March 13, 2008
AMHERST, Mass. -
This weekend, the UMass baseball team will head down to Tampa, Florida to take on Army in a three game series. All three games will be held at the Yankees Spring Training Complex with game times slated for 3 p.m. each day.
Last Time Out
UMass is coming off a series sweep against No. 1 Arizona State University where the Minutemen were outscored 43-17 during the series.
In the season opener, UMass jumped out to a 3-1 lead after four innings of play, but ASU outscore them, 12-1, over the last five innings.
The following day, UMass jumped out to an early lead for the second day in a row before ASU scored nine runs in the eighth inning to take over what was a tied ball game.
In the final game of the series, UMass scored eight runs in the last two innings, but wasn't enough to avoid a series sweep.
Scouting UMass
The Minutemen are led by senior captain Bryan Garrity (Peabody, Mass.) and junior captain Adam Tempesta (Brockton, Mass.).
Over the summer, Garrity was a member of the Wareham Gatemen of the Cape Cod League. Garrity was a recipient of the Francis Tripp Award which is awarded to the player who has made a positive impact upon the Wareham Community-both on and off the field. In addition, the player must show good character and sportsmanship. Previous winners of the award include Carlos Pena (1997), Barry Zito (1998), Justin Masterson (2005), and Steffan Wilson (2006). The award was handed out at the completion of the 2007 season.
Last season, Adam Tempesta led the team with a .306 batting average and added 30 RBIs. This season, he has appeared in two games and is posting a .444 average with four hits and three runs.
Sophomore Jared Freni (Malden, Mass.) is the top pitcher this year. Freni ended last season with a 3-4 record a 5.12 ERA (29 ER / 51.0 IP). This season, Freni saw time on the mound in the final game against ASU where he lasted only a third of an inning after giving up five hits for six runs.
The freshman class has brought in three pitchers that all saw time this past weekend against ASU. Mitchell Clegg (Woburn, Mass.), Bryan Leigh (Somerset, Mass.), and Nick Serino (Saugus, Mass.) all made at one appearance last weekend. Together, the three freshmen posted a 4.47 ERA (7 ER / 14.2 IP) with 16 hits and 9 runs. They also tallied 11 strikeouts with Leigh accounting for 7 strikeouts.
Scouting Army
Army is currently posting a 2-9 record on the 2008 season. Army is currently trying to snap a four-game losing streak. Most recently, Army lost to Seton Hall 13-2 after being swept by Liberty in a three game series.
The Black Knights are currently led by freshman Shaun Wixted (Matthews, N.C.) and freshman Clint Moore (Greensboro, N.C.). After appearing in six games, Wixted is hitting .429 with two runs and three hits. Moore has appeared and started in all 11 games and is hitting .342 with five runs on 13 hits. Moore also has four doubles on the season so far.
As a team, the Black Knights are posting a 7.63 ERA (47 ER / 99.0 IP) with a 2-9 record on the season. Army is led by freshman Ben Koenigsfeld (New Port Richey, Fla.) and senior Drew Clothier (Germantown, Tenn.) who both have a 1-2 record on the season.
There are a total of 15 freshmen on the roster with three Black Knights being pitchers.
Right-Handed Pitcher Cole White (Midland, Texas) has been named to the preliminary watch list for the fifth annual Roger Clemens Award. White ranks among 78 individuals named to the watch list for the Clemens Award, presented annually to the country's top pitcher. He is also one of 36 players that were named to the 2007 Clemens Award watch list and one of 24 individuals named to the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association's preseason All-America squad this year. White was named to the 2008 Wallace Watch List back in December and was selected to the eighth annual National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Preseason All-America team this winter as well.
Marc Greco (Scottsdale, Ariz.) was named the Patriot League's Rookie of the Week (3/4). Greco established the Army single-game freshman records for total bases (11) and RBI (6), and tied the mark with two home runs, in a 23-0 victory over UMBC. Greco went 4-for-6 with two home runs, six RBI and four runs scored in the contest. He batted .308 for the week, and posted a .846 slugging percentage.
Series History
Army leads the series 2-1. The last time UMass faced Army was in 2006 when the Minutemen suffered a heart-breaking 6-5 loss.
After taking a 5-4 lead in the top of the ninth, UMass allowed two runs in the bottom of the ninth to lose 6-5. Lou Proietti had scored the go-ahead run on an error making it 5-4 before the Black Knights staged the comeback in the bottom of the ninth.
Playing at the New York Yankee Complex
This will be the 12th season that Army will travel to Tampa. The Black Knights are guests of the New York Yankees franchise and work out daily at the Yankee's minor league complex.
This season, Army will face UMass, Ohio State, Dartmouth, and Central Connecticut State at the Yankee Complex. 
