With Slippery Rock baseball’s season just around the corner, the team gears up for their first weekend four-game series next Friday in Cary, North Carolina.
Last season, Rock baseball ended their season 31-19, going 16-12 in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC).
This year, they hope to build on that success and land themselves a spot in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division II regional tournament.
“That may not be realistic every year. But I think this year, you know, with the guys we have coming back, we’re just as competitive,” Messer said.
Having a great balance of veterans to newcomers is one of the reasons head coach Jeffery Messer is very optimistic about the upcoming season.
Messer is entering his 41st season leading this program. With 1,154 career victories, he is entering the season ranked ninth in the NCAA Division II.
Now in spring training, the fall was a very developmental time for the team. The goal was to get everyone back into shape.
“Guys are coming back from injury, guys are coming in with injuries. So, you’re just trying to get healthy.”
With good weather, they were able to accomplish a lot. It gets difficult in the winter to get on the field, but that does not set them back in their training.
Messer’s main focus for the team during that time was on their arms and legs. The athletes slowly progress to make sure they are not doing too much too soon.
“They knew what they had to do coming back, and that’s what we’re doing now,” he said.
While SRU has not opened their season yet, it is not the same for every school in the conference. While The Rock has a later start, the advantage is still theirs.
“They play now, but then they may not play again for like a week or two,” Messer said. “We try to make it where it’s consistent. So, once we start, we’re going to be able to play the weekend after that.”
Entering the new season after losing 10 seniors, the team will rely on several returners who are poised to make an impact on the diamond.
Nate Malak, a pitcher going into his senior year, is looking to build off his success from last year. He struck out one shy of 60 batters over the span of 65 innings. He ended the season with 12 starts, four of which being complete games. Malak has three shutout games under his belt, all of which came from last season.
Another pitcher is graduate student Gage Gillott. He was named the 2024 PSAC West Pitcher of the Year, tallying 70 strikeouts that season. Not only that, Gillott is an outstanding outfielder as well.
“Gage is a two-way guy,” Messer said. “He’s been a really good player for us over the years.”
Gillott is not the only multi-positional athlete on the team. Senior from Houtzdale, Pa., Michael Kitko is another pitcher/outfielder duo.
“We’re one of the few schools in the conference that have been very successful with two-way guys,” Messer said. “They not only pitch, but they play a position when they’re not pitching.”
Other key infielders are Clay Wiesen, Brandon Butler, Stone Powell and Treston Nemeth.
Upperclassmen really set the culture for the season. It gives the freshmen something to look up to.
With a lot of star returners, the team brought in 11 freshmen.
Zachary Hare is one of them. The freshman pitcher from Riverside High School was named the 2026 MaxPreps National Small Town Player of the Year. As a senior in high school, he racked up 138 strikeouts in 72.1 innings.
“He’ll be in the mix right off the bat,” Messer said.
To start the season, the White and Green will have four back-to-back weekends where they are playing up to four games before conference play starts.
“We have 14-15 games, so by that time, you hope to figure it out by then.”
During those first few weeks, they are playing against regional contenders like Shippensburg University and Frostburg State University. The team’s idea is to stay healthy during that timeframe to be ready to open up the conference come March.
While SRU is excited to see what the season brings, they are more excited to be playing in the warm weather next weekend.
“Going down to the Raleigh area for four to five days, being in 50–60-degree weather,” said Messer. “Hopefully, when we come back, the snow is gone.”
With the inconsistent weather Slippery Rock has been having, the team likely will not have a chance to play on their field until their home opener.
Looking ahead, fans are expected to see a very high-energy season. Expectations are high for what Rock Baseball can accomplish this year.
“Our guys see the teams that we got beat by last year that went a little bit farther than us. We have a high ceiling of what we can be this year,” he said.
The NCAA Division II World Series is also held in Raleigh, N.C.
According to Messer, for the team, “The plan is to start there and finish there.”
