VETERAN PITCHING STAFF
Despite its roster featuring 21 freshmen and sophomores, the 2023 Holy Cross baseball team brings significant experience and poise on the mound — and the Crusaders will turn to a veteran pitching corps to guide the way.
Headlining the Crusaders’ rotation is senior righty Jack DiLauro, who threw a team-high 59 innings across 12 starts and tallied 65 strikeouts. He threw six innings of one-hit, one run ball with nine strikeouts in his 2022 Opening Day start at Troy, and he later dazzled with a 13-strikeout appearance against Bucknell. In his career, he’s tallied 120 strikeouts in 110.2 innings of work, starting 21 of his 25 appearances.
Senior right-hander Luke Fox looks to build upon an impressive 2022 campaign in which he earned All-Patriot League honors (he also earned a nod as a Preseason All-Patriot League honoree). He posted a 3-1 record and a pair of saves in 16 appearances out of the bullpen, recording a 2.63 earned-run average over 24 innings. Fox held opponents to a .221 average and struck out 20 batters on the year while conceding just seven walks. He was all the more impressive in Patriot League play, going 3-0 with two saves and recording a 2.25 ERA in 11 appearances and 16 innings pitched. Fox owns a career ERA of 3.09, with just 11 earned runs conceded across 23 career relief appearances.
Righty Nate Chudy bolsters an experienced group of senior pitchers, with 65 career innings of work in 23 appearances. He moved into Holy Cross’ rotation as a junior, and his 2022 outing was his best season yet: Chudy recorded a 5.18 ERA in 41.2 innings, starting all 11 of his appearances. One of his best outings of the year was his season debut on March 9 at VMI — a team that the Crusaders will face four times in 2023 — in which he tossed four no-hit innings with four strikeouts. He later tossed six shutout innings, conceding just two hits, in a five-strikeout showing at Lafayette.
Junior right-handed pitcher Matt Remley also saw an increased workload as a sophomore in 2022 — he started nine of his 13 appearances, ranking second on the team with 46.1 innings of work. His outing against Lehigh in the Crusaders’ regular-season finale helped clinch a berth in the Patriot League postseason — Remley struck out a career-best five batters over seven shutout innings.
Seniors Jake McOsker and Ben Talbot have extensive relief experience (26 career appearances each) in Holy Cross uniforms.
Lefty Tyler Mudd — who patrols center field when he isn’t pitching — may be just a sophomore, but he has already amassed 45.1 innings on the mound, ranking second on the team last season with 45 strikeouts. He also took home Patriot League Rookie of the Week honors on May 3.
Sophomores Trevor Neff (32.1 IP) and Augie Walters (23.2 IP) are a pair of right-handers who impressed in their rookie seasons, and will look to expand upon their success. Neff had a 4.73 ERA on the year, and was a Rookie of the Week selection on April 12; Walters posted a 4.97 ERA in conference action last season.
While the Crusaders boast an experienced pitching staff, Holy Cross also expects its fresh faces to have an instant impact. Right-handers Danny Macchiarola (Garden City, N.Y.) and Jaden Wywoda (Milford, Conn.) are anticipated to help anchor the bullpen and provide starter flexibility; other freshman pitchers who will seek to make a statement right away include right-handers Jake Needham (Winchester, Mass.) and Oliver Brown (Anchorage, Alaska), who also plays in the infield.
