Boston College Athletics
Baseball and Florida Atlantic Set For Weekend Series
March 04, 2010 | Baseball
March 4, 2010
BOCA RATON, Fla. - The Boston College baseball team made the trip across the Sunshine State to take on Florida Atlantic in a three-game weekend series beginning Friday night.
Friday's game is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. while Saturday's match up is slated for 4 p.m. The series finale on Sunday is set for 1 p.m.
The two teams met last weekend at the Auburn Classic in Alabama when the Owls came away with a 13-2 win.
PROBABLE PITCHING MATCH UPS (BC listed first)
Friday: LHP Pat Dean (1-0, 4.50) vs. RHP Taylor Everist (0-2, 2.08)
Saturday: RHP Mike Dennhardt (1-1, 7.27) vs. RHP Mike Gipson (2-0, 1.29)
Sunday: RHP Kevin Moran (1-0, 5.06) vs. RHP Kevin Alexander (1-1, 5.79)
WEEKEND WEATHER FORECAST
Friday: Clear with highs in the mid 60s and lows in the upper 40s.
Saturday: A few clouds. Highs in the upper 60s and lows in the low 50s.
Sunday: Mix of sun and clouds. Highs in the low 70s and lows in the mid 50s.
BC AND FLORIDA ATLANTIC MEET FOR WEEKEND SERIES
• The Boston College baseball team, which has started the season 3-3, takes on Florida Atlantic in a three-game series this weekend in Boca Raton.
• Friday night's game is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. at FAU Stadium. Saturday's game will be played at 4 p.m. and the finale on Sunday is scheduled for 1 p.m.
EAGLES FALL TO RED SOX IN EXHIBITION
• The Boston Red Sox defeated Boston College, 6-1, in an exhibition game Wednesday night in front of 4,577 fans at City of Palms Park.
• Sophomore OF Spenser Payne drove in the only run for BC in the fifth inning. Senior OF Mike Sudol and freshman INF Philip Miclat had the other hits for the Eagles.
• Sophomore Taylor Lasko pitched a perfect fifth inning on the mound and had a strikeout. Senior Chris Kowalski was the only other pitcher to not allow a run in his inning of work.
• Both starters figured in the decision despite pitching just the first inning. Boof Bonser picked up the win after a perfect first and senior Geoff Oxley was saddled with the loss after surrendering a run in the bottom half of the frame.
LEADING OFF
• Senior CF Robbie Anston emerged as one of the top leadoff hitters in the ACC last year and he has taken it even further this season.
• He leads the Eagles in batting average (.462), hits (12), runs (10), doubles (3), triples (3) and on-base percentage (.517). He is also second with an .808 slugging percentage.
• When Anston leads off an inning, he is batting .636 (7-for-11) and he has scored five times in the first inning.
• Anston is currently on a 15-game hitting streak dating back to last season and he has a hit in 22 of his last 23 games.
THE TRAVELS OF A NEW ENGLAND TEAM
• BC will travel nearly 10,000 miles before its first home game on March 23. In fact, approximate numbers by Google Maps puts the number at 9,999 miles.
• Boston College opened the season with a series win at Tulane in New Orleans, La.
• The Eagles then went to Auburn last weekend for three games vs. the Tigers, Florida Atlantic and Missouri.
• BC went back to campus on Sunday from Auburn before leaving for Fort Myers on March 2 to play the Red Sox.
• The Eagles will spend 13 days in Florida with a series at both Florida Atlantic and Florida International before opening ACC play on March 12 at Miami.
• BC will then take bus trips to UConn and Bryant on March 16 and 17, respectively, before traveling to Virginia on the weekend of March 19-21.
JOHNNY ON THE SPAT
• Senior OF John Spatola has had a big bat this season and he had a monster game against Missouri on Sunday.
• The former walk-on smashed two three-run homers and added a double in a 3-for-4 effort.
• Spatola drove in a career-high seven runs, which was more runs than the Tigers had as a team in a 14-6 win.
• It was Spatola's first multi-homer game of his career.
• The Milton, Mass. product has hit a home run in four of the six games this season.
