University of Massachusets Athletics
1998 Season Outlook
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The University of Massachusetts baseball team had a very good 1997 season by most accounts. For the fourth year in a row, the Minutemen earned a share of the Atlantic 10 regular season title, finished with a record of 35-12 and won the Beanpot Tournament. But for Head Coach Mike Stone and the rest of the team, something was missing. That something was a trip to the NCAA tournament.
"A lot of great things happened last year," said Stone. "But we still in our own mind came up short by missing the NCAA Tournament. The season was not as satisfying as the previous two."
The 1998 edition of the UMass baseball team returns 72 percent of last season's RBIs total from a team that was 14th in the nation in scoring. That group features two third-team members of the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Super Team, junior center fielder and co-captain Doug Clark and senior second baseman Muchie Dagliere. Also back is left fielder Aaron Braunstein, who belted 14 home runs in 1997, the second-best single-season total in school history.
The pitching staff returns 26 of last year's 35 victories and 285 of the 378 innings pitched for the Minutemen. Leading the way are senior co-captain Scott Barnsby, who posted a 6-1 record with a 4.66 ERA, and junior Bill Cooke who also totaled six wins.
This year's team will miss the likes of first baseman David Giglio, who had a career year in 1997 with a .383 average, five home runs and 30 RBIs. Another positional player that will be tough to replace is shortstop Brad Gorrie, who hit .361 last year with nine home runs and 40 RBIs. Gorrie also ranked second in the nation with 43 stolen bases and drafted by Oakland A's. Jason Bennett will be sorely missed on the mound. Bennett currently holds the all-time school record for most career victories. In 1997, Bennett led the team with a 9-2 record, 47 strikeouts and a 4.58 ERA.
Stone enters his 10th year at the helm of the Minutemen with a 292-181-1 record, which includes two trips to the NCAA Tournament. The team looks to be one of the top forces in the Atlantic 10 and in the New England region.
CATCHER
Junior Brian Samela returns as the starting catcher. A solid hitter, Samela hit .338 last year with eight home runs and 35 RBIs. Samela posted a slugging percentage of .599 and tied for the team lead in doubles with 13. He showed patience at the plate drawing 31 walks, third-best on the team, and had a .469 on-base percentage.
"Samela is a solid Division I catcher and a good clutch hitter," said Stone.
Battling for backup duty will be four newcomers to the Minutemen: Rory Sullivan, Everett Vaccaro, G.M. Van Cott and walk-on Paul Tupa. Sullivan was named first-team All-Western Massachusetts after hitting .565 with a .790 on-base percentage at Minnechaug High School. Vaccaro earned all-conference honors in each of his four years in high school. Van Cott was a three-sport letterwinner at Gov. Dummer High School and posted a .417 batting average in his senior year. Tupa was named All-State in North Dakota three times during his high school career.
FIRST BASE
Trying to fill the shoes of the departed David Giglio will be sophomore Kevin O'Connell and freshman Nate Lang. At this time, they may platoon or Stone might go with one everyday first baseman.
"O'Connell came on late during fall practice," said Stone. "He is a big strong kid that has some pop in his bat. He has a solid swing and could help us out this year."
Lang was able to get plenty of experience at the high school level starting in 80 of 82 varsity games. He led New Bedford High School as senior with a .439 batting average. Lang also was selected to play in the Massachusetts Coaches Association All-Star Game.
"Lang might be one of the better players coming out of the state this year," said Stone. "He is a solid hitter with some power."
SECOND BASE
Muchie Dagliere returns as the starter at second base for his fourth year. He is still trying to recover from a foot injury he suffered during the 1997 season. His statistics dropped from his sophomore year, when he was named All-Northeast Region after hitting .415 and setting the UMass single-season hit record with 81 hits. Last season he was named to the third-team NCBWA Super Team after hitting .318 with five home runs and 36 RBIs.
Dagliere is looking to climb the record chart this year. Entering the season, he ranks fourth at UMass with 127 career RBIs and fifth with both 190 career hits and 146 runs scored. His .363 career batting average places him fourth in school history.
