Boston College Athletics
Baseball Meets Maryland In ACC Weekend Series
April 08, 2010 | Baseball
April 8, 2010
CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. - The Boston College baseball team, winners of six of its last nine games, hosts Maryland in a three-game ACC series beginning Friday afternoon at 2:30 p.m.
Saturday's game is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. and Sunday's finale is slated for 1 p.m. All games can be heard live on WZBC 90.3 FM.
BC (13-15, 4-8 ACC) is off to its best start at home since joining the ACC with a 4-1 record. Maryland (12-19, 3-9) is just 1-11 in road contests this year.
PROBABLE PITCHING MATCH UPS (BC listed first)
Friday: RHP Mike Dennhardt (1-5, 9.51) vs. LHP Eric Potter (2-4, 7.20)
Saturday: RHP Taylor Lasko (1-0, 3.97) vs. RHP Sander Beck (0-5, 8.35)
Sunday: RHP John Leonard (1-0, 0.00) vs. TBA
WEEKEND WEATHER FORECAST
Friday: Cloudy with occasional rain showers. High of 57 degrees. Winds SSW at 5-10 MPH. Chance of rain 60 percent.
Saturday: Mix of sun and clouds. Highs in the mid 50s and lows in the low 40s.
Sunday: Mix of sun and clouds. Highs in the low 60s and lows in the mid 40s.
BC HOSTS MARYLAND FOR THREE-GAME SET
• The Boston College baseball team hosts Maryland 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 two of three last year from the Terrapins in College Park and the lone loss came in walk-off fashion.
LAST YEAR'S SERIES
• Senior OF Mike Sudol went 5-for-11 in the series last season with four doubles and junior INF Matt Hamlet went 3-for-7. Juniors Garret Smith and Mickey Wiswall also batted over .300 for the weekend.
• BC won the opening game on Friday, 6-2, before Maryland evened the series on Saturday. Taylor Buran delivered a pinch hit RBI single in the bottom of the ninth to give Maryland the 4-3 win. The Eagles won the finale, 5-2, to take the series.
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 will also be sidelined this weekend.
• Sophomore RHP Mike Dennhardt is the only pitcher to stay in the starting rotation all seven 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 the ball on 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.
RPI & SOS
• Despite the Eagles' 13-15 record, they sport an RPI of 41 and a strength of schedule ranking of 23.
• Their RPI is the seventh-best in the ACC and their SoS is tops in the conference.
• Twenty of BC's 28 games this season have been vs. teams with an RPI in the top 100.
GOOD START AT HOME
• Boston College is off to a 4-1 start at home this season.
• It is the best start in Chestnut Hill since 2003 when the Eagles were also 4-1.
• Since its first season in the ACC in 2006, the most wins BC has had in its first five home games is two.
• The Eagles were a combined 7-12-1 in their first five home games from 2006-2009.
HIGH HEAT
• The city of Boston came across an unprecedented day of heat on Wednesday 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 is third in the conference in doubles (13), fourth in triples (4) and 10th in steals (9).
• When Anston leads off an inning, he is batting .396 (19-for-48) and he has scored nine times in the first inning.
• Anston has reached base in 25 of the 28 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 ninth in the ACC in home runs (7).
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 .274 hitter and has started 104 games since he arrived on campus in 2008.
WATTY START
• Freshman C/DH Matt Watson has had a solid start to his collegiate career.
• The Portland, Maine product is second on the team in doubles (6) and third in batting average (.323), homers (5) and RBI (25).
• He is also the Eagles' leader with a .430 on-base percentage.
• 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 narrow 2-1 win.
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 head coach Mik Aoki.
• Gordon is sporting the best ERA on the team when he comes out of the bullpen. He has a 2.45 ERA in 11 appearances, allowing five earned runs in 18.1 innings of work.
• Jeannotte has made eight appearances for BC and has thrown 8.0 innings while allowing six runs on nine hits.
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 18 of the 28 games this season.
• Senior CF Robbie Anston has scored in the first inning nine times.
RBI MACHINE
• Junior INF Mickey Wiswall has produced from the No. 3 spot in the batting order.
• He ranks 10th in the ACC in RBI (33) and has eight multi-RBI games this year.
• The Stonehman, Mass. also ranks sixth in the conference in home runs (8), 13th in total bases (67) and 20th in slugging percentage (.578).
• He hit a home run in each of the three games at Clemson last weekend.
• Wiswall drove in 21 runs in the first 11 games of the season.
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.
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 71 two-out RBI so far this season. Junior INF Mickey Wiswall and freshman C/DH Matt Watson lead the team with 14 and senior OF John Spatola has 11.
• In the Eagles' 11-5 win at FIU on March 9, all of the runs crossed the plate with two outs.
• Nearly 50 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, which ranks third in the ACC despite missing a start at Virginia. 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.
• Dean leads the ACC in wins, is third in walks allowed, ninth in ERA and 12th in opposing batting average (.248).
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 30 home runs in 28 games, including seven in the last four outings.
• Junior INF Mickey Wiswall leads the team with eight home runs and senior OF John Spatola has seven blasts, with two of them coming February 28 against Missouri.
• Freshman Matt Watson has hit five long balls while junior Matt Hamlet has three. Sophomores Marc Perdios and Anthony Melchionda have two each.
• BC has nine games with multiple homers and have hit more than one in each of the last three 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.
• 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 ranks third in the conference with 23 sacrifices. Junior Matt Hamlet is third in the ACC with eight sacs this season.
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 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.
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.
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.
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 88 games in center field the last two seasons, third in the conference in doubles (13), fourth in triples (4) and 10th in steals (9).
• Kowalski, a local product from Boston, has 10 appearances out of the bullpen. He is 0-1 with an 8.83 ERA.
• Spatola, the left fielder from nearby Milton, has started all 28 games and is second on the team in batting (.343), home runs (7) and RBI (26).
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.
