Lyndonville, VT - The Vermont State University Lyndon baseball team is traveling south to the Jackie Robinson Baseball Complex in Vero Beach, FL, to open up their 2025 campaign. The Hornets will play six games in Florida as a part of the College Baseball Spring Invitational, starting with a 1:00 pm doubleheader against Massachusetts Maritime Academy on Friday afternoon.
The Hornets will continue their stay in Florida with a doubleheader against Norwich University on Saturday. They will also play single games against Susquehanna University on Sunday and Waynesburg University on Monday, before heading home.
Lyndon returns 24 players from its 2024 roster, led by two All-Conference selections, sophomore outfielder Evan Duncan (Little Elm, TX) and senior utility man Alberto Bustamante (Northridge, CA). Duncan had a spectacular rookie season a year ago, hitting a team best .391 with a .667 slugging percentage, five home runs and 16 runs batted in. Bustamante saw time on the mound, behind the plate, and at third base. He hit .304 with eight RBIs and posted a 2.70 earned run average in four appearances on the mound.
The Hornets return a wealth of experience on the mound this spring. Junior Nathan Bigelow (East Hampton, VT) made nine appearances including seven starts. He posted a 4.60 ERA with 28 strikeouts. Senior Carlos Rodriguez (La Mirada, CA) was 2-2 with a 4.77 ERA and a team best 41 strikeouts. Sophomore Jack Holley (San Gabriel, CA) was 2-3 with a 3.81 ERA and 20 strikeouts. Seniors Dale Ostermann (Harrington, DE), Jacob Wechselblatt (Reston, VA), Dylan Crump (Falls Village, CT), and Joey Hanlon (Trinity, FL), juniors Mike Redmond (Plantation, FL), and Ryan Alt (Poultney, VT), and sophomore John Kuhn (Cape Coral, FL) all saw time on the bump a year ago.
Alt and Ostermann are also expected to see time in the infield. Alt batted .290 with 11 runs batted in, while Ostermann hit .193 with ten RBIs. Other returnees in the infield include senior first baseman Kearson Grishm (Choctaw, MS), sophomore first baseman Andrew Lovejoy (Milton, VT), junior middle infielders Keegan Stephenson (Lander, WY) and Ian Hedgepeth (Norwich, VT), sophomore middle infielder Isaiah Wittrig (Phoenix, AZ), and senior infielder Luis Rivera Pellot (Wimauma, FL). Third baseman EJ Camden (Corona, CA) and first baseman Chuck Gratton (Bennington, VT) also return after missing the 2024 campaign with injuries.
Lyndon also brings back several players in addition to Duncan in the outfield. Graduate student Matt Doherty (Gardner, MA) hit .255 with four home runs and 20 runs batted in. He has 11 career home runs in a Hornet uniform. Senior Will Perkins (Holtwood, PA) returns after missing most of last season with an injury. Junior Dalton Berry (Tavares, FL) hit .218 last season.
Junior Matt Gonyeau (St. Albans, VT) returns to head up the catching corps. He batted .283 with 16 runs batted in last season. He will be joined behind the plate by Bustamante and a trio of freshmen, Austin Bigelow (East Hampton, CT), Carter Paquette (Shoreham, VT), and Jess Seaton (Yorkville, IL).
Eleven other newcomers round out the roster. They include Central Maine Community College transfer pitcher Isaiah Gutierrez (Nashua, NH) and ten other freshmen: pitchers Adam Guenther (Southington, CT) and Tyler Kimball (Vergennes, VT), outfielders Sean Dunton (Quechee, VT), Michael Matsi (Las Vegas, NV), and Garrison Ray (Bakersfield, CA), infielder Eyon Tembreull (Vergennes, VT), and utility players Zinabu McNeice (Brattleboro, VT), Bryan Nazario (Little Elm, TX), James Ripley (Jeffersonville, VT), and Brayden Ross (West Bridgewater, MA).
After the Hornets return from Florida they will resume their 40-game schedule at Middlebury College on March 13th. Lyndon will also play five non-conference games against Fisher College, two additional games against Norwich, two games against Vermont State University Castleton, Colby-Sawyer College, and the University of Maine at Presque Isle, and one game each against Wentworth Institute of Technology and Anna Maria College.
Lyndon will compete in the North Atlantic Conference's West Division this year, along with Lesley University and the State University of New York at Cobleskill. The Hornets will play four conference games against both the Lynx and the Tigers, and will play two NAC contests against each of the four teams in the NAC's East Division, UMaine-Presque Isle, the University of Maine at Farmington, Husson University, and Thomas College. The top two teams in each division will qualify for the NAC Tournament in May, with the tournament winner earning automatic qualification to the NCAA Division III Championship Tournament.
Cameron Curler returns for his third season as head coach of the Hornets. He will again be assisted by Sam Matthews, Nate Stewart, Steven Friscia, and Aiven Malanoski. Veteran coach Bob Godlewski joins the staff this season as special assistant.
