DC Baseball Places Four on HCAC Preseason Watch List

GREENWOOD, Ind. – The Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference recently announced its 2010 Baseball Preseason Watch List. The Yellow Jackets saw Kirk Jesse, Casey Kahsen, Tim Pitro and Keith Wade named among the 41 student-athletes to be honored from around the league. 

The preseason honor is the second in as many years for Jesse, who is coming off his best season with DC. Jesse moved to center field for the Jackets in 2009 and set single-season highs with 38 starts, a .333 batting average, 32 runs scored, 22 runs driven in, four triples and 14 stolen bases. The Ney, Ohio, native also led Defiance in numerous categories, including games played, at bats, average and total bases en route to earning Second-Team All-HCAC honors for his second-straight All-HCAC selection. 

Kahsen was named an HCAC Preseason Player to Watch after taking Honorable Mention All-HCAC honors by starting 33 games behind the plate for the Jackets in 2009. The senior is widely regarded as one of the top defensive catchers in the league, as he topped the conference by throwing out 20 runners on the bases and nipping 37 percent of runners attempting to steal during his junior campaign. The Temperance, Mich., native is also coming off his finest year with the bat, after hitting .269 with 18 runs batted in one year ago. 

Pitro garnered his third-straight preseason honor from the HCAC, after being named as an All-HCAC performer for the third time in his career in 2009. The senior second baseman turned in a .294 average, while posting a stout .496 slugging percentage and a .424 on-base percentage. Pitro's .920 OPS led the team and he set career highs with 36 games played, four home runs, 32 runs batted in and 19 walks. The Gahanna, Ohio, native owns a sparkling .344 average for his career and will look to lead the Yellow Jacket attack once again in 2010. 

Wade was named as an Honorable Mention All-HCAC selection as a junior and opens his 2010 season with a spot on the HCAC Preseason Players-to-Watch List. Wade had a breakout last year and set personal bests with 35 games played, a .292 batting average, 120 at bats, 35 hits, 15 runs, 19 runs batted in, seven doubles, 13 walks and six steals. The Wixom, Mich., native started 19-of-22 HCAC games at the hot corner and caught fire down the stretch, when he went 24-of-63 for a .381 clip during his final 18 contests. 

Jesse, Kahsen, Pitro and Wade will look to lead an experienced offense for Defiance during 2010. The Jackets are slated to open the year at Grace College on March 3, before heading south for their annual spring trip to Port Charlotte, Florida from March 5 through March 13.