The baseball team heads into an integral part of its season with five NESCAC East games in the next week, hoping to improve upon an unblemished 2-0 league mark and a lackluster 8-7-1 overall record.
But for Tufts, it has been a tale of two seasons: the first concluded with the team's return from its trip to the Carolinas. It was a trip that pitted the Jumbos against squads that had already played a month's worth of baseball; a trip that left the team with a disappointing 2-5-1 record. The second season began on the first of April when the Jumbos completed a doubleheader sweep of league-rival Bates, and things have improved ever since.
A huge factor behind Tufts' recent success - and a key to the remainder of the season - is sophomore second baseman Jon Herbert. A utility player last year and a pre-season question mark, Herbert has far exceeded expectations and is currently leading the team in hitting (.418) and stolen bases (7).
"Jon is a player who has changed himself a bit," coach John Casey said. "He is a hard worker. The thing with Jon is consistency, he has been consistent all season long."
Amazingly, since Herbert was moved to the second spot in the lineup, the team has gone 7-4-1. Coincidence?
"Jon separates himself from the rest in that, where everyone has a good game here and there, he's on all the time," shortstop Brian Shapiro said. "Moving him up in the order means more at bats for him and more opportunities for him to do things that benefit the team."
Herbert is satisfied with his season thus far, and thinks the Jumbos are finally on the right track.
"I've been really happy with how things are going so far," Herbert said. "Personally, my job hasn't changed. My job is to produce, and I've tried to do that wherever I am in the lineup. What I'm really happy with is that I feel we're coming together more as a team. In the beginning there wasn't much cohesiveness. We're relatively young but getting much better."
In the field, Herbert has had the difficult task of replacing All New England selection Zack Brown.
"Jon is a good athlete," Casey said. "I think the transition from a role player to the everyday. second baseman has been a bit difficult. He needs to work a little harder to get where we want him to be."
"I haven't done anything too special defensively," Herbert said. It's great to be in there all the time and offensively I feel as if I've found the zone, but not quite defensively."
Herbert's skills will be needed this weekend, when the Jumbos travel to Hartford for three games in two days against league-favorite Trinity. Tufts will face the league's toughest pitching tandem, brothers Jonah and Jarrett Bayliss. Jarrett, a senior co-captain, leads the NESCAC with a 1.26 ERA and Jonah is not far behind at 2.84.
"This weekend will be a huge test for us," Shapiro said. "They are a great team and we will have to come together as one unit if we want to be successful this weekend. They are two great pitchers we are facing. They are fastball/slider guys, and they've given us trouble in the past. We just have to stay back and get good hacks at fastballs."
