NEW LONDON, Conn. –

After a successful 2024 campaign in which Coast Guard won a share of the NEWMAC regular season for the first time in program history, the Bears will begin their 2025 season this weekend. 

Head Coach Brian Casey had the following to say on the upcoming season: "We are excited about the mix we have coming back this year as well as the incoming freshman. We return a lot of experience on both the positional and pitching side and that experience should help us as we compete through a tough non-conference and NEWMAC schedule this year." 

That tough non-conference will show itself right away, with the first six of their games against teams either ranked or receiving votes, all of which are on the road. 

"We have a good schedule in front of us this year and we play in one of the most competitive conferences in the country, so we need to remain focused on us and playing the way we need to play to have the type of season we set out to." said Coach Casey. "I'm excited about our leadership group and all that they've invested. We've got a talented group. Now we need to go out and compete and see what happens." 

The talented returning group this season includes 16 returning positional players and 14 pitchers. 95% of the Bears innings on the mound last year are returning with nine position players on the roster who played in 20 or more games last year. 

That pitching staff for CGA will be anchored by starters Vito Giordano(Scarsdale, NY) and Harrison Milbert(Kingston, MA). Last year in Giordano's freshman season, he was named 1st team All-NEWMAC and 2nd team All-Region. Milbert last season set the Academy record for single season winning percentage with a 6-0 record in his sophomore year. Raymond Priddy(Chico, CA) is returning as well after a stellar sophomore campaign. Priddy has been the swiss army knife on the Bears staff, leading the team in appearances last year with experience both starting and relieving. Also expected to see starting opportunities this season are sophomores Sean Harmon(Bethesda, MD) and Jack Gausselin(Long Beach, IN). The bullpen will feature 2024 All-American and team leader in saves(4) Ryan Karman(Sayville, NY). Karman, after his stellar rookie season, was named a preseason All-American by D3baseball.com this year. Also expected to contribute on the Bears staff are senior Aidan Anderson(Waukesha, WI), sophomore Jackson Dorsey(Newark, DE), senior Bode Dykens(Lamoni, IA), junior Tyler Michalek(Haslet, TX), senior Sean Rojas(San Antonio, TX) and junior Conor Watts(Mahopac, NY). The lone newcomer on the pitching staff is freshman left hander John DiMarsico(Severna Park, MD). 

The Bears will return a core group on the other side of the battery too. Parker Madden(Ruston, LA) and Grayson Irwin(Wilmington, NC) are returning for their senior seasons with Madden coming off an All-Region selection his junior year. Junior Drew Basque(Kealakekua, HI) will provide depth at the catching position with sophomore Reed Beighau(Essex, CT) and freshman Isaac Hobbs(Arlington, VA). 

The Bears veteran roster has players with athleticism and versatility that should allow the team to improve defensively and be solid at all three levels. 

The infield returns all four starters from last year. They're led up the middle by senior 2B Wyatt Duthu(Madison, AL) and junior SS Rick Barkley(Bellevue, WA). Duthu was an all region defender last year and broke the single season runs scored record for Coast Guard. Barkley, last season, set the single season home runs record for Coast Guard with 10. At the corners are defensive standout Luke Percifield(Pinellas Park, FL) and sophomore slugger Nathan Stafford(Jupiter, FL). Stafford is the returning NEWMAC Rookie and Player of the year as well as the national rookie of the year. The infield has improved depth with returners Tate Scherer(Mystic, CT), utility man Gus Barrido(Tampa, FL), and 1B Ayden Gurevich(Lake Worth, FL) who could also see some innings behind the plate. Outfielder Carson Cho(Haymarket, VA) could also see some time in the infield along with freshmen Connor Cilento(Point Pleasant, NJ), Alden Foster(Tucson, AZ), and Max Van Auken(Franklinville, NJ). 

The outfield returns a solid core of experienced veterans as well. Sophomore Carson Cho, senior Blake George(Bethlehem, PA), junior Kael Godshalk(Bangor, PA), senior Ryan Lista(San Diego, CA), and senior Jack Steel(Medford Lakes, NJ) have all seen a number of innings in the field. Freshman Mason Phillips(Oak Park, IL) will add depth along with the versatile Connor Cilento who could be in the mix in the outfield as well. 

Said coach Casey on the upcoming season: "Our goal is to return to the postseason. We felt we took a good step forward last season securing a share of the Regular Season title. But we also felt like we left something on the table in the conference playoffs. We are focused on our process and playing a good brand of baseball and seeing how far we can take it this season."

The Bears season will get underway tomorrow at 3:00 PM in Newark, NJ vs Rutgers-Newark.