For the last few years, the baseball team has played second fiddle to division rival Trinity in the NESCAC. In fact, everyone in the conference has.
While the Jumbos put together a respectable 13−11 conference record between 2008 and 2009, the Bantams cruised to an unblemished 24−0 mark en route to consecutive NESCAC titles.
But this year, it appears the balance of power might be shifting. Tufts (15−3, 5−1 NESCAC) is off to one of the best starts in team history and currently holds first place in the NESCAC East standings, while Trinity (14−4, 6−3 NESCAC) has begun to look fallible.
So when the Jumbos take on the Bantams for the first time this year in a three−game series at Bello Field, they know it will go a long way toward determining which team is the cream of the crop in the NESCAC.
"I'd say it's probably our most important three games of the year so far," senior tri−captain Corey Pontes said. "They're obviously a very good team, and we think we're a good team as long as we play the way we're supposed to … Whenever you get two competitive programs together, there's going to be a little bit of a rivalry. We definitely want to beat these guys, no doubt about that."
Tufts has dropped its past six regular−season games against Trinity and past eight overall, with several of those losses coming in heartbreaking fashion. In 2008, the Jumbos held an 8−1 lead early in the game only to see Trinity storm back. The two teams were tied 10−10 before Trinity scored seven runs in the eighth to win the game handily. Last year, Tufts had two opportunities to down the Bantams: In the regular season, the Jumbos lost a 2−1 pitchers' duel in the second game of a double−header, and in the playoffs, Tufts was leading 3−2 before a five−run eighth frame gave Trinity the win.
But despite those struggles, the Jumbos are confident that they can take down the mighty Bantams come this weekend.
"As long as we play the way we're supposed to, take it one inning and one game at a time, we can beat anybody," Pontes said. "It doesn't matter who's on [the] other side of diamond."
While Trinity is not dominating the NESCAC like it has in years past, the numbers say it is still one of the elite teams in Div. III — a notion supported in national polls, which place Trinity as the No. 8 team in the nation. The Bantams lead the conference in just about every important offensive category — including average, on−base percentage and slugging percentage — and are also tops in the league with a 2.98 team ERA.
"They're just a good team," Pontes said. "Pitching−wise they've always been there, and they hit the ball. They just play the game well."
The Tufts offense is not quite up to the same standard — the team is fifth in the league with a .413 on−base percentage — but the pitching up to this point has been fantastic, compiling a 3.61 ERA that is second only to Trinity. The Jumbos' starters in the series will likely be junior Pat O'Donnell (2.30 ERA), classmate Derek Miller (3.33) and sophomore Dave Ryan (3.21), who own a combined record of 7−1 this year.
The Jumbos' bullpen has also been superb this year, led by junior and recent NESCAC Pitcher of the Week Ed Bernstein — owner of a team−best 0.00 ERA and 13:2 strikeout−to−walk ratio — and sophomore Chris DeGoti, who has a 0.77 ERA and six saves, just three shy of setting the Tufts record. Hopefully for the Jumbos, that will enable them to avoid the late−inning losses that have plagued them in recent seasons.
"Our pitching has been awesome all year, but our bats have cooled down a bit," senior tri−captain and catcher Alex Perry said. "Hopefully we can put complete games together [this weekend] offensively, defensively and on the mound."
If Tufts is able to take two of three from Trinity, it will virtually guarantee the team a top seed in the conference playoffs, barring a late−season collapse. And the Jumbos are well−aware of those postseason implications.
"I think it would be awesome [to win the series]," Perry said. "It's one of those series — there are going to be great games. All three games are going to be close. And even though we've lost the last eight, the games have been unbelievable. You have to get the job done when you play NESCAC teams so you can get to the playoffs."
