Eagles Begin Season In Challenging Tourney

It may not seem like it, thanks to the weather in New England, but baseball season has arrived. Boston College begins its schedule on Friday in South Carolina, where it will play in the Caravelle Resort Tournament. The Eagles are set to face No. 17 Virginia, James Madison, and Coastal Carolina, all teams that made the NCAA tournament last year.

"All three of these teams are tournament teams," said head coach Mike Gambino. "This [tournament] actually looks like a regional. That's a regional set- up right there with three really quality teams."

The first opponent for BC will be ACC foe Virginia, though the game is a non-conference matchup. The Cavaliers are a perennial powerhouse, and will serve as a great test for the Eagles in their first game.

"I love it," Gambino said of the challenge to begin the year. "We're going out there and seeing how we match up. I told our boys I think we're a bubble team this year. So this is a really good first test to see how far we have to go after this weekend and in our next 53 games to get us ready to be on the right side of that bubble."

Right-handed sophomore Eric Stevens will get the start on the mound for BC, opposing UVA's Brandon Kline, who is transitioning to a starting role this year.

"He was a really, really good closer," Gambino said. "His stuff's good—fastball, slider for the most part. I'm sure, stepping into that starter role, that he has developed a third pitch. I'm sure he's going to have a changeup in there as well. He's got a good arm."

Gambino noted that while the Cavaliers won't be as experienced overall as they were last year, they will be talented nonetheless.

"UVA is going to be young, but they're going to be good—they're always good," Gambino said.

On Saturday afternoon, BC will take on a powerful James Madison team that hit 80 home runs last season. Sophomore Matt Alvarez will get the nod on the hill for the Eagles, while the Diamond Dukes will send right-hander Evan Scott to the mound.

In the final game on Sunday, Hunter Gordon will likely get the start against Coastal Carolina, though his start is dependent on whether he sees relief action on Friday or Saturday. Kyle Prohovich was set to be the closer for the Eagles, but he has been set back with tenderness in his forearm. If Prohovich is not able to close out games for BC, then Gordon could be used in his spot.

"If [Gordon] closes Friday night and throws an inning, then we'll back off his pitch count on Sunday," Gambino said. "We wouldn't let him throw more than 20 pitches, but if we have the lead in the ninth on Friday, he's going to come in and get it. If we have the lead in the ninth on Saturday, then we might possibly go back to him, depending on how many pitches he threw [Friday]. Then he wouldn't pitch on Sunday.

"So it's a little bit up in the air, but I just trust Hunter so much. His stuff's so good, he can get right-handers and left-handers out, get swings-and-misses. He has a heavy fastball, so he'll get a lot of ground balls."

While the Chanticleers may not be as highly ranked as they have been in the past few years, Gambino knows that they will still be a tough challenge and one of the top teams in the nation.

"Coastal took a step back from what we've seen the past couple of years—they've been a top-10 team," Gambino said. "But they're still a top-25 team, and probably even better. Probably a top-15 team, and they're going to be a regional team again."

As far as the lineup goes, Gambino said that he'll probably be switching and adjusting it for the first three to five weeks of the season. Who's playing in certain positions will likely depend on who the Eagles are facing on the mound. But some players have gotten the upper hand in position battles in practice, according to Gambino, as Matt Pare has stepped ahead at catcher and John Hennessy has stepped ahead at third.

The double play combination will be filled by senior captain Anthony Melchionda at shortstop and Blake Butera at second. Spenser Payne will be getting the start at first base against left-handers, while Robbie Moir or Tyler Hinchliffe will start against right-handers. The outfield is set with Andrew Lawrence, Tom Bourdon, and Matt McGovern. Marc Perdios will see action either in the outfield or at DH against left-handers. Gambino also noted that Travis Ferrick and Geoffrey Murphy were likely to get some at-bats.