PHILADELPHIA -- As Kevin Mulvey enters his 10th season guiding Villanova baseball, the program feels less like a stop along the way and more like home.
“I don’t know that it feels like long or short,” Mulvey said. “It kind of just feels like home to me. Villanova is pretty much all I’ve known — playing there as an undergrad and then coming back and starting my coaching career.”
That sense of familiarity carries into a season built around returning experience and internal growth. The Wildcats finished 22-28 overall last year, and 6-15 in Big East play.
Despite the realities of roster turnover in college baseball, Villanova brings back what Mulvey calls a “good returning nucleus,” particularly up the middle of the field.
“So we actually do have a good returning nucleus of guys,” Mulvey said. “Up the middle, you got Whooley, who is going to be one of the best players in the conference. He’ll play pro ball at the end of this year, barring injury or something crazy happening.”
Michael Whooley anchors an offense that also returns Brayden Leonard, Austin Lemon, JoJo Montgomery and John Freitag — a group that accounted for much of Villanova’s production a season ago. Lemon led the team with a .362 batting average, Leonard hit .323 with six home runs and 38 RBIs, and Whooley added nine home runs and a .307 average while starting all 50 games.
“Those guys returning gives you consistency and continuity in the lineup,” Mulvey said. “You know what to expect, where you can put them.”
Leonard, in particular, has become a cornerstone in the infield.
“He had a great year last year. He can swing it a little bit,” Mulvey said. “I think he’s one of the better defenders at second base in the conference as well.”
The Wildcats will not attempt to replace departed slugger Jason Neff with a single bat. Neff led the team in home runs (15) and RBIs (64) while posting a 1.051 OPS, leaving a hole in the middle of the order that Mulvey believes must be filled collectively rather than individually.
“I don’t think there’s going to be one guy that’s going to become Jason Neff and put up the numbers that he did,” Mulvey said. “For me to think that somebody would just snap their finger and become Jason Neff, stats-wise, that would be foolish.”
Instead, the message is balance and restraint.
“If we can all do our job and not try to be Jason Neff, inherently I think collectively we’d be all right,” Mulvey said. “If somebody tries to be Jason Neff and they’re trying to hit home runs and make up for all that, then it’s going to be a long year for that person.”
Villanova has added new pieces around its returning core, including transfer catcher Mark Gialluisi and freshman third baseman Larry Hotaling. Mulvey has been struck as much by Hotaling’s mindset as by his ability.
“This kid Larry Hotaling, he loves the game. He’s a student of the game,” Mulvey said. “He works really hard. He’s pretty cerebral about it.”
The freshman’s discipline has already left an impression.
“He tells me, ‘Coach, I go to bed at 9:30 every night,’” Mulvey said. “The way he goes about his business gives me good feelings about what he’ll be capable of doing here.”
With a roster heavy on seniors and graduate students, leadership will be central, particularly for younger players learning the rhythms of college baseball.
“It’s extremely important,” Mulvey said. “When we don’t win a game or we lose two in a row, that leadership has the ability to keep those kids that have never done this before on task and positive thinking.”
The daily message remains simple.
“Work, work, work your tail off, rinse and repeat every single day and we’ll figure this out and the ball will bounce our way and we’ll get back to winning,” he said.
The biggest uncertainty entering the season lies on the mound after Villanova lost a significant number of innings from last year’s pitching staff. Mulvey believes depth, not definition, will shape the early rotation.
“We’ve got six guys that we feel could start and give us five-plus innings,” he said. “We’re going to build those six guys up to be starters. Only three of them can start on the weekend, but those other guys will throw a lot of innings out of the bullpen.”
Among the early standouts are Jake Francis, Jack Kelley, Karsten Finnvold, Bobby Finn, Jack Chavez and JP Podgorski. Out of the bullpen, one name has separated himself.
“At the back end of the pen, Will Parkinson, transfer from Columbia, he looks really good,” Mulvey said.
Like most Northeast programs, Villanova expects some growing pains when it opens the season against warm-weather opponents who have already been practicing outdoors.
“I think pitching is probably going to be behind,” Mulvey said. “You’re inside all winter. It’s not really the same strike zone. Different environment. I think the pitching will take a little bit to click.”
Offense, by contrast, may arrive sooner.
“I think the hitting honestly is probably going to be a little bit ahead of the pitching,” he said. “All the technology now is offensive-minded — the cameras, the TrackMan data, the pitching machines.”
Villanova’s early schedule will test that theory with trips to Florida, Charleston and Texas before Big East play begins. Mulvey welcomes the challenge.
“That’s good for us,” he said. “We need to play teams that mimic the level of play in the Big East Conference. The Big East continues to get better.”
