Boston College Athletics
Baseball Looks to Use Experience and Versatility to Garner Success
February 12, 2015 | Baseball
Infield | Outfield | Pitching | Lineup | Schedule
Chestnut Hill, Mass. - As the Boston College baseball team takes the field for the first time in 2015 on Feb. 13, the Eagles are looking to make noise for the first time in a long time. Under fifth-year head Mike Gambino, the roster is bolstered by veterans and players who can play a variety of position on the field or the mound.
The Eagles return their top three hitters and two of their weekend starters from the 2014 team that went 22-33, collecting the most wins in Gambino's reign. Two years ago, BC won just 12 games with a team that played as more freshmen in the field than upperclassmen. The experience is now paying off as the freshmen are now juniors and have been on the field for two straight years. This, coupled with the senior leadership and a team filled with flexible players, the Eagles' recipe for success.
"This is a fun club because we've watched these boys grow up the last few years on the field. We threw them into the fire knowing how much we believed in all of them. Not just at the time, but for who they would become as players and people. And we're getting to see that this year," Gambino said. "I look at this team, it's the closest thing to a veteran club we've had in my time. We've got some guys - even sophomores - who are in the lineup and have had a lot of at bats.
"Overall, this is a good team with a lot of experience that has been through a lot. That can be a big advantage. It's also a team with great leadership, starting with [senior captains] Blake Butera and John Gorman. It starts with those guys, but I think all our seniors are doing a great job in leadership roles. The junior class is a class full of leaders as well."
Not only do the Eagles have the experience need, they can play many positions. The infield is filled with athletes who can fill a role at moment's notice and many of the BC outfielders started as infielders, showing speed, athleticism and good throwing arms. On the pitching staff, many of the roles have yet to be determined for the season as hurlers fight for starting, relieving and closing jobs. Infield "This is a selfless group overall as they just want to help our team get better and that's what's going to make us successful," assistant coach Jimmy Van Ostrand said.
Bringing it all together is the chemistry needed to be successful at any level.
"The other thing I see about this team is that it's one of the most cohesive clubs I've ever been around. The guys really, genuinely enjoying being around each other and care for each other. That's awesome to see, and awesome to be around, and it will let them handle any ups-and-downs that come during the season," Gambino said.
INFIELD
The majority of the Eagles' infield returns for the 2015 season. Butera will play second, while junior Joe Cronin and sophomore Johnny Adams fill the left side of the infield at third and short, respectively. Sophomore Michael Strem and freshman Mitch Bigras will both see time at first base and sophomore Nick Sciortino, who caught 36 games last season, will be start behind the plate again.
Butera, a four-year starter, has been a mainstay at second and has provided leadership on and off the field.
"Blake has done a great job transitioning into more of a leadership role. He's going to have a large on-field presence, but also has a lot of responsibility off the field with leading our team. He's done a tremendous job of that so far," Van Ostrand said. "He's putting the work in everyday to give himself an opportunity to have a very successful season."
Cronin, who was second on the team in batting, doubles and walks, moves from short to third, while Adams will take over at shortstop after a successful freshman campaign playing mostly at the hot corner.
"Joey has done a great job at third base. The position helps utilize some of his best skills: his overall athleticism, being able to come and make some plays and have the quick reactions he has over there," Van Ostrand said.
"Johnny just continues to get better every single day. His work ethic is second to none. He's got a great understanding for the game of baseball and a passion to be a better baseball player and it rubs off on people around him. He's fun to be around, fun to coach and he is a smart player. You don't have to tell him anything twice," said Van Ostrand.
While Strem, who played mostly left field last year and was third on the team with 13 doubles, will start at first, he could also see time in the outfield and on the mound. That will leave room for Bigras, who could also pitch, at first.
"Strem's a baseball player," Van Ostrand said. "You need guys like him on a team to be successful. Whether it's at first base or in the outfield, he's going to do what it takes to help a team get better and help a team win. He's been learning a brand-new position at first base, but he dove in head first and has been consistently getting better at it. He is turning himself into a defensive asset for us."
After a season-ending knee injury sidelined then-senior Nate LaPointe in the first weekend of the 2014 season, Sciortino stepped in as the starting catcher after converting from a middle infielder out of high school. With a year of experience under his belt, he returns as a leader on the field with the ability to control the pitching staff.
"Scores is one of the best leaders on the team. He works his butt off every day," associate head coach Jim Foster said. "His catch-and-throw skills are as good any anybody's. He's so hungry to learn and asks all the right questions. He brings a lot of athleticism and skills to the position that he had as a middle infielder. Outfield Junior Stephen Sauter and redshirt junior Geoffrey Murphy will backup Sciortino behind the plate. While Sauter may have a slight advantage defensively, playing the position since his freshman year, Murphy has been swinging the bat well in preseason.
Three freshmen join the veteran core of infielders. Jake Palomaki, Anthony Maselli and Trevor Massey have worked hard in the preseason to vie for time on the field.
