It didn't take much to convince first-year Roadrunner wrestler Tyler Baer to return to the mats after a two-year layoff following a solid career at Pitman High School.

Coach Dan Antonelli took Baer aside last summer and closed the deal within minutes.

"It didn't take much to talk me into it," said Baer, whose Pitman teams competed against Antonelli's Clayton teams in high school. "I thought I could help our program here. Plus I knew Coach Antonelli pretty well."

On Saturday, Baer continued his solid progress from the start of the season, winning individual bouts against Muhlenberg College and Lackawanna CC to go 2-0 at 174 pounds during the Mule Duals. . One of his wins came by fall against Muhlenberg He raised his individual record to 8-7 as he eyes upcoming competition in the Garden State Athletic  Conference (GSAC) Championships later in January and the District Tournament in February.

Watch Tyler Baer match here against Muhlenberg

"Tyler's definitely one of the most improved wrestlers on the team," said Antonelli, who is a first-year coach of the Roadrunners. "He's shook off some of the rust of being away from the sport for two years. He's worked hard to adapt to the college matches and get back into shape."

One of the improvements Baer has made is to work better on his feet. "I'm a lot more focused on my feet than I am wrestling top and bottom," he said. "I'm starting to take control of my bouts a lot better."

The Roadrunners dropped two matches on Saturday – one a 27-20 loss to Lackawanna and the second a 40-12 decision NCAA D-III Muhlenberg. Antonelli's team will prep for the upcoming GSAC Championships on January 26 followed by the Districts and Nationals.