After making a premature exit from the postseason in 2005 and graduating only four seniors, the baseball team returns a veteran crew ready to erase the memories of last spring.
Last year the Jumbos recorded a 23-9 regular season (10-2 NESCAC East), but they were upset in rapid succession by Amherst and Wesleyan in the NESCAC Tournament to bring the season to an abrupt end. With almost all of its pitching staff and much of its offense returning, Tufts appears primed to right last year's wrongs.
Junior ace Ben Simon (5-1, 2.29 ERA in 2005), junior first baseman Bryan McDavitt (.487 OBP, nine steals, 25 RBI), and senior shortstop Greg Chertok (.384 OBP, 10 steals, 20 RBI) will be this season's tri-captains, and they hope to lead their team deeper into the postseason.
"We went home disappointed last year and don't intend on letting that happen again," McDavitt said.
Although Tufts lost only four seniors to graduation last May, coach John Casey says that the 2006 Jumbos will have an identity that is distinct from the 2005 team.
"I think every team is an entity unto itself," Casey said. "We have to develop. We were pretty veteran last year in the sense that we had Greg Hickey who was a four-year player and Bob Kenny who was a four-year player, [and] Jeremy Davis was on that mound for four years.
"There were a lot of kids who played for a lot of time as seniors that we have to replace," Casey continued. "And every one of those guys played a significant role, so our job is to try to replace them. How we replace them will determine how well we do."
Hickey, a designated hitter, provided five of the Jumbos' 17 home runs in 2005. Kenny was the team's primary catcher, and Davis was a strong presence out of the bullpen. Even with the leadership of the Class of 2005, filling holes left by graduation is a realistic goal.
Filling Kenny's spot behind the plate will be senior Ben Chang and junior Chris Decembrele. Chang batted .444 in limited action as a junior, while Decembrele played outfield in 2005 and found himself among the team leaders with 25 RBIs and six stolen bases. With vacancies likely in the outfield, junior Kyle Backstrom (.392 OBP, 25 RBI, four steals as a sophomore) will make the move from third base to left field. That leaves both the starting job at the hot corner and significant outfield playing time up for grabs. Casey says that he is undecided, but the coach hinted at a youth movement.
"I think right now if we had to pick someone, we'll have a freshman at third," Casey said. "I think we have the potential to have some freshmen pushing for playing time in the outfield."
With Chertok and junior second baseman Brian Casey returning to the middle infield, Tufts returns what may be the most lethal double play combination in the NESCAC. Chertok was involved in 19 double plays in 2005 while Casey helped turn 27. Coach Casey expects those two to team with McDavitt to form a strong defensive infield.
"We've got our middle infield back, which I think is the best middle infield in this league by far, and we've got the all-league first baseman [McDavitt] back who has turned himself into a pretty good first baseman," Casey said. "I think we're alright defensively; you're going to have to beat us, I hope."
Tufts returns an experienced lineup almost top to bottom, and players and coaches alike have high expectations.
"I'd say we have a great group of freshman that came in, and the leadership from the seniors is very impressive," McDavitt said.
Trinity, who went to the College World Series last spring, will be the Jumbos' main rival. Although the Bantams took two of three games from Tufts in 2005, the Jumbos actually beat them by a combined score of 12-11 in those three close games. Additionally, Tufts has league contests with Bowdoin, Bates and Colby, all of whom Casey recognizes as threats despite the Jumbos' perfect 9-0 record against them last season.
"I think Bowdoin is a very good baseball team; I think they're going to be real tough too," Casey said. "I think Bates is strong; they've gotten better every year and gotten harder and harder to beat. And I'll tell you, Colby was not that bad of a team. Their record last year looks bad, but we were lucky to get out of there [with a three-game sweep]. I would think the East side is stronger than the West side without question in this league."
"Everyone is looking to make the team better," Chertok said. "If we play hard every game and do things right, I think we'll be pretty successful this year."
