Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

BASEBALL | Hoyas Are Game Ready for 2023 Season

Georgetown’s baseball team looks to continue its rise to the top of the conference this spring following a 2022 season that saw program highs in wins and home runs — 32 and 98 respectively — as well as a fourth-seed placement in the Big East championship.

The Hoyas will face several formidable opponents this season outside the Big East, serving as a litmus test for the team’s competitiveness.

East Carolina University (46-21, 20-4 AAC) came up just short of a trip to Omaha and the College World Series last year, achieving a conference championship and winning the Greenville Regional in the process.

The University of Virginia (39-19, 17-13 ACC) defeated Georgetown 6-4 in Charlottesville, Va., last year. The University of Maryland (48-14, 18-5 Big Ten) also swept the season series against the Hoyas last year, winning all three games in College Park, Md., by scores of 10-9, 5-1 and 19-1. 

The University of Connecticut (50-16, 16-5 Big East) poses the biggest threat to Georgetown within the conference. Not only did UConn win the Big East tournament last year, they also advanced out of the College Park Regional and barely missed out on punching a ticket to Omaha.

Yet the Hoyas have plenty to be optimistic about. 

Junior outfielder and first baseman Jake Hyde and sophomore catcher and preseason all-Big East selection Owen Carapellotti return to headline a potent Hoya offense. Last year, Hyde achieved selection to the ABCA/Rawlings all-East Region first team and the all-Big East second team for leading Georgetown with 84 hits, 19 homers, 18 doubles and 57 RBI. Carapellotti was unanimously named the Big East Freshman of the Year in 2022 after slashing .282/.396/.552, driving in 38 runs and tying Hyde for the team lead in doubles.

First-year outfielder and right-handed pitcher Cody Bowker looks to be an impact addition this year. Bowker earned the title of 2022 Gatorade Maine Baseball Player of the Year after batting .490 with 4 homers and 18 RBI through 16 games, adding 44 innings on the mound and compiling a 0.48 ERA and 74 strikeouts. In its conference preview, Perfect Game USA selected Bowker to win Big East Freshman of the Year this upcoming season. 

GUHoyas | After a record-breaking 2022 season, the Georgetown baseball team is full of optimism — and weapons — heading into the year.

The transfer portal also proved to be critical in bolstering the pitching staff, as the Hoyas picked up graduate right-handed pitchers Jake Bloss from Lafayette University and Cody Jensen from Stanford University. Bloss put together a 3.57 ERA over 58 innings last year, striking out 68 and walking only 28. Jensen joins the staff after offering 22 innings en route to becoming a Pac-12 champion in 2022. However, the transfer portal giveth and taketh away, as the Hoyas unfortunately lost lefty Angelo Tonas, who served as the team’s closer last year with 7 saves, to powerhouse UVA.

The staff will return right-hander Carson Frye, who allowed only 2 earned runs over 10.2 innings last year. First-year left-handed pitcher Andrew Jergins and homegrown right-handed pitcher Kai Leckszas add depth to the Hoyas’ roster while also providing promise for the future. Jergins, from Tampa, Fla., allowed 2 earned runs over 10.2 innings over the summer. Leckszas struck out 27 over 14.2 innings, walking just 5 and allowing 2 earned runs. 

Georgetown practiced at the Washington Nationals Youth Baseball Academy this past fall in preparation for the season. The Hoyas will play all home games at this location instead of Shirley Povich Field in Potomac, Md. A key difference is that Nats Academy is a turf field, which should reduce errors as hops are easier to read.

In the District, Georgetown hosted the Ontario Blue Jays for a scrimmage and played the Fall World Series, where Volunteer Assistant Coach Brock Keener’s team won the series, three games to one, against Associate Head Coach Julius McDougal’s team. The Hoyas also traveled to New Jersey to play Rutgers University and Richmond, Va., to play Virginia Commonwealth University in scrimmages.

Head Coach Edwin Thompson said the Hoyas are well prepared for the season ahead.

“All of our kids played summer baseball and really just worked on details, on our team, individual fundamentals and those types of activities,” Thompson told The Hoya. “The thing that’s been really consistent all spring and all fall has been our defense. Our defense is going to be as good as an infield, outfield, up the middle, that I’ve had in many years since I’ve been here, but also just in general in my coaching career.”

The Hoyas will open their season Feb. 17 in Cary, N.C., where they will square off against Presbyterian College. 

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