Dave Raifsnider will enter his fourth season as an assistant baseball coach during the 2020 season. The team has won the NEAC title and went to the NCAA Tournament in the two of the three seasons that Raifsnider has helped out. In his time with the team, the Nittany Lions have gone 70-47 overall and 40-12 in the NEAC.
The 2019 team tied the 2018 squad for wins in a season after finishing 25-14 overall (.641 winning percentage) and going 13-5 in the conference. This marked the fifth straight season that the Nittany Lions surpassed the 20-win plateau. Berks won a NEAC Play-In game and then dropped the first game of the four-team double elimination tournament. After a pair of thrilling wins staved off elimination, the Nittany Lions had their season end when the championship game was canceled due to weather. The team enjoyed a 10-game winning streak in the heart of their conference schedule. They closed out the season winning six of the final seven games. Senior standout Toby Welk became the first-player in school history and just the third member of the NEAC to be drafted by a major professional sports team when he was selected by the Baltimore Orioles in the 21st round of the draft. Welk was named the D3baseball.com National Player of the Year, which was a first for Berks and the entire NEAC. In addition, Welk was an All-American, Mid-Atlantic Player of the Year, Mid-Atlantic First Team selection, and NEAC Player of the Year. Welk, Mason Pennypacker, and Dalton Hughes were All-NEAC First Team recipients.
The 2018 squad set the program record for wins, surpassing the 2016 team, after finishing the season 25-12 overall(.676 winning percentage) and 17-1 in conference play. This was the fourth consecutive season that the baseball team has recorded 20 or more wins in a season. The team went 3-0 in the conference tournament to win the NEAC Title for the third straight season and fourth time in five years. Berks made is fifth straight NCAA Tournament appearance, where they fell to No. 5-ranked UMass-Boston and Western New England University. The team had three All-NEAC First Team and one NEAC Second Team recipients. They also had the NEAC Player of the Year (Toby Welk), Pitcher of the Year (Tyler Comport), and Coach of the Year (Justin Konnick). Welk and Dante Salerno were named to D3Baseball.com All-Region teams. Welk also was named Mid-Atlantic Player of the Year and was an All-American First Team recipient, both coming from D3Baseball.com.
The 2017 team finished the year 20-21 overall and went 10-6 in conference play to earn their tenth straight postseason appearance. This marked the third straight year that the team reached the 20-win plateau. The team won the NEAC title for the third time in four years and earned their fourth straight trip to the NCAA Tournament. At the NCAA Regional, the Nittany Lions dropped a hard fought battle to UMass-Boston, 9-8, and later fell to Salve Regina 12-4. Berks had three members named to the All-NEAC First Team and one player on the second team, as well as the 2017 NEAC Player of the Year (Toby Welk).
Raifsnider joins the program after a four-year playing career with Centenary College of the CSAC.
