Wesleyan baseball is looking to make some noise in the NESCAC this spring with a heavy dose of veteran leadership. Coach Mark Woodworth enters his 11th season at the helm for the Cardinals with his entire starting rotation intact from last season. With more than half of the Wesleyan lineup returning for the 2012 campaign as well, the Cardinals look to have the firepower to contend for the conference crown.

Even after leading the conference in scoring for two straight seasons, the pitching staff is the core of Wesleyan’s returning squad. Leading the way are sophomores Jimmy Hill, Mike Miguel-Schwartz, Jeff Blout, and Chase Levi, who stormed onto the scene as rookies and made an immediate impact on the mound. Hill set the pace for the Cardinals with a 4.12 ERA, while Migiel-Schwartz allowed opponents to bat for an average of just .216 on the season. With Brett Yarusi and the big lefty Mike Barsotti bringing some leadership in their senior season, the Cardinal pitching staff is poised to give opposing hitters fits from every spot in the rotation.

Fresh off a .357 average and a spot on the all-NESCAC first team last season, outfielder Joe Giaimo GRAD spearheads a potent Wesleyan offense that is heavy on experience. Kyle Weiss ’12, who tied for the team lead in stolen bases last year with Alex Meadow ’12, will join Giaimo in the outfield, with newcomers Luca Cobucci ’15 and Donnie Cimino ’15 pushing Jake Skinner ’14 for the last outfield spot. The infield is home to some turnover for the Cardinals heading into this season, with only first baseman Meadow returning in his fourth year as a starter. Noah Feingold ’12 and Terence Farina ’14 will contribute at second and third, respectively, and Weiss could see some time at shortstop. Nipping at the veterans’ heels are a group of freshmen hungry for playing time; Gordy Bright, Jonathan Dennet, Ben Hoynes, and Sam Goodwin-Boyd will all be working to get on the field. Wesleyan is also lucky to have a great deal of depth behind the plate—David Skura ’12 returns after missing much of 2011 due to injury, and Chris Bonti ’13, who hit .354 last year, will push Giamo and others for the team batting title. With such a deep lineup and strong pitching to complement it, the Cardinals should not only challenge for the NESCAC scoring title this season, but the conference championship as well.

The season gets started over spring break for Wesleyan, in Arizona, where the Cardinals will face Albright College on March 11 in their first game of the year.