Bucknell University Athletics
Shribman Hopes Postseason Explosion Leads to Productive 2011
2/11/2011 7:00:00 AM | Baseball
Feb. 11, 2011
By Todd Merriett, Bucknell Athletic Communications
Hopefully Bucknell first baseman Doug Shribman purchased his mom some new pencils for her most recent birthday. After all, he caused her to go through an entire year's supply during the 2010 postseason alone with all the writing she had to do in the scorebook she dutifully keeps from the stands.
Shribman became Bucknell's fifth Patriot League Tournament MVP last May, but predecessors Pete Cann, Brad Gething, Brian Day and Jason Buursma never put together a stretch of games like the imposing 6'4" 230-pound first baseman did in six contests against Army and Holy Cross. Shribman hit .423 with seven home runs, 16 runs batted in and 10 runs scored, leading a Bison attack that plated double-figure runs in three of its four wins and averaged better than eight runs overall.
Shribman broke Patriot League Tournament records for home runs, RBIs, runs scored as well as RBIs in a game (6). The slugger registered a pair of multi-home run outings and belted at least one in five of the six contests. Ever the clutch player, Shribman, who was playing in his home state of Massachusetts, hit a pair of three-run bombs in the clinching game three at Holy Cross that lifted the Bison to their fifth Patriot League crown since 1996.
"That was ridiculous," Shribman reflects about his 2010 postseason. "I am not sure if I have ever had that kind of span where I have been that hot. It really just came out of nowhere; just lucky timing."
While Shribman's postseason drew plenty of headlines, he also put together an All-Patriot League regular season. He hit .359 with 21 home runs and 62 RBIs overall. The 21 home runs were a new Bucknell single-season record, falling just three shy of the previous career mark of 24 held by current professional player Buursma.
"I never could have imagined this success," says a stunned Shribman. "When I saw Buursma as a freshman the only word that came to mind was `unreal'. I wondered how anyone could surpass him, and now I have. It was unexpected and came out of nowhere."
Shribman, who ranks second on Bucknell's career home run list with 27, only three behind former teammate Andrew Brouse's program standard, is best known for his power, but he is an all-around hitter as well. In fact, his .358 career batting average entering 2011 places him seventh in Bison history. Shribman did lead the team with 39 extra-base hits last spring, but he also recorded 39 singles.
Shribman has always had the ability to hit, but his outburst last year showed what happens when his entire focus is on hitting. As recently as his sophomore campaign he was trying to be a two-way player, splitting time between pitching and playing first base. As a freshman in 2008, the person who will be one of the most feared hitters in the Patriot League this year appeared in 13 games on the mound and received just five at bats.
The changeover to a hitter came in 2009, Shribman's sophomore season. He made a few early-season appearances on the mound, but became the predominant starting first baseman pretty quickly, appearing in the starting unit 45 times in the team's 47 games. A .360 batting average, six home runs and 42 RBIs followed as Shribman became a mainstay in the middle of the Bison batting order.
"It (becoming a full-time first baseman) came about because I was having some shoulder problems," explains Shribman, who admits he does miss his time in the center of the diamond. "I can still throw off the mound, but my shoulder probably would have gone more downhill. Once I became dedicated to just hitting, it became a lot easier. When you are doing both pitching and hitting it is so much extra work. When you can put that extra work towards just one thing, it certainly helps.
"I still joke with Coach (Scott) Heather that I have innings left in my arm, but it is probably better that I don't go out there."
As one of just two position-playing seniors, Shribman's veteran presence will certainly be counted on in the Bucknell lineup, which lost the top four hitters from last year's regular starting order. With the graduation of All-League mainstays Ben Allen, Brouse, B.J. LaRosa and Ben Yoder, who combined to anchor the potent lineup by hitting .359 with 34 home runs, 50 doubles and 161 RBIs last year, Shribman is by far the most explosive bat left in the lineup, and he is well aware of that fact.
"There is definitely a little bit more pressure," says a confident Shribman. "I am pretty easygoing, though. My whole plan is to get up there and swing at good pitches, or at least try to swing at good pitches. Some of the younger guys are going to have to step up. I'm trying to pass on whatever I can to them. I'm not sure it is much, but hopefully I can help them."
It is especially important for Shribman to get some of his younger teammates to improve as there is a little milestone he and his six fellow seniors have in their sights: a fourth Patriot League title. No Bison senior class has ever claimed four titles in four years, but it is possible for the Class of 2011. Bucknell won Patriot League Tournament crowns in 2008 and 2010 and a regular-season championship in 2009.
Thanks to those two Patriot League Tournament victories, Shribman has been fortunate enough to play in two NCAA Tournaments. In 2008, he was part of the Bison squad that upset nationally ranked Florida State for the program's first-ever NCAA win. This past year it looked like Bucknell might make history again and upset eventual College World Series winner South Carolina. The Bison built a 5-1 lead in the sixth inning, and still led 5-4 in the eighth frame against the heavily favored Gamecocks. However, South Carolina plated five runs in the home half of the eight to begin their run to the national title.
"The whole NCAA experience was incredible," says an impressed Shribman about Bucknell's time at South Carolina last June. "Going to the southern schools where baseball is so big is a lot of fun. Their facility was a step above what I had previously seen, and I got to do some different things, like participate in a press conference."
It's very appropriate that Shribman has had so much success on the baseball diamond since he looks the part of an old-fashioned, hard-nosed player with dirt plastered all over his uniform that features hiked-up pants, exposing his blue socks. The right-hander remembers growing up in Massachusetts and come the warm weather of spring, a bat, ball and glove were constantly in his hands. He would make regular pilgrimages to Fenway Park with his dad to watch his beloved Red Sox.
In addition to the time spent around baseball, Shribman was also an all-league football player at Belmont Hill School. He probably would have had the opportunity to continue the two-sport setup in college had he elected to attend a local Division III school, but he is glad he took the path he did since the baseball mentality certainly matches his personality much better. A self-described low-key person, Shribman is not a fan of the intensity he sees from the Bison football players during their workouts, practices and games. He much prefers the slower-paced baseball to the hare-like football.
Looking at his career, it appears as though Shribman made a good choice. He just needs to make sure his mother is well-stocked with pencils if he is going to continue to hit like he did last year.
Note: This story appeared in a recent edition of the Bucknell Basketball Gameday Program.
