The University of Scranton baseball team was ranked third in the Landmark Conference according to the 2025 Landmark Conference Baseball Preseason Poll on Wednesday, Feb. 12.  

The Royals sit behind Elizabethtown College and Catholic University. Head coach Mike Bartoletti said the rankings give incentive to the team to prove to the conference they deserve to be on top.

“Oh, we look at it (the Landmark Conference poll rankings). It's good incentive for us because we’ve constantly, I feel, been looked over. Since 2018 we’ve been to the championship game four times out of six that were played so I think our program is one of the top programs in the Landmark. They want to look by us, that’s OK,” Bartoletti said.  

The Royals finished their 2024 season with a 30-13 (17-7 Landmark Conference) record, achieving the most wins in program history with 30. The season did not end there as the Royals made their way to the Landmark Conference Finals against No. 1 Elizabethtown to ultimately beat the top contenders, 9-2. The Royals would move on to the NCAA Tournament for the second time in the program’s history following the conference title victory. The 2024 season came to an end after the Royals fell to Immaculata University, 8-0.

Senior infielder Jake Elston said the team has grown very close with one another since he started with the program and has proven successful with the chemistry they have.

“You think about last year a little bit obviously, but you put it in the rearview mirror and try to focus on this year and do the same things and do it the right way and play the right way. Last year was about as close of a team I’ve been on, and I think we're even closer this year, which is great. I mean 40 guys, everybody wants to see everybody succeed and I think that’s a really special thing,” Elston said.  

Bartoletti is entering his 22^nd season with the program. Bartoletti in 21 seasons became the winningest and longest tenured coach in the program's history and looks to lead the Royals with his veteran experience to another successful season. He and his coaching staff have led the Royals to two Landmark Conference titles in four years beating Elizabethtown in both championships. Bartoletti said what keeps him motivated to be a part of this program for so long is the relationships he builds with the team.  

“The biggest thing that’s important to me is relationships and building relationships with the players. Seeing them develop relationships with each other. That to me is the most rewarding. We do consider ourselves a family, I mean we spend a lot of time together,” Bartoletti said.  

Elston is one of the key returning players for the Royals. In his 2024 campaign, Elston was named All-Landmark Honorable Mention and named ABCA/Rawlings All-Region Second Team for his dominant performance at bat. Elston led the entire Landmark Conference in on base percentage averaging .551. The New Milford, Connecticut, native also ranked fifth in batting average, recording .372 percent, as well as posting 39 RBIs, 45 runs scored, 12 stolen bases, and four home runs. Elston's effective at bat performance will be a key factor in the Royals' upcoming season, especially in moments where the team relies on him the most.  

“(Elston) had a fantastic season last year and we're looking for him to do the same thing this year. He’s really talented on both sides of the ball and he’s definitely going to be a key part of it,” assistant coach Nick Reposa said.  

In the 2024 Landmark Conference Tournament against Elizabethtown, Elston recorded an inside the park grand slam in the ninth inning adding a cushion to Scranton’s lead, 7-1. The Royals would go on to beat Elizabethtown, 7-3, and would go on to play the conference rival the next day in the Landmark Championship to ultimately beat the No. 1 ranked contenders.

Elston said the bulk of the work comes in the offseason with weight training, conditioning and practice to get the team prepared and disciplined for the upcoming season. The players have a shared value of being resilient, tough and competitive every day in practice.

“This last month has obviously been a grind with early wake ups and doing things that make us probably uncomfortable that you don’t want to do but once you get the games going, you’re into the season, everything you’ve done has been worth it. It’s going to be 30 degrees this weekend and I guarantee you if a ball is thrown at any one of our guys one through nine, they are going to stand in there and wear it,” Elston said.  

The Royals face some key losses for the 2025 season especially in their bullpen. The Royals lose star starting pitcher Daniel Johnson, who ranked first in the program in wins with 22, and first in innings pitched with 221. The Royals also lose key starting pitcher Hunter Ralston, who ranked second in innings pitched with 215.2 in the program’s history. Bartoletti believes that with cohesive culture the program has built, players will step in and fill the missing pieces.

“Our challenges are obviously replacing our pitching. We lost over 70% of our innings. I do think we have guys that are going to step in and take a lot of those innings up but that’s our main challenge,” Bartoletti said.  

The last key player the Royals lose in the upcoming season is Reposa, who was a utility player for the Royals. Reposa ranks sixth in the program’s history in stolen bases with 35. Reposa will still be a part of the Royals however, as he will serve as an assistant coach. Now being a part of the team looking at the game from a different perspective, Reposa plans to use his successes and his failures during his playing career and see what works for the team, especially the underclassmen who don’t have as much experience as the upperclassmen.

“I just try teaching the guys what worked for me that might work for them. What didn’t work for me maybe will work for them, every kind of player is not cookie cutter. Everybody is different and really trying to find what works for them and using both my successes and my failures to help benefit these guys, especially the underclassmen that might not have a grasp on the rule of way so far. So just trying to help them out as much as I can,” Reposa said.  

The Royals will play their first games against Washington & Jefferson College on Sunday, Feb. 23 at noon and 3 p.m.