University of Massachusets Athletics
Minutemen Set For A-10 Tournament
May 14, 2003 | Baseball
May 14, 2003
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THE SLATE: The Minutemen (24-17 overall, 14-7 Atlantic 10) are seeded second in this week's Atlantic 10 Conference Championship, which will take place from May 15-17 at Dodd Memorial Stadium in Norwich, Conn. UMass will receive a first round bye, then play the winner of the game between George Washington (35-16, 12-9 A-10) and Rhode Island (25-24, 16-8 A-10) at 4:00 p.m. on Friday, May 16. The top two teams in the double elimination tournament, which also includes Duquesne (25-27, 15-9 A-10), Richmond (42-11, 19-4 A-10) and Xavier (23-24-2, 13-8 A-10), will meet in a best two-out-of-three series on the campus of the higher seeded team, from May 22-24.
MINUTEMEN CLAIM REGULAR SEASON CROWN AGAIN: UMass finished with a 14-7 record in conference games this season, to tie with Rhode Island for first place in the Atlantic 10 East Division. This marks the eighth time in the last 10 years the Minutemen claimed an Atlantic 10 regular season title. UMass previously won Eastern Division titles in 1996, 1997, 1998 and 1999, while taking the Atlantic 10 title outright in 1994, 1995 and 2001 (The league did not use a divisional format from 1993-1995, and in 2001).
UMASS IN THE ATLANTIC 10 TOURNAMENT: The Minutemen are making an Atlantic 10 record 16th conference tournament appearance this season, and are taking part in the tournament for the 14th time in the last 17 years. UMass has posted a 26-24 record in its previous 15 appearances in the Atlantic 10 Championship, winning two titles in the 1990s. UMass won the title in its first-ever Atlantic 10 Tournament in 1980, then came out victorious again in 1995 and 1996. The Minutemen also had the second-longest string of consecutive tournament appearances with eight from 1994-2001, behind only Rutgers' 10-year stretch from 1986-1995.
ON THE MOUND: Junior righthanded pitcher Eric Chown (Fall River, Mass.) is expected to start for the Minutemen against either George Washington or Rhode Island on Friday. He enters the week with an overall record of 6-3, a 4.37 earned run average and 40 strikeouts in 55-2/3 innings pitched. Chown has been particularly effective in conference action this season, posting a 6-1 record with five complete games in seven starts. Sophomore lefthanded pitcher Keith Doherty (Quincy, Mass.), freshman righthanded pitcher Matt Torra (Pittsfield, Mass.) and sophomore righthanded pitcher Mike Crane (Braintree, Mass.) would be next in line to start games for the Minutemen later in the tournament.
THE SERIES WITH GEORGE WASHINGTON: The Minutemen lead the all-time series with the Colonials 12-9. The teams last met during the 2002 season, with George Washington taking two of three games in Amherst. In Atlantic 10 Tournament games, UMass holds a 4-2 advantage in the series. During the 2001 A-10 Tournament, the Minutemen defeated the Colonials 4-3 in the opening round, before George Washington came back to post a 9-1 victory in an elimination game the following day.
THE SERIES WITH RHODE ISLAND: The Minutemen stand 95-49 in the all-time series with the Rams, which began in the 1906 season. UMass took two of three games from Rhode Island in Amherst earlier this year, marking the second straight season the Minutemen have won their series with the Rams. Rhode Island and UMass have never met in the Atlantic 10 Tournament, with the Rams' only previous appearance coming in 1984, when the Minutemen did not qualify.
THE SERIES WITH RICHMOND: UMass stands 3-5 all-time against the Spiders, in a series which began in 1970. The teams have played only one series since Richmond joined the Atlantic 10 in 2002, with the Spiders sweeping three games from the Minutemen in Richmond last year. UMass has not defeated Richmond since the 1980 season, when it posted a 10-3 road victory. The Minutemen and the Spiders have never met in the Atlantic 10 Tournament.
THE SERIES WITH DUQUESNE: The Minutemen have played the Dukes 15 times prior to this week, with Duquesne holding an 8-7 advantage in the series. The Dukes took two of three games from UMass earlier this year, in a series played in Pittsburgh. The Minutemen and the Dukes have never met in the Atlantic 10 Tournament. Duquesne has made only two previous Atlantic 10 Tournament appearances, with those coming in 1979 and 1980.
THE SERIES WITH XAVIER: UMass has a perfect mark of 9-0 in the all-time series with the Musketeers, after the three-game series scheduled between the teams this year was cancelled due to snow. The last time the schools met, the Minutemen swept a three-game series in Cincinnati during the 2001 season. UMass also stands 3-0 against Xavier in Atlantic 10 Tournament games, winning 16-3 and 6-1 in 1996, and 6-1 during the 1997 season.
ATHAS LEADS OFFENSE FROM LEADOFF SPOT: Junior shortstop Mike Athas (Holyoke, Mass.) has been a huge spark for the Minutemen this season, hitting out of the leadoff spot in the batting order. Athas currently leads the team with a .367 batting average, in addition to posting a team-high .432 on-base percentage. He enters the Atlantic 10 Tournament on a 13-game hitting streak, during which he has gone 25 for 46 (.532) with a .585 on-base percentage. Overall this season, Athas has also recorded 35 runs scored, seven stolen bases, eight doubles, a triple, two home runs and 20 runs batted in.
