The baseball team squeaked into the playoffs, but it wasn't there for long. After winning their first game against Williams on May 10, the Jumbos dropped consecutive contests - first against Trinity later in the day and then to Amherst the following morning - eliminating them from playoff contention and bringing their season to a close.
Ironically it was their offense, which carried them through the season, that stumbled in the playoffs, totaling just nine runs in three games.
Still, the season was not without its triumphs. The team finished 19-15 overall with a 6-6 NESCAC East record, good for second in the division behind only the undefeated Trinity Bantams. While the Jumbos had a hard time with Trinity, they got the better of East rivals Bates, Bowdoin and Colby in their other three regular-season series, winning each one 2-1.
In addition, the squad saw significant contributions from the freshman class, providing a glimmer of hope for the future.
Freshman hurler Pat O'Donnell finished the year with a 6-2 record and a 3.02 ERA, both team bests. He also pitched a team-high 62.2 innings and led the squad with four complete games. The highlight of his season came on April 6 against Williams, when he pitched a complete-game two-hit shutout. He performed reasonably well against the Bantams in the playoffs, allowing five runs on 12 hits in seven innings, but the Tufts offense managed only one run against strong Trinity pitching.
"Overall, I feel like I pitched pretty decent," O'Donnell said. "I made a couple mistakes, but even if it's a few against a team like Trinity, they make you pay. Any time I missed a little, they hammered it, and that's why they're such a tough team. You have to focus on every pitch."
Freshmen also contributed with their bats. Outfielder Chase Rose finished the year with a .384 batting average, fourth on the team and second among regulars. He tied for the team lead in walks (28) and was second among starters in home runs (3), RBI (33) and slugging percentage (.545). He also was third on the team in total bases (54).
Freshman outfielder Ian Goldberg was a big contributor as well, as he hit in the one- or two-hole for the duration of the year and was a bona fide spark plug for the Jumbos' offense. He hit .300 with two home runs and 28 RBI, while tying for second on the team with 37 runs. His seven steals were also tied for the team lead.
"I had a lot of support from the upperclassmen and confidence from coach [John] Casey," Goldberg said. "They gave me a lot of confidence to do what I can do, and luckily that was pretty good this year.
"It felt pretty good, and it's great knowing that I've still got three years to go," Goldberg continued. "It was still bitter at the end knowing Trinity beat us every time we played them this year. I wasn't happy with that, with them being our rival, but it gives us something to look forward to next year. I just want to get better and do a lot more in the years to come."
Unfortunately, if the Jumbos are to challenge Trinity in the years to come, they will have to do it without their best offensive player this season, senior second baseman Steve Ragonese. Ragonese led the Jumbos in almost every offensive category, including batting average (.425), runs (39), hits (57), doubles (14), triples (3), home runs (9), RBI (47), total bases (104) and slugging percentage (.776). His bat was one of the leading reasons for opponents' 7.28 ERA against the Jumbos, and without him they surely would not have had a chance at the playoffs.
Senior co-captain pitcher Adam Telian also had a strong final year for the Jumbos. While he struggled at the beginning, he got better as the season wore on, culminating in his complete-game seven-hit shutout of Williams in the first round of the NESCAC playoffs. His performance gave the Jumbos a 1-0 win and their first victory in the first game of the playoffs since 2002.
"It all came together for me," Telian said. "I found the right arm spot and was getting movement on my fastball. They hit some balls, but people made plays behind me."
Telian finished the year tied with O'Donnell for the lead in wins with six and second in ERA (4.52). He also led the team with 46 strikeouts. He is one of only three players, along with Ragonese and pitcher Jason Protano, to be on the team for four years.
"I had a great time this year and had a great time enjoying the playoffs," Telian said. "There's been ups and downs every season. Freshman year we lost the first two of the playoffs, but I had 16 appearances that year. Sophomore year we broke the hits and strikeouts record. Every year there was something awesome. I had a blast with this team every year."
