The baseball team's 23-11 finish in 2005 was thanks in large part to the work of one of the nation's best pitching staffs. The Jumbos had the nation's fifth-best team ERA, and most of the hurlers who led last year's staff are back for another run in 2006.
Last year's staff featured just one senior, Jeremy Davis, and the rest of the team's pitchers come into 2006 with an extra year of experience under their belts.
Juniors Derek Rice and tri-captain Ben Simon and senior southpaw Zak Smotherman will anchor the starting rotation, while junior Aaron Narva returns to the closer role.
"Hopefully these guys can continue to do it - they're a year older," coach John Casey said. "It's not like we're interjecting any really young guys into this. It's pretty much the same core."
Simon and Rice spent last season exclusively as starting pitchers, with each making 10 starts. Simon finished the year at 5-1 with a 2.29 ERA, while Rice was 5-3 with an ERA of 2.18. Smotherman started in eight of his nine appearances, and finished 3-1 with a 3.74 ERA.
"Since all of us are coming back from last season, we're confident that we can all get out there and be successful," Simon said.
Those three starters will continue to headline the rotation, as Casey has them penciled in to start the team's road trip into Virginia and North Carolina on the mound.
"Benny Simon's going to start us off again at Lynchburg, and we'll see what happens," Casey said. "[Rice] will get the second game, and [Smotherman] will get the third game. We're just staying with the same rotation we finished last year in."
In the bullpen, Narva was lights-out in his sophomore season, striking out an impressive 25 batters in 21.2 innings. The hard-throwing junior recorded an ERA of 2.49 and notched a NESCAC-leading six saves.
While Narva is battling a minor elbow injury and junior Carlos Lopez is also out of action for the time being, Casey is confident that both pitchers will return.
"Both those kids are competitive," Casey said. "They want to get out there."
Sophomore reliever Jason Protano will take over the closer role while Narva recovers. He will have some backup in sophomores Adam Telian and Brian Dzialo and senior Erik Johanson, all of whom should see a good deal of time on the mound this season.
"We've got about eight guys who I'd feel more than confident putting on the mound to get the job done," Rice said. "We've got the depth. That's not a problem."
"The other teams in the NESCAC each have their own studs," he continued. "But as a whole, they don't compare to us."