Whether he plays second base or is the designated hitter, Shaun Skeffington looks to be the UMass leadoff hitter this year. A speedster on the base paths, Skeffington will help fill the void that Brad Gorrie left as the team's best base stealer.
SHORTSTOP
Junior Bryan Mazzaferro looks to start at the shortstop position in 1998, taking over for the departed Gorrie. He moves over from third base, where he played for most of the 1997 season. Last year he hit .400 despite missing 18 games following surgery on his ankle. This season it looks as if he will hit second in the lineup.
"If he plays like he is capable of playing, Bryan should be a solid shortstop for us this year," said Stone. "He just needs to make the adjustment to shortstop from third. I think he is very capable of doing that. He was a very good high school shortstop. Bryan also gives us a solid bat and the ability to steal bases."
Newcomer Steve Fiste will back up Mazzaferro at short. As a senior at Lynn Classical High School, he hit .386 to help lead the team to a Northeast Conference title. He possesses good speed, swiping 97 bases in 88 career games. Fiste is also sound defensively and possesses a strong arm.
THIRD BASE
Stone expects senior Matt Wolcott to start at the "hot corner" this year. Last year Wolcott started games at both the catcher and first base positions.
"Matt is a good hitter who will play a solid defensive third base for us," said Stone. Last year he posted a .288 batting average with two home runs and 10 RBIs as a utility backup player.
Junior Seth Kaplan looks to be the backup at third base as well as playing shortstop and second base.
"Kaplan is a switch hitter who has experience coming off the bench," said Stone. "He is a good player to have on the club. He has a lot of baseball savvy and is an intelligent player. He can also play solid defense."
OUTFIELD
This might be the strongest area of this year's ballclub and could be one of the best outfields in the Northeast Region with all three starters returning from last year's club. The trio combined to hit for a .381 average, a slugging percentage of .663, 30 doubles, 36 home runs and 155 RBIs. They also were a terror on the base paths, combining to steal 47 bases in 53 attempts.
Headlining the group is junior center fielder Doug Clark, who was drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers in 20th round of the Major League Baseball Amateur Draft last June. He was selected to the third team of the NCBWA Super Team after posting a team-high .415 batting average and 60 RBIs. He also led the Atlantic 10 in stolen base percentage, with a success rate of 95-percent.
"Doug has the whole package," Stone said. "He has speed, power, a strong throwing arm, and can hit for average. He can make things happen and is a good competitor." His all-around skills helped rank Clark as one of the top 100 pro prospects in the country by Baseball America and one of the top three pro prospects in the Atlantic 10 Conference.
Senior Pete Gautreau, who returns to right field, hit 11 home runs and was second on the team with 60 base hits. Also a threat to steal, he was successful on 26 of 29 stolen base attempts.
"If he plays like he did last year, he could very well become a pro prospect," Stone said. Last year, Gautreau drove in 46 runs, second-highest on the team, and hit for a .374 average.
Junior Aaron Braunstein brings his powerful bat to the lineup as the starting left fielder. In 1997 he clubbed 14 home runs, the second-best single-season total in UMass history. Braunstein also hit .351 with 13 doubles and drove in 49 runs while posting a .690 slugging percentage.
"Aaron has legitimate power," Stone said. "He is a solid outfielder with a strong arm. He doesn't possess the same kind of speed as the other two outfielders, but he is not a liability in the field or on the bases."
Sophomore Steve Asadoorian will be the primary backup outfielder. Last year he made 13 appearances off the bench, more than any other player on the UMass team. He could also see time as a backup third baseman.
Competing for playing time in the outfield will be Gavin Clark, Nick Gornault and Brian Maloney.
PITCHING STAFF
Outside of losing Jason Bennett, who was the Minutemen's number one starter, the UMass pitching staff remains primarily intact. Last year the staff ranked third in the Atlantic 10 in team ERA (5.40) and another strong showing is expected in 1998.
