Spring sports preview: Baseball

Last season after a 0-10 start, the men’s baseball team found its stride and rebounded to finish third in the NESCAC tournament. The team looks to carry its momentum from last year into a finish at the top of NESCAC and a berth in the National Tournament.

This season’s team looks like it has the personnel to make these hopes a reality.

“With seven of nine starters in the field coming back, and perhaps one of the strongest pitching staffs in years, we are very confident that we will be among the teams making noise in the middle of May again this year,” said Co-captain Jeffrey Maier ’06.

The baseball team’s positional players will be a very experienced crew. Maier, who has a chance to break Wesleyan’s career hits record this season, will likely start at third base alongside senior co-captains Alexander Brooks ’06 at first base, Anthony Gray ’06 in right field, and Jesse Leavitt ’06 in center. Other returning starters include catcher Adam Kopiec ’07, left fielder Rob Coughlin ’07, and second baseman Daniel Poniatowski ’08.

In contrast, the Cardinal pitching staff should have a number of new faces as Will Gordon ’05 and Tom Bloss ’05, the team’s top two starters from last season, graduated. Nonetheless, the team still boasts a deep pitching staff with several starters returning, including Eric Wdowiak ’06 and Brian Mahr ’06, who were both injured last season.

“Mahr and Wdowiak each had phenomenal freshman seasons, however both have battled injuries since then,” Coughlin said. “Eric is coming off surgery and Mahr is fully recovered from his injury as well. If the two of them are running on full tilt, they can be dominant.”

Returning starter Andre Sternberg ’07, and probable closer Kit Tholen ’08, are two other returning pitchers on what should be one of the deepest pitching staffs in New England.

The Cardinals have been practicing hard in the field house since midnight on Feb. 14, the first moment NESCAC team can start training as a team. Because there is an extra week between the start of practice and spring break this year, the team has also been able to squeeze four scrimmages against other colleges in addition to their packed practice schedule.

In his acclaimed book, The Mental Game of Baseball, Coach Mark Woodworth writes:

“Once game time comes, a player needs to throw out all notions of talent, all his expectations, and focus purely on the present.”

Given Wesleyan’s considerable talent and preparation, if they follow coach Wordworth’s advice, 2006 should be a season to remember.