Boston College Athletics
2002 Outlook
January 09, 2002 | Baseball
In just three years, Hughes has been able to achieve all these things. The first, and most important thing he has done, is win baseball games. In just three seasons, he has accumulated 90 wins, including 35 back in 2000 and 29 in 2001. The 26 wins he had in his first season were the most wins in a season by a Boston College baseball team.
"When we got the job here three years ago, the school record for wins was 23, so we strengthened the schedule and we have surpassed that number every year since we got here," Hughes says. "To average 30 wins a year at a program where the previous record was 23 is saying that your program is heading in the right direction and filled with great competitors."
Another area Hughes has taken his squad to the next level in is recruiting. He was able to bring in 16 freshmen this season, and his class is being considered one of the best in the northeast. He feels you must get your top local players and players from around the country if you want to play at the highest level.
"I think we are recruiting the best players in New England, and we are able to recruit nation-wide and for the most part we are winning all of our recruiting battles," he says. "To me, competitive, talented kids make successful programs."
Hughes believes that by putting these two elements together he can have a consistently winning program. He also knows that he has to set lofty goals every year to keep his teams motivated and headed in the right direction. For the 2002 team, the goal is pretty simple - win the BIG EAST championship.
"Our goal is to win the BIG EAST Conference," Hughes says. "I think it is a legitimate goal, but I don't think we could have said that three years ago. For us to go in on daily basis and compete with the BIG EAST and to win most of our series is not an unreachable goal."
Infield
A possible area of concern for the Eagles this year is in the infield, but Hughes is quite optimistic about the players who will handle each position. Hughes will have to replace the half of the infield due to the loss of 2000 second-team all-BIG EAST selection Mike Hubbard and senior Brian Macchi, who is moving to right field.
"What I do with the middle infield depends on how fast the freshman grow up," Hughes says. "All the kids we have to play the infield positions are talented enough to play those positions, so whoever is the most productive obviously will play, which is how our staff makes all of our decisions."
Hughes expects junior Ryan Leahy, sophomore Josh DiScipio and freshmen Marc Albano and Ryan Morgan to compete for the shortstop position. Leahy and DiScipio combined to play in 70 games in 2001, so both players bring experience to the infield. Albano and Morgan come to Boston College highly recruited and following a strong fall season by both players, Hughes expects them to battle for playing time.
"Leahy, DiScipio, Albano and Morgan all have a chance to replace Hubbard at shortstop, but it all depends on who wants it more," he says. "I've got a good problem because we have a lot of talent, but it comes down to whoever plays the best is going to play."
Outfield
The tandem of seniors Brian Macchi, Brian Durkin and junior Matt Lederhos provide the Eagles with one of the strongest outfields in the BIG EAST this season. All three players give the Eagles incredible punch in the batting lineup and are solid in the outfield.
These three combined for 28 homeruns, 102 runs batted in and .340 batting average. Macchi, a second-team all-BIG EAST selection in 2001, returns for his senior campaign after leading the Eagles in homeruns (18), RBIs (56), hits (71) and batting average (.376). He now ranks fourth all-time at Boston College in homeruns with 23 and is only seven shy of into second-place on the list.
Durkin, who was also honored by the BIG EAST last season as a third-team selection, finished second on the team in homeruns (8), hits (63), batting average (.373) and fifth in RBIs (28). Macchi and Durkin will both move from the infield, where they played third and first base, respectively, back to the outfield. Macchi will man the fort in right field, while Durkin takes over responsibilities in left field.
"Durkin is going to move from first base to left field, which should be a better fit for him because he feels more comfortable in the outfield," Hughes said. "Macchi is going to move from third base back out to right field, which will really help bolster our outfield."
When not on the mound, junior Matt Lederhos will assume responsibilities in centerfield. Lederhos will be called on to replace Jarett Mendoza, who the Eagles lost to graduation in 2001. Lederhos was named to the 2001 preseason all-BIG EAST team as a utility player, which is due to his contributions on the mound, in the outfield and at the plate.
"Matt is the most versatile kid in our lineup," Hughes says. "He is our No. 1 pitcher and major offensive threat for us. We expect him to fill in at centerfield and replace Mendoza."
Senior Neal McCarthy - a former freshman All-American who missed all of the 2001 season with a torn ligament in his wrist, sophomore Eric Wright and freshmen Jake Marsello, Michael Flynn and Drew Locke will give Hughes' a variety of options when it comes to putting together an outfield line-up as Hughes expects all six to be contributors in the lineup this season.
Catchers
One area on the field where head coach Pete Hughes does not have much concern is at catcher. The reason for this is that he returns 2000 all-BIG EAST selection and 2001-preseason all-BIG EAST selection Jeff Mackor. He finished the 2001 season with a .285 batting average and six homeruns and 39 runs batted in, which ranked him sixth, third and second, respectively, in all three categories.
To go along with an impressive batting average and all-around batting statistics, Mackor was a force behind the plate, especially when it came to throwing out runners trying to steal. He threw out 34 runners last season and now has thrown out 72 batters over the last two seasons.
"He has been the backbone of our program while catching," Hughes says. "We don't worry about anyone establishing a running game against us with him back there. He is a great leader for our team."
Another positive aspect about the catcher position is the amount of depth. To go along with Mackor, who will see almost all the action during the season at this position, Hughes has a solid arsenal of catchers to work with. Senior David Trainor and freshmen Marc Albano, a very versatile player, Philip D'Alonzo and Andrew Grillo will all battle for time throughout the season, but more importantly they will be able to gain experience for the future.
