Tufts' baseball team -- already a young squad -- lost two veteran players this past week when juniors Frank Dinucci and John McBride announced their decisions to leave the program. Both athletes cited differences with coach John Casey as motivation for their departures.
"Coach Casey and I had our differences. He continually questioned my dedication to the team and my work ethic and that kind of wore on me," Dinucci explained. "I have no hard feelings towards Tufts baseball, [this was] just something that I had to do."
The Jumbos' opening-day second baseman this season and last, Dinucci was also a regular infield starter as a freshman. This spring, however, he's been on the field more sporadically and has not seen playing time since April 10, in game two of a three-loss series versus Trinity.
"I kind of had these feelings all through the season, and then we had a team meeting after the Trinity series and coach singled me and another guy or two out," Dinucci said. "That was kind of the final straw."
McBride also mentioned being "singled out" by Casey as a source of tension.
"It was just a personal decision. I didn't want to put up with the aggravation anymore," McBride said.
McBride started at first base for much of last season, but saw less playing time this year than in the past, with only two at bats (as compared to 79 last spring). He said that his decision to leave was not based on a lack of playing time, however.
"I don't think it was a playing time issue," McBride said. "If there were guys ahead of me that could play that was fine."
With a career batting average of .250, McBride had his best season in 2003, when he hit .278 and posted a .354 slugging percentage. Like McBride, 2003 was Dinucci's most fruitful year at the plate. He hit .282 that season, had an on-base percentage of .431, and drove in 17 runs. Dinucci's career batting average stands at .252.
Both Dinucci and McBride said that they spoke with their captains and other teammates before making their decision.
"They said they supported me 110 percent," Dinucci said. "Nothing's changed between me and the guys on the team. They just knew that Coach Casey put me in a tough situation."
Casey declined to comment on the affair, while senior co-captain Adam Kacamburas commented only that the players' departures did not affect team goals.
"We know the job that we have to do and whoever it's with, we have to get it done," Kacamburas said. "Who goes out on that field this weekend against Colby and next weekend against Bates doesn't matter. It's just a matter of accomplishing what we need to do."
