The annual stampede of students serenading the streets of Oakland is upon us. With it comes thousands of faces, some new and some old, preparing for a mix of studying and jollification throughout the year. It also brings the beginning of a new season for Pittsburgh Club Baseball.  A new season means a new wave of fresh faces on the PCB roster.  Through a three-part tryout process spanning two weeks, the club selected seven new pieces to fill the vacated holes made by departed players. The team is coming off a strong but overall disappointing season after they failed to win the North Atlantic West conference for the first time in six years.  They want this to be a one-time occurrence, and new head coach Brett Wildfeuer brought that mentality into the selection of the latest additions to PCB.

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“The assistant coaches, club officers, and myself came into our tryout process still feeling the sting of narrowly missing out on a bid to the postseason last year,” said Wildfeuer. “We all were in consensus that we wanted to not only find players who were talented, but would also buy into our team’s renewed will to put in the work that places us in position for the North Atlantic Regional Tournament and ultimately the NCBA World Series.”

 

Seven new members will be etched into the scorebooks this season, all with unique strengths and characteristics: 

 

• Tyler Goldberg (Freshman, Bethesda MD) boasts a devastating "Uncle Charlie" looping curveball, and gives PCB a second left handed P.O.

• Dylan Lipner (Freshman, Long Island NY) brings great speed to the team. He’ll look to ignite our offense and keep our outfield a no-fly zone.

• Alex Byington (Freshman, Millburn NJ) brings a tradition of winning to the team after pitching pivotal innings for his high school on the way to a state championship. His plus stuff will be a force out of the bullpen.

• Ryan Giandonato (Freshman, Malvern PA) is a two-way player, who will split time in the middle infield and on the mound. He will be easily recognizable thanks to his submarine delivery, nasty changeup, and Rollie Fingers-esque moustache.

• Matthew Acker (Freshman, Huntingdon Valley PA) solidifies the infield offensively and defensively with soft hands, quick bat speed, and terrific plate vision.

• ​Kyle Smith (Freshman, New Hope PA), a switch hitter with speed and extra base hit power, will play all over the diamond as an infielder.

• ​Henry Gise (Sophomore, Wilmington DE) is a flat-out strike thrower. The former high school football player uses his strength to toss fastballs with late life and brings a bulldog mentality to the rubber.

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While the team looks forward to seeing what this group can do on the field, I wanted to know a little more about the guys as people and decided to interview them. Here’s some of the basics of our PCB newbies:

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Matt Drobner: So, what are your favorite teams in the MLB?

           

            Tyler Goldberg: Nationals.

            Dylan Lipner: The New York Mets (#deGromForCY).

            Alex Byington: Yankees.

            Ryan Giandonato: Philadelphia Phillies (#MikeTroutToPhilly).

            Matthew Acker: New York Mets.

            Kyle Smith: I'm a huge Marlins fan.

            Henry Gise: Yankees.

 

MD: Favorite sport other than baseball?

            

            TG: Football.

            DL: Hockey. I’m a huge New York Islander fan and can’t wait for the season to start.

            AB: I’m a big hockey fan.

            RG: Football.

            MA: Big time golfer.

            KS: Outside of baseball, I spend a lot of my time fishing.

            HG: Football.

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MD: Any superstitions on the diamond?

           

            TG: Saying the same phrase to the third baseman before every inning .

            DL: I have one classic superstition: You can’t step on the foul line.

            AB: Can’t touch the foul line before games or between innings.

            RG: Well, before I enter a game in relief, I twist my mustache two times, pound my fist in my glove and jog in                                  from the bullpen, making sure not to step on the foul line. I always lick my middle and index finger before                              every pitch and I never go on the field without my St. Anthony’s pendant.

            MA: If you have a handshake with someone else, you have to do it before the game starts.

            KS: I’m not a ridiculously superstitious player, but I definitely believe in respecting the game and playing with                               integrity. I think you’ll be rewarded if you follow those guidelines.

            HG:Whenever I lick my fingers, I never do it on the mound, and every time I step on the rubber I pull each                                     pant leg up a little.

 

MD: What’s your go-to meal?

 

            TG: Five Guys.

            DL: Mac and Cheese.

            AB: I can always go for a chicken burrito from Chipotle.

            RG: Fresh, hot scrapple, maybe on some rye toast with cheese.

            MA: Definitely chicken and rice.

            KS: Big steak dinner. 

            HG: A good burrito. I prefer El Diablo over Chipotle, but El Diablo is a Delaware thing.

 

MD: Is a hot dog a sandwich?

 

            TG: No.

            DL: A hot dog is not a sandwich

            AB: Definitely not.

            RG: If a hot dog isn’t a sandwich, then what is it?