Pitching
With a great deal of pop returning to this year's line-up, one area the Eagles must get stability in is pitching if they want to contend for a BIG EAST championship. Hughes returns his top five pitchers in terms of earned run average, who pitched at least 25 innings, from last year's team. Even with such a strong arsenal of pitchers returning, Hughes will have to replace Jed Rogers, Erik Olson and Chris Gannon, who all graduated last year from the Heights.
Leading the way is senior tri-captain Mark Sullivan and preseason all-BIG EAST honoree Matt Lederhos. Sullivan and Lederhos will provide the Eagles with a strong one-two punch, which will be important during Boston College's journey through the conference season.
Sullivan led the Eagles' pitching staff last season in wins (6), ERA (3.51) and appearances (25). In his 51.1 innings pitched, he also struck out 41 batters. He proved last season he has the stability to pitch on little rest as he played in almost half the games, which included some relief work. He also led the staff with five save of the team's nine saves.
"Mark was possibly the best pitcher in the BIG EAST the last four weeks of the (2001) season, and he was definitely the team's MVP on the mound last year," Hughes says.
Besides being a threat when at the plate, Lederhos is also a weapon on the mound. In 12 pitching appearances last season for the Boston College, he struck out 64 batters, which was the most by any pitcher on the team. He finished last season with a 3-3 record and a 4.90 ERA.
Seniors Mike Stuart and Paul Knapic, who was last year's No. 1 pitcher before having Tommy John surgery, junior Matt Elfeldt and sophomore James Dawson were all strong performers from Hughes' squad last season.
Stuart returns to the Eagles' pitching staff after sitting out the 2001 season due to shoulder surgery. Knapic, Elfeldt and Dawson combined to pitch more than 75 innings for the Eagles while striking out 76 opposing hitters. Knapic and Dawson accounted for six of Boston College's 29 wins and this was only in 15 appearances combined, which showed how effective they were when they stepped on the mound. Elfeldt was called on more as a closer for Hughes' staff, and he finished right behind Sullivan in saves with three.
Sophomore Mike Gauthier and a handful of freshmen pitchers will give the Eagles one their best pitching staffs in quite some time. Gauthier gave the Eagles another arm in the bullpen last year and this year his role will increase, especially when Hughes goes to his middle-relief pitchers.
Sophomore Matt O'Donnell should also give some considerable depth to the squad as he was name dhte team's most improved player during the fall season.
Freshmen David Preziosi, Ryan Morgan, Michael Wlodarczyk, Jake Marsello, Kevin Shepard, Joseph Martinez, Chris Lambert and James Cox will all provide depth for the Eagles. With these 17 players making up the pitching, this should be one of the deepest areas for Hughes this season.
"We are as deep a pitching staff as we have ever been at Boston College," Hughes says. "We will have so many options on the mound, which will especially help us since we play 56 games in such a short time span. I think we have enough arms to get us through our 56-game schedule."
Schedule
Hughes has always been an advocate on providing his team as difficult a schedule as possible because it will only make his team better as the season progresses. With a challenging non-conference schedule and a much-improved BIG EAST Conference, the Eagles will have to play solid baseball day in and day out if they want to improve on last year's 29-win season.
"We've been fortunate enough to improve our schedule through our commitment from the athletic department," Hughes says. "For an Eastern team to be competitive in Division I, it must be able to improve throughout the winter months. We have the facilities to practice to during January, and then we are able to travel during February. That combination get us ready to play in the BIG EAST."
The 2002 season opens with a trip to Davidson, N.C. to take on Delaware State and Davidson, Hughes' alma mater. Following the venture down south, the squad will head across the country to play in Berkeley, Calif. against Cal in a three-game series.
The Golden Bears will provide the Eagles one of their most difficult challenges of the season as the team advanced to the NCAA tournament and won 34 games in 2001.
"They went to a regional last year, and I think it is going to be a good measuring stick to see where we are," he says. "I believe we are going to go out there and play well."
The Eagles' trip around the U.S. continues when the squad heads to Homestead and Ft. Myers, Fla. for its annual Spring Break trip, March 1-10. The trip will kick off with the traditional game with the Boston Red Sox. The Eagles will be looking for their first win against the local professional club.
The Eagles return to the northeast following their stint in Florida to battle with non-conference foe Delaware in a three-game set. The Fightin' Blue Hens won 45 games in 2001 and qualified for the NCAA tournament after winning the America East championship.
After a single game against Rhode Island, Boston College's conference schedule kicks off with an important three-game series with Rutgers at home. The Scarlet Knights were picked to finish second in the preseason conference rankings after qualifying for the NCAA tournament last year.
Following a home series with Rutgers, the Eagles hit the road for their next three conference series, which are against Connecticut, Pittsburgh and Seton Hall.
The Eagles return to the friendly confines of Shea Field following their conference road swing to host West Virginia and Georgetown in two double-header series. Following a single game with cross-town rival Harvard, BC travels to Philadelphia to take on Villanova, a team the Eagles swept last season in Chestnut Hill.
Boston College's final nine conference games come against St. John's, Virginia Tech and Notre Dame. Six of these games will be played at Shea Field.
"The first thing you can attribute to us winning is that we have changed our schedule around," Hughes says. "The year before we got the job, they had 17 wins and nine of them were against non-Division I opponents. I don't think it gets us ready for BIG EAST action to play those types of teams, so we dropped all Division II and III teams and we tried to schedule quality opponents and schedule 56 games, which is the NCAA maximum."
