(2023)- The Whittier College Poets baseball team was much improved this year, from a 4-win team last year to a final record of 14-25. A 9-15 conference record led the Poets to a 7th place SCIAC finish. Whittier also earned some hardware this season with 2 First Team All-SCIAC  members, 1 second team player, and the Newcomer of the Year award recipient. 

Captain, Cam Gray, was enthusiastic for how the season went for the team and about the brotherhood they built. He stated, "Over the course of the year, more and more guys bought into what we are trying to create. We strive for a foundation where everyone has each other's back regardless of what happens. Once we started winning and showing we can play with any team, I saw a huge boost in the team morale and overall chemistry. This brotherhood was something special". 

On the offensive side, the Poets had a solid year. Their 39 game season resulted in a team average of .282,  251 runs scored, and 377 hits. These numbers calculate out to about 6 runs and 10 hits per game. Some of the other numbers to highlight for the team include 120 extra base hits, 35 home runs (2nd in conference), 235 RBIs, a .370 on-base percentage, a .432 slugging percentage, and a Hitter of the Week award. 

The Whittier pitching also made strides this year and had memorable flashes throughout the season. The team threw 2 shutouts, on their way to 6 strikeouts per game. The Poets also had a member of their staff win the Pitcher of the Week award.

In terms of individual standouts, the Poets had some shining stars this season. The offense was guided by the trio of Dane Goodman, Teige Barrett, and Lew Rice, while Maximus Berber led the pitching staff. 

Dane Goodman, who came back to play a 5th year, was in his final season for the Poets and went out on a high note. The outfielder had a .400 batting average (1st in SCIAC), .472 OBP (5th in SCIAC), .727 smuggling percentage (2nd in SCIAC), 60 hits (4th in SCIAC), 10 doubles, 3 triples (T-5th in SCIAC), 11 home runs (2nd in SCIAC), 52 RBIs (2nd in SCIAC), and 44 runs scored (1st in SCIAC). Goodman won a Hitter of the Week Award for conference, member of the 1st-Team All SCIAC, was named to the D3 Baseball team of the week, and was the Whittier College Male Team Sport Athlete of the Year. 

This team will miss Goodman's production next year, but the outfielder said with a smile "They will be fine! This year of baseball was one of the best times I have ever had playing, because this group was amazing. They let me just relax and have fun in my final season of baseball. Moving forward, this program will continue to grow and next year the rest of SCIAC better be ready for the Poets". 

A second standout hitter was newcomer Lew Rice. Rice started off the year as an infielder for the team, before seamlessly making the transition to the outfield; but where he truly shined was at the plate. Lew hit a .396 batting average (4th in SCIAC), .469 OBP (6th in SCIAC), .695 slugging (T-3rd in SCIAC), 61 hits (2nd in SCIAC), 14 doubles (4th in SCIAC), 4 triples (T-3rd in SCIAC), 8 homers (T-8 in SCIAC), 36 RBIs (2nd in SCIAC), 21 walks, 10 stolen bases (6th in SCIAC), and 32 runs scored. Lew brought in the hardware this year as well, being named a member of the 1st-Team All SCIAC and the Newcomer of the Year for conference. Another outstanding record that Rice accomplished this year was starting in all 39 of the Poets games and reaching base safely in all 39 games. 

Following a successful year, Rice stated "[The team] showed a lot of growth this season after we were faced with adversity very early on. We had to prove to ourselves we could compete with any team. The group we had this year made this season the most enjoyable I've ever had personally. Moving forward, we will lose a couple of key pieces, but that will leave a great opportunity for some other guys to step up and contribute. Our goal is to compete for a SCIAC and National Championship every year, and I believe we still have a group of guys that can achieve that". The SCIAC Newcomer of the Year is enthused for the future of the program. 

The third powerhouse of the Poets' feared trio was Teige Barrett. Barrett is a second year man, who also is a key contributor to Whittier's pitching staff. On the mound, the 2-way guy threw 21 ⅓ innings with 27 strikeouts, a win, and a save; however, his hitting stats are the ones that jump off the page. Barrett had a .329 average, .400 on-base percentage, .632 slugging (8th in SCIAC), 51 hits, 16 doubles (3rd in SICAC), 2 triples, 9 home runs (T- 4th in conference), 44 RBIs (3rd in SCIAC), 51 hits, and 35 runs scored (T-9th in SCIAC). Teige was named as a member of the 2nd-Team All SCIAC. 

Barrett believes, "this season was a huge step in the right direction. This team was the most resilient team that I have ever played for. In three straight series we had a very rough Friday game, which we lost and despite those games we were able to go on to win both games on Saturday. Most teams would have rolled over after those Friday games, but we came together and got stronger. Every win we had was a team win, and we always were behind each other. It was also amazing to watch the leadership that was displayed by so many of the guys, from freshman to senior to starter and non-starter. This team was an absolute joy to be on because not only did we love playing with each other, but we also were able to have so many different personalities form a team culture like one I have never been a part of before. I expect this team to continue to build on everything we did this year. To make the team culture we built together become part of the Whittier Baseball future, so that it lasts well past next year. We have a special team that is going to make a run next year and I can't wait". 

