Clermont College’s first-year baseball team concluded its season with a respectable record of 19-21, that, in terms of everyone playing their first year of college baseball against more experienced teams, is really better than a respectable effort. At one point in the middle of the season, the Red and Black won 12 of 20 games.

“It was definitely a successful season,” said Clermont College assistant coach Dino Costanzo. “Our goal was to finish second in the league and the league tournament our first year. We knew Miami – Hamilton was supposed to be real good.”

The members of this squad of collegiate baseball rookies included: Rob Bush, catcher (Lakota East High School graduate), Andrew Boelleke, catcher (McNicholas), Ryan Bucher, pitcher (Mason), Derek Cooper, infielder (Milford), Dominic “Nic” Costanzo, infielder (Mariemont), Brady Denton, infielder (McNicholas), Ryan Doran, outfielder (Purcell Marian), Joey Fehr, outfielder/infielder (Colerain), Dane Garrett, pitcher (Goshen), Nathan Harris, pitcher (Batavia), C. J. Hilberg, pitcher/second baseman (Madeira), Shawn Howser, pitcher (Western Brown), Jerry Neely, pitcher (Glen Este), Bobby Noeth, infielder/outfielder (Western Brown), Bobby Pangallo, outfielder (McNicholas), Patrick Schneider, catcher (Western Brown), Ryan Stang, pitcher (Colerain), Wilburn “Spike” Wilson, pitcher (Leesburg Fairfield), Zach Van Fleet, pitcher (Madeira), and Zach Zuke, pitcher (Purcell Marian). All are freshmen with the exception of Howser who is a junior and Harris and Noeth who are sophomores.