ROCHESTER, N.Y. -- The RIT baseball team starts its 2023 season this weekend with a trip to Washington, D.C. Here are six things you need to know about this year's squad:
 
Looking Back
In 2022, the Tigers saw their season end with a 7-6 loss to Clarkson in the Liberty League Tournament. Senior outfielder Chris Reilly powered the Tigers' offense with 10 home runs, tying the single-season program record and finishing second in the Liberty League. In the field, RIT's .970 fielding percentage tied for the second-best mark in the history of the program.
 
Veterans at the Plate….
Six of the nine position players with the most starts in 2022 return for 2023, including Reilly, who returns for a fifth year.  
 
Among the most notable returners is graduate student 1B/OF Ian Libby, a team captain who Grow believes is among the best defensive first-basemen in the conference. The left-handed hitter is also an important piece at the plate, and led the Tigers in batting average (.303), OPS (.881), and doubles (14) last season.
 
Another team captain is senior catcher Kyle Poorman, who started 28 of RIT's 38 games last year and is expected to be the main backstop this season. Poorman caught 14 runners stealing in 2022, second in the Liberty League.
 
Two sophomores return in the outfield in Sam Kulp and Adam Marsh. Marsh entered the lineup later in his first year as a Tiger and finished with a .333 batting average that would have led the team if he had had enough at-bats to qualify. Kulp, who Grow says is one of the best athletes he's ever coached, hit .276 and was third on the team in OPS (.839) in 2022.
 
Other returning players who saw significant playing time last year include junior shortstop Randy Dodig and junior utilityman John Bagley.
 
…And on the Mound
Grow returns two of his primary starting pitchers. Junior right-hander John Arnold was named second-team All-Liberty League after leading the team with a 3.20 ERA and 1.20 WHIP. Fifth-year righty Jon Opalewski is also back and will serve as a team captain after leading the team with 65.2 innings pitched. Grow also projects senior Alex Slotter to see action in the rotation after the righty had a 3.41 ERA in 29.0 IP out of the bullpen last season.
 
In the bullpen, Grow expects senior right-hander Peter Bossinas to see plenty of action in high-leverage situations. A team captain, Bossinas made 16 relief appearances and notched two saves last season.
 
New Faces
The Tigers welcome 10 first-year players as well as three transfers.
 
Sophomore pitcher/outfielder Joseph Wozny transferred from Division 1 UConn.
 
Graduate student right-handed pitcher Eric Sipling transfers from Elizabethtown, following a 2022 season capped by D3baseball.com second-team all-region honors.
 
Among the first-year players, Grow expects good things from catcher Roberto Reade, infielders Jarin Moses and Charlie Slaymaker, and two-way player Trent Rapp. Among pitchers, Grow names Liam Miller, Jack Luensmann, and Luc Rising as top newcomers.  
 
Record Book Watch
Reilly is tied for fourth in program history with 12 career home runs. A repeat of last year's campaign would tie him for for second with Jeff Hall. Will Gorman holds the all-time program record with 27.
 
Libby is tied for fourth in program history with 72 walks and has a shot at overtaking Daniel Capra's 93 career free passes.  
 
Schedule
The Tigers begin their season on February 24-26 at the Gallaudet Bison Baseball Classic in Washington D.C. They will play opposite Washington College (Md.), Canton, and host Gallaudet.
 
RIT returns home for a game against Alfred State on March 2 and a double-header against Scranton on March 4, before heading to Florida for eight games in the RussMatt Central Florida Invitational (March 10-18).
 
The Tigers host non-conference foe St. John Fisher on March 22 before beginning conference play with a home doubleheader against St. Lawrence on March 25 followed by a single game on March 26.
 
The Tigers continue Liberty League play with a three-game series at Clarkson (April 1-2) before playing three games against Ithaca (April 7 away, April 8 home) a week later.
 
RIT plays a single game at Brockport (April 11), before resuming Liberty League action at Vassar (April 15) and Skidmore (April 16). RIT plays at St. John Fisher (April 19) before taking on Hobart in a three-game series (April 22-23).
 
RIT completes the regular season hosting Brockport (April 27) before taking on Rochester in a three-game set (April 29-30).