University of Massachusets Athletics
2003 Baseball Season Review
June 05, 2003 | Baseball
June 5, 2003
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UMASS FALLS TO RICHMOND IN A-10 FINALS: The Minutemen, who entered the Atlantic 10 Conference Championship as the No. 2 seed, opened the tournament with two victories at Dodd Memorial Stadium in Norwich, Conn. UMass received a first round bye, then defeated George Washington (3-1 on May 16) and Xavier (8-5 on May 17) to advance to the final series. The Minutemen then had to face top-seeded Richmond on the road, and dropped two games as the Spiders claimed the conference crown. Richmond won 8-0 on May 22 and 7-4 on May 24.
THREE MINUTEMEN EARN A-10 ALL-TOURNEY HONORS: UMass placed three players on the 2003 All-Atlantic 10 Tournament team, in junior righthanded pitcher Eric Chown (Fall River, Mass.), freshman outfielder Frank Curreri (Weymouth, Mass.) and junior third baseman Matt Reynolds (South Boston, Mass.). Chown started two games for the Minutemen in the tournament, going 1-1 with a 3.86 earned run average and nine strikeouts over 16-1/3 innings. Curreri was six for 13 (.462) with a triple and seven runs batted in, while Reynolds went five for 13 (.385) with two doubles and two runs scored.
STONE ENTERS 2004 WITH 499 CAREER WINS: Having just concluded his 16th season as UMass' head coach, Mike Stone will enter the 2004 campaign looking to pick up the 500th victory of his collegiate coaching career. Stone currently owns an overall record of 445-302-2 at UMass, while his career record stands at 499-392-4, including five years as the head coach at Vermont. 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 East Division title eight times in the last 10 years, while claiming a pair of Atlantic 10 Tournament titles. A 1982 UMass graduate, Stone earned three letters as a member of the football team.
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).
MORGAN NAMED TO NEW ENGLAND ALL-STAR TEAM: Senior designated hitter Chris Morgan (Cranston, R.I.) was UMass' only representative in the 2003 New England Intercollegiate Baseball Association All-Star Game, played at McCoy Stadium in Pawtucket, R.I., on May 30. Morgan went two for two with a run scored and a run batted in, but his University All-Star team (Division I) dropped a 5-3 decision to the College All-Star team (Divisions II and III). During the season, Morgan led the team in home runs (seven), runs batted in (32), doubles (14) and slugging percentage (.570), while posting a .336 batting average. He concludes his collegiate career ranked seventh all-time at UMass in homers (23), and 10th in both doubles (35) and runs batted in (115).
RATLIFF EMERGES AS CLOSER: Sophomore lefthanded pitcher Scott Ratliff (Helendale, Calif.) turned into a force out of the UMass bullpen this season, and received first team All-Atlantic 10 Conference honors. For the season, Ratliff posted a 2-2 record with seven saves and a 3.70 earned run average, while striking out 27 batters in 24-1/3 innings pitched. He tied the school single season record for saves with seven, while his 18 appearances were the third-highest single season total in UMass history. Ratliff has also tied the school record for most career saves with eight.
CHOWN DRAFTED BY BRAVES: On June 4, junior righthanded pitcher Eric Chown was selected by the Atlanta Braves in the 38th round of the 2003 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft. The Braves took Chown with the final pick of the 38th round, making him the 1,147th player chosen overall. A second team All-Atlantic 10 Conference selection this season, Chown went 7-4 with a 4.25 earned run average and 49 strikeouts in 72 innings pitched, to lead the team in victories, strikeouts and innings. He threw six complete games in 12 starts this year, while also posting one save in two relief appearances. Chown was particularly effective against Atlantic 10 Conference opponents, going 6-1 with a 2.74 earned run average and 31 strikeouts in 46 innings. Over the course of his UMass career, Chown now has 15 victories and 111 strikeouts in 180-1/3 innings pitched.
ATHAS LEADS OFFENSE FROM LEADOFF SPOT: Junior shortstop Mike Athas (Holyoke, Mass.) was a huge spark for the Minutemen this season, hitting out of the leadoff spot in the batting order. Athas finished the year with a .339 batting average, in addition to posting an impressive .401 on-base percentage. He had a 14-game hitting streak snapped during the Atlantic 10 Tournament against Xavier, after going 26 for 51 (.510) with a .552 on-base percentage in those 14 contests. Overall this season, Athas also recorded 37 runs scored, seven stolen bases, nine doubles, a triple, two home runs and 20 runs batted in.
BOULANGER FINISHES CAREER WITH STRONG SEASON: Senior outfielder Matt Boulanger (Westfield, Mass.) had an outstanding season during his final year in a UMass uniform. After moving from shortstop to the outfield last fall, Boulanger led the team with a .343 batting average, while belting four homers and driving in 26 runs. He was particularly impressive over the last month of the season, going 27 for 66 (.409) with six doubles and 17 runs batted in during UMass' final 21 games this year.
ALTIERI CLOSES OUT CONSISTENT CAREER: Senior first baseman Jeff Altieri (Whitinsville, Mass.) was once again a key run producer out of the clean-up spot in the UMass batting order this season. He finished the year batting .273 with five homers and 30 runs batted in, while also collecting a team-best seven sacrifice flies. Altieri concluded his career as a Minuteman ranking second all-time at UMass in sacrifice flies (12), seventh in times hit-by-pitch (16) and doubles (38), eighth in games played (163) and ninth in at-bats (544).
CURRERI HAS BIG YEAR AT THE PLATE: Freshman outfielder Frank Curreri developed into one of the biggest surprises for the Minutemen this year, having a breakthrough season as a true freshman. On the season, Curreri posted a .339 batting average with eight doubles, three home runs and 27 runs batted in. He was particularly impressive in Atlantic 10 regular season games, leading the team with a .407 average, while belting all three of his homers and driving in 13 runs.
TORRA SHINES IN ROOKIE SEASON: Freshman righthanded pitcher Matt Torra (Pittsfield, Mass.) was one of the top starters for the Minutemen all season. For the year, Torra posted a 5-4 record with a 4.61 earned run average, five complete games and 47 strikeouts in 70-1/3 innings pitched. He also threw a pair of nine-inning shutouts this season, tossing a two hitter in the 4-0 victory over Columbia on March 16, and a three hitter in the 1-0 win against St. Bonaventure on May 4.
KNOCKS: Junior righthanded pitcher Eric Chown and senior catcher Tom Ellerbrook (Northampton, Mass.) were named co-most valuable players of the 2003 Minutemen ... Junior second baseman Cullan Maumus (New Orleans, La.) broke 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 ... Junior shortstop Mike Athas, junior third baseman Matt Reynolds and junior second baseman Sean Sarno (Stoneham, Mass.) have been selected as UMass' tri-captains for the 2004 season.
