The legacy of the men's baseball program can be found in coach John Casey's 18−year streak of .500 or better seasons, a mark that nearly came to an end last spring when the Jumbos snatched back−to−back games in the conference tournament to avoid posting a losing record for the first time since 1991.
From the looks of how Tufts did in its recent spring trip, the team will need no such late−season recovery.
"Guys have matured," senior tri−captain catcher Alex Perry said. "It's crazy how much difference a year makes, and I'm speaking for all the classes ... In all aspects, a lot of guys matured, a lot of guys just stepped up and contributed when we needed them to contribute. We've done a good job so far."
The Jumbos finished their annual journey down to Virginia and North Carolina in winning fashion, rolling over Virginia Wesleyan on Sunday, 10−0, to open the season at an 8−2 clip, the first time Tufts has returned to Medford with eight wins since 2000.
This season's trip was a display of offensive firepower, in stark contrast to the 2009 campaign. The Jumbos put up an aggregate 94 runs in 10 games — as compared to 48 in 11 last year — and hammered out a .351 batting average, nearly 70 points higher than the average they posted in their previous voyage south.
"I think it's [a result of] preparation," Perry said. "Indoors is the biggest time to really get timing down and get your mechanics down, and when you get to field it's ‘see ball, hit ball.' A lot of guys worked hard indoors and in the offseason — baseball is pretty much a year−round thing. It's definitely showed this year."
A revamped offense was on full display versus the Marlins on Sunday, as Tufts pounded the Virginia Wesleyan pitching for 17 hits — the third time the Jumbos have reached 17 hits thus far in the young season — and scored at least two runs in each of four separate innings.
Leading the way for the offense, as he did last season, was junior tri−captain David LeResche, who at the leadoff spot went 2−for−6 with a pair of runs and two RBIs. LeResche hit .404 on the trip, starting all 10 games at shortstop and boasting a team−best 16 runs, 19 hits and four stolen bases.
Last season's team leader in most offensive categories, LeResche figures to be a catalyst atop the lineup, but he is surrounded by seasoned veterans whose experience took center stage last week. Junior outfielder Ian Goldberg, for instance, came on strong toward the end of the trip, flashing the form he displayed as a freshman, when he hit .300. In a doubleheader sweep of Apprentice School, Goldberg went 7−for−8 with four RBIs and three runs scored in the Jumbos' 6−4 and 16−12 wins over the Builders.
Also having strong offensive campaigns thus far are sophomore infielder Sam Sager, who has a team−best 12 RBIs and seven doubles from the No. 3 slot in the lineup, and junior second baseman Frank Petrosky, who in his first season for Tufts after transferring from Div. I University of Vermont has a .391 average and a .500 on−base percentage.
Top to bottom, the Jumbos have seen marked improvement from last year's spring trip. In its first 11 games last season, Tufts batted just .286 and had 101 total hits. This year, in one fewer game, the Jumbos have pounded out 133 hits and 83 RBIs.
But for a team that graduated just two of eight field starters and returns the bulk of its pitching staff, the gaudy results on the spring trip could have been anticipated. And the Jumbos' success has not been limited to the batter's box. Nine pitchers saw the hill in the win over Virginia Wesleyan, allowing just two combined hits against seven strikeouts and one walk.
While the Jumbos' offensive transformation was the clear story of the break, the pitching staff did its part to match that improvement. Sophomore pitcher Dave Ryan, for instance, had a 7.11 ERA last season in seven appearances and only 6.1 innings pitched. This season, as the squad's opening−day starter, Ryan has a team−leading 16.2 innings and is second in strikeouts with 12.
"I just worked really hard in the off season and I picked up about 4 mph over the summer, and that makes a big difference," Ryan said. "It definitely feels good to play a bigger role. I just need to keep doing well because it's still early."
Additionally, junior Derek Miller, who up until this season had a career strikeout−to−walk ratio of 1.15, has a team−best 14 strikeouts against just seven walks and pitched 7.2 innings of five−hit ball in Tufts' 7−3 win on March 22 over Guilford. Even junior Pat O'Donnell, who experienced an up−and−down 2009 campaign with a 2−6 record, is currently 2−0 with a 1.76 ERA after tossing two gems against Washington & Lee and North Carolina Wesleyan.
The Jumbos' two losses came on March 23 to Greensboro — in a 17−3 decision just hours after Tufts beat Averett 9−1 across the state — and the day after by a 16−8 margin to Methodist, a squad the Jumbos have not defeated in four years.
The occasional pitfalls, however, were sandwiched in the middle of the fastest start in recent years for the Jumbos, something they hope can give them the momentum necessary to make the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2002.
Tufts will next be in action on Wednesday when it visits Maine Maritime before opening up NESCAC action on Friday with a three−game set at Bates. The Bobcats are 8−3 overall and are scoring just under 10 runs per contest.
"We face some good teams down south, and [our record over spring break] was a pretty good accomplishment, but at same time we've got to look forward, and what really counts is weekends [against NESCAC teams] — that will determine whether we make the playoffs or not," Perry said. "We've got four in arrow coming up, so that'll be a true test to see what this team is really made of."
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David Heck contributed reporting to this article.
