Boston College Athletics
Baseball Hosts Wake Forest In ACC Series
April 15, 2010 | Baseball
April 15, 2010
CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. - The Boston College baseball team hosts Wake Forest this weekend in a critical ACC series beginning Friday at noon at Eddie Pellagrini Diamond at Commander Shea Field.
Friday's series opener has been moved up to noon due to the forecast for the day. Saturday's game is still scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Sunday's finale is slated for 1 p.m. All games can be heard live on WZBC 90.3 FM.
PROBABLE PITCHING MATCH UPS (BC listed first)
Friday: LHP Pat Dean (5-0, 2.93) vs. LHP Tim Cooney (3-2, 3.47)
Saturday: RHP Mike Dennhardt (2-5, 7.28) vs. LHP Austin Stadler (1-2, 6.99)
Sunday: RHP John Leonard (1-0, 1.29) vs. RHP Justin Van Grouw (1-2, 5.02)
WEEKEND WEATHER FORECAST
Friday: Rain likely. High 47F. Winds ESE at 5-10 MPH. Chance of rain 70 percent.
Saturday: Cloudy, periods of rain. Highs in the mid 40s and lows in the upper 30s.
Sunday: Occasional showers possible. Highs in the low 50s and lows in the low 40s.
BC HOSTS WAKE FOREST THIS WEEKEND
• The Boston College baseball team hosts Wake Forest this weekend for a three-game ACC series beginning Friday afternoon.
• Friday's series opener is slated for 2:30 p.m. while Saturday's game is scheduled for 1:30. The series finale is set for 1 p.m. Sunday. All three games can be heard on WZBC 90.3 FM.
• Boston College took the first two games of the series last year with Wake salvaging the series finale on Sunday.
LAST YEAR'S SERIES
• Boston College dominated the Demon Deacons in the first game of the series in 2009, winning 23-2. JB MacDonald threw 8.0 innings of no-hit baseball in the first game of the Saturday doubleheader.
• The Eagles hit four homers in that game including a three-run job by junior INF Mickey Wiswall.
• Junior John Leonard had a solid start in game two, allowing two runs on four hits through 5.0 innings of work. Junior Kevin Moran got the win in that game with 2.0 scoreless innings of relief.
• Junior Pat Dean started on the mound Sunday and got the no decision after pitching 6.0 innings and allowing one run on four hits. He struck out three.
• Sophomore INF Brad Zapenas went 7-for-13 in the series.
DENNHARDT NAMED ACC PITCHER OF THE WEEK
• Sophomore RHP Mike Dennhardt was named the Atlantic Coast Conference Pitcher of the Week, announced April 12 by the conference office.
• Dennhardt threw a complete game shutout in a 4-0 win against Maryland last Saturday in the first game of a doubleheader. It was the first complete game of his career.
• The Oradell, N.J. product was dominant on the mound, scattering six hits and striking out five while walking two. He threw 108 pitches on the day and 76 of them were strikes.
• Dennhardt finished the game as strong as he started it, retiring 12 of the last 13 batters - including 10 in a row - from the sixth to ninth innings.
WISWALL, MOIR PROVIDE LATE-INNING HEROICS
• Junior INF Mickey Wiswall and redshirt freshman Rob Moir stepped up big last Saturday vs. Maryland to give the Eagles an important 5-4 ACC win in 10 innings.
• In the second game of a doubleheader, BC was losing 4-2 and down to its last out in the bottom of the ninth. Sophomore INF Brad Zapenas led the frame off with a single and after two outs were recorded, Wiswall crushed a 1-0 pitch over the wall in center to send the game into extra innings.
• Freshman INF/OF Philip Miclat led off in the bottom of the 10th and fought off a few pitches to draw a walk and then junior C/INF Garret Smith laid down a sac bunt, but the pitcher threw the ball into center field trying to get the lead runner.
• An intentional walk loaded the bases and then redshirt freshman OF Rob Moir singled up the middle for the walk-off win.
• It was the first RBI of Moir's career.
MELCHIONDA LEADING THE WAY
• Sophomore INF Anthony Melchionda leads Boston College with a .339 batting average.
• He started the season by hitting in 11-straight games and now has a hit in 11 of his last 12 games. His 11-game hit streak was snapped on Wednesday vs. Harvard.
• Melchionda has also scored six times in the last eight games.
• The Braintree, Mass. product is second on the team in hits (40) and has eight extra base hits to go along with 19 RBI.
ROTATING ROTATION
• Boston College has tried out a variety of starting rotations on the weekends.
