PITTSBURGH – After winning 18 games and narrowly missing out on a PAC tournament berth in 2024, Chatham Baseball head coach Nic Rush is ensuring his team is prepared for the grind of the 2025 season.
 
"We feel like we have done a lot of the things that we are supposed to in order to get ourselves ready for the start of the season, but we are not satisfied with that and want to continue pushing our limits daily," Rush said.
 
Fifth Year Jake Bredl, as well as juniors Angelo DeLeonardis and Peter Tadic, will bring a strong presence to the plate this season. Bredl's .955 OPS led the Cougars in 2024, and Tadic's 6 home runs were the most on last year's squad. DeLeonardis is seeking back-to-back All-PAC first team selections after hitting .343 with 25 stolen bases last campaign. All three were named as PAC Players to Watch in 2025, while the rest of the team's hitters will look to make a name for themselves this season.
 
"Our group has put in more work this year and this offseason than they ever have before, so breakout seasons would not necessarily surprise us," Rush said.
 
Carter Beneigh was the lone Cougar pitcher to be named to the PAC Players to Watch List after posting a 3.32 ERA and team-best 1.52 WHIP in 62.1 innings pitched last season. Chatham will also return their 2024 ERA leader (3.09) in senior Dawson Morrow, as well as their 2024 BAA leader (.222) in junior Nick Martin.
 
With most games during the season being played as doubleheaders, the Cougars will need a plethora of pitchers to step up when they are called upon.
 
"We want to use the first couple of weekends and our Florida trip to give several pitchers some opportunities to see where things shake out," Rush said. "We believe that our pitching depth is better than it has been in the past so we should be able to rely on more pitchers than we have before."
 
47 players are listed on Chatham's official roster, and all of them are expected by the coaching staff to be leaders this season.
 
"If we are going to get to where we want to be, we will need to have a team full of leaders that can constantly push us and redirect us when we get off our path," said Rush.
 
The Cougars will kick off their 2025 campaign in Logan, Ohio on Sunday with a doubleheader against Capital at 12 p.m. Baseball will then play their home opener on Monday at West Field in Munhall, Pa. at 6 p.m. against La Roche.