By DC Brooks
With a 4-8 record after a non-conference weekend at Delaware State University, the Pride men’s baseball team is still optimistic about the early stages of the 2005 season. The team could be 9-3 if not for five 1-run losses, but head coach Chris Dotolo is positive the Pride will persevere for the remainder of the season.
“We played pretty good competition so far and I’ve been very pleased with our first three weekends,” Dotolo said before the Delaware State series last weekend.
The Pride ended last season 3-21 in the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) and 14-36 overall, so it may be easy for negativity to set in. Dotolo still encourages the team to strive for excellence regardless of the slow start.
“We have some guys who can contribute and I encourage them to play well,” Dotolo said. “We have a pretty strong bench with players who have speed, hitting ability and a few for defensive purposes.”
The Pride held its ground early during the relatively tough schedule, facing Auburn, Virginia Military Institute, Liberty and Delaware State. The Pride lost the first four games to two heartbreaking one-run games against VMI and Auburn.
Challenges await the Pride as it plays the first Colonial Athletic Association game on the road March 25 against Delaware. The CAA was ranked 11th out of 31 conferences in the final Ratings Percentage Index (RPI) report of 2004, ahead of the Big Ten and the Atlantic 10.
Here’s a look at the Pride in each position for the 2005 season.
Pitchers
Despite losing five one-run games, the future of the Pride’s pitching looks promising with the addition of Will Devito. Devito, a transfer from Division II Dowling College, threw a complete game in the win against Delaware State Sunday. Devito came in from the bullpen in a 21-4 loss against Virginia Military Institute. He bounced back and is now riding a three-game starting win streak. Devito also has an ERA of 3.51 with only two walks in 26 innings.
Dotolo also expects junior David Huth and sophomore Ryan Dunn to carry the load. “[Devito, Huth, and Dunn] are going to be our three conference pitchers and we’re counting on everybody…to help us win.” Dotolo said. The pitching staff is deep with despite possibly losing sophomore Eric Corkery this year due to surgery.
Catcher
Juniors Mike Walsh and Steve Oliveri return behind the plate for the Pride. Walsh was selected to the first team All-CAA last season and is a team leader. Walsh is also an asset to the team as a utility player who is able to play multiple positions. Oliveri is the primary catcher for the Pride dating back to his freshmen year. “I think he’s the best catcher in the conference and one of the best in the Northeast,” Dotolo said of Oliveri. “[Oliveri] is a good defensive catcher who receives and blocks well, and is a good thrower.” Oliveri is currently on a six-game hitting streak and hit his first homerun as member of the Pride during Sunday’s game. Freshmen Scott Rader and John Boyd also will share time at catcher.
Infield
Junior shortstop Josh Stern is on a 12-game hitting streak. Stern holds an overall batting average of .400 this season after batting .583 in the VMI series and .400 at Liberty. Junior second team All-CAA second basemen Ricky Caputo moved to third base this season after setting a school record for hits last season with 73. The team captain should fair well this season after tallying the most runs scored (17), triples (2), homeruns (4), and RBIs (12) this season. Sophomore Andy Campana is batting .276 as second basemen and had stolen nine bases in 10 attempts last season. Mike Walsh interchanges from catching to first base as he shares duties with freshmen Matt Kougasian and Anthony Sarno.
Outfield
The outfield is arguably the strength of the Pride as it has three players with batting averages over .200. Junior captain Josh Stewart started the season with an 11-game winning streak until it was snapped in the last game of the Delaware State series. Stewart is starting at centerfield for the Pride with a .364 batting average while sharing the most hits (20) in 12 games with shortstop Josh Stern. Sophomore George Athanasopoulos has a batting average of .276 after coming off a strong freshmen season with a .302 batting average. The overcrowded outfield also includes senior captain Brett Stambolian, who is returning from an injury last season along with senior Steve Conley and junior Eric Balson.
Overall
If the Pride had capitalized off the one run games that were lost they would have stood six games over .500. The team is composed with a mix of freshmen and veteran players who have the ability to score averaging 7 runs for the season. The downside is arguably their pitching as they had given up runs in the double digits on four occasions. But with the emergence of pitcher Devito the Pride are destined for a promising future.
Junior Ricky Caputo leads the Pride men´s baseball teams in homeruns (four), RBI (12) and runs scored (17) through 12 games this season. (Photo Courtesy Athletic Dept.)