FIRST TIME FOR EVERYTHING
• Junior C/INF Garret Smith started at shortstop in high school and was the starting shortstop last year for BC, but now he is the starting catcher.
• Smith had never caught a game in his life entering the season.
• His defense is needed to replace the loss of All-American Tony Sanchez and his experienced bat is needed as well.
• He is a career .283 hitter and has started 88 games since he arrived on campus in 2008.
MELCH MAKES AN IMPACT
• Sophomore INF Anthony Melchionda, who saw limited time last year as the backup third baseman, has started all six games at first base.
• He is also the clean-up hitter and has produced in that spot.
• Melchionda is second on the team with a .407 batting average, 11 hits and 10 RBI.
• Melchionda had five RBI in his first six at-bats to start the season.
• He had two hits in all three games in the first series at Tulane and had a career-high four RBI in the opener.
WATTY START
• Freshman C/DH Matt Watson has had a solid start to his collegiate career as the DH.
• The Portland, Maine product is batting .350 with a double, home run and three RBI.
• Watson is also third on the team in on-base percentage (.409) and fourth in slugging (.550).
FRESH PEN
• BC has used a pair of freshman out of the bullpen this season.
• RHP Hunter Gordon and RHP Jay Jeannotte have both been used by head coach Mik Aoki.
• Gordon helped BC secure a 12-0 shutout win at Tulane when he pitched the last two innings and allowed two hits.
• Jeannotte has made two appearances for BC and has thrown 2.2 innings of scoreless ball while allowing a pair of hits. He has one strikeout.
SOLID TO START
• Boston College's starting pitching had a rough weekend in Auburn after being solid the previous weekend at Tulane.
• The Eagles' starting pitching threw 14.0 innings and allowed two runs on eight hits in the first two games of the series in New Orleans.
• Junior LHP Pat Dean allowed two runs on six hits, struck out eight and walked just one on opening night at Tulane. He retired 12-straight batters between the second and fifth innings.
• Sophomore RHP Mike Dennhardt tossed seven innings of two-hit baseball the next day. He allowed seven base runners and none of them advanced past second base.
• The Eagles did not fare that well last weekend as the starting pitching threw 10.0 innings and allowed 15 runs on 17 hits. The three starters walked six and struck out five, going 0-2 in the three games.
WISWALL NAMED PRESEASON ALL-AMERICAN
• Junior INF Mickey Wiswall was named to the Baseball America Preseason All-America Second Team.
• A product of nearby Stoneham, Wiswall was an All-ACC Second Team and All-Northeast Region Second Team selection last year.
• He was also named to the Austin Regional and ACC All-Tournament teams. He was one of two players to start all 60 games last season and he has started 107 games in his two years at BC.
• Wiswall led one of the best offenses BC had ever seen in 2009 with 14 home runs, 63 RBI and 141 total bases. His RBI and hit (82) totals rank second in a season in program history and his 14 home runs rank third.
• Wiswall was also second on the team in slugging (.551) and fourth in batting average (.320). He ranked seventh in the ACC in RBI, ninth in homers, 12th in total bases and 15th in hits.
...AND TO THE GOLDEN SPIKES WATCH LIST
• Wiswall was also named one of 50 members to the Golden Spikes Award Watch List, marking USA Baseball's first step toward identifying the top amateur baseball player in the country.
• Sponsored by Major League Baseball, the Golden Spikes Award will be presented in 2010 for the 33rd time.
• On June 1, USA Baseball officials will cut the watch list of players to 30 names.
• The final list of 30 will then be sent to a voting body consisting of select professional baseball personnel, past USA Baseball National Team coaches, select members of the media, former USA Baseball sports information directors and current USA Baseball staff.
• Fan voting will once again be a part of the Golden Spikes Award in 2010. June 1 will mark the day when college baseball fans from across the country will be able to vote for their favorite player on GoldenSpikesAward.com.
• On June 8, USA Baseball will announce the five finalists and voting will once again commence that same day.
• The 2010 USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award will be presented July 13 on an award show via live telecast from Anaheim on GoldenSpikesAward.com, USABaseball.com and MLB.com in conjunction with All-Star FanFest.