• Junior LHP Pat Dean is the established No. 1 starter, but he missed his start at Virginia and vs. Maryland.
• Sophomore RHP Mike Dennhardt is the only pitcher to stay in the starting rotation all eight weekends. He has been the Saturday starter four times.
• The third spot in the rotation has seen four different pitchers so far and junior RHP John Leonard will get his second-straight start this Sunday.
• Junior RHP Kevin Moran stepped into a starting role after starting the season in the bullpen. He started games at Florida Atlantic, Miami and Virginia.
• Freshman RHP Andrew Del Colle earned a spot in the starting rotation for the first two weekends at Tulane and Auburn.
• Freshman RHP Hunter Gordon, who has been BC's best pitcher out of the bullpen, also got a start when Dean was hurt at Virginia.
RAIN, RAIN GO AWAY
• The weather in New England has been wreaking havoc on the Eagles' home schedule.
• Four BC home games have either been moved or postponed due to Mother Nature and a total of six of 13 games in New England have been rearranged.
• Boston College's March 23 game vs. Hartford was postponed and its March 24 game vs Holy Cross was moved back a day.
• BC has had to play a doubleheader on Saturday for both of its ACC series due to rain.
• Both non-conference games the week of March 29 were postponed, but BC was able to make up its game at Northeastern that Wednesday after the game at Rhode Island was PPD due to flooding in the area.
GOOD START AT HOME
• Boston College is 6-3 at home this season which is its best start in Chestnut Hill since 2005.
• The Eagles went 9-3 through their first 12 games at home in 2005.
HIGH HEAT
• The city of Boston came across an unprecedented day of heat on April 7 for the Eagles' game against Bryant.
• The game-time temperature was 89 degrees and even reached 90 into the later innings in an 11-3 BC win.
• It was the hottest April 7 on record. It broke the 1991 record of 86 degrees.
SPEEDY SUNDAY
• Boston College's series finale vs. Duke March 28 was a short affair - it lasted just 1:59.
• Junior LHP Pat Dean and Duke's Dennis O'Grady both threw complete games in a 2-1 BC win.
• Dean started the game by pitching 3.1 innings of perfect baseball. Duke got its lone run in the fourth inning when it pieced together three singles.
• Dean then went on to retire 10-straight hitters from the fifth to eighth innings.
• The Naugatuck, Conn. native only needed 92 pitches in his 9.0 innings of work and 64 of them were strikes. He scattered six hits and struck out two while not issuing a walk. Only one runner outside of the fourth inning reached scoring position.
• O'Grady was equal to the task as he allowed two runs in the fourth inning and put up zeros in every other frame. He allowed eight hits and struck out six without giving up a walk.
• Neither pitcher allowed an extra base hit.
DEAN AND THE 'CANES
• Junior LHP Pat Dean has performed his best when facing the Miami Hurricanes.
• In a 3-0 win on March 12, he tossed 8.0 shutout innings against the No. 13 `Canes at Alex Rodriguez Park.
• Miami entered the night averaging 9.9 runs a game.
• In his last three outings against the `Canes, he is 3-0 with a 0.41 ERA - allowing one run in 22.0 innings - and has struck out 21 while walking two.
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 conference in doubles (14) and is fourth in triples (4).
• When Anston leads off an inning, he is batting .386 (22-for-57) and he has scored 10 times in the first inning.
• Anston has reached base in 28 of the 33 games this season.
THE TRAVELS OF A NEW ENGLAND TEAM
• BC traveled nearly 10,000 miles before its first home game on March 25. 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 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 spent 13 days in Florida with a series at both Florida Atlantic and Florida International before they opened ACC play on March 12 at Miami.
• BC took bus trips to UConn and Bryant on March 16 and 17, respectively, before traveling to Virginia March 19.
JOHNNY ON THE SPAT
• Senior OF John Spatola has had a big bat this season and he had a monster game against Missouri on February 28.
• 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 is second on the team in home runs (8), RBI (29) and slugging (.548), third in batting (.317) and on-base percentage (.399) and fourth in runs (21).
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 .276 hitter and has started 106 games since he arrived on campus in 2008.
FRESH PEN
• BC has used a pair of freshmen out of the bullpen this season.
• RHP Hunter Gordon and RHP Jay Jeannotte have both been used by the Eagles.
• Gordon is sporting the best ERA among relievers when he comes out of the bullpen. He has a 3.80 ERA in 12 appearances, allowing nine earned runs in 21.1 innings of work.
