PIONEERS ANNOUNCE 2022 SCHEDULE, PLAYERS, & RETURN OF DUNN FIELD CLASSIC

The Elmira Pioneers, proud members of the Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League, announced today that the teams’ roster for the upcoming summer has taken on a large wave of local talent amongst the first group of signees. The Pios are pleased to welcome from Florida Atlantic University Bobby Marsh, from Roanake College Jonathan Wall, from Niagara County Community College Bradyn Colleta, from Washington & Jefferson College Brody Bartenstein and Jonathan Haines, from St. John Fisher College Erik Charnetski, from Ithaca College Gil Merod, from UMass-Lowell Frank Wayman and Owen Hoyt, from Houghton College Hunter Kendall, from Wells College Mason Smith, Max Odum and Zachary Odum, from George Mason University Owen Stewart, and from the Combine Academy Xander Burch.

Marsh makes a return to the Southern Tier looking to recapture the magic he found as a mainstay in the Elmira lineup last summer. The right-handed hitting 6’3 200 Ib first-basemen of Bellefonte, PA hit to the tune of a .304 average with 14 extra-base hits and 25 runs batted in last summer. As he graduated high school a year ago, he looked to move on to Florida Atlantic University but instead redshirted the season. Getting back on the diamond, Bobby looks to continue to grow his game ahead of using his first year of NCAA eligibility in 2022-23.

Wall, the 6’0 190 Ib right-handed infielder hails from Virginia Beach, VA. Wall was a five-year varsity ball player for Ocean Lakes High School prior to joining the Maroons. Across 19 games this spring at the plate, he holds a .348 average with 13 runs batted in and 12 runs scored. He has turned 3 double plays and only committed 2 errors in the field with a huge pride on his defensive game.

Coletta, a 5’11 170 Ib lefty hurler from nearby Lindley, NY has immediately made an impact in his freshman season. In 3 appearances on the bump, he has a win to his credit which came via his 2.1 innings of 5 hit, 5 strikeout ball with no runs surrendered in his first college outing on March 11th. His strikeout number at 10 as the Thunder Wolves enter the final stretch of their spring.

Bartenstein, coming in at 5’10 175 Ibs graduated from local Corning-Painted Post High School last spring and joined the strong program of the Presidents. Across his high school career, he was a prime commodity both behind the plate and on the mound for the Hawks and his travel squad, the Rochester Cougars Elite.

Haines, a 5’11 195 Ib sophomore from Arkport, NY has been more relied upon at the plate and in the field this spring as opposed to his freshmen season where he looked to pick up innings with his arm. Jonathan has a .222 average across 9 games this spring at bat with a picture perfect 1.000 fielding percentage, and, the Presidents have won all but one time he has made an appearance.

Chartneski, the 6’0 215 Ib right-handed slugging sophomore out of Notre Dame High School, is well wrapped up in his first season as a Cardinal. After not playing during his freshman season, the outfielder joined the squad looking to show off the talent that earned him recognitions such as IAC Baseball First-Team All-Star and Notre Dame Male Athlete Of The Year, during his high school tenure.

The Bombers of Ithaca are sending back a Junior members of the 2021 Pioneers roster. 5’10 175 Ib catcher, Gil Merod, of Ithaca, NY are back in Elmira for another summer. Merod has had a breakout season starting in all 31 of Ithaca’s games this year to date, solidifying himself as a lethal weapon with a .310 average. He has walked 14 times and only struck out 10 times showing off his sharp eye at the plate.

Wayman also stays close to home for the summer as the 6’2 195 Ib Horseheads graduate comes back to play the infield at Dunn Field. Frank after showing off his leadership skills in high school has picked up right where he left off for the River Hawks, being relied on in a big role. He’s had a hand full of runs batted in against some of the best Division 1 powerhouses in his UMass tenure and looks to now find consistency.

