The Rosemont Raven's Baseball Program celebrated it seniors on Saturday, April 5th. 20 seniors in total were honored for their dedication to Rosemont Baseball and the College. Head Coach Ross Trachtenberg's comments are attached. Athletic Director Rich Casey, Team Chaplain Roseann Rissmiller and the assistant coaches all had powerful words of encouragement and congratulations to the graduating class. All 20 seniors were accompanied by their families on this special night.

Welcome to our much-anticipated 2025 Senior Day Celebration. When I was hired to start the baseball program in the fall of 2020, I could not have ever dreamed about the amazing four years I was about to embark on. Bobby DiDonato was our first recruit to ever visit campus, and Nick Tanella was our first ever commit. He was the first Rosemont Baseball Raven.

I have been a part of many senior day celebrations and have seen them done well and not so well for all involved. Tonight, I want to make time to truly celebrate this group in a way that we could not have done between games of a double header or through rainy conditions. Tonight, I want to recognize our 20 Graduating Seniors the right way. I do wish we could do so at Heuser. Tomorrow we will have the banners up and seniors will get a great opportunity to play in front of their families. My hope is next Saturday, our seniors can take the field with their parents during our double header to have the opportunity to walk onto the dirt at Heuser together. I will share more details about that in the coming week.

Though this celebration comes just a week after the announcement about the future of Rosemont College, I do want the focus to be entirely on this incredible senior class. 37 new recruits stepped on campus in late August 2021. Three of those guys have graduated already we picked up Jimmy along the way, and I am so incredibly grateful to be part of their academic and baseball journey that started with the Zoom meetings and campus visits with masks on and temperature and Raven Safe App checks every day. This number 20 is really impressive. However, the cumulative of GPA of this group is even more impressive. They have all tremendously improved or maintained academic high standards through their semesters at Rosemont. I have met with each one at least six times a year to focus on maximizing their academic experience. I am so proud of what they have accomplished individually and as a group academically to graduate with GPAs they are proud of.

Before we get to the players, I want to recognize a few individuals who have been a tremendous support for our players over the years.

Up first is our Athletic Director, Rich Casey.

Batting second, the best chaplain in Division III, Professor Roseann Rissmiller. We have an incredibly dedicated and talented coaching staff that I have the honor to guide this team with. I'll list them based on tenure:

• James Martin, who was with us from the first fall practice in 2021. He still has the mark from a Jamen line-drive to prove it.

• Coaches Glen Goldberg, Joe Tremoglie, and Jake Stoller all joined the team the following year in the fall of 2022. • Adam McKinley and Pete Fuller were added to our staff last year.

• Finally, Mike Denton and Fern unfortunately ran out of eligibility, but we are so fortunate to have them as coaches now, along with JD Rubin.

• My father Mike Trachtenberg has also been a member of our program since the very beginning. I simply love that I can work with my dad.

• A final thank you goes to two moms in the room tonight that greatly support me: my wife Lori and mother Symme.

I want to also give a special thank you to all of the parents here for supporting their son's dream of playing college baseball. Our liaisons have helped to organize the efforts for all our team meals, our First Pitch Dinners and our Senior Days. Our junior parents: The Shell, Peake and Gonzalez families have been terrific in this role. For four years, Bill and Christine Franklin, Danielle and Jim Angelillo, Alisha Baily and Aaron Palladino, and Stephanie George and John Coon have given extra of their time to make sure our players had everything they needed. Thank you and please give this group a well-deserved round of applause.

A special thank you goes to Stephanie George for all of the items the seniors will receive today. Stephanie also coordinated with my daughter Claire to get involved. Each senior mother will receive a Claire original bracelet tonight.

I now want to turn the mic over to the voice of the Ravens Senior Day celebrations, junior Ryan Bowman. Let's begin our senior recognition with our two managers who are graduating: Hailee Binney and Anthony Ranauto. Please come forward. We want to recognize them for their commitment to our program. They give a great deal of their time and they endure the cold and rainy days just like the coaches and players do.