OUTFIELD
While right field is set for the Eagles with preseason All-American junior Chris Shaw, center and left are up for grabs. Six players are competing to fill the two outfield positions and the designated hitter role. Senior Travis Ferrick, redshirt junior Nick Colucci, juniors Logan Hoggarth and Gabriel Hernandez and freshmen Donovan Casey and Scott Braren will all contribute for the Eagles this spring.
"The outfield is kind of up in the air right now in terms of guys working themselves into the mix. We really have the tough job in that the players are really forcing our hand," assistant coach Greg Sullivan said. "You wish you had six outfield positions and you could put them all out there. They're really doing a job in the preseason - and even back to the fall - of working hard and putting the pressure on us as a coaching staff to make a decision to figure out ways to get them all in to the lineup."
Many of the outfielders are converted infielders, including Colucci, Ferrick, Hoggarth and Hernandez, and have the speed and athleticism to play any position in the outfield. The Eagles have many options in the outfield heading into 2015.
Ferrick has played all over the field in his four seasons at The Heights and will mostly likely see time on the hill or in the outfield. Wearing No. 8 this season in honor of Sonny Nictakis, Sullivan noted his selflessness and baseball IQ.
"I can't say enough about Travis Ferrick in terms of his selflessness to really go anywhere on the field no matter where it is, whether he's playing left field one day and catching the next or even pitching," Sullivan said. "You wish you had nine Travis Ferricks out on the field. His baseball IQ is very high; he's always thinking on his feet; he's always a step ahead of the play, so he allows himself to be in the right position at the right time."
Hernandez played third and short for the Eagles his first two years at The Heights but will probably contribute by playing any of the outfield position or use his speed on the base path as a designated hitter. He led the team with 10 stolen bases a year ago.
"Gabe made the transition from the infield to the outfield and has really embraced that utility role. Like when he played the infield, he's got an above-average arm and he can move in terms of range. He really gives us another option in the outfield and another way to get him in the lineup with his versatility. I can see him playing in any one of the three outfield positions and not really missing a beat in any of them," Sullivan said. Pitching Shaw, who was recently named to USA Baseball's Golden Spikes Award 50-player preseason watch, returns to right field, where last year he did not make an error in 105 chances. A converted first baseman, Shaw returns to the Eagles as the offensive leader in most categories and has the chance to be one of the nation's top power hitters.
"Chris has done a great job in right field for us," Sullivan said. "He, like so many of these guys, made the transition from the infield to the outfield and did it with open arms. He's definitely improved his range over the summer into the fall, and even his leadership in the outfield - in terms of being able to move guys around and be in the right place at the right time - has really made him an above-average outfielder."
PITCHING
While the first weekend starters are set, there are many pitchers in the mix to become weekend starters for the Eagles this season. Gorman and senior Nick Poore and juniors Jeff Burke and Jesse Adams will start the first four games of the season in Spartanburg, S.C., but not only does Foster have to whittle the weekend staff down to a three-man rotation for ACC play, other players could factor in. As the Eagles play the first part of the season out of conference, it will give the coaching staff the chance to determine roles, including weekend and midweek starters, long and short relievers and who will step into the closer role.
Right-hander Gorman recorded a 3.86 ERA and led the team with 68 strikeouts as the Eagles' Friday night starter last year. He will start the season in the same role, but could move to the bullpen if other arms emerge as starters. In his first two years in Maroon and Gold, he recorded six saves and in the Cape Cod League over the season, he came out of the pen for the Bourne Braves, tallying four more.
"John is a leader. He's been through it and he can handle it. He can get you ground balls; he can get you strikeouts; he can get you seven innings a start; he can figure it out when he doesn't have his best stuff. He's a just that guy," Foster said. "Johnny would be a tremendous closer, back-end guy. We're just trying to figure out what's going to be best for the team with the whole group, but Johnny can go out there on Friday and go head-to-head with anybody. The thing I like about him is that he continues to try to get better every day. He's not happy with starting Friday night last year. Since day one, he just wants to get better. He's so hungry. It's almost too much sometimes, but he's a bulldog."
"Everything first starts with Johnny Gorman," Gambino added. "Johnny could be a really good starter on Friday night or a dominant closer. Everything with our pitching staff feeds off of him. The boys love being behind him, whether it's in a big game on Friday night, or having him come in at the end of the game."
Righty Burke will also have a weekend starting role, building off last season, when he started 13 games, tallied a 5.04 ERA and struck out 39. Classmate southpaw Adams will get his chance as a starter after two years coming out of the bullpen when he compiled a 4.59 ERA and 63 Ks in 42 appearances. Along with Adams, lefty Poore is moving from the pen to a starting role. In three years at The Heights, he has a 3-5 record with a 4.97 ERA over four starts and 51 appearances.
"It's Jesse's time to shine," Foster said. "He's got one of those fastballs that's tough to square up. The ball moves everywhere. He's going to be a very, very good starter for us. I have high hopes for Jesse."
