3-2 record last season while finishing with the second-lowest earned run average on his team, a 4.13 mark. Hain went 3-1 with a 5.08 ERA, along with picking up a pair of saves. Leister emerged last spring to finish sixth in the AMCC in wins (5), 14th in innings pitched (53 1/3), and 15th in ERA (4.39). Manger was 3-2 with a 3.18 ERA and an AMCC-best three saves, and Miller was 3-2 with a 5.53 ERA as a freshman.

"Hain, Leister, Bates, and Kitko should all see plenty of starts," said Barnard. "Our bullpen will be deeper than in years past, with returners Tyler Manger and Austin Miller. We will also be getting Hunter Johnson back from Tommy John surgery. He had a very strong freshman year, which was his last healthy season. Pete Manger will see plenty of innings in both the starting role and long relief role."

Barnard expects solid defense to back up his pitching staff, which he hopes will help generate success.

"Defensively, we think we should be just fine," he said. "If we minimize our mistakes in the field and our pitchers limit free passes, we feel we should win a lot of games."

Penn State Altoona baseball will open its 2020 season schedule on the road in warmer climates. The Lions will start the year with a pair of weekend trips to Virginia for doubleheaders against Eastern Mennonite University (Sunday, February 23 at 12:00 p.m.) and Bridgewater College (Saturday, February 29 at 12:00 p.m.). After that, Penn State Altoona will travel to central Florida for its annual week of competition in the RussMatt Central Florida Invitational. From March 7-13, the Lions are scheduled to play a total of nine games against several different teams from around the country.

"Our early trips are for us to get better between February 23 and March 13. EMU and Bridgewater will have both played seven and eight games, respectively, before we make our season debut against them. Even though we will be a bit behind the eight ball, we still feel we can come away with some wins," Barnard explained. "Our Florida trip will consist of a strong schedule, including a few national contenders. If we want to be a contender at the end of the season, we need to be able to beat a few of those teams."

After returning to Pennsylvania from the Florida trip – and with the exception of several additional non-conference games sprinkled throughout the schedule – the Lions will focus on their slate of AMCC games.

"Teams one through seven in our conference should once again be strong this year. Pitt-Bradford missed out on the playoffs last year, despite finishing with an overall record above .500," said Barnard. "We know, with the success we had last year, we will have a target on our backs, and we must show up and play well every game."

Despite all of the past results and future predictions, Barnard knows that this year's success will come down to executing on the fundamentals and improving on some key shortcomings.

"We've been working hard in the early season at improving on the little things. Cutting down on our strikeouts and having a better two-strike approach are two that stand out," he said. "In order to be successful this season, we have to execute and improve on the little things, and we feel that if we can do that, we can go a long way."