San Francisco, CA -- While past Urban Knight teams have relied on the versatility of their players, the 2013 Academy of Art University baseball team is focused on another important aspect: roster depth. Due to some heavy-duty recruiting efforts by head coach Brian Guinn and the rest of the Knights coaching staff, this year's squad has a full complement of pitchers and hitters at almost every position.

ART U, with the expansion of the Pacific West Conference bringing four new teams to the league schedule, will see more opponents than ever in 2013. A non-conference slate that sees the Knights starting on the road against Cal State Dominguez Hills (Live Stats, Live Audio for Feb. 1 only) will also pit them against CCAA powerhouses Chico State and Cal State Stanislaus later in the year. The PacWest schedule will see the some familiar faces, but this time for fewer games, and also add in Point Loma, Azusa Pacific, Holy Names, and Fresno Pacific.

The Knights, who lost a slew of key players last year to graduation, replenished the stocks and then some, and looks to head into the year with seven new position players around the diamond. A mixture of experience and youth, the Urban Knights brought in six transfers along with six freshmen, and will have two more returning from injury to complete a thorough revamping of the roster.

“We have more depth this year, everybody is healthy, and we're a little older,” Guinn said. “We should be able to compete with some of the older teams. As long as we stay healthy, we should do pretty well. We have more depth on the mound, in the infield, and the outfield. We're just a little bigger and a better team.”

After bidding longtime right-fielder Johnathan Robbins farewell, the Urban Knights look to start the year with senior Stefen Henderson taking over his spot in the outfield. Henderson, the career leader in doubles, homers, and walks, will shift from first base to the outfield, where the coaching staff likes his range and arm. Myles Babitt will reprise his role in left field after a successful freshman campaign where he had the second-best average on the team.

The two returners will be joined by freshman Joseph Marchini (Salesian HS) as the projected starting outfield, backed up by sophomore speedster Devin Mason and freshman Jeremy Williams (Piedmont HS). All of the outfielders have plus speed for the Knights, including the newcomers. Babitt (6-for-7), Henderson (7-for-9), and Mason (3-for-4) all had success stealing bases last year, while Marchini swiped 22 bases in 27 games in his senior season.

The infield will look completely different, as Academy of Art lost third baseman Kenny Rollins, middle infielder Zach Babitt, and utility man Niko Leite to graduation, in addition to Henderson moving to the outfield. In response, the Knights welcomed in four transfers to fill their shoes. Dante Redhead (Laney CC) will take over for Rollins at third base, bringing some pop to the hot corner. Niko Leite's younger brother Tino Leite (UNC Greensboro), a sophomore, is the projected starting shortstop for the Urban Knights, while Lyle "Kalani" Brackenridge (University of Hawaii) is taking the reins as a junior transfer at second base. Holding down first base will be junior transfer Ryan Ramirez (Consumnes River CC), a 6'3 right-hander from Vacaville high school who has gap-to-gap power and sure hands at first. The Knights also added backstop Kevin Decker (Yuba CC), who will split time with junior James Singzon and senior Chris Holmes behind the plate.

Junior Wade Broadstreet provides depth at both middle infielder positions and also projects to pitch some this season, while the Urban Knights also have freshman Cody Edmunds on the roster, who played second base and outfield while at Miramonte High School. Kai Fink, a freshman out of Hawai'i Preparatory High School, was an All-Island selection as a first baseman last year, and will spell Ramirez as well as seeing some innings on the mound for the Knights.

“We've got a lot of new guys and they've come in with a very high baseball IQ,” assistant coach Bip Roberts said. “They've been around the game all their lives. We're just thrilled to have these guys here because we know that it's the beginning of us starting to win as far as a team here at the Academy.”

The pitching staff will also be stronger than ever, even after the graduation of four-year starter Zach Mexicano and fellow seniors Kallen Fletcher and Spencer Roland. Redshirt sophomore Nate Gercken returns as a starter for the Urban Knights after a strong freshman campaign, while senior flamethrower Ryan Donahoe will see time both as a starter and reliever after notching over 1.6 strikeouts per inning last season. Redshirt sophomores Nick Giotta and Samm McAlear are both rebounding from injuries in 2012 and look to get on the mound, joining a bullpen that also features lefty Yoshi Uemura. Junior transfer Aaron Garabedian also completed his year to gain residency and will join the starting rotation.

Freshmen Nicholas Boyett (Salesian), Terrance Williams (Heritage HS), and the aforementioned Fink also look to see time on the mound for the Knights, who will be able to rotate their arms in and out without having to worry about taking fielders out of position like in the past. That being said, Babitt, Leite, and Ramirez also have pitching experience, and can take the mound if need be for Academy of Art.

“The main thing I've seen from spring practices this year is that the pitchers are a lot better at throwing strikes than in the past,” pitching coach Ed Ricks said. “We've got a couple of new guys and some we've been working with already in the program. You just have to wait and see. It's good to have a lot of options this year.”

Most importantly, the Urban Knights roster turnover has not affected their ability to come together as a team. The Knights have congealed quickly since practice started in the winter, and with the depth that they have, they should improve across the board and look to make their mark as the best baseball team the school has seen so far.