MORGAN CONTINUES TO SWING A BIG BAT: Senior designated hitter Chris Morgan (Cranston, R.I.) continues to be a huge threat in the middle of the UMass lineup. He enters the Atlantic 10 Tournament on a five-game hitting streak, after having a huge series against St. Joseph's last weekend. In three games against the Hawks, Morgan was four for 10 with two homers, three runs scored and seven runs batted in. Overall this season, Morgan leads the team in both home runs (seven), runs batted in (31) and slugging percentage (.600). He is also tied for the team lead in doubles (13), while ranking third in batting average (.348).
CHOWN CONTINUES TO IMPRESS: Junior righthanded pitcher Eric Chown has been a huge part of UMass' success during the second half of the season. He has thrown five consecutive complete games in Atlantic 10 action, posting a 4-1 record in those contests. Last week against St. Joseph's, Chown did not allow any earned runs, while surrendering only six hits and two walks in UMass' 10-2 victory. For the season, Chown leads the team in victories (six) and games started (10), while tying for the team lead in complete games (five). His earned run average stands at 4.37 on the year, including a 2.74 mark against Atlantic 10 foes.
RATLIFF EMERGES AS CLOSER: Sophomore lefthanded pitcher Scott Ratliff (Helendale, Calif.) has turned into a force out of the UMass bullpen this season. Last week, Ratliff picked up a pair of victories against Siena and St. Joseph's, tossing a total of three innings while striking out three and allowing only one run and one hit. For the season, Ratliff now has a 2-2 record with six saves and a 4.22 earned run average, while striking out 24 batters in 21-1/3 innings pitched. He has been particularly effective against Atlantic 10 Conference opponents, going 1-0 with four saves and a 3.86 earned run average in seven appearances.
THE ROAD WARRIORS: The Minutemen posted an impressive 7-5 record in Atlantic 10 Conference road games this season. UMass was one of only three schools in the league to have a winning record on the road, joining Richmond (9-2) and Rhode Island (7-5). Overall this season, the Minutemen went 10-10 in games played on the opposition's home field.
CURRERI HAS STRONG START TO UMASS CAREER: Freshman outfielder Frank Curreri (Weymouth, Mass.) developed into one of the biggest surprises for the Minutemen this year, having a breakthrough season as a true freshman. Seeing action in 33 games, Curreri is batting .323 with eight doubles, three home runs and 20 runs batted in. He has been particularly impressive in Atlantic 10 games, leading the team with a .407 average, while belting all three of his homers and driving in 13 runs. On April 21, Curreri was named both the Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week and the Dinn Brothers UMass Athlete of the Week, after putting together some of his top performances of the season. In six games that week, Curreri went nine for 21 (.429) with seven extra base hits (three doubles, one triple and three home runs) and eight runs batted in.
TORRA SHINES IN ROOKIE SEASON: Freshman righthanded pitcher Matt Torra has been one of the top starters for the Minutemen all season. In late April and early May, he put together a string of three consecutive nine-inning complete games, all coming in Atlantic 10 Conference action. That streak included games against Rhode Island (allowing only one earned run on five hits, while striking out four in the 7-2 win), Temple (did not allow any earned runs and struck out nine, while scattering 10 hits and walking only two in a 7-2 victory) and St. Bonaventure (tossed a 1-0 shutout, striking out six while allowing three hits and no walks). Following his performances, on May 5, Torra was named the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Pitcher of the Week, Atlantic 10 Pitcher of the Week and Dinn Brothers UMass Athlete of the Week. For the year, Torra owns a 5-4 record with a 4.79 earned run average, five complete games and 44 strikeouts.
BOULANGER FINISHES CAREER WITH STRONG SEASON: Senior outfielder Matt Boulanger (Westfield, Mass.) is having an outstanding season during his final year in a UMass uniform. After moving from shortstop to the outfield last fall, Boulanger ranks second on the team with a .349 batting average, while belting four homers and driving in 25 runs. He has been particularly impressive over the last month, going 23 for 52 (.442) with six doubles and 16 runs batted in during UMass' last 17 games.
ALTIERI REMAINS A CONSISTENT THREAT: Senior first baseman Jeff Altieri (Whitinsville, Mass.) continues to produce out of the clean-up spot in the UMass batting order. He is currently batting .286 with five homers and 30 runs batted in, while also collecting a team-best seven sacrifice flies. Altieri enters the Atlantic 10 Tournament ranking seventh all-time at UMass with 37 career doubles, while also totaling 18 career homers and 103 career runs batted in.
HEAD COACH MIKE STONE: Now in his 16th season as UMass' head coach, Mike Stone owns an overall record of 443-300-2 while leading the Minutemen. Stone guided UMass to NCAA Tournament appearances during the 1995 and 1996 seasons, and was a three-time Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year selection in 1994, 1995 and 1996. In addition, Stone's Minutemen have won the Atlantic 10 Conference regular season or Eastern Division title eight times in the last 10 years, while claiming a pair of Atlantic 10 Tournament titles. A 1982 UMass graduate, Stone's career record stands at 497-390-4, including five years as the head coach at the University of Vermont.
KNOCKS: Senior catcher Tom Ellerbrook (Northampton, Mass.) and senior third baseman John Seed (New Bedford, Mass.) are the co-captains of the 2003 Minutemen ... Junior second baseman Cullan Maumus (New Orleans, La.) has broken the school single season and career records for sacrifice bunts this season. Maumus has 14 sacrifices on the year to break the old mark of 10, while his 28 career sacrifices have topped the old record of 25 ... Sophomore outfielder Jason Twomley (Fitchburg, Mass.) leads the Minutemen with 11 stolen bases in 17 attempts this season. As a team, UMass has totaled 50 stolen bases in 71 attempts on the year.