Sophomore right-hander Mike King could have a chance to start as the season goes along. In his freshman campaign, he was second in the pen with a 2.93 ERA and led all relievers with 35 strikeouts. Classmate righty Bobby Skogsbergh led the bullpen last season with a 2.22 ERA and racked up a 4-0 record in 19 appearances. He will be a key component in the as a starter or out of the bullpen in his second season.
"Bobby is just someone we are real comfortable with. We can put him in any situation: He can start, close or go one time around in the middle of the order. He's going to be a big part of our staff," Foster said.
Along with Skogsbergh, the Eagles will look to right-handers redshirt sophomore Luke Fernandes, sophomore Justin Dunn, junior John Nicklas and senior Eric Stone to come up big in relief. Redshirt junior Tyler Hinchliffe, redshirt freshmen Kevin Connor and James Walsh are lefty specialists. Connor will make his BC debut as he did not play in 2014 due to injury.
Along with Gorman, Dunn, Fernandes, Nicklas and Skogsbergh are the candidates for the closing role and could split time in the role in the first weeks of the season. Lineup "We have a really solid crew: Burke, Adams, Poore, King and Skogsbergh," Gambino said. "They are going to fight for those other starting roles and those who emerge are going to be really solid. I think we're going to have three really solid starters this year and I think we have a chance to have a very good bullpen with some depth, whether Johnny is in the front or in the back. Guys like Luke, Johnny Nicklas, Justin Dunn and whoever in that starting group slides to the bullpen will give us a lot of options to attack lineups. And guys who have been out in games will be battle tested."
Freshmen RHP Brian Rapp, RHP Kyle Dunster and LHP Carmen Giampetruzzi will look to break in as the season progresses. Foster notes that Dunster and Giampetruzzi could see time as midweek starters in their early careers.
Along with Ferrick and Bigras, Massey and Casey are two-way players who could also see time on the bump.
LINEUP
While the versatility of the Eagles will play a role on the field, it will also help them in the batting order. Shaw will provide most of the power for the BC bats, but many of the hitters surrounding him have the assets to make for a dangerous lineup.
"This is a scary lineup because you have a bunch of guys that can do a bunch of different things," Gambino said. "If you take Chris Shaw and put him in your lineup, it immediately makes your lineup scary. He's in the conversation for the best power hitter in the country; he's in the conversation as the best hitter in the country. When you have an offensive force like that in the middle, right off the bat it's a scary lineup.
"You've got guys around him like Butera, Strem, Adams, Cronin and Hernandez - and anyone else who steps up - who can do a lot of things. They can run, bunt and hit-and run; they can hit doubles or home runs. It makes it a tough lineup to pitch to because of all the things we can do offensively. And then you have some guys in the bottom of the lineup - whomever slides into those roles - who are going to be tough outs. So I don't think there's going to be a spot in our lineup where a pitcher can cruise." Schedule While the infield fills a majority of the order, the rest of the lineup will need to be worked out in the first part of the season. The amount of option will only serve to help the Eagles when looking for Ws. Along with who will play in the outfield, the designated hitting role could be filled by a variety of players, especially early in the season.
"The fun thing is that there are two ways to look at it: You look at those two outfield spots right now as unfilled, but you don't look at it that way because you don't have anyone to play there. Those spots are open there because there are six guys who are playing great and who could factor in. So, it's a good problem to have and it will sort itself out," Gambino explained. "They could end up in platoon roles; they could DH, platoon right or left, or we could end up going with the hot hand. It's going to give us a bunch of different options. And it's going to let us look at the combination of offense and defense and who gives us the best chance to win."
SCHEDULE
Playing in the Atlantic Coast Conference is never an easy task. Six teams rank in Baseball American's top-25 preseason poll. The Eagles will also face 10 teams that played in the 2014 NCAA Tournament. After opening weekend, BC will travel to No. 4 LSU to face the Tigers before a road trip that includes four-game swing at the Snowbird Classic in Port Charlotte, Fla.
"The first thing that jumps out on the non-conference schedule is LSU, but the thing about playing on that stage, in that stadium, is it's also something we do every weekend. We play top-10 teams in a great college baseball atmosphere. That happens every other weekend in the ACC," Gambino explained. "I love that weekend to play a great team and get our boys ready for the ACC. The other two weekends we are playing good teams. The non-conference schedule is going to be a good test early on. We are going to go in and we have to play well to get some wins. There could be some games where we play well and still don't get a W, but I think it's a really good chance to get our boys settled into their rolls and get us ready for Florida State and Louisville."
When looking ahead to the 2015 season, Gambino knew LSU would be a good test for BC. The Tigers continually draw some of the best crowds in college baseball and rank in the top tier every year.
"The LSU series came up when I talked to Coach Mainieri four years ago when these recruiting classes were coming together - guys who are now sophomores and juniors. As our recruiting classes were coming together and I knew these boys would grow up and develop and get experience, I thought this year would be a really good year to have LSU on the schedule. Four years ago, looking at this year, to get LSU is a great early-season test, but also something that can prepare us for the ACC season - and in a year when I think this is a team can make a lot of noise in the ACC and is finally ready to make some runs deep in the postseason."
