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Rockhurst University Athletics

Jack Eisenbarger

Baseball

Hawks have added new arms to the pitching staff

Senior left-hander Jack Eisenbarger will be the ace of the pitching staff.
The Rockhurst Hawks open the 2020 baseball season against Washburn at 3:30 p.m. today in the Ranger Roundup in Alva, Oklahoma.

Coach Gary Burns says the team strength will be added depth with the pitching staff. The Hawks have brought in some new arms to go along with the return of All-Conference starter Jack Eisenbarger and bullpen specialist Thomas Jones.

Eisenbarger went 3-4 with a 3.52 ERA and led the team in strikeouts with 102. Jones was second on the team with 36 strikeouts while posting a 3-3 record and 5.77 ERA.

"Jack Eisenbarger returns from a great summer in the Coastal Plains League," Burns said. "Thomas Jones continues to improve. He had a good finish to last year. He may start during the preseason and then we will decide going into conference whether he is best as a starter or reliever."

Sophomore right-hander C.J. July is a newcomer and will open the season in the rotation. Junior Michael Hellman, who was on the junior varsity last year, could start or come out of the bullpen. Junior Luke Lancaster comes from Vincennes Junior College and adds depth to the bullpen. Freshmen Joe Rost and Clayton Medlin give the team two more strong arms.

Offensively, the Hawks will be led by a pair of All-Conference players in senior shortstop Garrett McNally and sophomore third baseman Nathan Mark.

McNally led the Hawks in batting average (.356), hits (64), doubles (13), home runs (five), slugging percentage (.511), stolen bases (eight), and tied for the most runs batted in (35). Junior third baseman Nathan Mark batted .326 with 46 hits, 11 doubles, four homers and 35 RBIs.

Senior catcher Nic Mertes (who missed last year with an injury), junior outfielder Tommy Kraus (.287, 1 HR, 10 RBI) and junior first baseman/DH Tyler Stamer (.243-3-13) will be counted on as returning starters.

Stamer, Brandt Callahan and Connor Ellefson will vie for DH and first base roles. Joe Specht and Michael Ruffolo are competing for the second base job. Joining Kraus in the outfield will be Jack Burns, Hunter Sands and Craig Straws. Freshmen Noah Villarreal, Ryan Kiser and Gage Gulley give the Hawks more depth in the outfield, infield and behind the plate.

"We have an elevated level of competitiveness on the mound which will make the biggest difference. We've had a great offseason. The players have worked hard to be ready for the season," said Burns, who is beginning his 27th season at Rockhurst.

Rockhurst will begin its 35-game conference play on March 7 at home against Missouri S&T. The Hawks hope to return to the conference tournament for the first time since 2016.

"The schedule has good balance home and away, and we take some nice trips to Minnesota and Florida. We will need to take advantage of the February opportunity to have ourselves prepared for conference play in March," Burns added.
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Players Mentioned

Jack Burns

#7 Jack Burns

OF
6' 0"
Junior
R/R
Brandt Callahan

#44 Brandt Callahan

1B
6' 1"
Junior
R/R
Jack Eisenbarger

#43 Jack Eisenbarger

P
5' 10"
Senior
L/L
Connor Ellefson

#5 Connor Ellefson

1B
6' 0"
Junior
R/R
Michael Hellman

#11 Michael Hellman

P
5' 10"
Redshirt Sophomore
R/R
Thomas Jones

#38 Thomas Jones

P
6' 3"
Sophomore
R/R
Tommy Kraus

#9 Tommy Kraus

P
5' 8"
Junior
L/L
Nathan Mark

#14 Nathan Mark

3B
6' 1"
Junior
R/R
Garrett McNally

#8 Garrett McNally

SS
5' 9"
Senior
R/R
Nic Mertes

#31 Nic Mertes

C
5' 10"
Redshirt Senior
L/R
Michael Ruffolo

#1 Michael Ruffolo

IF
5' 7"
Senior
R/R
Hunter Sands

#24 Hunter Sands

OF
6' 2"
Junior
R/R

Players Mentioned

Jack Burns

#7 Jack Burns

6' 0"
Junior
R/R
OF
Brandt Callahan

#44 Brandt Callahan

6' 1"
Junior
R/R
1B
Jack Eisenbarger

#43 Jack Eisenbarger

5' 10"
Senior
L/L
P
Connor Ellefson

#5 Connor Ellefson

6' 0"
Junior
R/R
1B
Michael Hellman

#11 Michael Hellman

5' 10"
Redshirt Sophomore
R/R
P
Thomas Jones

#38 Thomas Jones

6' 3"
Sophomore
R/R
P
Tommy Kraus

#9 Tommy Kraus

5' 8"
Junior
L/L
P
Nathan Mark

#14 Nathan Mark

6' 1"
Junior
R/R
3B
Garrett McNally

#8 Garrett McNally

5' 9"
Senior
R/R
SS
Nic Mertes

#31 Nic Mertes

5' 10"
Redshirt Senior
L/R
C
Michael Ruffolo

#1 Michael Ruffolo

5' 7"
Senior
R/R
IF
Hunter Sands

#24 Hunter Sands

6' 2"
Junior
R/R
OF