Eric Keppeler '85
Sports Writer
Coming off a mediocre season by their standards, the St. Joe’s baseball team looks to move back up to the penthouse of the Monsignor Martin Athletic Association – and the Marauders will rely on a strong pitching staff to make that climb.
St. Joe’s finished 8-6 last season in the MMAA, good for third place during the regular season. They were eliminated in the Georgetown Cup Semifinals in a best-of-three series by Nichols, two games to one.
Overall, the Marauders were 12-13-1.
They’re off to a strong start in 2026, rolling up a 9-2 non-league win over Williamsville East on March 29 before heading to Myrtle Beach over the break for some southern competition.
“We have had a great camp, and we are very excited to get the full season started,” said veteran St. Joe’s coach Paul Nasca. “An opening day win against a very good Williamsville East squad is the type of game that will get the Marauders ready for the gauntlet of league play.”
Anchoring the pitching staff is senior Bryce Cureo, who returns to St. Joe’s after a year at the TXNL Academy, a baseball-focused high school program in Florida. Cureo has committed to attend the University of South Florida.
Returning seniors Michael Berger and Ryan Mahoney (John Carroll University) also figure into the starting rotation, along with younger arms like sophomore Garrett Scott and freshman Mason Heideman.
Pitchers Eliot Scott (Baldwin Wallace University) and juniors Mark Rapp and Jayden Mazur also figure to see plenty of innings.
Much of the Marauders’ offense graduated, but the team will look to a pair of three-year starters in Rapp and senior Michael Pegnia on offense.
Rapp his .255 and drove in nine runs last season, while Pegnia his .246 with 11 RBIs.
Junior James VanEgmond became a starter halfway through last season and responded with a .279 batting average while scoring 10 runs.
Senior Eliot Scott also returns in the middle of the lineup after hitting .346 a year ago.
Nasca also will be looking for contributions from newcomers like sophomore Liam Gartz and juniors Jack Gorman, Collin Bacon and Johnny Beck.
Nasca feels like he all the ingredients for a successful season – he just needs to figure out the best way to put the pieces together.
“As always, the mission remains the same, which is to use the season to find that correct lineup as we move into the playoff season and try to chase down our sixth Georgetown Cup in the last 13 years,” Nasca said.
