The Wesleyan men’s baseball team set out for Arizona and California over spring break motivated to dominate in the sun. Despite returning from the trip with a 1-10 start, the Cardinals are staying optimistic about their chances for a NESCAC title this year.
The trip included two tournaments, The Chandler (Arizona) Classic and the California Classic, both featuring some of the top Division III baseball programs in the nation. Of the ten early spring losses, each game featured at least six runs for opponents, and in one game Rutgers managed to put up 21 runs in only seven innings of play, exposing a weakness in Cardinal pitching.
For the Cardinals to make any run at a NESCAC title the pitching must improve. The team’s earned run average is a hefty 8.97, compared to 3.66 runs per game output for the Cardinal offense. In an effort to stifle the opposing offense and help put the Cards in a position to get a win in the final game of the trip, the Cardinals threw returning ace Tom Bloss ’05, who spent last summer playing in the United States premier college baseball league in Cape Cod. Bloss pitched brilliantly for the Red and Black, going all nine and fanning ten en route to a 6-4 victory over Wisconsin-Lacrosse.
“Tom really gave us a crucial win, and I think as a pitching staff we really saw what it takes to win ballgames,” said Kyle Lee ’07. “We’re not going to let the spring trip take us out of the hunt for a NESCAC title mentally. I think we’re there as a team.”
Coming back on the strength of a win, the Cardinals prepare to put together a strong season on the East Coast. Eight of the sixteen games this spring will be at home, and conference play begins April 2 against Amherst College. The Cardinals will have to come out of the gates ready to roll as the Lord Jeffs played to a 5-2 record during their spring trip.
Losing only one position player to graduation last year, team chemistry will play a major role in the success of this year’s team. The outfield is anchored by All-NESCAC centerfielder Jeffrey Maier ’06, who hopes to heat up after finishing last year with an impressive .409 batting average. The Cardinals will look to Bloss to lead the pitching staff and will count on marked improvement from the other contributing arms.
The Cardinals will play their home opener against Vassar on Saturday at 1 p.m.
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