Page 78 - DBU Baseball 25 Media Guide

2025 POSITION OUTLOOK
DBU ENTERS THE 2025 SEASON AS ONE OF ONLY FIVE TEAMS IN COLLEGE BASEBALL TO ADVANCE TO
THE NCAA POSTSEASON EACH OF THE LAST TEN YEARS.
DBU enters the 2025 baseball season with a solid foundation, boasting 21 returning lettermen from last year’s squad. The Patriots clinched the Conference USA Tournament title in 2024 and secured an at-large bid as the No. 2 seed in the Tucson Regional. With a strong core returning, DBU is primed to make another postseason run in 2025.
The Patriots’ offense is set to remain a formidable force, with 67 percent of their run production from last season returning to the lineup. Leading the charge will be a pair of All-Region selections in Chayton Krauss and Tom Poole, along with last year’s CUSA Newcomer of the Year, Michael Dattalo. The Patriots also bring back five players who earned All-CUSA honors last season: Dattalo, Krauss, Poole, Grant Jay, and Luke Heefner.
On the mound, DBU’s pitching staff returns eight hurlers who saw time on the mound last year, including this year’s CUSA Preseason Pitcher of the Year, Jerrod Jenkins, and Freshman All-American, Luke Pettitte.
The Patriots also welcomes 20 newcomers to campus and a class that includes four transfers from NCAA Division I programs.
DBU’s 2025 schedule is packed with marquee matchups, featuring 14 games against teams that reached the NCAA Tournament last season. Among the six NCAA Tournament teams that will face the Patriots this season are Louisiana, Louisiana Tech, LSU, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, and Oral Roberts.
PITCHING
Last year’s dynamic one-two punch in the weekend rotation of Ryan Johnson and Jaron DeBerry ranked among the elite pitching tandems in college baseball. As the Patriots head into the 2025 season, they face the challenge of replacing two cornerstone arms - Johnson, the program’s all-time strikeout leader and a second-round MLB Draft pick by the Los Angeles Angels, and DeBerry, who was selected in the third round by the Milwaukee Brewers.
Despite these departures, the Patriots’ pitching staff retains a formidable core, returning several arms that played pivotal roles last season. Among the team’s eight returning pitchers, three saw time in the weekend rotation, including James Ellwanger, Jerrod Jenkins, and Luke Pettitte, who are each poised to be integral to DBU’s rotation in 2025.
Ellwanger arrived at DBU as one of the most highly coveted pitching prospects in the nation, having starred at Magnolia West High School before being selected in the 19th round of the 2023 MLB Draft by the Washington Nationals. Opting to continue his development journey at the collegiate level, the electric right-hander made an immediate impact as a freshman at DBU. He opened the season as the Patriots’ Sunday starter, lighting up the radar gun with a fastball that touched 100 miles per hour in his collegiate debut. Over the summer, he honed his skills in the Cape Cod League, the nation’s premier summer league, further solidifying his reputation as one of the top young arms in the country heading into his sophomore campaign.
Jenkins enters his junior year riding the momentum of a breakout sophomore season in which he posted a flawless 6-0 record with a 3.48 ERA. Initially a bullpen weapon, he transitioned into a midweek starter role before earning a spot in the weekend rotation. His dominance was on full display on April 28 in Miami, Florida, when he combined with Ellwanger for a seven- inning no-hitter against FIU, tossing six hitless frames in a dazzling performance. He continued to thrive on the big stage, tossing six scoreless innings in the Conference USA Tournament to earn All-Tournament honors and enters this season as the CUSA Preseason Pitcher of the Year.
Pettitte is as another key weapon on the mound, coming off a stellar freshman campaign that saw him earn Conference USA Freshman of the Year honors and was tabbed a Second Team Freshman All-American by Perfect Game. Much like Jenkins, he began the season in a relief role before rapidly ascending to the weekend rotation, where he made eight starts and finished the season with a 3-2 record and a 4.17 ERA. With exceptional command, Pettitte struck out 43 batters and issued just nine walks in 36.2 innings of work.
DBU’s bullpen remains a strength heading into 2025, with six key arms returning to solidify the staff. Among them are seasoned left-handers Dillon Haines and Tyler Schott, junior Jace Russell, sophomores Charlie Atkinson and Zach Todd, and redshirt freshman, David Heefner.
Haines and Schott provide versatility beyond traditional lefty specialists, proving effective against both left- and right-handed hitters. The duo combined for 41 strikeouts over 37.0 innings, showcasing their ability to miss bats in high-leverage situations.
Atkinson is an intriguing bullpen weapon who made an immediate impact as a freshman, logging 20 appearances—just three shy of Chris Haney’s 2008 program record for most outings by a freshman. His heavy sinker generated a team-high eight double plays, making him a valuable ground-ball inducer. Todd, another promising young arm, figures to play a key role in 2025. After redshirting his freshman year, he returned to the mound midway through last season and flashed electric stuff, racking up 15 strikeouts in just 11.2 innings while posting a 4.63 ERA.
Russell also showed encouraging signs in his limited action, making five relief appearances without surrendering an earned run in two innings of work. Meanwhile, Heefner is set to make his debut on the mound after redshirting his freshman year and spending last summer in the Alaska Baseball League.
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