EAGLES TAKE SERIES AT TULANE
• Boston College traveled to New Orleans to start the year and took two of three from the Green Wave at Turchin Stadium.
• The Eagles won the first two games by a combined 20-5. Their starting pitching was dominant in those contests, throwing 14.0 innings and allowing two runs on eight hits.
• The offense was spurred by senior CF Robbie Anston and sophomore INF Anthony Melchionda. Anston hit .429 with four runs, four RBI and a .714 slugging percentage. Melchionda batted .400 with a homer and seven RBI.
• Senior OF John Spatola hit a pair of solo home runs as well.
PUT THE BROOMS AWAY
• For the first time since 2005, Boston College did not get swept in a three-game series in 2009.
• The Eagles won four of the first five ACC series of the season against Florida State, Maryland, NC State and Wake Forest.
• BC lost two games each in series against Clemson, Virginia, Duke, Miami and North Carolina.
EAGLES PICKED THIRD IN ATLANTIC
• The Boston College baseball team was picked to finish third in the ACC Atlantic Division in a preseason vote of the conference's 12 head coaches.
• The Eagles' third-place pick was the highest they have been voted in the ACC preseason poll since their first season in the league in 2006.
• BC was picked to finish fifth in each of the last three seasons.
• Florida State garnered 10 first-place votes in the Atlantic and is the coaches' pick to win the division. Clemson earned two first-place votes and finished in second. NC State, Wake Forest and Maryland were fourth, fifth and sixth, respectively.
• Defending ACC champion Virginia is the coaches' selection to win the Coastal Division and become the overall champion. It earned 11 first-place votes to win the division and eight to win the entire conference.
• Florida State received three votes to win the ACC and North Carolina had the other vote.
MORAN NAMED TO STOPPER WATCH LIST
• Junior RHP Kevin Moran was named to the initial watch list for the sixth annual National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Stopper of the Year Award, given to the top relief pitcher in the nation.
• Moran, a product of Yarmouthport, Mass., made 26 appearances out of the bullpen in 2009 and emerged as the go-to reliever for BC.
• The fiery righty finished 2009 with a 5-2 record and a 2.75 ERA in 52.1 innings of work.
• He allowed 22 runs (16 earned) on 51 hits and struck out 37 while walking 26 batters.
• Moran has tossed 5.1 innings and has allowed three runs on seven hits this season. He has struck out four and walked two. He picked up the win against Missouri on Sunday.
A DEEP ROTATION
• Boston College enters the season with numerous proven starters in its rotation.
• Junior LHP Pat Dean has anchored the team in the No. 1 weekend slot. He is 0-1 with a 4.50 ERA. He has thrown 14.0 innings and allowed seven runs on 17 hits. He has fanned 12 batters and walked just two.
• Sophomore RHP Mike Dennhardt was tabbed as the No. 2 starter by head coach Mik Aoki. He is 1-1 with a 7.27 ERA. He has worked 8.2 innings and allowed seven runs.
• Freshman RHP Andrew Del Colle has been the No. 3 starter for the first two weekends. He is 0-1 with a 54.00 ERA.
• Junior RHP John Leonard could battle for a spot in the rotation. He was the third guy for most of last year and came on strong at the end of the season. He was a Cape League all-star over the summer with the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox.
• The place where BC could be the most improved is during the week with numerous options to choose from.
• Senior RHP Dane Clemens came on strong in the fall and spring and sophomore RHP Taylor Lasko has talent and experience.
2009 AT A GLANCE
• Boston College had a number of firsts and bests during the 2009 season.
• The Eagles advanced to their first NCAA postseason since 1967 - a total of 42 years.
• They advanced to their first ACC Championship where they went 2-1 to earn a berth into the Austin Regional.
• Junior C Tony Sanchez was the first All-America first team honoree in school history when Baseball America put him on that list. He was also the first All-ACC first teamer BC has had.
• Sanchez was drafted with the No. 4 overall pick in the MLB First-Year Draft by the Pittsburgh Pirates. It was the highest any BC player has been drafted in baseball and only football's Matt Ryan (No. 3) has been drafted higher in any other sport.