Headlining the 1998 pitching staff is co-captain Scott Barnsby. Last year Barnsby was second on the team in wins with six, ERA with a mark of 4.66 and strikeouts with 41. Barnsby's 1997 highlight was pitching a no-hitter against Northeastern in the Beanpot Tournament at Fenway Park. It was the first no-hitter at the historic field since 1965 and the first by a UMass pitcher since 1957.
"Scott threw some great games last year," said Stone. "We look for him to be just a little more consistent, so that every time we give him the ball, we know that we'll get a solid performance. And he is certainly capable of that."
Junior Bill Cooke and junior Jeff Puleri will have the opportunity to start for the Minutemen, probably in the number two and number three roles. Cooke posted a 6-2 record with a 4.69 ERA, but separated himself from the staff with a 2.4 strikeout-to-walk ratio. In his 63.1 innings pitched, Cooke struck out 40 batters while allowing just 17 walks. Puleri started in six of his nine appearances last year, compiling a 4-1 record.
Last year's closer, senior Ryan Cameron, could also vie for a spot in the starting rotation. During 1997, Cameron made all but one of his 16 appearances out of the bullpen for the Minutemen and recorded two saves along with a 4-0 record. He can reach 91-92 mph with his fastball and struck out 32 in just 38.2 innings pitched.
Sophomore Travis Veracka is on the verge of becoming an impact pitcher for the Maroon and White. Veracka was drafted out of high school by the Cleveland Indians, but the left-handed pitcher decided to attend UMass. In his first year of college ball, Veracka posted a 4-3 record in split duty as a starter and reliever.
Adam Robinson is at a crossroads in his college career. Along with Veracka, he is near the point of becoming an impact pitcher at the collegiate level. Last year he saw action as a starting pitcher and reliever.
Rich Hartman is another veteran pitcher that returns for the Minutemen. Also competing for innings are newcomers, Jason Grechika, David Loonie, Nick Skirkanich and Craig Szado. Jason Grechika won 20 games during his high school career. Loonie was a member of the gold medal winning team at the Bay State Games. Skirkanich posted a 1.98 ERA with a record of 7-1 in his senior season. Szado struck nearly two batters for every inning pitched as a senior, fanning 86 in 47 innings of work.
SCHEDULE
The 1998 schedule will include games against three 1997 NCAA Tournament teams: South Florida, Harvard and Northeastern. UMass will open up the season with a three-game series at South Florida, a team that has been to the NCAA Tournament in four of the last five years. The Minutemen will take on Northeastern April 16 in Boston and also face Harvard on May 6 in Amherst.
On April 21 and 23, the Minutemen will return to Fenway Park to make a run at their third consecutive Beanpot Tournament crown. Again participating in this year's event will be Boston College, Northeastern and Harvard.
The Minutemen will also participate in the Homestead Challenge from March 14-21 in Florida. UMass will face the likes of Dayton, New York Tech, Seton Hall and Vermont in the round-robin portion of the tournament.
UMass will face Atlantic 10 Eastern Division foes Fordham, Rhode Island, St. Bonaventure, St. Joseph's and Temple in addition to Western Division team, La Salle. The NCAA play-in bid will be determined at the Atlantic 10 Championship held from May 8-10 in Boyertown, Pa.
Other big games this season include a home-and-home series with Connecticut on March 31 in Storrs and April 7 in Amherst, and an April 22 matchup with perennial regional power Maine in Portland, Maine.
WRAP-UP
The Minutemen will look to win a fifth consecutive regular season crown this year, the first in Atlantic 10 history since Rutgers won eight straight from 1986-93.
The Minutemen should score a number of runs with almost three-quarters of the nation's 14th ranked offense returning. UMass will also have a number of experienced pitchers that will be counted on to make the Minutemen contenders.
"We need to develop team chemistry," said Stone. "We are not far away from that. We want to be very competitive and play hard every day. We have a solid team in every aspect. Our goals are to win the Atlantic 10 Eastern Division, win the Beanpot Tournament, and get back to the NCAA Tournament. But we need to practice hard every day and take it one step at a time."