Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Baseball Opens 2011 Campaign this Weekend at James Madison
2/16/2011 7:00:00 AM | Baseball
Feb. 16, 2011
LEWISBURG, Pa. - The Bucknell baseball team has collected two Patriot League Tournament titles and one regular-season crown in the last three seasons and success is once again predicted for the squad. The Bison are listed a close second to defending regular-season champion Army in the Patriot League Preseason Poll, the league office announced Wednesday.
Bucknell received five first-place votes and 43 points, while the Black Knights earned six first-place votes and 45 total points. Holy Cross, which is predicted to finish third by the league's head coaches and sports information directors, received the remaining first-place tally and 36 points. Lehigh, Navy and Lafayette rounded out the bottom half of the poll.
The Bison open their 2011 season this weekend with a four-game series at James Madison. The two teams will play single contests on Friday and Sunday and a doubleheader on Saturday. The Dukes were 30-23 a year ago, including 15-3 at home and 18-6 in Colonial Athletic Association play. Bucknell was 25-35 overall in 2010 and 8-12 in Patriot League play, but advanced to its fifth NCAA Tournament, all since 1996.
Bucknell and James Madison have not met since the Bison opened the 2004 season in Harrisonburg, Va. The Dukes claimed two of the three games in the series, although Bucknell's 6-5 win in the middle contest was its first-ever win over James Madison in a series that began in 1979.
Live audio broadcasts of Friday's and Sunday's games will be available through the James Madison website (www.jmusports.com), while live stats will be available for the entire four-game series.
2011 Patriot League Preseason Poll
1. Army (6 first-place votes) - 45
2. Bucknell (5) - 43
3. Holy Cross (1) - 36
4. Lehigh - 23
5. Navy - 21
6. Lafayette - 12
Below is a more detailed season outlook heading into the 2011 campaign:
A Patriot League Tournament title in 2008. A regular-season Patriot League crown in 2009. Another Patriot League postseason championship in 2010. Can Bucknell make it four Patriot League titles in four years? That remains to be seen, but 30th-year head coach Gene Depew certainly hopes so.
The Bison did lose the top four hitters in their record-breaking lineup to graduation, but 13 effective pitchers return, including all four regular weekend starters.
With the graduation of All-Patriot League players Ben Allen, Andrew Brouse, B.J. LaRosa and Ben Yoder, Bucknell lost 202 runs scored (of team's 392), 302 hits (of 633), 50 doubles (of 111), 34 home runs (of 75), 161 RBIs (of 355) and a combined batting average of .359 (overall team .311).
While the loss of that offensive production is difficult to endure, the Bison return 425.0 of their 481.2 innings, 23 of their 25 wins and 281 of their 311 strikeouts on the mound.
Entering the 2011 campaign it appears as though pitching will be the unquestioned strength for Bucknell, and that is especially comforting given the renewed importance of pitching given the more stringent bat rules that will reduce their potency.
"The new bats will make it a different college baseball game," mentioned Depew, who has piled up 545 victories during his tenure in the Bison dugout. "The new bats are not nearly as productive as what was used in the past. They are much more like wood and the game scores for everyone will be a lot lower."
Bucknell's season opener is Feb. 18 at James Madison, while its home opener at newly remodeled Depew Field is March 23 vs. Mount St. Mary's. Depew Field received new brick dugouts and a state-of-the-art scoreboard during the offseason, one year after adding a new FieldTurf playing surface.
PITCHING STAFF: Depew is very confident in his veteran pitching staff and expects them to be very effective throughout the season.
"We have five senior pitchers, which is probably the most we have ever had. And all five are serious contributors," commented Depew. "We also have five juniors that have a lot of experience. Those guys need to be effective for us. They have to make opponents work for the runs they do give up.
"We really have 16 potential pitchers and this is the first year every one of those guys is capable of being a good pitcher for us. We don't have anyone that is a project, where we hope a year or two down the road they might be able to help us. Every one of these guys is capable of going out and giving us innings and we are going to have a lot of flexibility."
All-Patriot League right-handed seniors Dylan Seeley and Trey Frahler return to anchor the Bison starting unit. Seeley has been a regular starter since his freshman year, while Frahler has two years as a starter behind him.
Seeley was a second-team selection a year ago when he posted a 5-3 record with a 4.08 ERA in a team-high 88.1 innings. He finished the regular season with three straight complete games, including a pair of 1-0 shutouts. The lanky hurler also fired the 21st two-hitter in program history.
Frahler, who was an All-Patriot League performer in 2009, won four games and struck out a team-high 55 hitters in 74.2 innings last year. The starter in game one of each Patriot League regular-season series in 2010, Frahler has logged nearly 175 innings in his career.
