It has been a rough few years for the Boston College baseball team. After former head coach Pete Hughes' departure, the Eagles have gone 50-54-1 in the past two seasons under head coach Mike Aoki. The Eagles, only a few years removed from making the switch from the Big East conference to the powerhouse ACC, are still trying to hit their stride. This year could be a step in the right direction, now that Aoki has had the chance to recruit new talent attracted to the draw of an ACC baseball school.
Despite the key losses of starting pitchers Terry Doyle, Danny Houston, relief pitcher Nick Asselin, and third baseman Eric Campbell, Aoki remains optimistic. "I expect us to be a very competitive team this year," he said.
The reason behind such optimism is experience. The team returns eight out of nine regular starters from last year, with the only major loss being Campbell at third base. While the team may be young, all of the regular starting players have major game experience.
This year's core nucleus consists of those simultaneously young and experienced players, made up of catcher Tony Sanchez, shortstop Garrett Smith, first baseman Mike Belfiore, and third baseman Mickey Wiswall. According to Aoki, if the Eagles want to have success this year, "then all four guys will have to play well."
With the loss of Campbell, who was drafted by the New York Mets in the eighth round, the Eagles need a player to step up at third. His shoes are big ones to fill, as he was tied for the second highest batting average on the team last year at .306. But Aoki isn't too worried, considering the man to replace Campbell just so happens to have been the one Campbell tied with for the second best batting average on the team.
Replacing Campbell at third is Wiswall, one of the four key players on the team according to Aoki. He had a tremendous freshman year at the plate, knocking in 28 RBI, scoring 29 runs himself, and notching the third most home runs on the team with four. After showing such promise in the outfield during his freshman year, Aoki is looking for Wiswall to be a key part to the Eagles' success on the diamond.
"Mickey was one of the top one or two hitters on the team last year. He's the kind of hitter that can carry a team with his bat, and he also has a lot of diversity as a player," Aoki said.
On the other corner of the infield at first base is Belfiore, who started all 53 games last season. He batted a modest .274, with 10 doubles and two homers, but he also knocked in 26 RBI.
"Toward the end of the year, he really developed into a pretty good hitter. He's more of a contact and situational hitter," Aoki said.
Aoki, however, isn't counting on Belfiore for his offense. "He's outstanding defensively, and he developed into a good closer." Belfiore committed only four errors last year, and in 18 appearances on the mound in relief, he notched two wins with an excellent 2.45 ERA.
At shortstop this year is Smith. Last year with 151 plate appearances, Smith hit .285 and brought in 27 runs. For Aoki, many of those 27 RBIs last year were big time at bats. "Smith is a very competitive hitter at the plate. He knocked in some really key runs for us last season," Aoki said.
Smith's partner in the middle infield is freshman Brad Zapenas, who won the starting job at second base after solid showings on the field during practices and inter-squad scrimmages. During his senior year in high school, Zapenas was named the Gatorade Player of the Year in New Hampshire and was also the Class L Player of the Year. Zapenas will hope to make a big impact in an infield already filled with emerging stars.
Rounding out the rest of the infield is arguably the best player on the team, Sanchez. He led the team in essentially every hitting category last season, with a .313 average, 45 RBIs, nine homers, and a solid on-base percentage of .394. Sanchez was also named to the preseason Brooks Wallace watch list, which is a list compiled of contenders for the best college baseball player award.
"Tony is amazing behind the plate. For my money, he is pound for pound the best catcher in the country, and I think he'll eventually be a very high draft pick," Aoki said.
While there are clearly stars on the infield, the outfield lineup is not without its stellar players either. The three starters are Mike Sudol, Robbie Anston, and Barry Butera. Out of the three, Butera is the most experienced, having started 51 games last season, ending with a .268 batting average. Sudol and Anston hit .188 and .246, respectively, in limited plate appearances.
What the outfielders lack in power, they make up in speed. Butera led the team last year with 11 stolen bases, and according to Aoki, "Anston runs exceptionally well, and he has improved at the plate and defensively." Aoki also considers Sudol, along with captain and lone returning starting pitcher, JB MacDonald, to be the most improved players.
As for MacDonald, he leads a relatively inexperienced starting pitching staff; it is this area that could prove troublesome for the Eagles this season. MacDonald made 11 starts last year and finished with a 4-7 record and a rough 7.64 ERA.
John Leonard comes in with the second most experience on the mound, having made 14 appearances last season, with four starts. He went 4-0 with a 5.27 ERA in 41.0 innings pitched.
The most untested, but also the one pitcher who could contribute heavily, is freshman Mike Dennhardt. "Mike is a new pitcher for us, and so far he has been really outstanding," Aoki said. Dennhardt had a 10-0 record on the mound his senior year of high school, and he finished with a remarkable 0.56 ERA.
Two main relief pitchers will be Belfiore in the closer role and freshman newcomer Taylor Lasko for middle relief. Lasko looks to help firm up a pitching staff that is still a big mystery entering the 2009 season.
"The pitching staff is our biggest question mark entering the season, but we have a lot of arms with velocity and talent," Aoki said. "However, they are untested in the tough ACC. From a pure tools standpoint, we are improved overall from last year."
Regardless of the question mark that is the pitching staff, Aoki has high expectations for this year's team. With a wealth of offensive power, as well as leaders like Sanchez, this Eagles squad is poised to do great things, especially for a club that has suffered through two years of sub-.500 baseball.
"I would be disappointed if we didn't make the ACC tournament, and I'd be disappointed if we didn't make the NCAA tournament, and I'd be disappointed if we didn't win the Beanpot," Aoki said.
After months of practice, the Eagles look to achieve all of those goals that Aoki has laid out before them. This squad, Aoki said, is also a very dedicated team, and one that has "worked as hard as they can, and we're about as ready to open the season as we possibly can be."
What about that 50-54-1 record of the past two seasons? In order to have a successful season, Aoki said it's important that his team learns from past season's mistakes, but also that they look at the positive examples from the past seasons. "It's not productive to completely wash away the past, but at the same time, you have to live in the present," Aoki said. "You focus on what is ahead of you."
The team is taking that mentality with them as they get set to play in a four-game series against the Stetson University Hatters down in DeLand, Fla., beginning Friday.
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