• Senior CF Robbie Anston broke the single-season hits record and junior INF Mickey Wiswall tied the previous mark. Anston finished with 85 and Wiswall had 82. The previous record was Jared McGuire's 82 hits in 2007.
EARLY BIRDS
• The Eagles have made a habit of getting ahead early in the ball game.
• BC scored first in 41 of its 60 games and scored in the first inning 26 times last season.
• The Eagles scored three or more runs 11 of the 26 times they scored in the first inning.
• BC outscored opponents 72-39 in the first inning last year.
• Boston College was 29-12 when it crossed the plate first.
• BC is doing much of the same this season. It has scored first in the five of the six games this season with senior CF Robbie Anston scoring those five runs in the first inning.
BIG SHOES TO FILL
• The Eagles will have to replace a few very important pieces that left early for the MLB Draft.
• C Tony Sanchez was drafted fourth overall by the Pittsburgh Pirates - the highest anyone from BC has been drafted.
• Nobody on the Boston College roster had seen time in a game behind the plate going into the season, but junior C/INF Garret Smith has taken over behind the plate.
• LHP/1B Mike Belfiore was drafted by Arizona in Comp Round A (45th overall). He was BC's closer (nine saves) and was an important piece to the lineup (.273, 11 HR, 62 RBI).
• Junior RHP Kevin Moran and sophomore RHP Matt Brazis will be relied on to fill the role in the bullpen and sophomore Anthony Melchionda has performed well at first base.
• Barry Butera, who spent time in RF and in the infield, was drafted in the 21st round by Houston.
• Senior captain John Spatola made the move from first base to right field.
GETTING DEFENSIVEv
• Boston College ranked third in the ACC and 28th in the nation in fielding percentage last year at .972.
• The only major loss on the diamond was Tony Sanchez behind the plate. He started 58 games last season.
• To help soften the blow, junior Garret Smith has been converted from shortstop to catcher.
• Sophomore Brad Zapenas, who started 52 games at second in 2009, moved to shortstop. Junior Matt Hamlet, who did not commit an error last year, starts at second.
• Junior Mickey Wiswall returned to third and senior captain John Spatola starts in RF.
• The Eagles returned senior CF Robbie Anston, who started every game in 2009.
• Despite the loss of Barry Butera, BC have plenty of options at either side of the outfield, including: Spatola, freshman Matt McGovern, sophomore Andrew Lawrence, senior Mike Sudol and sophomore Marc Perdios.
• The Eagles have committed seven errors in the first six games and rank sixth in the ACC with a .969 fielding percentage.
• BC's eight douple plays rank second in the conference.
CAPE LEAGUE ALL-STARS
• A pair of BC baseball players earned Cape Cod Baseball League all-star accolades last year.
• Junior RHP John Leonard and junior INF Mickey Wiswall both played in the all-star game at Fenway Park. They both played for the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox.
• Leonard went 2-1 with a 2.57 ERA in 10 appearances (six starts) on the mound. He threw 35.0 innings and allowed 15 runs (10 earned) on 33 hits. He struck out 26 and walked 10.
• Wiswall batted .302 over the summer with eight doubles, five home runs and 30 RBI and was named the league's New England Player of the Year.
• The pair helped lead Y-D to the Eastern Division title with a 28-15-1 record.
SUMMER ALL-STARS
• Four other players earned all-star accolades in their respective summer leagues last year.
• Senior RHP Chris Kowalski was named to the Eastern All-Star Team in the New England Collegiate Baseball League as the team's closer.
• Junior INF Matt Hamlet was named the starting second baseman for the National All-Stars in the Coastal Plains League and served as the team's leadoff hitter.
• Finally, sophomore RHP Matt Brazis and sophomore INF Anthony Melchionda were both all-stars in the Valley Baseball League.
DEAN IS DOMINANT
• Junior LHP Pat Dean earned a spot on the weekend rotation on April 12 of last season and hasn't looked back since.
• Eleven of his last 17 outings on the mound have been quality starts.
• He led the team in 2009 in starts (15), wins (6) and strikeouts (90).