When asked what he hopes to be able to say about this team in May, Mulvey did not hesitate.
“That we made the Big East playoffs,” he said.
For a program built on continuity, leadership and collective responsibility, the goal is clear — not to replace stars, but to become a team that grows together and earns its way back into the conference race.
“So we actually do have a good returning nucleus of guys,” Mulvey said. “Up the middle, you got Whooley, who is going to be one of the best players in the conference. He’ll play pro ball at the end of this year, barring injury or something crazy happening.”
Michael Whooley anchors an offense that also returns Brayden Leonard, Austin Lemon, JoJo Montgomery and John Freitag — a group that accounted for much of Villanova’s production a season ago. Lemon led the team with a .362 batting average, Leonard hit .323 with six home runs and 38 RBIs, and Whooley added nine home runs and a .307 average while starting all 50 games.
“Those guys returning gives you consistency and continuity in the lineup,” Mulvey said. “You know what to expect, where you can put them.”
Leonard, in particular, has become a cornerstone in the infield.
“He had a great year last year. He can swing it a little bit,” Mulvey said. “I think he’s one of the better defenders at second base in the conference as well.”
The Wildcats will not attempt to replace departed slugger Jason Neff with a single bat. Neff led the team in home runs (15) and RBIs (64) while posting a 1.051 OPS, leaving a hole in the middle of the order that Mulvey believes must be filled collectively rather than individually.
“I don’t think there’s going to be one guy that’s going to become Jason Neff and put up the numbers that he did,” Mulvey said. “For me to think that somebody would just snap their finger and become Jason Neff, stats-wise, that would be foolish.”
Instead, the message is balance and restraint.
“If we can all do our job and not try to be Jason Neff, inherently I think collectively we’d be all right,” Mulvey said. “If somebody tries to be Jason Neff and they’re trying to hit home runs and make up for all that, then it’s going to be a long year for that person.”
Villanova has added new pieces around its returning core, including transfer catcher Mark Gialluisi and freshman third baseman Larry Hotaling. Mulvey has been struck as much by Hotaling’s mindset as by his ability.
“This kid Larry Hotaling, he loves the game. He’s a student of the game,” Mulvey said. “He works really hard. He’s pretty cerebral about it.”
The freshman’s discipline has already left an impression.
“He tells me, ‘Coach, I go to bed at 9:30 every night,’” Mulvey said. “The way he goes about his business gives me good feelings about what he’ll be capable of doing here.”
With a roster heavy on seniors and graduate students, leadership will be central, particularly for younger players learning the rhythms of college baseball.
“It’s extremely important,” Mulvey said. “When we don’t win a game or we lose two in a row, that leadership has the ability to keep those kids that have never done this before on task and positive thinking.”
The daily message remains simple.
“Work, work, work your tail off, rinse and repeat every single day and we’ll figure this out and the ball will bounce our way and we’ll get back to winning,” he said.
The biggest uncertainty entering the season lies on the mound after Villanova lost a significant number of innings from last year’s pitching staff. Mulvey believes depth, not definition, will shape the early rotation.
“We’ve got six guys that we feel could start and give us five-plus innings,” he said. “We’re going to build those six guys up to be starters. Only three of them can start on the weekend, but those other guys will throw a lot of innings out of the bullpen.”
Among the early standouts are Jake Francis, Jack Kelley, Karsten Finnvold, Bobby Finn, Jack Chavez and JP Podgorski. Out of the bullpen, one name has separated himself.
“At the back end of the pen, Will Parkinson, transfer from Columbia, he looks really good,” Mulvey said.
Like most Northeast programs, Villanova expects some growing pains when it opens the season against warm-weather opponents who have already been practicing outdoors.
“I think pitching is probably going to be behind,” Mulvey said. “You’re inside all winter. It’s not really the same strike zone. Different environment. I think the pitching will take a little bit to click.”
Offense, by contrast, may arrive sooner.
“I think the hitting honestly is probably going to be a little bit ahead of the pitching,” he said. “All the technology now is offensive-minded — the cameras, the TrackMan data, the pitching machines.”
Villanova’s early schedule will test that theory with trips to Florida, Charleston and Texas before Big East play begins. Mulvey welcomes the challenge.
“That’s good for us,” he said. “We need to play teams that mimic the level of play in the Big East Conference. The Big East continues to get better.”
When asked what he hopes to be able to say about this team in May, Mulvey did not hesitate.
“That we made the Big East playoffs,” he said.
For a program built on continuity, leadership and collective responsibility, the goal is clear — not to replace stars, but to become a team that grows together and earns its way back into the conference race.
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