NEW WILMINGTON — Last spring may have been memorable.

Frank Cinicola is doing everything he can to make sure next spring fits that bill.

The Seneca Valley graduate and Westminster College senior first baseman-DH figured to lead the Titans to one of the program's best baseball seasons in recent memory a few months ago.

“Frank is the heart of this team,” Westminster coach Patrick Riley said. “He was voted captain by his teammates. He hits third or fourth in our order.

“We got off to a pretty good start this year.”

The Titans never had a chance to put together a good finish. They were 4-3 when the COVID-19 pandemic shut down all of spring sports.

Cinicola was off to a good start himself. He was hitting .316 with a double and two triples in 19 at bats. His on-base percentage was .462.

“I was anticipating a lot of fun and a lot of wins,” he admitted of 2020.

An English major, Cinicola graduated this spring with a 3.6 grade point average. He will return for one more collegiate season next spring as he is pursuing a masters in business administration.

When Cinicola is done playing, he wants to coach in college baseball.

But he's a long way from being finished as a player.

Cinicola played for Cranberry in the Eagle County league this summer. He hopes to play summer ball for a while yet.

“The big things with Frank are work ethic and personality,” Riley said. “He is a true leader, always the first one to arrive at practice and the last one to leave. His teammates enjoy being around him.

“If the field needs to be prepared, he helps out with that. He just loves baseball.”

Cinicola hit .281 his sophomore year in 2018, splitting time in the outfield. He had nine hits in 32 at bats.

He blossomed in 2019, hitting .339 with a homer, 30 RBI and 14 doubles. He was a first team All-Presidents' Athletic Conference performer.

He led the Titans in RBI, doubles and triples (2).

“The big difference for me was playing every day, getting the consistent at bats,” Cinicola said of 2019. “I was able to get into a groove as a hitter. I see no reason why that can't continue.

“Being a captain means everything to me. I had great captains when I was an underclassman. I learned from them. Hopefully, I can have the same affect on our younger players now.”

Riley says Cinicola is ahead of the game in that regard.

“Frank's got great character, just a pleasure to be around,” he said. “He will have the chance to lead a pretty good team.

“We've got a number of good players coming back. I'm excited about where we're at.”

Cinicola's goals for 2021 are quick and to the point.

“Make the playoffs because that's something I haven't done and next year is it for me,” he said. “Individually, I just want to do better than the year before.

“There's always room to improve. Defensively, I've been working hard on my play at first base since I was moved in from the outfield. And nobody hits 1.000 in baseball, so I can always get better at the plate.”