The Wilkes University baseball team opened the season with four Wyoming Area and two Pittston Area graduates on the roster.
The Colonels coaching staff also includes the head coaches of the two high school teams, Wyoming Area’s Rob Lemoncelli and Pittston Area’s Paul Zaffuto.
Wilkes picked up its first win Wednesday, defeating King’s 7-5 after losing its first two games to Shenandoah in Winchester, Va.
King’s led 5-4 going into the bottom of the seventh. Evan Melberger drew a walk that loaded the bases and fellow Wyoming Area graduate Jack Mathis was hit by a pitch to force in the tying run.
Mathis and Melberger were a combined 0-for-5, but reached base five times. Melberger walked twice while Mathis walked once and was hit by two pitches.
Graduate student Caleb Graham and junior Hunter Lawall are Wyoming Area graduates on the pitching staff. Melberger is a junior outfielder/pitcher. Mathis is a sophomore second baseman, who led off in the King’s game.
Mathis and Melberger have each started all three games.
Melberger is 0-for-8 with three walks. He has played in 67 career games, hitting .161 with nine stolen bases. Melberger also made five pitching appearances last year with no decisions, a 4.50 earned run average and six strikeouts in six innings.
Mathis is 2-for-9 with a double, three runs, an RBI, two walks and a stolen base.
Graham appeared in the two games in Virginia, working 2 1/3 innings and posting a 3.86 ERA by allowing two hits, three runs (one earned) and two walks while striking out two.
Lawall has not pitched yet. He was 3-1 with a 5.82 ERA as a freshman and 4-4 with a 5.77 ERA as a sophomore. In 21 games, including 16 start, he has 70 strikeouts in 82 1/3 career innings.
Junior first baseman Devin Markert and sophomore outfield P.J. Pisano are the Pittston Area graduates on the team.
Markert has made one start, going 0-for-1 with a walk. In 40 career games, including 26 starts, he is batting .208.
Pisano has not played yet.
Wilkes went 22-16 last season.
