Baseball Position Preview: Pitchers

Zane Starling Pitching at Harmon Stadium

2/8/2025 2:00:00 PM | Baseball

'25 Roster Features 19 Pitchers, Seven Returners

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Opening Day for North Florida baseball is six days away and the 2025 roster is filled with talented pitchers, including 12 newcomers.

In 2024, UNF pitching improved from their 2023 marks. Last season's staff struck out 452 batters and allowed 47 less earned runs. They also allowed less hits, home runs, and recorded more saves in pitching coach Mike Petrowski's first season.

With a large portion of last season's roster having graduated, head coach Joe Mercadante reloaded his roster with gifted arms from both the transfer portal and the high school level.
Returners:
RHP Clayton Boroski -              1-3, 5.74 ERA, 26.2 IP, 24 K

Boroski is a veteran righty with 100 innings accumulated on the mound as an Osprey. Boroski has the ability to be both a starter and reliever, though he was primarily a bullpen arm in 2024. He started a career high 13 games in 2023 and is 11 strikeouts shy of 100 in his career. The St. Cloud native's best outing in 2024 was on March 1 against Dartmouth, where he struck out 6 over in 2.2 scoreless innings.

RHP Will Ross -              0-2, 5.21 ERA, 19.0 IP, 9 K

Ross was the Opening Day starter for the Ospreys in 2024 after weather forced the Ospreys to play a double-header. Two late season outings inflated his statistics, but Ross was a valuable piece for UNF. Similar to Boroski, Ross has the ability to be both a starter and reliever. The righty allowed an earned run in only three of his first eight outings during the 2024 campaign.

RHP Jordan Wimpelberg -              3-3, 4.62 ERA, 37.0 IP, 34 K

Wimpelberg appeared in 20 games, all out of the bullpen in 2024. In 12 of his outings, he went multiple innings, while also recording three or more strikeouts six times. He earned his first career save on March 17 against Queens and won the Ospreys April 20th game against JU. In conference play, Wimpelberg's ERA was 2.61, the lowest on the team among qualified pitchers.

RHP Zane Starling -               4-1, 6.48 ERA, 25.0 IP, 31 K

Starling's statistics from last season don't accurately depict the strong year he had. As a freshman, the righty struck out 31 batters and held opponents to a .225 batting average. The Lake City native was often handed the ball in late game situations, recording two saves in ASUN play. Starling's four wins were the second most on the team in 2024.

RHP Brandon Adams -              0-0, 5.40 ERA, 11.2 IP, 19 K

Adam's has appeared in 25 games over his first two seasons as an Osprey and his 2024 campaign showed improvement as a relief pitcher. The right-handers' strikeout numbers jumped, punching out 19 in 11.2 innings of work. If you eliminate his April 13 outing, Adams allowed 2 earned runs in 10.1 innings, good for an ERA of 1.74.

RHP Kaden Humphrey -              1-2, 5.65 ERA, 36.2 IP, 43 K

Humphrey was no stranger to the ASUN last season, having transferred from Stetson University. The righty made 20 appearances and one start for North Florida in 2024. Similar to many of his teammates, his strikeout numbers boomed, punching out 43 in 36.2 innings. His strongest outing was against Lipscomb on April 14, when he struck out five in 2.2 innings on the mound.

LHP Jacob Thomas -              Did Not Pitch

Thomas is the only returning Osprey who is a left-handed pitcher. The Orange Park native did not pitch in 2024 but had a standout career at St. Johns Country Day HS. He was a three-year varsity letter winner, won multiple district titles, and won eight games as a senior.

Transfers:
LHP Kai Etwaru -              7-0, 3.91 ERA, 73.2 IP, 74 K       (2024 Stats At Delaware State)

Etwaru's 2024 season at Delaware State was strong. The lefty began the season with nine consecutive starts of six innings or more, including an 11-strikeout performance against Le Moyne College on March 16. His 2024 campaign was good enough to win the Northeast Conference (NEC) Pitcher of the Year award. LHP Tony Roca and Peter Holden, UNF's top two starters from 2024, both graduated. The addition of Etwaru fills a void left by the two of them.

