The wait is almost over.
 
Stetson Baseball will make its 2020 debut Friday evening at Melching Field when the Hatters host Manhattan College at 6:30 p.m. It will be the second game of the day in DeLand, with Manhattan squaring off against the Air Force Academy at 1 p.m.
 
The opening double-header will be the start of a busy weekend of baseball. Air Force and Manhattan will play against on Saturday at 1 p.m. before the Falcons and the Hatters square off on Saturday evening.
 
The weekend will conclude with a single game between Stetson and Air Force on Sunday, with that game scheduled for a 1 p.m. start.
 
Here are some highlights to look forward to during the weekend:

• Prior to Friday's opening game between Air Force and Manhattan there will be an F-15 flyover at Melching Field. The F-15's will be part of a memorial to former Air Force catcher Travis Wilkie, who was killed in a training accident in November. Lt. Wilkie, a three-year letter-winner for the Falcons, was one of two airmen who died in a crash at Vance Air Force Base in Enid, Okla.
• In addition to being opening night for the Hatters on Friday, it is also the first Friday night Bingo night of the season. It is also Valentine's Day, so celebrate by bringing that special someone to the game.
• On Saturday, Stetson Athletics will host its second "Dream Ride" to the park promotion for area Miracle League players and Special Olympians. The ride will start on East Indiana Avenue in downtown DeLand and will include classic cars, hot rods, sports cars, police and fire vehicles, as well as a Ferrari 18-wheel car hauler. The riders will arrive on the third base side of Melching Field and will be welcomed into the park along a green carpet with fans and student-athlete cheering them on. The group will take part in pregame activities on the field leading up to the first pitch.
• Sunday's weekend finale will be the first Silver Slugger Senior Discount Day. Sunday home games throughout the year will include special promotions for senior members of the community.

 
On the field, there is plenty to be excited about as well. The 2020 season will be the fourth at Stetson for Hatters head coach Steve Trimper. He carries a career record of 583-540-4 into the season, including a 102-75 record at Stetson.
 
Trimper and the Hatters open the new season against Manhattan, a program Trimper ran as head coach from 1999-2005, posting a 172-174-2 mark during his tenure. Stetson has a 4-1 all-time record against Manhattan on the diamond, dropping last year's contest 5-2 on the opening weekend of the season. The loss was Trimper's first in four games against the Jaspers.
 
Stetson returns 60.4 percent of its total at bats from last year along with 58.4 percent of the runs the team scored, 59.8 percent of the hits, 66.4 percent of the extra-base hits and 62.9 percent of the runs batted in. On the mound, the Hatters return 80.9 percent of the total innings pitched from last spring along with 77.6 percent of the strikeouts.
 
The 2020 season is the Hatters' 22nd at Melching Field, and Stetson is just 10 wins shy of 500 victories at the facility.
 
Junior Chris Gonzalez will be on the mound for the Hatters to open the season. As a sophomore last year, Gonzalez posted a 7-3 record in 17 games, including 13 starts, with a 3.40 ERA. His final outing of the 2019 campaign came in the ASUN Tournament when he went 11 innings against Jacksonville, holding the Dolphins to one run on two hits.
 
Redshirt junior Robbie Peto will make his 2020 debut on Saturday against the Air Force Academy. Peto was the Hatters' hard-luck pitcher last spring, posting a 1-9 record despite a 4.10 ERA. His only victory came in the Hatters' 1-0 no-hit win over Florida State.
 
True freshman Nick Durgin is scheduled to make his debut on the mound for Stetson in Sunday's game against Air Force.
 
The Stetson lineup will feature plenty of familiar names and faces, but with a few newcomers mixed in. Returnees include senior third baseman Jonathan Meola, who missed much of last season with injuries. The Hatters' other seniors are shortstop Jorge Arenas and outfielder Andrew MacNeil.
 
Those three, along with Gonzalez and Peto, are five of the six captains for the 2020 season. For Arenas, it is his third season as a captain, making him the first player in program history to have achieved that honor.
 
The sixth captain is also a first in program history. True freshman catcher Christian Pregent earned that honor, and will be one of the new players in the lineup on opening day.
 
Other returnees expected to start opening day are junior Eric Foggo, who will move from first base to right field, sophomore Mark Townsend in left field and junior Kyle Ball at second base. Redshirt freshman Brandon Hylton is expected to make his much-anticipated Stetson debut at first base and junior Giovany Lorenzo, who is also a catcher, will likely open the year as the Hatters' designated hitter.
 
In addition to the expected opening day lineup, the Hatters have depth all over the diamond. Others returning with starting experience include junior Jake Murphy, who can play in the infield and outfield, catchers Nick Cardieri and Danny Martin, and outfielders Noah Dickerson and Austin Dilbert.
 
Newcomers who are expected to make an impact this spring include utility players Connor Kehl, AJ Orrico and Cade Shissler, transfer outfielder Nick DiPonzio and outfielders Vance Anderson and Raheem Salmon. Transfer Nick Long will see time on the mound and as a designated hitter.
 