And now for the seniors. We will call them up in numerical order with their escorts:

Bobby DiDonato is being escorted by his parents Kelly and Bobby, and his sister Sam. Bobby is a senior captain and has played every position for the Ravens, except first base. He is a Sport Management major and he has set the standard for work ethic and dedication to this team for all to follow. Returning to play this season from what was deemed a season ending injury just shows how much this team means to him.

Luke Franklin is number 2 and 42. If anyone find the #2 jerseys, please return them, no questions asked. Luke is escorted by his parents Christine and Bill. Luke has started as our short-stop and leadoff hitter since game 1 in the snow at MSI in February of 2022. Luke reached the 100 hit mark earlier this spring which is a testament to both his talent and work ethic. Luke is a sport management major who has started his MBA.

Nick Tanella is being escorted by his parents Amy and Greg along with his sister Kaylie. Nick is a senior captain and outfielder. He transitioned from the catcher position early in his college career. When collecting votes for who should be a captain this year, one of his teammates said: "There is no one who puts in more time or cares more deeply about this team than Nick." Nick is a Sport Management Major.

#6 Connor Cook is escorted by his parents Carolyn and Robert. Connor's first experience with snow in his life came during his freshman season at Rosemont. He has been a power hitting outfielder for the team with a freshman year homerun at Wilson that has not landed yet. Connor is graduating with a degree in psychology.

Fabian Vega is escorted by his mother Amy and brother Trystan. Fabian has played infield for the Ravens and has been a vocal leader for the team since he joined the program. His message after the win on Wednesday was a prime example of that. Fabian is a political science major.

Julian Albanese is escorted by his parents Joe and Nancy Albanese. "Cool boy" has contributed as both a catcher and outfielder for the Ravens. You can always find Julian doing something off the field to help his teammates, like setting up Bownets or catching pens. He even caught pens last season when an injury kept him from playing in games. Julian is a management major and has started his master's in construction management at Jefferson University.

#12 Dominic Younger or DY, is escorted by his parents Amy and Travis, his brothers TY and BY, and his grandmother Renee. DY still counts as our loan international player. He has done anything asked of him on the ball field, including pitching and catching. He has also gotten the most out of his Rosemont experience, serving as an RA, a tutor and in executive positions with various clubs on campus. Every team needs a DY both on and off the field. Dom is nearing the completion of his MBA, in addition to being a finance and accounting double major.

Jimmy, Jack, John Woods is escorted by his parents Gwen and Bill, his sister Corina, and his aunt Peggy Ryan. Jack has developed into a very strong defensive catcher and is having the best season of his career at the plate. He does anything the coaches ask of him in the interest of helping his team be successful. John has been a leader of the Rosemont Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, and he is an accounting and sport management double major who has also started his MBA.

Jamen Palladino is being escorted by his sister Marlee and Parents Alisha and Aaron. Jamen came here as a catcher/first baseman, spent time in the outfield and even was willing to pitch during his freshman season. He was named a captain for this senior year, not only for his contributions on the field, but for the example he sets of putting the team before everything else. Jamen has received several recognitions for his performance on the field, including collecting his 100th hit this spring. He has also been a stellar student as an education major.

Giuseppe Bentrovato is being escorted by his parents Ann and Giorgio, and his sister Gianna. Giuseppe is another Raven who came to Rosemont playing one position but transitioned to another to help the team. Unfortunately, Giuseppe's junior season was ended before it started due to injury. However, he came to every game and practice around his busy class and lab schedule. He worked his way back to what could have been a career ending injury to pitch again this spring. He is a biology major, and RA, and a campus tour guide.

#19 Samson Gerner is escorted by his parents Linda and John along with his sister Sophia, and girlfriend Erika. You have all read his game recaps this season and he has been heavily involved in the recruiting efforts of the baseball program for the past two years. He was the first player to record his 100th hit and has been the model of consistency as a hitter for his career. Samson is a Sport Management major and also is minoring in New Communications.

