Staff file photo / Neel Madhavan Ursuline’s CJ Frasco fires in a pitch during a game last season. Frasco is one Ursuline’s key returners in 2024.

YOUNGSTOWN — Losing nine seniors from a team that won a combined 34 games over the past two seasons could often mean a step back for some teams.

But this year, Ursuline isn’t shying away from it, as the Irish look to continue to maintain high expectations for a program more used to reloading than rebuilding.

“These guys are extremely talented, but the one thing we just lack is varsity experience,” head coach Paul Kempe said. “With the schedule we play, we’re going to be battle-tested and we’re going to go through ups and downs as every team does. It’s how we overcome it. Our expectations are always extremely high. … These guys have been working their butts off and we feel good about the season coming up.”

However, even with the departures, the Irish have a small group of returning seniors that Kempe is looking at to lead the team.

CJ Frasco has the most varsity experience on the team, and would be a four-year starter had he not missed his sophomore season with an injury. He batted .284 last season with 12 RBIs, but where he’ll be most needed is for his pitching. In five appearances last year, Frasco was 2-0 with a 2.90 ERA and 24 strikeouts, which was second on the team.

Frasco and fellow senior Johnny Cambert will form Ursuline’s 1-2 punch on the mound. As a hitter, Cambert batted .303 in 17 games last season, then went 3-0 with a 1.96 ERA in seven pitching appearances.

The other of Ursuline’s main senior returners is Thomas Pesa, who’s known for his versatility on the field and his ability to play multiple different positions for the Irish in a pinch. As a junior last year, Pesa batted .421 with 11 RBIs in 11 games.

“Even with the big senior class (last season), those guys earned (their spots), and we look for them to take that next step,” Kempe said. “Having five guys with a lot of varsity experience, who have played in big games against great competition — it’s good for where we lack in the varsity experience to help bring these young guys, who are extremely talented, along.”

Anthony Triveri and Joe Balog highlight the Irish’s large, seven-member junior class.

Both saw considerable action in the lineup last season as sophomores, with Triveri batting .303 in Ursuline’s 25 games. He ended up finishing second on the team with 16 RBIs. Balog finished last season with a .360 average and six RBIs in 16 games. Both also made appearances on the mound throughout last season, as well.

“Thomas Kosovan and Brady Philibin are both juniors — they are guys who could play multiple spots for us and both are pitchers,” Kempe said.

Kempe also has high hopes for a group of sophomores that he expects to make a splash for the varsity squad this season, including Luke Kollar, AJ Snyder and Rowan Urbach.

“Luke is a phenomenal outfielder with great speed and a great bat. We’re really excited about him,” Kempe said. “AJ, if you follow the football team, you probably heard his name. But he’s a guy who can play first base for us, play a little third, will pitch and is a big kid who has a lot of power. Rowan Urbach is a kid who can do a little bit of everything. All three of them have an extremely bright future. They’ve earned the right to compete with our older guys, and they’re ready to go when they get their opportunities at the varsity level.”

Kempe notes that he feels the strength of his team is its pitching, adding that Ursuline has 9-10 different players that pitching coach Brian Frasco feels confident about.

“Some of these guys are starters, some of these guys can start in relief, so we feel good about that,” Kempe said.

But with so many players battling for different spots, Ursuline could work its way through several different lineups, especially early in the season, as the Irish try to figure out who fits best where.

“We have a lot of guys on this roster who are battling for spots and are able to play a bunch of different positions,” Kempe said. “I think that versatility is really going to help us. We tell these guys, these lineups are going to change a lot. It could be game-by-game or week-by-week. We preach a lot about competition and these guys are ready for it.”

Ursuline’s 2024 schedule is not for the faint of heart.

The Irish have loaded it up with strong local teams, such as Warren JFK, West Branch, Lakeview, Canfield, South Range and Austintown Fitch, while also scheduling out-of-area powers like Uniontown Lake, St. Edward, Archbishop Hoban and Massillon Washington.

“That’s how Ursuline baseball has always done it, and that’s what we’re going to continue to do,” Kempe said. “To get to where we want to be, we gotta play the best teams to get ready for that tournament in May.”

Have an interesting story? Contact Neel Madhavan by email at nmadhavan@tribtoday.com. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @NeelMadhavan.