UMass Baseball Heads West To Face Saint Louis

April 9, 2009

AMHERST, Mass. - The UMass baseball team continues conference play this weekend, Apr. 10-12, as the squad heads west to St. Louis, Mo., to take on Saint Louis in a three-game Atlantic 10 series. Game one is slated for 8 p.m., Eastern on Friday, while game two will be at 2 p.m. (EST) on Saturday and game three is scheduled for a 1 p.m. (EST) start on Sunday. The Minutemen are 5-1 all-time against the Billikens since first meeting in 2006 and won the 2007 series in Amherst, 2-1.

200 For Tempesta
In his first at-bat against UConn this past Wednesday, Apr. 8, senior Adam Tempesta logged his 200th career hit, joining Muchie Dagliere (257) and Bill Knight (203) as the only three Minutemen in program history to reach the plateau.
Tempesta is currently hitting .340 with 15 runs scored, nine doubles, one triple, three homeruns and 20 RBI in 23 games played.
He is tied for the team lead in multiple-hit games (11) and ranks second on the squad in multiple-RBI games (5).
The second baseman entered the season 10th all-time in career doubles and has now moved up to third with 44, three shy of Muchie Dagliere for second (47) and six away from the school record.
Tempesta has recorded at least one base hit in 20 of 23 games that he has appeared in this season, 20 of the 22 games he's started, including the past six straight.
Dating back to the end of last season, Tempesta posted hits in 10 straight contests after ending 2008 on a four-game hitting streak and opening this year hitting safely in six straight. The senior's career-high was an 11-game hitting streak as sophomore in 2007.

UMass Takes Down B.C. In Beanpot Semifinal Battle
For a second straight year, UMass play in the Beanpot Championship game as the squad earned a 5-2 win over Boston College in the Beanpot Semifinal at Campanelli Stadium in Brockton on Tuesday night. The Minutemen will take on Northeastern for the Beanpot title next Monday, Apr. 13, at 5:05 p.m. at Fenway Park.
After falling down 2-0, senior Jim Macdonald rocketed a 1-2 pitch off the scoreboard for a two-run homer that tied the score at two in the fouth inning.
UMass later plated the winning run in the top of the eighth. Brockton native Adam Tempesta led off with a double to left center and scored on an RBI single by junior Baudinet. Tempesta then finished off his evening in his hometown by plating a pair of insurance runs the following inning as he dropped a two-run single into right field.
Sophomore Charlie Benson came out of the bullpen for the Minutemen to pick up the win (1-0), pitching a masterful 5.1 innings of scoreless relief, letting up just two hits with two walks and two strikeouts.
Baudinet led all hitters with a 3-for-4 performance at the plate with two triples, an RBI and a run scored.

Minutemen In The Beanpot Tournament
UMass has been competing in the Beanpot since 1996 and holds a record of 13-13 in the tournament.
In first round games, the Minutemen are now 8-6 and have advanced to the championship game in two straight seasons. Last year the squad posted a 3-0 win over Harvard in Lynn, Mass in the semifinal and then defeated the Eagles, 4-3, to take the title.
Last year's Beanpot championship was the fifth in program history as the team also claimed titles in 1996, 1997, 1998 and 2000.

Juniors Contributing Offensively
Juniors Brian Baudinet and Mike Donato are both well on their way career-best seasons offensively and are the lone two players to start every game thus far for the Minutemen.
Baudinet belted his eighth double of the season against Temple last weekend and already has surpassed his single season high for two-baggers (5) and tallied at least one in five straight games from Mar. 20-27. He is also more than halfway to his career high for RBI as he has 18 in 25 games compared to 23 in 44 games last season.
Baudinet has scored one or more runs in four straight games and holds a streak of five straight games with an RBI.
Donato is hitting .346 (36-for-104) with 14 runs scored, six doubles and 19 RBI. His single-season bests heading into his junior campaign were 12 runs (2007), 31 hits (2008), eight doubles (2008) and 19 RBI (2008). He carries a streak of four straight multiple hit games into this weekend's action.
In the conference only statistics, Donato is tied for fifth in hits per-game (1.67, 15 in nine games), while Baudinet is tied for seventh in stolen bases per game (0.44, four in nine games) and second in doubles per-game (0.67, six in nine games).

Making The Sacrifice
According to the latest NCAA Statistics report (4/5), UMass is eighth in the nation in sacrifice bunts, entering the week with 34.
Donato is tied for first in the Atlantic 10 with six sacrifice hits on the season.

Copa Helps UMass Hand Temple First A-10 Loss
Sophomore Peter Copa helped lift the Minutemen to a 7-6 victory over Temple last Sunday as he singled in the sixth inning and came around for the run that tied the score at four.
The following inning, Copa gave UMass the lead for good with his third homerun of the season.
In three games against the Owls, Copa hit .417 (5-for-12) with a team-best five runs scored.
 In Atlantic 10 games, Copa is tied for second in runs per-game (1.33) as he has crossed the plate 12 times in nine games. He is tied for second in home runs per-game as well (0.33, three in nine games).

Gedman Contibutes At The Plate And On The Mound
 Junior Mike Gedman has been the go-to guy out of the bullpen for the Minutemen and has four saves in nine appearances, which is tied for second in the Atlantic 10.
 His saves came in wins over Arizona (9-8), VCU (4-3), Hartford (6-4) and Temple (7-6).
 Gedman has limited opponents to a .184 batting average and holds a 3.29 ERA with 12 strikeouts.
 At the plate, Gedman has hit 9-for-37 (.243) with three doubles and two triples for a .432 slugging percentage and has contributed six RBI.

