With college baseball done for all but the players on the eight teams who qualified for the Division I Men’s College World Series, it’s a great time to reflect on the 2025 season for Morning Call-area teams and players.

Here’s a look at a few moments and milestones that stood out this spring.

Warrior run

East Stroudsburg’s run to the first Division II College World Series in school history set it apart from the other local programs.

After losing four straight games to Millersville and falling in a PSAC tournament game, the Warriors responded by sweeping through their Atlantic Regional and Atlantic Super Regional games. ESU went 1-2 in the DII World Series, but it stayed relentless in its time in Cary, North Carolina.

The Warriors hit a walk-off grand slam in their one win and clawed within four runs in both losses after falling behind big early.

Local players Jack Rothenhausler (Liberty), Dennis Pierce (Quakertown), Parker Frey (Liberty), Chaise Albus (Bethlehem Catholic), Jake Albert (Saucon Valley) and Gavin Sopko (Pocono Mountain East) helped drive ESU’s longest playoff run ever. The Warriors’ success plus a top facility in Creekview Park should keep attracting talent to ESU.

DeSales departure

Tim Neiman’s 36-year run coaching at DeSales ended in late April with a 14-10 win over Scranton. That victory capped a season-ending four-game winning streak to give him 29 20-win seasons during his time leading the Bulldogs.

Neiman finished with 868 career wins and five 30-win seasons, with a 2003 trip to the Division III College World Series among his biggest accomplishments. He also received 13 conference coach of the year awards.

Still going

Parkland graduate Blake Barthol went 2-for-9 with a run scored and a sacrifice bunt Friday and Saturday as Coastal Carolina swept two games in the Auburn Super Regional to reach the Men’s College World Series for the second time in program history. The Chanticleers won the national title in 2016 in their only other MCWS appearance.

Barthol’s best work came in the field Friday. He started inning-ending double plays with diving catches in the ninth and 10th innings to help Coastal Carolina secure a 7-6 win.

Barthol is hitting .279 with an .871 OPS in 64 games for Coastal Carolina, which carries a 23-game winning streak into the MCWS.

Wrapping up

We covered a range of teams and players in this space this spring. Here’s a look at how a few others we didn’t catch up with during the season finished up 2025.

• Nazareth graduate Jake Dally spent most of his sophomore season as a pitcher for Binghamton after splitting time between the infield and mound as a freshman. He held opponents to a .238 batting average in 19 relief appearances, finishing with a 6.18 ERA. His final game came May 31 in a season-ending loss to Oklahoma State in the Athens Regional of the NCAA Division I tournament.

• Sophomore JC Spinosa (Liberty) posted an .846 OPS with 14 extra-base hits, 29 runs and 27 RBIs while playing all 45 games for Canisius.

• Notre Dame-Green Pond graduate Logan Castellano played a career-high 44 games as a junior at Merrimack. He hit .250 with a .401 slugging percentage, 26 RBIs and 15 extra-base hits.

• JD Greeley (Pocono Mountain West) finished with a 5.35 ERA in his senior season at Monmouth. He threw a season-high six innings against Michigan State, allowing two runs and two hits.

• Mansfield catcher Cole Serfass (Palmerton) earned a spot on the all-PSAC East second team for a second straight season. He hit .347 with a .908 OPS, nine extra-base hits, 31 RBIs and 25 runs in 39 games (35 starts).

• Lock Haven sophomore Zach McEllroy (Emmaus) hit .271 with 13 extra-base hits, 16 runs and 23 RBIs while starting 43 of the Bald Eagles’ 48 games. He was the PSAC East freshman of the year in 2024.

• Sophomore Dominick Chiego (Emmaus) led Centenary with a .362 average, .980 OPS, 11 doubles and 42 RBIs. He also scored 32 runs while starting 40 games.

Stephen Miller is a freelance writer.