Youngsville baseball has been on quite the roll in recent years.

The team will look to continue that success in 2024 when it opens the year by hosting Cochranton today — weather permitting.

A year removed from a 16-win season that included a postseason victory over the Union City Bears, head coach Eddie Dorunda and his Eagles boast a roster of 24 players, as the future continues to look bright for the red and white.

“We’d like to win the region as well as the District 10 championship,” said Dorunda. “This is our year to do it. This group of guys know how close we were to it last season, and getting that taste of success has made them even hungrier.”

Youngsville lost just three players to graduation after a 16-5 campaign that saw it give West Middlesex all it wanted and more in a D-10 Class A semifinal defeat.

While the departure of Ethan Senz, Ian Mancuso and Keegan Mesel left key holes in the lineup, Dorunda is confident that he has the depth and talent needed to make a deep playoff run. He also has been getting his team prepared for the type of game it will have to play in order to be successful.

“We need to play for each other as a team and not worry about personal statistics,” said Dorunda. “If you’re asked to get a bunt down, get the bunt down. If you’re asked to take a pitch, take a pitch. Sacrifice your body. If you get a hot-shot ground ball, stand in there and take it off the chest. If the opposing pitcher throws inside, stand in the box and take your base.”

Dorunda added that “our pitchers needing to throw strikes and eliminate walks and allow the seven guys behind him to make the routine plays” will also be vastly important.

The Eagles return to Region 3 this season with Maplewood, Cambridge Springs, Cochranton, Rocky Grove, Saegertown, Eisenhower, Iroquois and Union City providing the competition for that title.

Dorunda has a wealth of experience and talent returning to the diamond in 2024, including three players who made the All-Region 3 team a year ago. Those players include seniors Matt DeSimone (First-Team Region 3 outfielder) and Nathan Lucks (Second-Team Region 3 pitcher and utility player) and sophomore David Manning (First-Team Region 3 pitcher).

DeSimone batted .599 with two homers and 31 RBIs a season ago while Lucks and Manning did the bulk of the pitching in big spots.

Lucks posted a 6-4 record with a 2.71 ERA and 66 strikeouts as a junior and is poised for a standout senior season. The talented righty, who signed to play college ball for Alfred State beginning in 2025, also hit .351 with 17 RBIs in 2023.

Manning is coming off an injury suffered late last season, but his freshman season was highlighted by a perfect 5-0 pitching record with a 2.51 ERA and 31 strikeouts.

The three all-region choices are far from the only standouts returning for the Eagles. Senior second baseman Wyatt Dalrymple batted .367 last season with a .409 on-base percentage. His partner in the middle of the infield — junior shortstop James Johnson — batted .338 with nine doubles, 25 runs scored and a .902 fielding percentage.

Junior outfielder Talon Mesel returns to the field as well after a season that included a .403 on-base percentage and 12 runs scored.

Dorunda knows that talent alone won’t get the team to its goals this season. The team’s mindset and aggression will also play a key role.

“We need to eliminate the mental mistakes and jump on teams early and not let off the gas,” said Dorunda. “We can’t take a team lightly no matter who they are. We came out flat and showed no emotion against Cambridge Springs last season and they spanked us. We also had Saegertown on the ropes, but had a couple costly errors. We can’t make those type of mistakes against the top teams if we want to accomplish our goals.”

In addition to his key returners, Dorunda has expressed excitement about several newcomers this season, including senior Lane Buccardo (outfield, first base), junior Cole Johnson (catcher, pitcher), sophomore Ethan Beers (third base, outfield) and freshmen Chase Myers and Rylan Benton (both outfield, utility players).

The Eagles’ extensive roster also includes several players who will compete for time at both the varsity and junior varsity levels, including seniors Gavin Bundy and Alex Patch, sophomores Nate Leamon, Dylan DePasquale, Braydon Baker and Logan King and freshmen Kirk Dunham, Aaden Patch, Carsyn Branstrom, Bryce Spinks, Josh Pikna, Connor Tuttle and Tyler Blakeslee.

Below is the current Eagles 2024 baseball schedule. Home games are in all-caps and region games are marked with an asterisk.

Wednesday, March 27- COCHRANTON*, 4 p.m.

Thursday, March 28- at Iroquois*, 4 p.m. (at Mercyhurst University)

Wednesday, April 3- EISENHOWER*, 4 p.m.

Friday, April 5- at Kane, 4 p.m.

Saturday, April 6- FOREST AREA (DH), 3 p.m.

Tuesday, April 9- UNION CITY*, 4 p.m.

Wednesday, April 10- at Rocky Grove*, 4 p.m.

Friday, April 12- at Oswayo Valley, 4:30 p.m.

Monday, April 15- SAEGERTOWN*, 4 p.m.

Wednesday, April 17- at Cambridge Springs*, 4 p.m.

Friday, April 19- at Maplewood*, 4 p.m.

Monday, April 22- IROQUOIS*, 4 p.m.

Wednesday, April 24- at Cochranton*, 4 p.m.

Friday, April 26- at Eisenhower*, 4 p.m.

Saturday, April 27- TITUSVILLE (JV only), 11 a.m.

Wednesday, May 1- at Union City*, 4 p.m.

Monday, May 6- ROCKY GROVE*, 4 p.m.

Wednesday, May 8- at Saegertown*, 4 p.m.

Monday, May 13- CAMBRIDGE SPRINGS*, 4 p.m.

Wednesday, May 15- MAPLEWOOD*, 4 p.m.