UMES makes their return to the diamond, seeking their second NEC Tournament appearance in three seasons. 

The Hawks enter the 2025 campaign with a 39 man roster made up of 12 returners, 11 transfers, and 16 new freshmen in the 2024 recruiting class. There are players from five different countries on the roster including the United States, Puerto Rico, Canada, Cuba, and the Dominican Republic. 
 

"This is our first recruiting class that we had the opportunity to bring in," stated UMES Head Baseball Coach Danny Acosta. "We will be a young team this year with a lot of newcomers who are looking to step up and earn their spot on the diamond."
 

Coach Acosta enters his second season at UMES featuring a coaching staff that returns pitching coach and recruiting coordinator Cole Doherty and adds hitting coach J.D. Mundy and volunteer assistant coach Austin Hogue.
 

On the mound, the Hawks will lean on some younger pitchers with some veterans in the mix. UMES will rely on juco transfer Jonah Stepner, freshman Carter Champey, freshman Hunter Allen, freshman Billy Robertson, returning reliever Brandon Gomez, sophomore transfer Wilfredo Morales and freshman Austin McCabe. The rest of the bullpen will also mix in as needed.
 

Offensively the Hawks will be led by infielder Diego Aponte, outfielder Julian Jimenez, catcher / designated hitter Jonathan Gonzalez, catcher Bronson Taylor, and shortstop Ansel Carson. The Hawks also bring back veteran bats in Ryan Howe (6th year with UMES Baseball) and Jason Brown (4th year with UMES Baseball) who each also provide great veteran leadership for the team.
 

"Even with 27 newcomers our guys have meshed very well together as we are building the chemistry and culture needed," shared Acosta optimistically. "We are very happy to say we did not have a single guy enter the transfer portal at the end of the fall semester. We are excited to get the season going as we are looking to compete daily."

VIDEO PREVIEW

Hear from Danny Acosta and Jason Brown as they share their thoughts on the upcoming baseball season.

FOLLOW ALONG

Keep up with the latest from UMES baseball on UMESHawkSports.com and by following along on X (@UMESHawkBase) and Instagram (@umeshawksbase).