Last year the Jumbos finished their season with a record of 24-14 (9-3 NESCAC) and a runner-up title in the NESCAC conference thanks in large part to the work of their pitching staff. In the 2006 season, the team's pitchers boasted a team ERA of 3.84 and kept opponents at bay with a .325 batting average.
The 2007 squad hopes it can build on that success, as four of those pitchers will return to the mound to help anchor this year's staff.
Last year's rotation featured standout lefty senior Zak Smotherman whose impressive performance throughout the season earned All-New England and All-NESCAC honors. While Smotherman's presence will be missed, the 2007 team is ready to pick up right where it left off last year.
This time around, seniors Derek Rice and Carlos Lopez and juniors Adam Telian and Jason Protano will anchor the Jumbo rotation. Senior tri-captain and starting shortstop Brian Casey will also serve as the team's go-to closer.
"Smotherman's a tough guy to replace," said senior tri-captain Ben Simon, who is also an editor for the Daily. "But we're not looking at any one guy to replace him. I would take those guys [Telian, Protano, Rice and Lopez] over any front four in the league."
Although Simon was a key starter last year, recording a 4-2 record with a 4.09 ERA, he will be watching from the dugout this season, as he broke his arm throwing a pitch during an offseason workout in September.
"Ben has been awesome," coach John Casey said. "He is literally like having another coach. [But] he deals with the guys in a different way than the coaches can."
While the veteran quartet of Rice, Lopez, Telian and Protano will be expected to take over much of the pitching responsibilities this season, Casey is not discarding the idea of the younger pitchers stepping up and becoming key contributors on the mound.
"We're fairly deep when you look at those four guys, especially in a three-game series, but there is no set lineup," Casey said. "We think every kid with us can play; it's a question of who plays better than the other kid. Last year Smotherman started out as our No. 3 and by the end he was our No. 1. [The younger pitchers] will get what they can handle and some have proved that they can handle more than others."
Joining the upperclassmen this season will be sophomores Jesse Shapiro, Mike Stefaniak and Doug Keller along with rookie freshmen Jordan Goldberg and David Gibbs.
"The challenge we're going to have is putting guys in different roles than what they were last year," Simon said. "They need to adjust a little and do their jobs. We've got a couple guys that are going be pretty important that don't have much experience at the varsity level and we need to make sure they're mentally prepared."
As the team will play 12 games in 10 days during its annual spring break road trip to Virginia and North Carolina, the Jumbos will certainly have the chance to try out some new faces on the mound.
"They'll all pitch on the trip," Casey said. "I can guarantee that we will end up with a different lineup than what we started out with."
"We have [12] games down south and a lot of questions are going to be answered after the trip," Simon said. "[For the pitchers] it's not what they've done in the past but what they're doing now that will determine their role."
The Jumbos kick off their road trip with a game in Virginia against Lynchburg tomorrow.
"We'll go in and be as good as anyone in this league," Casey said. "There's no excuse not to be."
