PHILADELPHIA – The La Salle baseball team will open its 2014 season on Saturday at Campbell, barring further issues with the weather. The Explorers are coming off a 24-29 season that included a school-record 15-9 Atlantic 10 record. Head coach Mike Lake's squad reached the conference tournament for the third time in four years.

Here's a position-by-position look at the 2014 squad:

CATCHER
Redshirt junior Ryan Welling was a mainstay behind the dish for the Explorers in 2013, starting 42 games. Welling tied for the club lead in homers (3) and was fourth in RBI (20). Defensively, Welling gunned down 14 would-be-basestealers and posted a .975 fielding percentage.

Sophomore Dan Callahan, redshirt sophomore Jack Meeker, redshirt freshman Ryan Conway, freshman Nick Tierno, and freshman Chadd Catrambone will see backup catching duties for the Blue and Gold.

INFIELD
Mark Williams, a junior first baseman, returns as the Explorers' top power hitter from a year ago. The Vienna, Va. native led the squad in doubles (13), RBI (29), slugging percentage (.489), and HBP (13). The All-Big 5 selection was especially impressive in conference play, notching an A-10 leading .598 slugging percentage in 24 regular season games.

Kevin Baron, a junior shortstop, is coming off a breakout season of his own. He led the club in runs (29) and walks (23) as a staple in the top of the batting order. His presence was especially felt defensively, where he posted a .969 fielding percentage and recorded a team-high 161 assists.

A pair of new faces will be sprinkled into the Explorer infield this spring – transfer juniors Cameron Johnson and Josh Savakinus. Both players starred at Lackawanna Junior College before coming making their way to 20^th & Olney last fall. Both players also played key roles in Lackawanna's back-to-back trips to the JUCO World Series.

Johnson annihilated junior college pitching last spring en route to being named an NJCAA Division II First-Team All-American. He led the country in RBI (71) and ranked second in homers (15) while swiping 27 bags. A third baseman, Johnson slashed .369/.428/.743 and brings clout to the middle of La Salle's lineup.

Savakinus was a two-time all-region player at Lackawanna and batted over .365 in both seasons. A second baseman, Savakinus smacked 23 doubles and stole 27 bags his sophomore year.

Sophomore Collin McGowan started 42 games at second base for the Blue and Gold as a true freshman along with coming out of the bullpen in relief. He collected 28 hits and 20 runs while amassing 5.2 innings of work on the mound.

OUTFIELD
The Explorers return all three starting outfielders from 2013 – redshirt junior Kevin Conroy (left), senior George Smith Jr (center), and junior Justin Korenblatt (right).

Conroy hit third for much of last season and registered a team-high seven multiple RBI efforts. He touched home a team-high 29 times while driving in 27 runs and amassing 72 total bases.

Smith Jr patrols center field in the spacious Hank DeVincent Field, notching a .991 fielding percentage last year. He tallied 38 hits in his junior season and touched home 20 times.

Korenblatt, an All-Big 5 choice in 2013, led the Explorers in total bases (79) and recorded an A-10 high five triples. He slashed .297/.377/.411 and had 15 multiple hit games.

UTILITY
Sophomore Joey Ravert enjoyed an award-winning freshman season in 2013. He was named to the A-10 All-Rookie team after leading the Explorers in on base percentage (.393). Ravert batted .310 and recorded eight multi-hit games in his role as a designated hitter and occasional first baseman. He also tossed 20.2 innings on the hill, fanning 11 hitters in relief.

Other position players include freshman Felipe Rivera, freshman Joe Monzo, sophomore JT Crits redshirt sophomore Derek Prucnal, Conway, and Tierno.

STARTING PITCHING
The Explorers return two of their weekend starters from last year – redshirt senior Shawn O'Neill and redshirt junior Shane Hollman.

O'Neill fanned 40 batters in 63.1 innings of work and picked up five wins along the way.

Hollman limited opponents to a .250 batting average against clip and struck out 49 batters in 63 innings. He pitched exceptionally well in A-10 play, going 3-1 with a 2.89 ERA in conference games.

Redshirt sophomore Alex Faust will look to crack the Explorers' weekend rotation. He tallied 4.2 innings of work last season, including one start. 

BULLPEN
Lake will use an "all hands on deck" approach to replace Pat Christensen, his closer for the last four years who ranks fifth all-time in NCAA history in saves (44). Redshirt junior Adam Cherry led the Explorers in ERA (2.23) last season in 26 relief appearances. He added three saves and a win to his resume while striking out 28 batters in 36.1 innings.

Senior Dominic Sgroi led the club in appearances (28) in 2013 and struck out 17 hitters. In conference games, Sgroi held opponents to a .154 batting average against clip.  

Transfer junior Freddy Andujar was a First-Team NJCAA Division III All-American last year after leading the nation in strikeout rate (16.17/game). The southpaw went 6-2 with a 2.50 ERA and will compliment Cherry and Sgroi at the back end of the bullpen.

Redshirt junior Mike McLeod and sophomore Tom Fazzini are both returning members of the bullpen that made contributions in 2013. Other relievers include freshman Brian Maher, freshman Andrew Craig, and redshirt freshman Greg Krug.