On the mound, in addition to the weekend's expected starters, the Hatters return sophomores Daniel Paret, Austin Wood, Michael Bacica, Bret Neilan, Gavin Sullivan and Danny Garcia. Potential impact newcomers include juniors Garner Spoljaric and Long, sophomore Joshua Plummer and freshmen Christian Suarez and Kyle Yeoward.
 
Scouting Manhattan
 
Manhattan head coach Mike Cole is back for his third seasons leading the Jaspers. He has a 96-123 career record after posting a 26-33 mark last spring. His record includes two seasons as the head coach at NJIT. Cole was an assistant coach at Manhattan in 2005 under Stetson coach Steve Trimper and he followed Trimper to Maine in 2008, where he coaches until taking the NJIT job in 2011.
 
The Jaspers return seven starters, including five All-MAAC selections, from the 2019 squad in addition to pitcher T.J. Stuart, one of eight pitchers returning from a squad that posted a 5.86 team ERA last spring.
 
After playing against Stetson last year, standout Richie Barrella played in just seven more games before suffering an injury that cost him the rest of the season. He received a medical redshirt and returns as a graduate this year.
 
Sophomore Nick Cimillo was named MAAC Freshman of the Year last year and was the preseason pick to be the league's Player of the Year this year. Cimillo hit .350 with seven home runs and 36 RBI last spring.
Stuart, Barrilla and Cimillo were named captains for the 2020 Manhattan club.
 
The 2020 Manhattan roster includes two players - sophomore Jonathan Barditch and senior Alex Cerda - who are natives of Miami.
 
The Jaspers' expected pitching rotation for the weekend is:

• Friday vs Air Force – RHP Nick Massa, a senior from Shrewsbury, NJ. Massa appeared in just nine games last year, starting two, while posting an 0-1 record with a 6.23 ERA.
• Friday vs Stetson – RHP T.J. Stuart, a senior from Milford, CT. Stuart made his 2019 debut with two innings of relief work against the Hatters, holding Stetson to one run on two hits with five strikeouts. He went on to appear in 16 games, starting 12, while posting an 8-5 record with a 4.08 ERA. He averaged exactly one strikeout per inning, recording 86 in 86 innings of work.
• Saturday vs Air Force – RHP Jacob Knight, a fifth-year senior from Oakley, CA. Knight appeared in 11 games last year, starting four, while posting an 0-1 record with a 7.00 ERA.

 
Scouting Air Force
 
The Falcons return four regular position starters and just two pitchers with extensive starting experience, plus their closer, from the 2019 team. Air Force finished the 2019 season with a 26-26 mark, including a 12-14 record in Mountain West Conference play.
Senior outfielder Ashton Easley, a captain for the Falcons, led the team with a .327 average last spring while adding seven home runs and 30 RBI. He is also a problem on the base paths, having successfully stolen 30 bags in 34 attempts.
 
 
Stetson has played Air Force on just one other occasion, winning a pair of games from the Falcons during the 1976 season. In addition to the 2-0 record against the Air Force Academy, Stetson has a 2-1 mark against the Coast Guard Academy (last played in 1969), a 2-2 record against the Cadets of West Point (2018) and a 2-0 mark against the Midshipmen of the Naval Academy (2002).
 
The Air Force roster includes players from 17 different states. Texas and Colorado lead the way with seven and six players respectively, but Florida is tied with California for third with four players each. The four players from Florida are: Gabriel Garcia (Miami), Ethan Richards (Tampa), Jeff Gerlica (Port St. Lucie) and Tyler Ward (N. Palm Beach).
 
Air Force head coach Mike Kazlausky is a former player at the Academy who is in his 10th season leading the program. He was a walk-on player at the Academy who became a four-year starter, setting eight program records during his career. He retired as a Major after 20 years of service and became the first USAFA alum to become the Falcons' head baseball coach.
 
The Falcons' expected pitching rotation for the weekend is:

• Friday vs Manhattan – RHP Luke Chilcutt, a junior from Clarksville, TN. Chilcutt appeared in 18 games for the Falcons last year, but had just one start. He posted a 2-4 record with a 5.48 ERA in 42.2 innings of work.
• Saturday vs Manhattan – RHP Ryan Stohr, a true freshman from Morrison, CO.
• Saturday vs Stetson – LHP Stevan Fairburn, Jr., a sophomore from Tuscaloosa, AL. Fairburn appeared in 11 games as a freshman last spring, starting five. He was a perfect 4-0 with a 4.67 ERA.
• Sunday vs Stetson – RHP Jeff Gerlica, a senior captain from Port St. Lucie. Gerlica made just one start last year, appearing on the mound in a total of seven games. He did not have a record and had an 8.40 ERA.

 
About Stetson University Athletics: Stetson University's Athletics Program has a vision of developing a culture of champions athletically, academically and within the community. This vision is accomplished through a mission of recruiting and developing student-athletes, coaches and staff, creating a culture of champions, within and outside of competition. The department operates with five core values: Championship Culture, Integrity, Excellence, Pride/Tradition and Leadership. To learn more about the Vision, Mission and Core Values for Stetson Athletics, visit GoHatters.com and click on Mission Statement under the Inside Athletics tab.