#21 Brett Angelillo is escorted by his fiancé and team photographer Avery Peddicord and parents Danielle and Jim. Brett has the honor of being our first Raven to be engaged. Brett is set to become the program's all-time appearances leader the next time he pitches. His first appearance for the team was in the program's first game ever at MSI, which was also where Coach Trachtenberg first saw Brett pitch during the summer of 2021. In addition to pitching in over a third of the program's games ever, Brett is a Sport Management major who is completing his third internship with our Athletic Department.

Justin Harrison is being escorted by his mom Karen and dad Chad. He has pitched in nearly 40 games in his four years for the Ravens in a variety of roles. His biggest outing was in relief last spring when he pitched the team into the playoffs with his performance against Valley Forge. Justin is a Sport Management major who has worked for several years for the Phillies Baseball Academy and went to Florida twice for the Phillies Phantasy Camp.

Zachary Nutley is being escorted by his parents Kathleen and Rob. Zach has been a starting pitcher for the Ravens since his freshman year, starting more games than any other pitcher. This is a testament to his health, commitment to the team and simply getting batters out. He has some of the biggest wins for the program over his career including earning the first win in program history vs Penn State Hazelton. Zach is graduating with a degree in Sport Management and has already started taking MBA classes.

David McKinney is being escorted by his parents, Sue and Joe, and his brother Mark and sister Emily. David has done everything asked of him over his career and has not asked for anything in return. He was recruited primarily as a pitcher, but has developed into a top of the line-up power hitter who can play both the outfield and first base. He played in every game in 2024 and has been in all but one game this spring season. These accomplishments are due to both his ability, but also his availability health wise. David will graduate as a double major in Management and Finance.

#29 Chris Walton is being escorted by his parents Cheryl and Chris. Chris is simply the best defensive catcher in our 14-team conference. His caught stealing totals may not get as high as they should be simply because other teams do not run on him. The game on Wednesday night is a prime example of that as Lancaster Bible did not attempt to steal even once. Chris is graduating with a double major in Accounting and Management.

#30 Alex "Nav" Rausch is escorted by his parents Donna and Eric, along with his sister Rachel and nieces Aurora and Westlyn. Alex had a setback during his sophomore season due to injury but has come out from that as a much stronger pitcher. He earned his first varsity start on the mound last month and keeps getting better each outing. Alex is a sport management major and does have the best nickname on the team.

Ryan McDonough is escorted by his parents Rene and Pat and his girlfriend Haley. He is a power hitting first baseman who has also pitched for the Ravens. Like his four-year roommate Justin Harrison, he has also worked at the Phillies Baseball Camps during the summer. Ryan is about the nicest and most positive person on the roster. He simply loves playing and being with his teammates. Ryan is a Finance and International Business double major.

Thomas George is being escorted by his mother Stephanie, father, John Coon, and his brother, Christoper. Thomas pitched, played first and served the team as a powerful left-handed designate hitter over his career. His growth as a ballplayer is remarkable. Thomas has been fully engaged in the full Rosemont Community by serving as the Head RA and running the social media platforms for our program. Thomas is a management major and is earning his minor in Marketing.

Our final senior is Jimmy Rodier who is escorted by his parents Amy and Jim, and girlfriend Lillie Valeriano. Jimmy transferred to Rosemont last spring, but it seems like he has been part of the Baseball Program from day 1. He made 9 appearances last season before being shut down with an injury for this season. He has served as a leader for the team this year and even as an assistant coach for the JV games this spring. Jimmy is a finance major and a sport management minor. He has also started his MBA at Rosemont already.

Congratulations to all our seniors and their families. We invite you all up for pictures and to enjoy each other's company. That concludes our Senior Day Celebration

A message from the Baseball Team Chaplain, Roseann Corey Rissmiller
Senior Day Speech.docx