New Mountain Hawks look to make early impact on Lehigh baseball as 13 new roster players join the team

Lehigh baseball begins this academic year with the same 40-player roster as last season, but nearly a third of the team will be walking onto J. David Walker Field for the first time.

The Mountain Hawks added 13 newcomers ahead of the 2027 season, including 11 first-years and two transfer players. Head coach Sean Leary said the size of the incoming group is largely the result of replacing the substantial graduating class of 2026. 

“We started last year with 40, and we started this fall with 40,” Leary said. “It’s a one-for-one replacement.” 

While the roster number remains the same, its makeup will look different. Seven of the 11 incoming first-years are pitchers, creating a group that Leary said could compete for innings immediately. 

“We think that they’re going to have an opportunity to push our upperclassmen and potentially earn innings right away,” Leary said. 

First-year pitcher Sawyer Tipton is one of those players. 

Tipton came from Highlands Ranch, Colorado, where he recorded 79 strikeouts with a 1.84 ERA over 57 innings during his senior season at Mountain Vista High School. 

Coming from Colorado, Tipton said he initially looked outside his home state for programs that could offer both competitive baseball and a strong education, as his home state has fewer opportunities for collegiate baseball. 

Tipton first connected with Lehigh’s coaching staff at a showcase in Chicago. He said the relationships he developed with the coaches helped distinguish Lehigh from other programs. 

“A lot of it was just comfort talking with coaches,” Tipton said. “It felt very transparent, and they’re very straight up.” 

Now as a Mountain Hawk, Tipton enters a pitching staff with several other first-years competing for opportunities. 

He said the competition is already noticeable, but the pitchers have approached it as a way to improve, rather than solely compete for individual roles. 

“We’re all going to try and push each other in competition,” Tipton said. “But as soon as it’s a game setting where it’s our team versus another team, you want whoever’s on the mound to be the best they can possibly be.” 

First-year pitcher Cody Herman said entering alongside other pitchers gives the class a chance to develop together. 

“I think that’s huge for us because I think that my class, in particular, having so many pitchers specifically, is going to put us in a good situation where we’re going to be able to push each other,” Herman said. “We’re going to be able to grow together as a team.” 

The transition has also given Tipton an early glimpse into the adjustments necessary to pitch at the college level. 

One of those began before he faced a college hitter. 

Because Tipton played at a higher elevation in Colorado, he said his pitches move differently in Pennsylvania. 

“I thought I had a cutter, and now it’s a slider,” Tipton said. 

He also said the change has given him an opportunity to continue developing his arsenal, particularly his changeup.

“A lot of it just comes to consistency,” Tipton said. “They recruit a lot of guys who have maybe different profiles on pitches, but a lot of us have the same stuff or throw around the same speed. It’s just how do we compete? What’s their mindset?”

Herman said he also noticed the jump in competition since arriving at Lehigh. 

“It’s a big step up from high school baseball,” Herman said. 

He said command will be particularly important against college hitters, where mistakes and free base runners can become more costly.

“I think throwing strikes is going to be the most important thing at the college level,” Herman said. “Giving away free base runners is going to be a major issue.” 

In addition to the 11 first-years, the team has also added two players with previous college experience.

Junior infielder CJ Chatterton transferred from Division III Randolph-Macon College, after starting 37 games and hitting .354. He led Randolph-Macon with 20 stolen bases and earned Old Dominion Athletic Conference Rookie of the Year. 

The team has another transfer — Michael Olender. The  sophomore outfielder played for La Salle University where he appeared in 17 games and made eight starts during the 2026 season.

Leary said the additions don’t represent a shift toward building Lehigh’s roster through transfers.

Instead, he said the coaching staff generally looks to the transfer portal only when an injury or unexpected departure creates a specific roster need.

While the newcomers, both first-years and transfers, will compete for roles during the fall, first-years also have to adjust to college living.

Tipton, who traveled more than 1,600 miles from Colorado to Bethlehem, shared this adjustment has helped the class connect.

“Everybody’s kind of in the same spot,” Tipton said. “Whether you’re from Connecticut, Maryland or Colorado, it doesn’t really make a difference. It’s not home.”

Tipton said informal workouts, playing catch and spending time together away from the field have helped players become more comfortable with one another. The group has also bonded through ordinary first-year experiences, from learning their way around campus to spending nights together in the residence halls. 

Herman said the connection between the newcomers formed almost immediately. 

“First night, we’re all hanging out, playing games together down in one of the lobbies of our dorms,” Herman said. “We just connected immediately right away.”

That camaraderie will soon exist alongside competition for innings and playing time as formal practices progress.

Tipton said every pitcher wants the opportunity to be on the mound, but that competition doesn’t stop the group from supporting whoever earns it.

“You want to be the person out there,” Tipton said. “There’s a reason why we’re here trying to play.”

With Lehigh’s newcomers, the fall will be their first chance to turn that competition into a role on the team. With several first-years already pushing for innings, Leary said some won’t have to wait long for that opportunity.