Close Quarters
 UMass has played nine Atlantic 10 contests to date and is 2-7, but has taken every game down to the wire.
 Seven of the Minutemen's nine A-10 games have been decided by one run, with three going into extra innings. The only margin larger than two runs was UMass' 24-9 triumph over Richmond.
 Overall, 13 of the Minutemen's 25 contests have been one-run games. Eighteen of 25 outcomes have been determined by two runs or fewer.

Hitting Streaks
 The following is a list of all hitting streaks five games or longer in 2009:
 Adam Tempesta, eight games, Mar. 14-28 (has an active six-game streak)
 Mike Donato, seven games, Feb. 27-Mar. 14 (has an active five-game streak)
 Jim Macdonald, six games, Mar. 7-22
 Austin Weymouth, five games, Feb. 27-Mar. 7 (has an active five-game streak)
 Tom Conley, five games, Mar. 22-28
 Brian Baudinet, five games, Mar. 20-27
 Peter Copa, five games, Mar. 20-27; five games, Mar 30-Apr. 5
 Sam Boone, five games, Mar. 14-18

A New Face Behind The Mask In 2009
 UMass has a new face behind the plate this season as freshman Tom Conley has been a part of the Minutemen's battery in 24 of 25 games, making 22 starts.
 Conley paces the team in walks with 17 on the year and boasts a .435 on-base percentage.
 He has recorded at least one hit in 10 of the last 12 games and is batting .333 in Atlantic 10 play (9-for-27) with nine runs scored and a .471 on-base percentage.
 Entering the weekend, Conley has scored a run in five straight games. Clegg Among The A-10 Leaders
 Senior Mitchell Clegg is among the Atlantic 10 leaders as the left-hander entered the week sixth in opponent batting average (.222) and tied for 11th in strikeouts (33).
 Clegg took a no-hitter into the seventh in his start at Fordham, struck out nine in 7.0 innings at Arizona and fanned eight in 5.1 innings at Richmond.

Smashing the Spiders
 UMass raced out to a 9-0 lead and never looked back, posting a 24-9 victory over Richmond at Pitt Field on Mar. 22. It marked the most runs ever scored by the Minutemen against an A-10 opponent.
 The Minutemen pounded out 24 hits against the Spiders, two shy of the program's single game mark, including a school single game-record eight doubles.
 Eleven different players tallied hits for UMass, led by junior Mike Donato's career-best 5-for-7 performance as he contributed four RBI and scored two.

Serino Stifles VCU
 Sophomore Nick Serino fanned a career-high 11 batters over six scoreless innings, helping UMass to a 4-3 victory over Virginia Commonwealth at The Diamond on Mar. 18.
 The Rams had won seven of their past nine games entering the contest.
 Serino earned the victory, scattering three hits and walking five. He did not allow a hit until the fourth inning.
 His 11 strikeouts were the most by a Minuteman since Apr. 16, 2005, when Matt Torra fanned 16 batters in 10.2 innings against Saint Joseph's.
 Serino's previous career high for strikeouts (7) came in a start at George Washington on Apr. 6, 2008. He worked 6.1 innings against the Colonials.

Triple Time
 UMass has seven triples in 20 games and surpassed the team total from last year just nine games in to the 2009 season. The Minutemen registered five three-baggers in 45 games in 2008.
 Nine triples is the highest total by a UMass squad since the team belted nine in 2003.
 Junior Brian Baudinet tied the individual single game record for triples with two against Boston College in the Beanpot Semifinal on Apr. 7. The last Minuteman to log two triples in a game was Muchie Dagliere vs. Providence on Apr. 12, 1996.

Stone's 600th
 With eight wins on the season, UMass head coach Mike Stone is now just four victories away from his 600th overall as a head coach. Stone currently holds a 596-550-4 mark in 26+ seasons. He is 542-460-2 as the frontman for the Minutemen (21+ seasons).

Minutemen Post Big Win Out West
 The Minutemen never put down their bats as they scored in five of the nine innings to squeeze past the Arizona Wildcats on Mar. 7, marking the first time UMass had taken down a Pac-10 opponent since 1982 when the Minutemen defeated UCLA, 11-7.
 Mitchell Clegg got the nod and the win for UMass as he struck out nine in his seven innings pitched, scattering five hits.
 In the top of the ninth, junior Mike Donato posted what would be the winning run for the UMass after launching the ball over the left field wall for his first homerun of the season.

Starting Off On A Good Note
 Sam Boone hit his first career home run on Feb. 27 in a 4-3 triumph over Northwestern, helping propel the Minutemen to their first victory in a season opener since 2004. Junior Mike Gedman hit a sacrifice fly in the eighth inning of a 3-3 game to bring in Mike Donato for what would be the winning run. Senior Mitchell Eilenberg earned the win on the mound, pitching 2.2 innings of relief.
 UMass' 9-8 victory over Arizona on Mar. 7 brought the squad's record to 3-2, marking the best five-game start for the Minutemen since 2002 (3-2).

An Offensive Explosion
 UMass posted 25-4 triumph over Fairfield on Mar. 1, marking the most runs the squad has scored since the school record was set with 32 runs against another team from the Nutmeg State, Central Connecticut on April 20, 1993.
 Against the Stags, the Minutemen pounded out 20 hits, including five doubles, two homeruns and a school-record four triples. The previous mark was three, set many times.
 Sophomore Peter Copa paced the squad with a career-best six RBI and was a perfect 4-for-4 at the plate. Senior Adam Tempesta and junior Brian Baudinet had four RBI apiece.

Next Up
 After its trip to Saint Louis, UMass will play for the Beanpot title against Northeastern at 5:05 p.m. on Monday in Fenway Park.

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University of Massachusets Athletics

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