Whittier's other 2-way star, Maximus Berber, was the driving force behind the Poets pitching staff. The big man threw 67 ⅓ innings (10th in SCIAC) this year to a 4.95 ERA, 4 wins, 1 save, 46 strikeouts, and a complete game. Berber was also named the SCIAC Pitcher of the week once this year. 

Many other Poets also had impressive stats on the year. James Stirton had a .311 batting average, 8 stolen bases, a .400 OBP, and 38 hits. Nathan Sherman had 38 hits to go along with 20 walks, 8 doubles, and 34 runs scored. Other Poets to homer this year include Berber (3), Gray (1), Matt Woods, Abe Bullard, and Joe Plaskett. Freshman, Aaron Cazares, was a starter for the Poets staff for the majority of the year and totaled 56 innings pitched, 3 wins, and 38 strikeouts. 

The Poets will look to move forward and continue to build upon the successful jump they had this year. With a lot of returning faces to the team next year, the guys are already preparing to get some heads turned in their direction. 

Freshman infielder, Jay Schulze, said after the year, "this season we had a lot of ups and downs, but we came out stronger in the end. Being a first year guy I can tell that the future of this program will do great things and I am happy to be a part of it". 

As for Coach Rizzo, he was very happy with how the season went as a whole. The manager stated,"it was tremendous progress in the right direction. I'm very proud of this team from being 32 games under .500 last year, to making the jump to 11 games under is great [especially after having to spend a lot of the first month practicing on the turf because our field was underwater]". He later went on to explain, "it's a difficult thing keeping such a big roster, but the boys really bought into what our leaders were trying to build. The chemistry on this roster was some of the best I've ever coached, everyone had each other's backs". While looking ahead to the future Riz believes, "the team still has some work to do on the pitching and defensive side of things, but I look forward to returning most of our lineup". Finally, explaining how special this group was, Coach Rizzo said, "all in all, this season showed steps in the right direction for the future of the program because these guys are not just hard workers, but they are all willing to work".  

Season Highlights:

• Feb. 21- Defeated Hope International 9-8 for the first win of the season (Hope is now playing in the NAIA National Championship tournament as the #1 seed)

• Mar. 7- Against Rochester Tegie Barrett 2 home runs / Lew Rice 

• Mar. 8- Beat Rochester 18-10 / Barrett 3 hits, 3 runs, 3 RBIs / Rice 4 hits, 3 runs, 2 RBIs, SB

• Mar. 18- First conference win of year versus Chapman / Rice 3 hits, HR, 2B, 2 R, 3 RBIs / Aaron Cazares 6 ⅓ IP, 2 ER, 3 Ks

• Mar. 24- Victory against Pac Lu 9-5 / Rice and Barrett 3 hits and 3 RBIs / Cazares 5 ⅔ IP, 0 ER, 6 Ks

• Mar. 25- Secured first series win of year with 15-2 defeat of Pac Lu / Dane Goodman 4-4, 2B, HR, BB, 5 R, 4 RBI / Barrett 4 hits and 4 RBIs / Cam Gray 2 hits, HR, 2 RBI, R / Maximus Berber 8 ⅔ IP, 1 ER, 9 Ks

• Apr. 1 (Game 1)- 11-9 victory over CMS / Rice 3 hits, HR, 2B, 2R, 4 RBI / Barrett 2 hits, 2B, HR, 3 R, 3 RBI / Matthew Helguera 1 ⅔ IP, 0 ER, W, K

• Apr. 1 (Game 2)- 4 home runs (Goodman 2, Barrett, Rice) / Goodman 3 hits, 5 RBI, 2 R

• Apr. 8 (Game 1)- 1st shutout of the year for the pitching staff / Berber 9 IP, W, 0 ER, 7 Ks 

• Apr. 8 (Game 2)- 6-4 victory gave the Poets their first conference series win since 2019 / Jaycob Agredano 4 IP, 0 hits, 0 R, 3 Ks

• Apr. 11- 8-2 win over Cal Lu / Rice 3 hits, HR, 2B, 4 RBI, R

• Apr. 15 (Game 1)- Second shutout of the season (Berber 6 IP, Agredano 2 IP) / Goodman 2 home runs, 3 R, 2 RBI / Barrett 2 hits, HR, R, 2 RBI

• Apr. 15 (Game 2)- 14-9 win / Barrett 2 homers, 3 R, 5 RBI 

• Apr. 22 (Game 1)- 13-9 victory over CalTech / Goodman 4 hits, HR, 3R, 3 RBIs, SB  / Rice 4 hits, 2B, 3B, 2R, 1 RBI 

• Apr. 22 (Game 2)- 13-12 walkoff hit by pitch victory by Matt Woods and the Poets 

Photo: Tony Leon/ActionWestPhotography.com

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