Fresh off winning the Chagrin Valley Conference Chagrin Division last season, Geneva’s baseball team has its sights set on defending that title, albeit in another division.
The Eagles, who finished 17-6 overall and 10-2 in league play last season, return eight starters from last year’s squad for a run at the Lake Division title this spring.
“As a varsity head coach, I believe you always have three automatic goals to start the season–be the best team in your county, win a conference championship, and make a deep playoff run,” said Geneva coach Terry Hejduk. “With what we expected to return, the expectations were set high as soon as the season ended last year, and they will not be lowered. The CVC did some realigning this year and we are now playing in the Lake Division. This brings a ton of geographical school rivals into play, and we also have every school in Ashtabula County on our schedule. We return 10 total guys that played some varsity last year and have a couple of young guys that will certainly get some time. It should be a fun season in general.”
Hejduk has reason to be optimistic.
The Eagles are loaded with returning starters and have nine seniors on the roster. With nine freshmen in the program, the future looks just as bright as the present.
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“I am already looking forward to the first pitch of the first game this year,” Hejduk said. “We have a lot of returning guys at the varsity level that tasted success last year and they are hungry for more. As a program, in general, we had another good offseason and are sights set on our goals for the 2024 season. The program has two large and talented bookend classes with nine seniors and nine freshmen this year on the squad. With so many young guys, this can make practices tough but the experience and willingness to leave the program better than they found it attitude of the seniors has made the first 2 ½ weeks of practice fun and effective. We have all new coaches besides myself this year and their knowledge and energy bring a different dynamic to the team. I believe both the JV and varsity teams will see success and be squads to watch this season.”
Geneva’s projected starting lineup includes six seniors, a junior, and a sophomore, with one lineup spot yet to be decided.
Seniors Curtis Maier, Hewitt Wilt, Shea Arkenburg, Logan Queen, Kean Arkenburg, Sebastian Hall, Kenny Young, and junior Andrew Oros are returning starters.
Maier, a California University of Pennsylvania commitment, will split his time between catcher and third base and also will chew up some innings on the mound.
“His skill set and athleticism have improved tremendously from last year,” Hejduk said. “This will enable us to potentially hit him in the two-hole. He earned second-team honors at both the conference and county levels. Curtis has also looked very sharp on the mound so far and we will be looking to get him some big-time innings there this year.”
Wilt, a Mercyhurst commitment, will see time at first base and in center field, and he’ll serve as the Eagles’ No. 1 starter.
“Hewitt is an extremely goal-oriented young man with unbelievable talent,” Hejduk said. “Hewitt had a great year on the mound for us last year proving he is one of the best pitchers in the area. He picked up first-team all-conference, first-team all-district, first-team All-News-Herald, and second team all-county honors last year. Hewitt is looking forward to his senior season and leading the guys to make a deep playoff run. Hewitt is someone to look for this year not only on the mound but in the box as well. He had a great offseason and I think he is ready to have a great offensive season.”
Shea Arkenburg, a Lake Erie College commitment, will start at second base and will provide depth at shortstop and center field, and will see time as Geneva’s No. 2 starter on the mound.
“Shea has a big-time arm with great stuff,” Hejduk said. “The guys trust him and love when he has the ball in his hand. He has committed to play next year at Lake Erie College and is ready to have a great season. He was a first-team all-conference infielder last year and also picked up second-team all-county honors. He has had some fantastic bullpens so far. His role defensively may change a bit this year as we look to get him some quality time in center field. The young man can flat out go get it.”
Queen will start in left field and also see time at first base and on the mound.
“He plays the game with the style I love–carefree, always smiling, and just enjoying life,” Hejduk said. “At the same time, he has a desire to beat whoever is against him. Logan had a great year last year leading the area with 30 (runs batted in) and was absolutely clutch in the late innings in relief on the mound. He earned first-team all-conference, first-team all-district, first-team all-county, and first-team All-News-Herald last year. We look for Logan to have another solid year for us all around. He is definitely our vocal leader, and everyone looks up to him.”
Kean Arkenburg will provide depth at catcher, second base, and will throw some innings for the Eagles this spring.
“Kean had an unbelievable season for us last year all around,” Hejduk said. “He led the team in batting average and stolen bases while having a great year as well on the mound. He earned first-team all-conference, second-team all-district, second-team All-News-Herald, and was named the Co-County Player of the Year. This offseason, Kean has really dedicated himself to getting stronger and he definitely has. I fully expect him to continue to be a high-level player again this year.”
Hall will provide depth in left field and Young will backup Maier behind the dish and see time in the outfield.
Oros will start at shortstop but also can play third and will pitch.
“Andrew played a very big role for us last year as a sophomore starting most games at shortstop and hitting in the three-hole,” Hejduk said. “I think he did a great job picking up second-team all-conference honors. He put a ton of time in this off-season and has looked great in his short time back since basketball has ended. Andrew is a young man who is a ‘can’t miss’ guy at the next level and I believe he is going to have a monster year for us. He carries himself well and is a great young man that will turn some heads.”
Sophomore Logan Rustic and freshman Ryland Besco will provide the Eagles with depth in multiple positions.
Rustic will pitch and play third while Besco will play second, right field, and pitch.
Freshman Brendon Fobell provides the Eagles with a lefty out of the bullpen, and junior Austin Murphy adds another arm to the bullpen.
“Sophomore Logan Rustic got some varsity time last year for us and I look for him to be a big-time contributor for us at the plate and on the mound,” Hejduk said. “Freshman Ryland Besco has turned some heads with his all-around game so far. I can see him getting some early starts at second base and maybe some innings on the mound against some non-conference teams. His bat has been a surprise as well. Freshman Brendon Fobell has been a surprise on the mound for us so far. The southpaw has nice velocity on his fastball and has a very good curve. Junior Austin Murphy has had a great start to the season and may get some innings on the mound and certainly some at-bats for us.”
All in all, Hejduk is as optimistic as ever heading into the 2024 season.
“It is kind of a personal joke I have with myself when I talk about these guys with others but it is pretty simple, I am in La La Land this year and I love it,” Hejduk said. “We have a ton of leadership and arms. The guys truly love this sport and being around each other and we are full of athletes. I think with this squad, we could compete in just about any sport there is.”
The Eagles won’t be without challenges this spring.
Of course, getting outdoor practice time always is a struggle in Northeast Ohio and rainouts are routine.
Hejduk is focused on keeping his squad loose and inspired.
“The key here is to stay motivated and loose,” he said. “This group is both of those. Baseball is a sport with probably more downtime than uptime. You have to be able to flip that switch on and go at any moment. From what I have seen, this is something they can do.”
Geneva’s key to success is controlling the controllables and staying laser-focused on the goal.
“We need to stay focused and on task,” Hejduk said. “With nine seniors this at times can be tough. It’s the end of an era for them. That is the main focus. On the mound, we need to make sure we can throw strikes at a consistent rate and not give up free passes. Like last year on defense due to the number of starters that pitch, these guys will be playing multiple positions, so it is important to understand what is needed to be done.”
