INDIANA, Pa. – IUP head baseball coach Anthony Rebyanski has announced that nine student-athletes have committed to join the Crimson Hawks baseball program during the National Letter of Intent early signing and commitment period.  These nine student-athletes will be a part of the program beginning fall 2018.

"This is a very important recruiting class for us," said Rebyanski.  "We will be graduating 14 upperclassmen at the conclusion of the 2018 season.  We have focused on a group of student-athletes who we believe can come in and compete for spots and playing time right away."

Seven of the committed student-athletes hail from Pennsylvania, with the other two being from Ohio and Canada.  The Crimson Hawks will add to their roster four pitchers, three infielders and two outfielders.

"Our main goal this year is to build off our team success that we had both on the field and in the classroom in 2017," Rebyanski continued.  "This includes returning to the PSAC Championship Tournament, winning the PSAC and capturing the PSAC Top Team GPA award for a second consecutive year.  We feel that this year's recruiting class will be able to help with those goals once they are here in fall 2018." 

IUP's 2018 seniors include Chris Calliari (Brockway, Pa./Brockway Area), Wes Carson (Woodstock, Md./Marriots Ridge), Ted DeSanti (Erie, Pa./Erie Cathedral Prep), Nate Dickey (Harrisburg, Pa./Central Dauphin), Alex Hart, Zach Heffner (Douglassville, Pa./Daniel Boone), Mike Klingensmith (Punxsutawney, Pa./Punxsutawney), Christian McClure (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Cumberland Valley), Adam Polites, Bo Putt, Anthony Rigous (Newtown, Pa./Council Rock North), Dan Roan (Bellefonte, Pa./Bellefonte), Dan Sepic (York, Pa./Central York) and Cory Wheeler (Butler, Pa./Butler).

"As a staff, we feel that we have taken a step in the right direction with the nine student-athletes that have committed to our program.  We are excited to have them become a part of our IUP family and look forward to helping them develop and build on their talents and abilities throughout their four years with us," said Rebyanski.

The 2018 recruiting class includes pitchers Trajan Jones (Indiana, Pa./Indiana Area), Tyler Mulhollen (Somerset, Pa./Somerset), Sevin Schoeneweis (Crescent, Pa./Moon) and Jayson Wilbur (Courtice, Ontario, Can./Lackawanna College/Holy Trinity Catholic).  Infielders Markus Cestra (Plum, Pa./Plum), Alex Thornberry (Cincinnati, Oh./Sycamore) and Austin Vigliotti (Verona, Pa./Pittsburgh Central Catholic).  Outfielders Nick DiAndreth (Greensburg, Pa./Hempfield Area) and Drew Weglarz (Huntingdon, Pa./Huntingdon).

RELATED | 2018 Schedule
 

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Markus Cestra   I   INF/OF   I   5'10"   I   165 lbs   I   Bats Right   I   Throws Right
Hometown: Plum, Pennsylvania
Parents: Rose and Mark Cestra
High School: Plum
High School Coach: Carl Vollmer
Summer Team: Pittsburgh Bulldogs                                                                                             
Summer Coach: Mike Kosko
Fall Team: Plum
Fall Coach: Carl Vollmer
Intended Area of Study: Business Management

Coach Rebyanski on Cestra:  "Markus is a versatile player that has the ability to play both the middle and corner infield positions along with the outfield.  His versatility will play a key role on next year's team along with adding depth and competition at those spots.  Defensively he flashes good range in the infield and outfield with an above average throwing arm.  With continued growth and development, we feel he will have a successful collegiate career both offensively and defensively.  Coach Vollmer and Coach Kosko expect the most out of their student-athletes every time they step on a baseball field, and it shows with Markus in his efforts and determination to be the best each time he is on the field."
 