            MA: Not a shot.

            KS: No.

            HG: No shot.

 

MD: Favorite genre of music / favorite songs?

 

           TG: Country.

            DL: My favorite song is Sicko Mode by Travis Scott.

            AB: Rap and country are my favorite genres, but I'll listen to almost anything.

            RG: Huuuuge alt-rock guy.

            MA: I like rap/ hip hop and enjoy any type of song by Drake.

            KS: 100% Country.

            HG: Most types of EDM, mainly tropical house. I’m a big Cheat Codes guy. I can also get behind a lot of country                            and rap music.

 

MD: What about your LEAST favorite genre?

 

            TG: None.

            DL: My least favorite genre of music is the blues.

            AB: I guess very mainstream pop or jazz.

            RG: Trap music.

            MA: I guess jazz.

            KS: Rap. 

            HG: All music is good in its own way. Except heavy metal.

 

MD: For the pitchers, what one pitch would you like to be able to throw phenomenally?

  

            TG: My curve ball is [already] pretty nasty, it has tight spin and I can command it well.

            AB: I really wish I could throw a splitter.

            RG: I wish I could throw a spitball. I know it’s illegal but think about how cool it would be to say you throw a                                   spitball.

            HG: Knuckleball for sure.

 

MD: If you could face any MLB batter, who would it be?

  

            TG: Mike trout.

            AB: Right now Khris Davis because as the MLB home run leader this year, if I didn’t give up a dinger I’d feel                                 very accomplished.

            RG: Chris Davis, because he’s absolutely horrendous.

            HG: Big Papi so I could plunk him.

 

MD: For the hitters, if you could face any MLB pitcher who would it be?

 

            DL: Clayton Kershaw.

            RG: Aroldis Chapman. I wanna know what it’s like to see 105mph coming in. Just please don’t drill me.

            MA: If I could face any MLB pitcher, it would be Aroldis Chapman. I would love to see, or maybe not see, a                                    fastball coming in at 100+.

            KS: If I could face anyone, past or present, I’d stand in against Jose Fernandez.

 

MD: What would your walk-up song be?

 

            DL: Nonstop by Drake.

            RG: Mean [explicit], by Taddy Porter.

            MA: Blood, Sweat, Tears by Future.

            KS: [No answer] 

 

MD: Any hidden talents?

 

            TG: Draft Kings, daily fantasy football.

            DL: I am an amateur DJ.

            AB: Not really.

            RG: Nope.

            MA: I’m a single digit handicap golfer.

            KS: Nope. 

            HG: My singing voice has been compared to that of Bruno Mars.

 

MD: You’ve been given an elephant. You can’t give it away or sell it. What would you do with the elephant?

 

            TG: I would [still] probably sell it.

            DL: I would build an animal enclosure for the elephant, care for it, and use it as a mode of transportation to                                  get from place to place.

            AB: I would definitely ride it from the bullpen to the mound when coming in to pitch.

            RG: I would use it as a substitute for a bullpen cart, so I would ride it to the mound from the bullpen, to                                           intimidate my opponents.

            MA: I would ride the elephant.

            KS: Probably train it and ride it around. 

            HG: Ride that baby across the country.

 

MD: A penguin walks through that door right now wearing a sombrero. What does he say and why is he here?

 

            TG: Yeah, I have no idea.

            DL: The penguin is [crazy] and just escaped from the zoo. He can’t talk because he’s a penguin.

            AB: Well penguins don’t talk, and the school probably brought him in to “relieve student stress.”

            RG: He’s on a lot of [illegal stuff].

            MA: He’s looking for Matt Drobner and asks “Where’s Drobner?”

            KS: "Here for a good time, not a long time."

            HG: He’s doing research on the technology behind modern slip-n-slides. He walks to my sink and begins to                                  pour cups of water all over my floor. Then, he just starts belly-sliding everywhere.

 

MD: Favorite baseball memory?

 

            TG: Throwing a complete game shutout in my first high- school varsity start.

            DL: My favorite baseball memory is getting into a brawl during a tournament against another team. The                                         opposing pitcher was talking smack the whole game which ultimately lead to fists being thrown and both                               teams being kicked out of the tournament.

            AB: Closing out the state semi-finals with two 1-2-3 innings my junior year of high school and going on to win                               a state championship.

            RG: My favorite baseball memory would be my last game as a senior last spring. It was very emotional.

            MA: My favorite baseball memory was winning the league and city title as a senior in high school and making                                it to the state semi-finals that same year.

            KS: Hitting a grand slam in little league. 

            HG: When I was 10, we lost the opener of the district tournament. Then, we won like seven games in a row,                                 including two in the championship, to win the whole thing.

 

MD: Thanks guys