April 19, 2022

After a successful 2021 season that included a playoff appearance, the Geneva Red Wings are on the hunt for more in 2022.

The Red Wings finished in second place in the Western Division with a 23-18 record. In the PGCBL playoffs, they advanced league semifinals before falling to the eventual champion Saugerties Stallions.

“As a team we started off slow but then we gained some momentum and really played some good baseball down the stretch,” said Head Coach Dan Munn, who will be entering his second season at the helm this summer.

This year’s Red Wings team will feature a crop of returners. Closer Dom Trippi (Army) is one of those returners on the mound after recording a 4.15 ERA for the Red Wings last summer and picking up a save. Two-way player Nick Searce (Alfred State) is also back after dominating last summer, pitching to a 0.68 ERA across 26 1/3 innings and had 42 at-bats as a utility infielder, highlighted by a pair of doubles and scoring five runs.

“It’s huge because we already have some chemistry with those guys coming back. Nick is the captain of his team and Dom, they’re both big leaders and they’re definitely going to help us get acclimated early on in the season,” Munn said.

As for new players, they will have talent on the mound. That starts with Bruno Cergol (Delaware State), who stands 6’8” and is described by Munn as a “flamethrower” who he expects to have a major role in the bullpen. Sam Brumbaugh (Christian Brothers University) is also coming in after a strong spring.

At the plate, they’ll be bringing in infielder Jordan Jaffe (Richmond), catcher Nick Castellana (Niagara) and a pair of Illinois-Chicago outfielders Brandon Geipi and Luke Picchiotti.

Munn believes that having a strong pitching staff will lead to the team having success this summer.

“I think it’s pretty obvious that pitching wins games and last year that was kind of our weakness at the end down the stretch, we ran out of arms. Our recruiter really focused on getting us arms this year and we believe that that’s going to be the difference-maker for us being competitive in this league,” Munn said.

One thing is for sure: it is bound to be an exciting summer in Geneva with a winning brand of baseball.

“It’s got me excited,” Munn said. “I’m ready to come back this year and we hope to carry over some of that success from last season.”