Nick DiAndreth   I   OF   I   5"8"   I   170 lbs   I   Bats Right   I   Throws Right
Hometown:  Greensburg, Pennsylvania
Parents: Jamie and Jim DiAndreth
High School: Hempfield Area
High School Coach: Tim Buzzard
Summer Team: Pittsburgh Spikes
Summer Coach: Chase Rowe
Intended Area of Study: Natural Science and Mathematics for Chiropractic

Coach Rebyanski on DiAndreth:  "Nick has already shown that he has a passion for IUP and our program, just by the way he handled himself during the entire recruiting process.  He will be one of the fastest student-athletes that we have recruited during my time as both an assistant and head coach at IUP.  We see him as a leadoff type hitter at some point during his collegiate career due to his speed and ability to put the ball in play consistently.  Defensively, he is able to play all three outfield positions and we project him into becoming a center fielder because of his speed and arm.  He is an energetic, passionate and determined player that wants to learn and compete at the highest level possible, which will fit right in with the mold of our current team." 
 

Trajan Jones   I   RHP   I   6'2"   I   240 lbs   I   Bats Right   I   Throws Right
Hometown: Indiana, Pennsylvania
Parents: Brandi and Shawn Jones
High School: Indiana Area
High School Coach: Larry Cadile
Summer Team: Flood City Elite
Summer Coach: Rick Roberts
Fall Team: Indiana
Fall Coach: Larry Cadile
Intended Area of Study: Economic Geography

Coach Rebyanski on Jones:  "Trajan is the type of player that we did not want to slip away from us.  A local product of Indiana High School, we believe Trajan's ceiling is extremely high.  He has not yet focused solely on baseball, as he is a dual-sport athlete in high school.  We've seen him in the mid-80's with his fastball while flashing above average secondary pitches.  With his frame and body, we project him to develop into a power-type arm during his collegiate career.  We feel that he has only scratched the surface of what his talents truly are and has a lot of room for positive development." 
 

Tyler Mulhollen   I   LHP   I   6'0"   I   170 lbs  I   Bats Right   I   Throws Left
Hometown: Somerset, Pennsylvania
Parents Name: Melissa and Rick Mulhollen
High School: Somerset
High School Coach: Steve Costea
Summer Team: Martellas
Summer Coach: Jesse Cooper
Fall Team: Flood City Elite
Fall Coach: Rick Roberts
Intended Area of Study: Safety Science

Coach Rebyanski on Mulhollen:  "Tyler is a left hander that possesses good control of all his pitches.  We look for him to add depth to our bullpen in his first year with us.  He is another arm that we feel will develop into a solid player on the mound.  His determination to continue to develop, get stronger and learn as a collegiate player is very high and with this attitude, we feel that he will accomplish great things at IUP.  Knowing the type of players that Rick Roberts and the Flood City Elite programs produce, we believe Tyler will be a great addition to our program."
 

Sevin Schoeneweis   I   RHP   I   6'1"   I   180 lbs   I   Bats Right   I   Throws Right
Hometown: Crescent, Pennsylvania
Parents: Jennifer and Craig Schoeneweis
High School: Moon
High School Coach: Todd Goble
Summer Team: Beaver County Express
Summer Coach: Pat Cutshall
Fall Team: Moon
Fall Coach: Ty Miller
Intended Area of Study: Undecided

Coach Rebyanski on Schoeneweis:  "Sevin is a very disciplined student-athlete who we look to be another power arm for us next year and in years to come.  He possesses an already mid-80's fastball, with the ability to touch the upper 80's with above average secondary pitches.  Our vision for him is to come in and compete for a starting spot right away, not taking away that he also has the ability to be a potential key stopper and power arm out of the bullpen.  With his dedication when it comes to training and bringing out the best in himself, we believe that he will bolster our pitching staff and be a major contributor on the mound early in his career."
 

