WASHINGTON – The Georgetown University baseball team opens its 2019 season on Friday, Feb. 15 when it takes on Illinois in a neutral-site game in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The game is part of the Wake Forest Invitational and the Hoyas will play Sacred Heart on Saturday, Feb. 16 before closing out the weekend against the host Demon Deacons on Sunday, Feb. 17.
 
As the Blue & Gray prepares for the 2019 season, GUHoyas.com will take an in-depth look at each of the team's position groups, with this edition featuring the outfield and designated hitters.
 
The Hoyas graduated two mainstays in the outfield in Michael DeRenzi (C'18) and Austin Shirley (MSB'18), who started 155 and 127 games, respectively, in their careers. However, the Blue & Gray do return three players who started a combined 77 games in the outfield in 2018, as well as bring in three newcomers who will provide depth and compete for playing time.
 
The team is bolstered by the return of junior Ryan M. Davis (Danville, Calif. / San Ramon Valley) who started 54 of Georgetown's 55 games in center field last season. He ranked third on the squad with a .303 (63 of 208) batting average and led the Hoyas with 63 hits and 18 stolen bases while tying for the team lead with 12 doubles. He also drove in 26 RBIs and scored 27 runs while playing errorless defense in center field.
 
In left field, sophomore Kai Nelson (New York, N.Y. / Fieldston) and junior AJ Lotsis (Phoenixville, Pa. / Episcopal Academy) will both fight for playing time and could become a platoon situation depending on the pitching matchup. Nelson appeared in 17 games as a freshman, making three starts in the outfield and as designated hitter. He finished the season hitting .308 (4 for 13) with a double and two RBIs, while also drawing eight walks for a .545 on-base percentage. Lotsis was limited to a pinch-running role in 2018 due to injury and scored a run against Navy on Feb. 18.
 
Sophomore James Gabor (Wyndmoor, Pa. / William Penn Charter School) will assume the starting role in right field, a position in which he made 20 starts and appeared in 34 games as a freshman. Gabor finished 2018 with a .265 (18 for 68) batting average with a home run, two doubles and two triples. He drove in eight RBIs and stole four bases.
 
Graduate transfer Kyle Ruedisili (Jupiter, Fla. / The Benjamin School / Washington and Lee) will provide backup to Davis in center field, while also providing depth and late-game situational defense in the corner outfield positions. Ruedisili played in 92 career games at Washington and Lee, compiling a career .283 (104 for 368) batting average. He only played in two games as a senior due to injury, but batted .294 (47 for 16) with five home runs, three triples, eight doubles and 32 RBIs in 2017.
 
Additionally, freshmen Andrew Marra (Barrington, R.I. / Barrington) and Michael Willis (Baltimore, Md. / Gilman) will provide depth in the corner outfield positions and look to crack the lineup in their first seasons on the Hilltop.
 
At designated hitter, Head Coach Pete Wilk has a variety of options. Lotsis and Nelson could each fill in, depending on the matchup and who is in left field. Sophomore Alex Gamache (Lake Forest, Ill. / Lake Forest Academy), who had two hits in his five at-bats in 2018, will also have an opportunity at designated hitter, especially against left-handed pitchers. Senior captain Ryan Weisenberg (Parkland, Fla. / San Ramon Valley [Calif.]) could also see time if he is not playing the infield. Weisenberg, GU's active leader in home runs with 10, played in 50 games in 2018, compiling a .259 (43 for 166) batting average with seven doubles, 20 RBIs and 23 runs scored. Junior Will Salomon (Greenwich, Conn. / Brunswick), who reached base in two of his four plate appearances last year, will also be considered.
 
Georgetown is coming off a 2018 season that saw it finish with an overall record of 25-30, going 25-20 after dropping the first 10 games of the year to earn the program's fourth-consecutive 25-win season and the fifth in the past six years. The Hoyas went 8-9 in BIG EAST play, qualifying for their first conference tournament since 2015 and just the second since 1986.