• Jeannotte has made nine appearances for BC and has thrown 9.1 innings while allowing six runs on nine hits.
WATTY START
• Freshman C/DH Matt Watson has had a solid start to his collegiate career.
• The Portland, Maine product leads the team in on-base percentage (.433), is second in walks (17), third in slugging (.523), RBI (27) and homers (6) and fourth in batting (.303), doubles (6) and total bases (57).
• He has also produced in clutch situations as he hit a two-out, two-run double in the bottom of the seventh on March 10 to tie the game at FIU, 14-14. BC had been down 14-6 after five innings.
• Watson drove in all three runs with a pair of doubles in Boston College's 3-0 win at Miami March 12.
• He drove in three runs in the top of the ninth inning March 20 at No. 1 Virginia in a valiant comeback attempt by BC. Down 4-0 and with the bases loaded with one out, Watston hit a bases-clearing double to pull the Eagles within a run, but he was stranded in scoring position.
• Watson was also credited with the game-winning hit in BC's 7-4 win against Holy Cross. He hit an RBI single in the Eagles' six-run fifth inning to put BC on top 5-4.
• He also had the game-tying hit in the bottom of the fourth on March 28 vs. Duke in a 2-1 win.
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.
• Boston College is doing much of the same this season. It has scored first in 20 of the 33 games this season.
• Senior CF Robbie Anston has scored in the first inning 10 times.
RBI MACHINE
• Junior INF Mickey Wiswall has produced from the No. 3 spot in the batting order.
• He ranks seventh in the ACC in RBI (39) and has 11 multi-RBI games this year.
• The Stonehman, Mass. also ranks fifth in the conference in home runs (10).
• He has hit a home run in five of the last nine games.
• The biggest one of the season came in the second game of last Saturday's doubleheader vs. Maryland.
• BC was losing 4-2 and down to its last out in the bottom of the ninth. Sophomore INF Brad Zapenas led off with a single and after two outs were recorded, Wiswall crushed a 1-0 pitch over the wall in center to send the game into extra innings.
• The Eagles won that game in 10 innings, 5-4.
• Wiswall drove in 21 runs in the first 11 games of the season.
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 82 two-out RBI so far this season. Wiswall leads the team with 18 and freshman C/DH Matt Watson has 15. Senior OF John Spatola has brought in 13 runs with two outs.
• In the Eagles' 11-5 win at FIU on March 9, all of the runs crossed the plate with two outs.
• Forty-five percent of the runs this season have been scored with two outs.
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.
• Thirteen of his last 20 outings on the mound have been quality starts.
• The Naugatuck, Conn. native is the workhorse of the team with 46.0 innings pitched. He has thrown 7.0 or more innings in each of his six starts this year and has tossed over 100 pitches five times.
• He is currently 5-0 with a 2.93 ERA with 30 strikeouts and eight walks.
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.
• 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 35 home runs in 33 games, including 12 in the last nine outings.
• Junior INF Mickey Wiswall leads the team with 10 home runs and senior OF John Spatola has eight blasts, with two of them coming February 28 against Missouri.
• Freshman C/DH Matt Watson has hit six long balls while junior INF Matt Hamlet and sophomore INF Anthony Melchionda have three. Sophomore OF Marc Perdios has a pair as well.
• BC has 10 games with multiple homers and have hit more than one in four of the last eight games.
SMALL BALL
• BC forced the action last season with sacrifices and stolen bases and has been doing 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.
• This season, BC ranks third in the conference with 34 sacrifices. Junior Matt Hamlet is third in the ACC with 12 sacs.
EAGLES FALL TO RED SOX IN EXHIBITION
• The Boston Red Sox defeated Boston College, 6-1, in an exhibition game March 3 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.
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 ACC.
• 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.
• Moran was moved to the starter role with BC's early pitching struggles. In his three starts, he was 0-3 with a 16.03 ERA.
• Coming out of the bullpen, he is 4-1 with a 5.49 ERA.
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.
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.
2010 CAPTAINS
• The Boston College baseball team voted seniors Robbie Anston, Chris Kowalski and John Spatola as captains for the 2010 season.
• Anston, who has started 93 games in center field the last two seasons, leads the conference in doubles (14) and is fourth in triples (4).
• Kowalski, a local product from Boston, has 11 appearances out of the bullpen with one start. He is 0-2 with an 8.18 ERA.
• Spatola, the left fielder from nearby Milton, has started all 33 games and is second on the team in home runs (8), RBI (29) and slugging (.548), third in batting (.317) and on-base percentage (.399) and fourth in runs (21).
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.