• Dean walked just 16 batters in his 95.1 innings of work as well.
• For the season, Dean had a 3.30 ERA and a 6-4 record.
• He ranked fifth in the ACC in ERA, sixth in innings pitched and seventh in stirkeouts.
THE 30-WIN MARK
• The Eagles reached the 30-win mark last season for the first time since 2005 and it was the sixth time they reached that number in program history.
• The Eagles' 34 wins in 2009 was the third-most in program history.
HARD TO REPLACE
• BC lost two of its most productive hitters from last season to the draft in Mike Belfiore and Tony Sanchez.
• Belfiore smacked 11 home runs and drove in 62 which ranked third and second on the team, respectively, in 2009. Sanchez belted 14 homers and 63 runs and was third with 51 RBI.
• The Eagles returned junior INF Mickey Wiswall who batted .320 and also had 14 homers and 63 RBI. He is batting .292 this year with two doubles, a triple, a homer and a team-leading 11 RBI in the three-hole.
• Sophomore INF Anthony Melchionda has done his part as the clean-up hitter, batting .407 with a round-tripper with 10 RBI.
• Senior captain John Spatola is in the fifth spot in the order and is hitting .364 with five home runs and 10 RBI. He is slugging at a 1.091 clip.
POWER SURGE
• Boston College hit 58 home runs last year - the most since 2000 when it also had 58.
• It also had three players with 10 or more home runs in Mike Belfiore (11), Tony Sanchez (14) and Mickey Wiswall (14).
• The Eagles' three players with double-digit homers was the most in program history.
• BC did not have a player with 10 or more homers since 2002 when it had two.
• Boston College hit 24 round-trippers in 22 games at Eddie Pellagrini Diamond at Commander Shea Field last year. In all of 2008, the Eagles hit just eight out of Shea Field in 21 games.
• The Eagles are back at it again this season as they have hit nine home runs in six games.
• Senior OF John Spatola leads the team with five blasts, with two of them coming Sunday against Missouri.
• Junior INF Mickey Wiswall, sophomore INF Anthony Melchionda, sophomore OF Marc Perdios and freshman C/DH Matt Watson have the other four.
• BC has hit a homer in all but one game this year and have three games with multiple homers.
THE LONGEST GAME
• BC made history when it played the No. 1 national seed Texas in the second game of the Austin Regional at UFCU Disch-Falk Field.
• The two teams battled for 25 innings before Texas finally scored in the top of the inning to win, 3-2. It was the longest game in NCAA history.
• Below are a few highlights from the historic evening:
- Both teams received a standing ovation at the conclusion of the game
- It was 96 degrees at first pitch at 6:02 p.m. The game finished at 78 degrees at 1:05 a.m.
- Texas introduced the 21st inning stretch
- There were 683 pitches thrown in the game
- Texas stranded 24 men on base
- There were 11 walks in the game compared to 42 strikeouts
- The 10 p.m. ET game at UC Irvine game started and finished
- BC and Texas combined to set NCAA records with 42 strikeouts, 222 total chances, 69 assists, 192 plate appearances and 171 at-bats.
CLUTCH HITTING
• BC had 142 RBI with two outs last season and Mike Belfiore led the team with 33.
• Junior INF Mickey Wiswall was second on the team with 22 two-out RBI and Tony Sanchez had 15.
• A total of 37 percent of the RBI that BC has recorded came with two outs.
• BC has 21 two-out RBI so far this season. Wiswall and sophomore INF Anthony Melchionda both lead the team with six of those RBI.
SMALL BALL
• BC forced the action last season with sacrifices and stolen bases and will do it again this year.
• The Eagles had 73 sacrifice hits in 2009 which led the ACC and was fourth in the nation.
• Miami was second in the conference in the category with 45.
• Twelve different players successfully moved runners along.
• The Eagles were also 41-for-72 when attempting to steal last season.
• Senior CF Robbie Anston led the team with 15 stolen bases on 18 attempts.
• A total of 11 players stole at least one base.
• This season, BC has laid down 10 sacrifice bunts and is 5-for-7 on stolen base attempts.
