Boston College Athletics
2011 Baseball Season Preview
February 16, 2011 | Baseball
Feb. 16, 2011
The 2011 Boston College baseball season brings with it a new set of faces in the Eagles' dugout as first-year head coach Mike Gambino takes the reins of his alma mater's club. The 2000 BC graduate took his first head coaching job after a successful stint as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Virginia Tech.
Gambino brought in one of the top pitching coaches in the country in Scott Friedholm who left his post at Navy to return to New England. In addition, he hired Greg Sullivan who had spent four seasons as the program's first head coach at nearby Newbury. Steve Englert remains on the staff for his 10th season.
With the new staff comes a new set of philosophies that instills a sense of excitement with the student-athletes and the fans around the program. The last two seasons, BC has ranked in the top 25 in sacrifice bunts - moving people up 90 feet when it had a chance.
Not this season.
"The analogy I always use is that sacrifice bunting is like CPR if you're a lifeguard," Gambino said. "You need to be really, really good at it and hope you never use it. I don't want to give up outs. Outs are precious. They're hard to come by and when you are on defense they are hard to get so I don't want to give them up.
We'll get some guys moving on the base paths. We'll have some guys with green lights. We'll hit and run a little bit, but it's not going to be a station-to-station offense. We are going to put an emphasis on taking extra bases when we can and we are going to be good at going from first to third every opportunity we get. If you play for a run, then maybe you get a run. I want to get three, four and five and you don't do that by giving up outs."
The Eagles have to replace five players lost to the draft after a program-record six were drafted last year. BC has to replace its No. 1 starter in Pat Dean (5-2, 4.75) and top reliever Kevin Moran (8-5, 7.92), but it is the offense that loses the biggest bulk.
John Spatola and Mickey Wiswall combined to hit 36 homers and drive in 122 runs while both batted over .300. The man who was on base and scored 55 times because of them was leadoff hitter Robbie Anston, who batted .324 with 18 steals.
"You can't replace that type of offense," Gambino said. "You're not going to get three guys to replace those three guys straight up. We're going to have to do it from top to bottom in the order. We have a chance to have a balanced lineup. I don't think we're going to have one guy in the middle of our lineup that's going to hit 25 home runs. We have a bunch of guys who are tough outs and there won't be a huge break in the bottom of our order."
As a graduate of The Heights, one of the most important pieces that Gambino is instilling in his squad is the BC experience outside of baseball.
"If there is something we're learning that's going to help us win games, those are lessons that will help them be successful in the future," Gambino said. "They have to learn to prepare and learn how to be really good at doing the things nobody else wants to do. It's important for me to help these guys reach their potential on the field and off. If you're only doing one of them then it's not enough. They have to do both. We see how important that is with our alumni and how successful they are both in baseball and in the job market."
STARTING PITCHERS
The Eagles have a pair of very experienced starting arms at the top of the weekend rotation in senior RHP John Leonard and junior RHP Mike Dennhardt. The coaches are hoping that their previous experience on an ACC staff will help them break through this year.
"We saw their numbers, but they've shown this fall that those don't equate to who they are," Friedholm said. "I think they're better than their numbers and we're going to need them to be better than them. Leonard and Dennhardt have experience and maybe that will help push them over the edge this year. We need those two to be really, really special for us and I think they are ready."
With the loss of junior RHP Taylor Lasko to Tommy John surgery, the Eagles needed a third starter for the weekend and senior LHP Nate Bayuk has pitched himself into that position.
Bayuk was one of the top relievers for BC last season before an injury derailed his season.
"Bayuk is the wild card this year," Friedholm said. "He has proven this fall and winter that he can get people out, not just left-handers. He's going to be right there in the mix."
Freshman RHP Eric Stevens has impressed since arriving on campus and has set himself up to be a midweek starter.
"We don't know what Eric Stevens is going to be yet," Friedholm said. "He could be a midweek guy. He could be a weekend guy out of the bullpen. If there is an injury, he could be starting on weekends. He has the opportunity to be pretty good. He needs to believe in himself and his stuff; that he can pitch at this level."
The Eagles can also bank on the starting experience of senior RHP Dane Clemens, who went 2-2 in eight starts a year ago.
Senior RHP Dave Laufer, sophomore RHP Hunter Gordon and freshman LHP Steve Green are other options to start the non-conference contests.
RELIEF PITCHERS
The coaching staff knows exactly what they have in junior RHP Matt Brazis who serves as the closer. He recorded nine saves, which ranked third in the ACC and had a 4.73 ERA.
"We need Brazis to be Brazis again," Friedholm said. "He's the guy whose numbers we need to repeat. He needs to be that guy again."
"Brazis will be our go-to guy," Gambino added. "It's just a matter of getting to him. If our staff doesn't do a good enough job to get it to him, we will go to him in the seventh. He has the stuff and the mentality to be one of the top closers in the ACC."