Hoyt, wrapping up his senior year at Union Endicott High School, committed to join Wayman and the River Hawks program back in mid-December. Weighing in at 5’10 175 Ibs, the left-handed pitcher clocks mid-80s on his fastball, and has a lethal curveball and changeup in his arsenal as well. With all the travel ball and extra work, he’s put in in the offseason over the years, Owen has shown off his durability and looks to show the city of Elmira his impact this summer.

Kendall, a 6’3 170 Ib junior from Gillet, PA has had a huge part in the success of the Highlanders this spring. In a very high scoring conference, Hunter has a 5.36 ERA in 9 starts and 48.2 innings pitched. Despite just 3 of those resulting in wins for Houghton, he has given the team a clutch, durable arm that’s picked a large number of innings. His best performance came in a 6-5 road loss to Penn St Du Bois where he hurled 8 innings of 7 hit, 2 run baseball.

Smith of Corning-Painted Post High School enters the summer looking to pick up some big innings for the Pios as he wraps his high school playing days. The 5’8 135 Ib pitcher/utility player has played travel ball for Gaffer Baseball and given fans of the Hawks lots to cheer about with his pitching wizardry. His high-speed fastball and deadly changeup will be something to watch for all summer long.

A quality pair of brothers in Max and Zack Odum should tear up the Western side of the PGCBL by storm. Born and raised here in Elmira and now playing for the Express of Wells College, the sophomores have given their all to the squad these last two years. This spring alone the right-handed swinging infielder Max has a .412 average with 1 home run, 21 runs batted in, and 14 stolen bases in 32 games. Zack on the other hand, primarily a defender of the corner outfield spots, has put up a .301 average with 20 runs batted in, 10 walks, and has swiped 7 bases.

Stewart, a right-handed 6’3 180 Ib pitcher of Elmira, should have no trouble fitting in when he heads south to join the Patriots program this fall. This spring at Notre Dame High School he’s maxed out at 90.3 mph on his fastball and has worked himself up to a four-pitch mix. His hitting has also been a staple of his strong school career, but now his arm is going to be what Elmira looks for production out of.

Burch, another hard throwing lefty pitcher, has been playing at the Combine Academy following his graduation from nearby Thomas Edison High School. The 6’1 190 Ib Elmira native led Thomas Edison to much success throughout his five varsity seasons, and now looks to re-garner the local spotlight via his blazing pitches in the June and July months.

Coach Andrew Drum quotes “I’m very excited about this upcoming season.  We have a very strong roster mixed with a lot of experience with the upper classmen, we also have a good chunk of guys from around the Elmira, Horseheads, Corning area that are going to bring a lot of experience and many of these local guys know each other already so that adds some familiarity and comfort to the roster as well.  If we show up to the ballpark and put in the work every day, and get competitive innings out of our pitchers we should win a lot of games this summer.  Personally I’m very excited for this summer and I can’t wait to be back at the Dunn June 3rd in front of our very loud crowds”

The Elmira Pioneers are excited to announce the return of the Dunn Field Classic at Historic Dunn Field May 27, 28, & 29th this year.  The Dunn Field Classic will host over 40 teams during the weekend.  This event has a huge economic impact for the city of Elmira as these teams will travel from all over to compete at Dunn Field.  The Elmira Pioneers and the tournament are excited to help local restaurants, tourism outlets, hotels, shopping centers, & gas stations show these teams all the great places the area has to offer.

Owner Robbie Nichols on the upcoming season. “This is the most unique and exciting season for the Pioneers ever.  To have 10 players who grew up watching the Pioneers their whole lives, played against each other in little league, and then again against each other in High School to now be Elmira Pioneers is incredible.  This just goes to show the area has a lot of talented players in the area who are representing their community well.  Myself, my wife, and our staff are so excited to be bringing back the Dunn Field Classic, see what upgrades the city has coming to Historic Dunn Field, and bring back all the fun summer memories of Pioneers Baseball.  Thank you again to all our great sponsors and we will see you at Dunn Field this summer”