Boston College Athletics
New Coach, New Era for the Eagles
June 21, 1999 | Baseball
January 26, 1999
1999 BC Baseball Outlook
Chestnut Hill, MA - Boston College baseball enters a new era under first-year head coach Peter Hughes. Hughes has been chosen to restore the winning tradition at the Heights.
Hughes brings optimism into a program that has not enjoyed a winning season since 1993, and has only two winning seasons in the 90s. BC s last season of the decade will be marked by the intensity and competitiveness of its new leader.
This year is going to be a challenge for our team, Hughes said. We are going to have to outcompete people every day.
To orchestrate a revitalization many factors have to mesh together. Hughes believes that Chestnut Hill is a perfect place for baseball to thrive.
Boston College is unique because it can compete nationally at the highest level academically and athletically, he said. We have a great core of people in the program. From administrators to players, everybody wants to win.
Time and dedication from everyone will help to improve on last spring s 17-23-1 record. Hughes main goal is to guide the Eagles to their first BIG EAST Tournament since 1991.
We want to get hot at tourney time, Hughes said. We want to qualify for it and see how deep we can play into it.
Eleven starters, including five pitchers, return to a squad that went 4-15-1 in the BIG EAST last season. A lot of offense returns to a team that lost only two starters.
We have players that have been very productive the last couple of years, Hughes said. We are going to depend on them having great seasons Three players that Hughes will depend on to engineer runs are seniors Sean McGowan and Jeff Waldron and junior Steve Langone. All three played in the 1998 New England All-Star Game. McGowan earned both ECAC Division I First-Team All-Star honors and ABCA All-Northeast First-Team honors.
Motivating his veterans and establishing roles for his newcomers will help Hughes reestablish Boston College baseball as a regional power. The task won t be easy with many top teams on BC s slate. The Eagles will face perennial powerhouse Arizona State in addition to their tough BIG EAST schedule.
The following is a positional analysis of the 1999 Eagles.
Pitchers
The Eagles welcome back five pitchers who saw considerable time on the mound last year. The only loss is the graduation of Steve Dunlea who went 1-0 in 10 appearances.
Our pitching staff has to identify their roles, Hughes said. The leaders will have to emerge in the preseason by outworking their teammates.
Junior Steve Langone looks to be the front-runner for the top spot. Langone led the Eagles with 10 starts, six complete games, and 63.1 innings last season. His 5.12 earned run average ranked second on the team.
We are going to depend on Steve to throw strikes and pitch a lot of innings for us, Hughes said.
Junior David Conley had the best fall of all the pitchers, according to Hughes. Last season, Conley, a left-hander, appeared in 11 games and made five starts.
Conley is a very talented pitcher that we expect great things from, Hughes said.
Two other left-handed pitchers will prove valuable to Hughes staff. Junior Andy Sullivan led the Eagles with 11 appearances last spring. He ranked second on the team with 50.1 innings pitched. Classmate Brendan Nolan will also factor into the pi tching plans.
Sophomore Erik Olson is an imposing force on the mound with his 6-foot 7-inch frame. Olson went 3-2 and ranked third on the team with a 5.86 ERA.
Also returning to the Eagles staff are senior Paul Bibbo and junior Jaime Quiros. Bibbo started eight games last season, while Quiros appeared in nine games out of the bullpen.
Sophomores Jed Rogers, Greg Doble and Chris Gannon also return to the staff. The left-handed Gannon went 2-1 in three starts last spring.
Joining the Eagles are four newcomers. Dan Auerbach, Paul Knapic, Joe Michel and Mark Sullivan will all look to contribute on the mound.
Catchers
The Eagles deepest position may be behind the plate. BC enjoys a wealth of experience and inspiration from its three catchers. In fact, both of the Eagles captains are catchers.
Leading the crew is senior co-captain Jeff Waldron. A mark of consistency, Waldron played in and started 39 games last spring. Waldron was second on the team with 144 at bats and ranked fourth with 33 runs batted in. He was a 12th round selection of the St. Louis Cardinals in last year s major league baseball amateur draft.
It is great to have the experience of Waldron in a critical position, Hughes said. His leadership at catcher is a great asset.
The other co-captain is senior Sonny Nictakis.
Having Sonny is like having another assistant coach, Hughes said. He knows the ins and outs of this program and has been a big help to me.
Junior Chris Rosado will also battle for playing time behind the plate. Rosado batted .414 in 29 plate appearances in his first year with BC after transferring from New Hampshire.
Freshmen Raymond Beattie and Robert Lauria will add depth at the catching position.
Infield
BC returns starters at three of the four infield positions. The right side of the infield is solid with two players who each started 39 of BC s 41 games last spring.
Senior first baseman Sean McGowan led the Eagles in batting average (.432), hits (63), home runs (16) and RBIs (55). He also scored the most runs (49), had the most total bases (129) and had the highest slugging percentage (.884).
Sean has the potential to be the most talented offensive player I ve been around, Hughes said. He has proven that he can carry a team with four at bats a game.
Hughes expects the same type of production from McGowan this season, especially if the Eagles are to succeed.
Senior second baseman Mike Gambino adds experience and solid defense up the middle. He was fourth on the team with 68 putouts.
Gambino s great defense and experience make our team strong up the middle, Hughes said.
The other half of BC s double-play combination will be sophomore Mike Hubbard. Hubbard started 24 games last spring, batting .266.
The battle for the hot corner has been brewing throughout the off-season. Junior Joe Durkin batted .302 while appearing in 28 games last year. Pushing Durkin will be freshman Jeff Mackor, a talented newcomer from Salem, N.H.
Adding depth to the infield will be sophomore Keith Erazmus and freshman Scott Foley. The strong play of Erazmus has been the surprise of the fall, Hughes said.
Outfield
Solidifying the middle defensively for the Eagles is centerfielder Jarett Mendoza. Mendoza appeared in 33 games last spring and did not commit an error.
Mendoza had a breakthrough fall, Hughes said. He solidifies the middle as the general of the outfield.
Right field will be patrolled by junior Mike Quirk. Quirk started 27 games last season and ranked 14th in the nation with 15 doubles.
The leading candidate for the left field spot is sophomore Joe Kealty.
Kealty has the potential to be a talented offensive player in this program, Hughes said.
Freshmen Brian Macchi and Brian Durkin will push the veterans for playing time in the outfield.
Designated Hitter
Aside from spelling McGowan at first base and spending time on the pitcher s mound, Steve Langone will fill the designated hitter role for the Eagles.
Langone batted .401 and ranked third on the team with 142 at bats. He ranked second in home runs (9) and was tied for second in RBIs (36). Langone was the only Eagle to play in all 41 games last spring.
