Lewiston, Idaho. This has been the goal for the Fisher Falcons Baseball program since its inception back in 2002. Lewis and Clark State University and the city of Lewiston, Idaho have hosted the NAIA World Series for the last 10 consecutive years and a total of 20 times in the World Series' 56 year history. 175 schools have competed in Lewiston and Head Coach Scott Dulin looks to make it 176.
When asked about this year's team, Scott Dulin can't help but get excited. "I am very much looking forward to this upcoming season. On paper it should be our most talented yet. As long as we throw strikes and make the routine plays we should be O.K."
The program is coming off a 24-26 season where it won a record 7th consecutive Sunrise Conference Championship. However, the Falcons are moving on to new challenges. This season Fisher will compete in the American Mideast Conference with Houghton College, Point Park University, and Walsh University.
Assistant Coach Tom Englehardt is looking forward to the conference change. "We have a tough schedule, but with the talent coming into the program, I think we will be able to take the next steps towards Idaho."
Houghton College will be competing for the first time at the Varsity level in 2012. Head Coach Brian Reitnour has been at the helm since 2010 building a program that will eventually transition to the Empire 8 beginning in the 2012-2013 academic year. The Empire 8 is an NCAA Division III conference made up of schools in the state of New York.
Point Park looks to be Fisher's biggest challenger for Conference success this upcoming season. The Pioneers were one vote shy of cracking the 2012 NAIA preseason poll and are rated by the NAIA coaches as the 26th best team in the country. Third year coach Loren Torres was 38-13 last year when it was the first team left out of the at-large bids to the NAIA national tournament. The Pioneers were ranked #23 in the final NAIA Top 25 poll of the 2011 season.
The Pioneers return their entire starting pitching staff including Derek Peluso (7-1, 3.41 ERA), Ryan Loutsenhizer (7-3, 3.34), Sean Clark (7-2, 3.72) and James Monroe (3-3, 6.07) as well as top reliever Mike Tullio (6-0, 0.98, 3 S). Point Park's top returning bats are infielders Lee Bodnar (.351, 6 HRs, 52 RBIs) and Dillon Sauers (.355, 23 RBIs) and outfielder Tom Pasinski (.314, 16 of 21 SBs).
Walsh University and Head Coach Tim Mead are coming off a 20-27 record in 2011 but will not qualify for any postseason play during the 2012 season. In July 2010 Walsh was approved to become the 7th Ohio school to garner NCAA Division II status thus relinquishing their right to NAIA postseason play.
Walsh is the only American Mideast Conference school Fisher competed against last season. The Cavaliers managed to win both games; 5-2 and 8-2, when they squared off against each other at Shawnee State University on February 26th and 27th, 2011.
Head Coach Scott Dulin will look to his young arms to lead the Falcons to the postseason once again in 2012. The Falcons will be without their top two pitchers from last season. Kevin Michael (5-6, 2.84) graduated and Michael Hashem (3-3, 3.13) became the first Falcon is school history to be drafted. Hashem was selected in the 35th round, 1,076 overall by the Atlanta Braves.
Fisher will rely on returning starters Casey Reed (3-6, 5.71) and Mike Callahan (5-3, 5.36) to pick up the innings Michael and Hashem left behind. Coach Dulin is also eager to see how sophomores Izzy Velez and Victor Lebron can impact this year's pitching staff. Two freshman Christopher Cantu, from Alamo, Texas, and Alex Fowler, from Alton, MD, should help fill the void lost by Michael and Hashem.
Cantu was a 1st team All-District Pitcher at San Juan Alamo Memorial HS and should make an immediate impact on the back end of the bullpen while Fowler's ability to throw three pitches for strikes should see him log significant innings in the Falcon's rotation.
Fisher returns five of its top ten bats from last season. Led by Gary Lunetta (.320, 16 of 18 SBs) and Davidson Peguero (.301, 28 RBIs) the Falcons will look to improve on their .283 team batting average from 2011. Lunetta will be chasing history of his own during the 2012 season as he sits just 23 stolen bases away from Anthony Perry's '08 career record of 69. Fisher should also be aided by the additions of Johann Knee and Dominic Zaher. Knee, a transfer from Montgomery CC – Germantown will add a power bat to sit in the middle of Coach Dulin's line up. Zaher, an All-League selection out of Chelmsford HS in Chelmsford, MA brings a unique combination of speed and power and will be a dynamic piece to place anywhere in the batting order.
Defensively the Falcons have a void to fill. The loss of second baseman Michael Oliveira will greatly affect the team's .950 fielding percentage. Oliviera was the first Falcon in program history to receive a Rawlings- NAIA Baseball Gold Glove Award. Oliviera committed only two errors (61 putouts, 103 assists, 2 errors) which resulted in a .988 fielding percentage.
However, the Falcons will return their top defensive player in catcher Sammy Alejandro. In 31 games played, 21 starts, Alejandro committed just two errors for a .989 fielding percentage.
Fisher enters the 2012 season with an overall record of 248-210-2 dating back to 2002. They have had seven winning seasons including a 34-16 mark in 2006 that had them finish ranked 25th in the final NAIA season poll.
Coach Dulin's squad will begin their 55-game schedule in Beaufort, South Carolina February 18th-20th. Fisher will play a four game series with the University of South Carolina-Beaufort Sand Sharks and travel the Voorhees College to play the Tigers once.
The Falcons will embark on their annual Texas spring break trip March 10th through the 18th where they will visit University of Texas- Brownsville for five games, St. Mary's University for three games, and University of Houston-Victoria for four games.
Fisher will then host the Fitchburg State University Falcons in a doubleheader on March 24th to begin their home schedule. Fisher will open up American Mideast Conference play when the host Walsh University March 31st and April 1st for four games.
The 2012 path to Lewiston, Idaho will be similar to last year which saw the Falcon's season end at the hands of Edward Waters in the East Coast Unaffiliated playoffs. The Eastern Unaffiliated Grouping will pair up eight schools in three divisions. Each division will send its top two teams, based on regular season standings, to a six team tournament with the winner advancing to the NAIA Opening Round.
The Northern Division is comprised of the American Mideast schools, the Central Division is made up of the Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, and the Southern Division a collection of three schools form the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference.
It will be Fisher's hardest path to postseason play they have ever encountered.
The winner of each NAIA Opening Round bracket advances to Lewiston, Idaho.