Alex Thornberry   I   INF/OF   I   5'9"   I   160 lbs   I   Bats Right   I   Throws Right
Hometown: Cincinnati, Ohio
Parents: Bari and Paul Thornberry
High School: Sycamore
High School Coach: Peter Muehlenkamp
Summer Team: Cincinnati Explosion
Summer Coach: Andy DePeel
Intended Area of Study: Business/Design

Coach Rebyanski on Thornberry:  "Alex attended our showcase camp this past fall and immediately stood out both defensively and offensively.  He is a slick middle infielder with the ability to also play third base and the outfield.  Offensively, he has above average power and as he continues to grow, we look for him to be a key position player for us throughout his career.  He is the type of baseball player everyone wants to have, one that loves the game and wants to play every chance he has.  The conference that his high school team plays in is very competitive and we feel that is going to help Alex adjust to the competitive nature of the collegiate level and the PSAC right out of the gate."
 

Austin Vigliotti   I   INF/OF   I   5'11"   I   190   I   Bats Right   I   Throws Right
Hometown: Verona, Pennsylvania
Parents: Rachel and Chris Vigliotti
High School: Pittsburgh Central Catholic
High School Coach: Pat Walsh
Summer Team: Pittsburgh Bulldogs
Summer Coach: Mike Kosko
Intended Area of Study: Mathematics

Coach Rebyanski on Vigliotti:  "Austin is as hard-nosed and passionate about baseball as they come, the "dirt ball" type player.  We had the opportunity to see Austin numerous times this summer with his Bulldogs team.  He plays the game with a lot of passion and energy, which fits right into the mold of what we instill in our current team.  With his physicality, we believe he will become a power threat for us offensively throughout his collegiate career.  His versatility in the infield will also be a key attribute for next year's team."
 

Drew Weglarz   I   OF   I   5'11"   I   185   I   Bats Right   I   Throws Right
Hometown: Huntingdon, Pennsylvania
Parents: Melissa and Scott Weglarz
High School: Huntingdon Area
High School Coach: George Zanic
Summer Team: Huntingdon RedHawks
Summer Coach: George Zanic
Intended Area of Study: Political Science/Pre-Law

Coach Rebyanski on Weglarz:  "We first saw Drew last spring during the PIAA playoffs.  He has shown some tremendous power offensively, which sparked our interest right away.  A physical kid who is a dual-sport athlete in high school, we look for him to continue to get stronger during his career here and be a threat offensively.  He has the ability to become a middle of the lineup type hitter and will compete for both corner outfield spots during his time here at IUP.  Coach Zanic at Huntingdon has done a great job of developing his current senior class into top-notch players both in the classroom and on the field.  More than a handful of his players have made commitments to high level programs during this early signing period."
 

Jayson Wilbur   I   LHP   I   6'0"   I   190   I   Bats Right   I   Throws Left
Hometown: Courtice, Ontario, Canada
Parents: Sandra and Kevin Wilbur
High School: Holy Trinity Catholic
AAU Travel Team: Ontario Yankees
AAU Travel Coach: Scott Cawker
Junior College: Lackawanna College
Junior College Coach: Bruce Thompson
Summer Team: Oshawa Junior Legionnaires
Summer Coaches: Michael Rodriguez and Nigel Wilson
Intended Area of Study: Sports Administration

Coach Rebyanski on Wilbur:  "Jayson is the first transfer from Lackawanna College that we have had in my time here at IUP.  Coach Thompson has done a tremendous job with his teams at Lackawanna and they have a very good reputation of developing high quality student-athletes on and off the field.  We had the opportunity to see Jayson at Lackawanna's scout day a few weeks ago.  He stood out to us right away, not only for his ability to locate all of his pitches, but also as a left handed pitcher.  We look for Jayson to make an immediate impact on the mound next fall and compete for a starting spot right away.  He possesses a mid-80's fastball with plus secondary pitches."


Up Next
IUP opens their 2018 spring season on Saturday, February 10 in Pembroke, North Carolina in a three game series against University of North Carolina-Pembroke.

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