University of Massachusets Athletics
UMass Opens 2006 Season Tonight Against South Florida
March 10, 2006 | Baseball
March 10, 2006
The Minutemen kick of the 2006 season against the University of South Florida tonight at 7:00 PM in Tampa, Florida. The Bulls enter tonight's game with a record of 5-9, but are coming off 17-3 victory over Penn on Tuesday. Junior Chris Lloyd (North Adams, Mass) will get the start for the Minutemen tonight. Lloyd was 3-1 with 6.38 ERA in 36 innings of work in 2005. The Bulls will send junior right-hander Casey Hudspeth to the hill tonight. Hudspeth is 1-2 on the year with 4.76 ERA and 27 strikeouts in 22 innings of work. Below is the Minutemen's 2006 Season Preview:
After struggling in 2005 with growing pains, the 2006 Minutemen baseball squad has reason to believe that it is back on the road to prominence in the Atlantic 10. Last year's team featured 19 underclassmen and just three seniors. For the first two months of the season, the Minutemen were faced with many players adjusting to college play while striving to maintain a more consistent level of play. During the final month of the season, the team saw significant improvement winning its last three Atlantic 10 series including a series victory over Atlantic 10 Champion Rhode Island and finishing 9-7 in the month of May. This was capped with the drafting of pitcher Matt Torra in the first round, as well as Jason Twomley as the 738th pick.
During the off-season Coach Stone looked to improve in three areas: solidify the shortstop position, gain more consistency out of the pitching staff, and have better, team oriented offense from top to bottom in the lineup. Thus far, Coach Stone seems pleased with the progress in all three areas.
"We're just more solid this season," Stone explained, "we know who is going to play where. We realize that some things change with injuries, but this season we're more shored up in both the infield and outfield."
The experience and improvement should translate to more consistent production both on the offensive and defensive end from the Minutemen as they look to rebound in 2006.
CATCHER
Sophomore Bryan Garrity will see the bulk of the action behind the plate this season. Garrity started 44 games last season and was third on the team in hitting with a .264 average and a .335 OBP. Defensively, Garrity was outstanding, posting a team leading .985 fielding percentage and throwing out 27% of attempting base stealers (19-72).
Backing up Garrity will be junior Frank McPherson. McPherson saw limited action last season, appearing in five games, but missed most of the season due to injury.
CORNER INFIELDERS
Sophomore Ryan Franczek will likely man third base for the Minutemen. After getting off to a slow start in 2005, Franczek finished the season strong with an eight-game hitting streak, stroking 11 hits in 32 at bats during that period. "This year he's shown that he's a legitimate Division I leadoff man and third basemen," Stone said.
Making the switch from short to first base will be junior Bryan Adamski. Adamski finished fourth on the team in hitting last season with a .263 average to go along with four home runs, while driving in 27 RBI. Sophomore Andy Tuetken will likely see time at first after starting at the position for the last 20 games of 2005. Outstanding with the glove, the sophomore made just two errors in 250 putouts.
Freshman Jim MacDonald will look to compete for time at third base. MacDonald, coming off a year of postgraduate baseball at the Salisbury School in Connecticut where he hit .437, is currently slotted as the backup at the hot corner. Stone claimed "He's good enough to play ... he's an advanced hitter, he just needs some at bats."
MIDDLE INFIEDLD
The Minutemen will be improved up the middle with the additions of junior Lou Proietti and freshman Adam Tempesta. Proietti comes to UMass after a playing at Potomac State College, where he lead the Catamounts to a trip to the Division I JUCO World Series in 2005. He brings a solid overall game, while providing a left-handed bat in the lineup.
"He's an outstanding leader," Stone said of Proietti. "He loves to win and that is contagious."
Tempesta will get the start at second. Last year he finished his career at Brockton High with a .390 average and should provide solid defense.
"He's a player, he's got a great love and savvy for the game. He's advanced and doesn't play like a freshman," Stone said.
Competing with Tempesta is junior Anthony Santos, who will provide experienced depth to the roster. A starter in 2005, he hit .238 with six doubles and 16 runs scored out of the nine-hole last season. Freshman Joel Duverge will also provide infield depth.
OUTFIELD
Patrolling the outfield for the Minutemen will be senior Derrick Durepo and junior Bill Rankin in center field and left field, respectively. Durepo spent the majority of 2005 in center field for the Minutemen hitting .250 with four doubles and 11 RBI, despite missing 19 games due to injury. Rankin saw some time in the outfield in 2005. He hit .248 (.284 against right-handed pitching) out of the leadoff slot and two hole. Competing for the slot in right field will be veteran junior Travis Munsey and freshman Joe Cotone. Munsey is a vital utility player, while Cotone joins the team after batting .469 during the '05 season at Lakeland H.S.
Adding depth in the outfield will be freshmen Marc Dallaire and Charlie Kelly. Dallaire is coming off a senior season at Peabody High where he hit .320. Kelly, a strong hitter, has the ability to play both the corner infield position and outfield.
"We're trying to work him into as an outfielder for the future, but he can hit well." Stone said of Kelly. "He's a big strong kid with a good swing."
PITCHING
This year's staff should feature a more balanced rotation with a reduced drop off from the top to the bottom. "The entire pitching staff has improved," Stone said. "They have more command, they have more velocity, and now they have three pitches they can throw consistently for strikes."
The starting rotation will include Chris Lloyd, Brent Tarasuik, Aaron Smith and newcomers Tom Cote, Rory McDonald and Ryan Walczak. Lloyd has emerged as the top-returning pitcher for the Minutemen after posting a 3-1 record last season. Smith and Tarasuik return with a combined 50 collegiate innings under their belt and both have improved through the off-season according to Stone. McDonald and Walczak both have been impressive in their first few months as Minutemen. Cote was a three-time all-state selection for the 2005 champion Monadnock Huskies, while McDonald spent two years at Becker College before transferring to UMass. Walczak posted a 21-3 record and a 1.62 ERA for his career at Taunton High.
Anchoring the bullpen will be senior David Sullivan. The right-hander was a workhorse for the Minutemen last season, leading the squad with 17 appearances and second with a 4.32 ERA. Freshman lefthander Al Jardine will look to be an intricate part of the relief corps after posting a 1.88 ERA as a starter last season. Joining Jardine will be Mike Dicato, who registered a 1.49 ERA and 227 strikeouts during his high school career. Bolstering the bullpen will be senior Jeremy Demers, junior Josh Pickering, sophomore Beau Hodges and freshman Mitchell Eilenberg. First basemen Bryan Adamski may also see time out of the pen as a closer.
OVERVIEW
The Minutemen should feature a more balanced and experienced team. Eight position players will be returning with at least 30 games and 20 starts under their belt. Several of the first year players will be able to make significant contributions to the 2006 squad, but Stone should be able to ease them into the lineup with improved play from the veterans.
The pitching staff will indeed have a large hole to fill with the departure of All- American Matt Torra to Pro Baseball. However, Coach Stone has restocked his pitching staff with 12 players eager to fill that void. The staff will still be, for all intents and purposes, very young, but should be improved from last year.
The Minutemen were picked to finish 10th in the Atlantic 10 in the 2006 preseason coaches poll. UMass will be predominantly on the road during the first two months of the season, but will play 14 consecutive games at Earl Lorden Field during the end of April in to May. They open the season on March 10th, 2006 in Tampa, Fla. against South Florida. After 17 consecutive road games, the Minutemen will return to Amherst for their home opener against the Black Bears of Maine on April 5
