PITTSBURGH, Pa. – February 25, 2022 – 2022 will be the dawn of a new era for the Chatham University baseball team. That new era will be led by a brand-new coaching staff, led by first-year head coach Nic Rush.
 
Rush comes to Chatham formerly as an assistant from Washington & Jefferson College, winning back-to-back Presidents' Athletic Conference Championships. As for his goals for the Cougars, one thing is clear.
 
"We want to compete at a championship level in everything we do," Rush said. "It starts on the field but also in practice, in the classroom, in the community, just across the board. If we can become consistent with that on an everyday basis, then we can turn that into success on the field."
 
Last year the Cougars had their best season yet, going 12-23 overall and 10-17 in PAC play, good for sixth in the conference. The year was highlighted by a 4-3 victory over Rush's former squad in W&J, the only loss to a PAC team the Presidents were dealt all season.
 
Rush is inheriting a team that returns several key pieces from last year, especially in a deep senior class. Leading the way is senior catcher Caleb Lehman, who led the team in just about every batting category last year, including a .393 batting average, 1.026 OPS, 19 RBI, 10 doubles, a .556 slugging percentage and a .470 on-base percentage. He also swiped 19 stolen bases, which tied the team lead last year.
 
"What's impressed me with [Lehman] is his leadership," Rush said. "Coaching in the conference for the last three years, I've seen him in the field, he's been a tough out at the plate, now it's nice to be in the same dugout as him. He's really excelled in making sure guys are organized and getting stuff done."
 
Some other big bats returning include seniors Corey Miller and Nico Cuello. Miller started in 22 games, batting .300 and slugging .350. Cuello had a strong first year with the Cougars as well, batting .247 in 30 games played with 27 starts. Junior Brandon Griener also returns after blasting three home runs to lead the Cougars last year.
 
"[Miller] didn't get to see much in the fall with him coming back from injury, but he's getting back in the swing of things," Rush said. "[Cuello] has had a nice showing as well so far through the preseason."
 
A couple of other seniors that have caught the eye of Rush include Luke Paulson and Mason Akers. They both have provided leadership on and off the field for a Chatham team that inherits 15 first year players out of the 36-player roster.
 
On the mound, senior Ryan Denz is making the move from infielder to exclusively pitcher. Rush says that he is expecting big things on the mound after coming back from injury. Denz will also get some help on the bump with classmate Trevor Salvior, who made 10 appearances last year. Junior Cole Couchman is the team leader in ERA from last year with a 2.70 showing in nine relief appearances and 16.2 innings pitched. However, the Cougars will have to replace the three leaders in starts from last year.
 
As for the first-year class, Rush is impressed collectively with the group.
 
"There's going to be plenty of first-years that will get the chance even in the first week and we'll see where they go from there," Rush said. "I really like the talent and the depth in our first-year class, but I think it comes back to consistency. There are some guys that are performing well for a two-day stretch, but can they do it day in and day out? The guys that can do that in games and in practice, handle that day-in day-out set up of the schedule, will move forward and contribute on a regular basis."
 
The Presidents' Athletic Conference preseason poll slated the Cougars at ninth place. However, Rush and his team are not harping on the preseason rankings, nor are they worried about what the other teams in the conference are doing.
 
"We're focused on the Chatham Cougars," Rush said. "We need to worry about ourselves and let the chips fall where they may. We don't want to get wrapped up in what's happening in the other dugout, we want to control what we can. It may sound cliched but that's what our focus is on. If we focus on what we can do, the wins and losses will fall where they should."
 
Chatham kicks off its season in a little more than 48 hours when it heads down to Florida for the annual trip. The Cougars have a double header against Finlandia on Sunday, February 27 with the first pitch of game one commencing at 2:30.