The Waynesburg University baseball team has a new look and championship aspirations for the 2025 season.

In July, Yellow Jackets manager Perry Cunningham announced he was retiring.

Waynesburg University Athletics announced a month later that former Hood College manager, Michael Impellittiere was hired.

In the early part of his tenure as the head of the program, there is already a renewed sense of intensity and urgency.

“Win the PAC Championship and get into the playoffs, 25-plus wins,” Impellittiere said of his goals for the team this year. 

Last season, Waynesburg University finished with 23 wins, which tied the program’s single-season wins record. The Yellow Jackets also clinched a playoff spot in the Presidents’ Athletic Conference Tournament for the first time since 2019. 

In addition to team achievements, there were several individual accomplishments as well. Five student-athletes earned All-PAC honors. Starting pitcher Dalton Lucey and catcher Seth Burgdolt were named to the All-PAC Second team, whileInfielders Alec Engelmore and Mike Bell, along with outfielder Lane Ours earned All-PAC Honorable Mentions. 

Of all those players, Lucey, Engelmore and Bell are returning this season.

One of the players left out of that list who played well in his freshman season was Garrett Comer. He started in all 40 games he appeared in, usually flashing the leather in center field. Comer finished his freshman year tied for the team lead in runs batted in with 24. 

Comer echoed his new manager’s expectations for 2025.

“The goal for this upcoming season is to win a PAC Championship,” Comer said. “The only thing that matters is how we come together as a team in the Spring and how we play in late May.”

Waynesburg University was statistically the worst offense in the PAC, batting a collective .271. Comer’s batting average was over the .300 mark for most of this season, although he ended the season batting .289.

The Yellow Jackets look for Comer to continue his successes into next season, as well as getting improvements from some of the other younger players. 

As for the Waynesburg University pitchers, that has been the team’s strength for the most part. The starting rotation in particular has been really solid in recent years, with junior starting pitcher, Ethan Erhard providing his thoughts on the trajectory of the whole team.

“My goal for the team has significantly changed from when I first got here. I feel like we can be a 30-win team in all honesty,” Erhard said. “Our pitching and hitting has looked better than ever, and we have worked harder than we ever had before.”

Opening day for the Waynesburg University Yellow Jackets’ 2025 season is scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 22, against La Roche.