Baseball kicks off 2004 campaign seeking fifth consecutive 20-win season

It's 32 degrees outside, it hurts to walk to class, and there are no signs that it will stop anytime soon. But just under two weeks ago, the first signs of spring began, even if you didn't see it. The Tufts baseball season will be soon upon us, and since the middle of this month, the team has been hard at work, hidden within the depths of the athletics complex.

Coming off a 21-10 season, in which the team started slowly offensively, but was carried by dominating pitching until the offense found its groove, Tufts will face challenges this year. The Jumbos lost several key members of last year's lineup and rotation, including pitching powerhouses Jon Lee and Dave Martin, along with offensive catalysts, centerfielder Evan Zupancic and shortstop Brian Shapiro, among others.

In their place, the team has a large freshman contingent that will look to fill the gaps, along with many returners who will be called upon to step it up. The team is heavily weighted on the young side, with 16 freshmen, ten sophomores, six juniors and five seniors on the 2004 roster.

Tufts has momentum on its side, however. The Jumbos have four consecutive 20-win seasons to its credit, and is only two years removed from a school-record 27-win season in 2002, a year in which the team won the NESCAC title and made its second NCAA tournament appearance in eight years.

Last year, despite early offensive woes, the team reached the NESCAC playoffs but quickly returned home after back-to-back 5-1 and 6-0 losses at the hands of Amherst and Williams.

Senior co-captains, pitcher Randy Newsom and on-base machine and third baseman Adam Kacamburas will spearhead the team this season -- which starts on March 19 when the squad embarks on a ten-game southern road trip through Virginia and North Carolina before returning north after spring break. The Jumbos' home opener is a doubleheader on Saturday, April 3 against Wesleyan. By then it really will be spring.

--By Jesse Gerner