There is a litany of options for BC to go to in relief. Senior RHP Geoff Oxley is working his way back to 100 percent after undergoing Tommy John surgery last May. He is back for his fifth year and is a team captain who is relied upon by his teammates.
"He has worked so hard because he wanted to be a part of this team," Friedholm said. "If he is healthy, he will be in the game because our kids feed off of him."
Junior RHP Kyle Prohovich and Gordon are two of the best options in the pen entering the season. Prohovich is a big presence on the mound and has improved greatly since last season. Gordon made 24 appearances out of the bullpen as a freshman in 2010.
Laufer has the second-most career appearances on the team after the 22 he made last season.
The coaching staff thinks highly of redshirt freshman RHP Matt Alvarez's stuff but he has yet to pitch in a game at the collegiate level. BC also has sophomore RHP Jay Jeannotte while Green is the only leftie in the pen.
CATCHERS
Senior captain Garret Smith will return for his second season behind the plate after moving from shortstop in 2010. Smith continues to improve defensively but struggled at the plate last year. Gambino does not expect that to continue.
"I think Garret Smith is going to have a big offensive year," he said. "I really do. As far as pure baseball players, I will put him with anybody in the country. He can play anywhere on the field and legitimately play shortstop in the ACC as well as the other infield positions. He is one of the top catchers in the league and if he was a full-time pitcher, I wouldn't be surprised if he was one of the top bullpen guys in the ACC. That kid is unbelievable."
Sophomore Matt Watson has made tremendous improvements defensively and was a mainstay as the team's designated hitter in 2010. He got off to a torrid start and finished batting .259 with eight doubles, seven homers and 34 RBI.
Junior Jim Laufer and freshman Nate LaPointe add depth behind the plate.
FIRST BASE
Senior Mike Sudol looks to be the frontrunner to be the opening day starter at first. He is making the transition from his outfield spot and is too important a bat to not have in the lineup.
"He's working really hard to get better over there," Gambino said. "I can't talk enough about him. Sudol, Watson and Anthony Melchionda will provide the bulk of our offense."
Sudol played in 41 games in 2010 with 22 starts. He was second on the team with a .326 batting average while belting six home runs and driving in 33. He slugged at a team-best .652 clip.
Prohovich, Melchionda, Watson and sophomores Rob Moir and Spenser Payne are also able to play first.
SECOND BASE
Senior Matt Hamlet returns to second base and is one of the best fielders in the country. He has committed just three errors in the last two seasons and has a .991 fielding percentage during that span.
He also batted .291 with 13 doubles and 36 RBI while leading the nation with 20 sacrifice bunts last year.
Sophomore Philip Miclat played in 21 games with six starts and spent some time at second base as well as left field. Freshmen Matt Demitroff and John Hennessy are newcomers that add depth all around the infield.
SHORTSTOP
Junior Brad Zapenas returns for his third season starting at shortstop and paired with Hamlet, make one of the best middle infields in the country.
Zapenas stepped up at the dish last year as well, batting .318 with 14 RBI.
"Zapenas has to be in the conversation as one of the top defensive shortstops in the country," Gambino said.
Zapenas nearly cut his error total in half from his freshman (11) to sophomore (6) campaign and will only get better.
THIRD BASE
Junior Anthony Melchionda will spend his second season as the starting third baseman after an impressive 2010.
He led the Eagles in batting at .358 while hitting 12 doubles, seven home runs and recording 41 RBI.
"I don't know if we can get much better in the field," Gambino said. "Melchionda, Zapenas and Hamlet can play defense with any three in the country. Melchionda and Hamlet are ACC shortstops. When you have that, then you have a special infield. Our pitchers can feed off that because they can attack the zone and pitch to contact. It gives them confidence. You can't overstate how important it is to have them in the infield."
OUTFIELD
The corner outfield spots will certainly have familiar faces when the first pitch is thrown at Coastal Carolina. Junior Marc Perdios will start in right field. He played in just 14 games last year early in the season but hit a pair of solo home runs.
Junior Andrew Lawrence split time with Sudol in the outfield, starting 23 games and appearing in 41 total. He batted .287 with six doubles, three home runs and 13 RBI and will be the starter on the other side in left field.
Tom Bourdon is a freshman that has earned the spot between them in center field. A 38th round draft pick of the Boston Red Sox, Bourdon led Northwest Catholic to the Connecticut state title and was an All-Region I honoree.
"Bourdon is an absolute worker and is really driven," Gambino said. "All he cares about is getting better. He has a really good feel for making adjustments. He's a kid that when he struggles, he will be able to get out of it. His tools will jump out at you, but it's his makeup that will allow him to have a lot of success."
The Eagles have great depth in the outfield as well with sophomores Moir and Matt McGovern. Moir saw time in 21 games last year while McGovern played in 28.
"Rob Moir is a leader on this team," Gambino said. "The toughness he brings to this team can really factor in the lineup. I love having him."
BC can also rely on Payne, sophomore Koury Hajjar, redshirt freshman Jimmy Dowdell and freshman Chris Pagliarulo to fight for playing time.