RHP Clay Hendry -              2-2, 9.29 ERA, 31.0 IP, 30 K       (2024 Stats At Daytona State)

Hendry primarily pitched in relief in his two seasons at Daytona State, however he made six starts in his time with the Falcons. Hendry's command was his strong suit. He struck out nearly 10 batters per nine innings and did not walk more than 12 hitters in either of his two seasons. The Middleburg native was a JUCO all-star in 2023

RHP Brennan Baker -              Redshirt at Tallahassee CC

Baker is a Jacksonville native who played high school ball at Mandarin. He had a successful high school career, winning multiple conference championships. He was 7A District Player of the Year and is one of seven Jacksonville natives on the 2025 roster.

LHP Joseph Dimino -              1-0, 0.00 ERA, 3.2 IP, 4 K            (2024 Stats At Mercer County CC)

Dimino is another lefty transfer that Joe Mercadante has added to his squad. Dimino was originally committed to play baseball at the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT). NJIT used to be a member of the ASUN conference from 2015 to 2020. Dimino was the Colonial Valley Conference Pitcher of the Year in 2021.

RHP Ryan Furey -              7-2, 2.90 ERA, 71.1 IP, 49 K       (2024 Stats At Rollins College)

Furey is not a strikeout pitcher like a few of his fellow transfers. He struck out 72 in 119.1 innings at Rollins but limited his walks and worked around base runners often. He was an all-conference pitcher last season and was a weekend starter for the Tars. His best outing was against Florida Southern on May 5, when he went eight innings and allowed one run while striking out five.

RHP Aaron Potter -              9-3, 4.60 ERA, 90.0 IP, 98 K       (2024 Stats At SJR State)

Potter made more starts for St. Johns River State College than any other pitcher on their roster. He was named to the Sun Lakes All-Conference Second Team and was selected to the DII JUCO World Series Tournament team the year prior. His 2024 resume featured seven starts of six innings or more, three complete games, and a no-hitter.

RHP Tommy Groom -              1-2, 7.39 ERA, 31.2 IP, 33 K       (2024 Stats At Yavapai College)

Groom started his collegiate career at USF. He only pitched in seven innings before going the JUCO route with Yavapai College. Groom still has the arsenal and skill sets to be a Division 1 pitcher. His strikeout numbers were excellent, and he adds depth to a bullpen that lost a handful of names after last season.

LHP Josh Cone -              1-5, 2.23 ERA, 40.1 IP, 39 K       (2024 Stats At PHSC)

Cone, similar to Groom, started his collegiate career at South Florida. He stayed local to Florida and played JUCO ball at Pasco-Hernando State College. His WHIP of 1.02 is a more accurate representation of his season than his record. He was First Team All-Conference and was the JUCO Reliever of the Year.

RHP John Costa -              2-0, 6.69 ERA, 36.1 IP, 48 K       (2024 Stats At Tallahassee CC)

Costa is the second player to have transferred to North Florida from Tallahassee CC for 2025 (Baker). The righty is looking to bounce back after a tough 2024. Base-runners hurt him at times last season, but the upside is very evident. He struck out 48 in 36.1 innings and has an explosive repertoire. He is an under the radar addition that could be a major assist in 2025.

Freshmans:
RHP Trevor Nikolis

Nikolis had a standout high school career at St. John Neumann Catholic. He played three seasons of varsity baseball, where he was First Team All-Area pitcher and won the 2023 district and regional title. The Naples native held hitters to batting average below .200 and had an ERA of 0.60 as a senior.

RHP Bryson Treichel

Treichel played at Deland HS and he helped lead his team to a 15-11 record in 2024. He was a two-way player, though he had more success as a pitcher. As a sophomore, he pitched to an ERA of 3.45 in ten starts.

RHP Jackson Bellhorn

Bellhorn, similar to Treichel, was also a two-way player in high school. Treichel spent five seasons at the varsity level for the Master's Academy in Oviedo, Fla. As a pitcher, his career ERA was below three and his batting average as a hitter was over .350. His father was drafted by the Mets and his Uncle played in the MLB with the Athletics, Red Sox, Cubs, Rockies, Yankees, Padres, and Reds.