By Will Nunn, Sports Staffer
ASHEVILLE, N.C. — Seeking a brief escape from western New York’s winter weather, the St. Bonaventure baseball team opens its season in Asheville, North Carolina, with a four-game series at the University of North Carolina at Asheville.
The Bonnies enter the 2026 season after posting a 20-29 overall record a season ago, finishing 10th in the Atlantic 10 standings and missing out on the conference tournament. Bonaventure’s record has improved each season since head coach Jason Rathbun took over before the 2023 season.
The Bulldogs finished the 2025 season with a 15-35 record, good for eighth place in the nine-team Big South Conference. Under new leadership for the first time since 2014, interim head coach Alex Raburn, an assistant on the staff last season, leads UNC Asheville. Former head coach Scott Friedholm resigned after 11 years at the end of last season.
Redshirt junior outfielder Connor Vercollone returns to Bonaventure in 2026 after leading the team with 10 home runs a season ago. Senior utility Chris Hoalcraft led all returning players with a .284 batting average. He led the team with 47 RBIs last season.
Among the Bonnies returning pitching staff are junior right-handers Gilbert Saunders III, James Capellupo and senior right-hander David James. Saunders posted a 4.58 ERA across 17.2 innings pitched out of the bullpen. Capellupo started six games last season, throwing 34.2 innings to the tune of an 8.31 ERA, while James pitched to a 7.92 ERA in 10 starts.
The Bulldogs’ key returners include sophomore catcher Blaize Johnson, who was second on the team with a .328 batting average in 41 appearances in 2025. Sophomore outfielder Jake Minarik returns after leading the squad with nine home runs last season.
Sophomore right-hander Garrett Crum led all UNC Asheville returners with a 6.11 ERA across 45.2 innings of work last year. Senior right-hander Matthew Hall appeared in 22 games last season for the Bulldogs, making just one start and posting a 6.91 ERA.
The series features doubleheaders on Friday and Saturday. The first game each day is scheduled for nine innings, followed by a seven-inning game. First pitch for Friday’s opener is 2 p.m., with the second game to follow immediately. Saturday’s doubleheader begins at noon.
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