On campus, some Quinnipiac fall sports have gotten a lot of attention. Women’s soccer is racking up wins, field hockey beat a nationally ranked team and both the ice hockey programs are ramping up.

But there is one team that had a summer that left more questions than answers, even though it doesn’t begin its season until February 2023.

Quinnipiac baseball has gone through three straight seasons of sub .500 play and recently went through a dramatic summer. Roster turnover, new additions to the coaching staff and some drama in the team’s open tryouts have put this team under the microscope, months away from the season.

Starting at the top, the coaching staff will be headed in a new direction in 2023. Head coach John Delaney will remain at the helm, but he will have some new faces in the dugout.

Pat Egan, the program’s assistant coach and recruiting director, was hired this past summer by Sacred Heart to be the Pioneers’ new head coach. To fill the void left by Egan, the team recently brought in two new coaches.

Replacing Egan as the new assistant coach is Trey Stover, the former director of baseball operations at Coastal Carolina. He will now also take over the role of recruiting director, an important position considering multiple freshmen have left after just one season in Hamden.

In addition to Stover, the team also welcomed Kevin Murphy to the staff. Murphy will be working with the Bobcats in a volunteer position. Last season, Quinnipiac had Pat O’Neill as a volunteer coach and it is unclear as of publication if he will retain that role.

Athletic Communications has not responded to requests for comment as of publication.

Looking at the roster of this team, it will be a complete 180 from the last time the Bobcats took the field. Eight players from last season have transferred to a new school, one has entered the transfer portal and one has stepped away from the program.

The losses include a number of upperclassmen, like catcher/outfielder Danny Melnick (Rutgers), pitcher Brandyn Garcia (Texas A&M), outfielder Andrew McDermott (Queens University of Charlotte) and pitcher Chris Mazza (LIU), all leaving the Bobcats with holes to fill.

With a large group of players still in the transfer portal, the team will be relying on the depth of the incoming freshman class and returning players to help right the ship.

This roster turnover prompted the team to announce an open tryout session last week for any Quinnipiac student. While having a chance for walk-ons is a common thing around college sports (both Quinnipiac softball and men’s basketball have announced dates for open sessions), the lack of returning players made this tryout more eye-opening.

A source told The Chronicle that just six people tried out for the team and this wasn’t without some hectic last-minute dramatics.

Students had to provide a sickle cell solubility test to try out, however, none of the people had these tests on hand and all had to scramble for a testing site. While the six students were able to try out, it has not been announced if any of these players have made the roster at the time of publication.

With a three-year stretch of poor performance and a massive haul of players cycling in and out of the program, the Bobcats are in a bind when the new season rolls around. As Delaney enters his ninth season as Quinnipiac’s head coach, the team is looking for a new jolt of energy.

After a summer of players finding new schools, the Bobcats know they need all the help they can get, both on and off the diamond.