"I expect a good, solid outing from Dylan and Trey every time they go out there," said Depew. "They have been doing it for three years now and I think they have the maturity and confidence. Neither will overpower the opposition, but they have good control and change speeds. They are going to be steady performers for us."
Junior right-hander Jack Boehm was the third starter in the rotation last year when he posted a 4-3 record in 59.1 innings. The durable Illinois native averaged nearly five innings per start and started the clinching game threes in both Patriot League Tournament series.
Senior Steve Carlin and junior Ryan Ebner were the only other pitchers to start games against Patriot League opponents last year, and Depew sees them both in the mix for starter's innings.
A transfer from Arkansas-Fort Smith last year, Carlin went 3-6 in 16 appearances, one year removed from arm surgery. He started five games, but also tied for the team lead with two saves and was one of just two Bison to average more than a strikeout per inning.
Ebner went 3-0 with a 5.08 ERA last year, but ended the season on a high note, registering a 3-0 record with a 1.80 ERA in three Patriot Legue Tournament appearances. He yielded just five hits in 10.0 innings and hurled five scoreless frames of relief in the clinching game three at Holy Cross.
Depew also sees sophomore Marcus Garone and junior Alex Cillo in the mix for important innings. Garone was a weekday starter a year ago, while Cillo was mainly a reliever, striking out 26 in 23.2 innings.
"Alex has always had good velocity, but he has added some off-speed pitches and improved upon the mental aspects of the game as well," commented Depew. "He's going to be much more of a contributor than he has been."
Senior Daniel Hart is one of the most experienced relief pitchers on the staff and he should continue to be effective. Last year he appeared in 19 games and has 42 career appearances on the mound.
Fellow senior Eric Jarrett still hopes to rebound to his freshman-year form when he was among the best left-handers in the Patriot League, while juniors Matt Lamore and Russell Seidell are two-way players who should provide valuable innings in relief. Lamore, an accomplished hitter who hit .284 with three home runs and 16 RBIs last year, will likely see plenty of time at designated hitter as well.
Sophomore Taylor Runge, who sat out his freshman campaign after undergoing arm surgery, should be a welcome addition.
CATCHER: Two-year starter and Major League Baseball Draft choice B.J. LaRosa must be replaced, and junior Scott Reed has the inside track on the position heading into the season. The Reston, Va., native hit .254 with three home runs and 11 RBIs last year, although he was hitting a solid .318 at the time of an early-season ankle injury that sidelined him for a few weeks.
Freshmen Justin Meier, who is an especially skilled defensive player, and hard-working Tom Hrabchak will likely back up Reed.
FIRST BASE: There is no doubt about who Depew will pencil into his lineup at first base: senior Doug Shribman. A First Team All-Patriot League selection, Shribman had a postseason to remember when he hit seven home runs, drove in 16 runs, scored 10 runs and hit .423 in six Patriot League Tournament games to earn MVP honors. Overall, Shribman hit .359 with a Bucknell single-season record 21 home runs and 62 RBIs. He enters 2011 second on the Bison all-time lists for home runs (27) and slugging percentage (.661) and sixth in batting average (.358).
Seidell and freshman Luke Lombardi will serve as backups to Shribman, who started 59 of 60 games last spring.
MIDDLE INFIELD: A lot of new faces will be around the middle infield as the Bison must replace four-year starters Allen and Yoder.
Filling in for Yoder at second base will likely be sophomore Travis Clark, who hit .271 in 48 at bats last year while backing up at both shortstop and third base.
Fellow sophomore Scott Glass will also be in the mix at second base. He hit .278 in 16 appearances last year. Entering the year, Clark provides more offense, while Glass is a little better defensively.
Another sophomore, Robb Scott, is penciled in as the starter at shortstop. He saw action in 23 games a year ago, drawing nine starting assignments.
"Robb is very solid defensively and is working hard at the offensive part," praised Depew. "As long as he is able to come in and make the plays at shortstop, we'll take it."
Freshman Corey Furman, a left-handed hitter, will likely enter the season as Scott's backup at shortstop.
THIRD BASE: Junior David Duffett, who started 58 of 60 games last year, returns for his second year as a regular. A solid defensive player who has shown flashes of ability to produce offensively, Duffett will be expected to show more consistency at the plate this year. He hit .225 and drove in 20 runs from the No. 8 and 9 holes in the lineup.
Freshman Will Mooney, who Depew refers to as a solid player, will back up Duffett.
OUTFIELD: Two-thirds of last year's starting lineup returns with senior Drew Constable (.302, 4 HR, 36 RBI) in left and junior Bob Donato (.315, 6 HR, 29 RBI) in center. However, the loss of Patriot League Player of the Year Brouse leaves a gaping hole in right. Heading into the year, Depew expects junior Gerry Runyan, a native of Milton, Pa., to be the frontrunner for the position after a strong fall campaign.
Juniors Lamore and Mark Figgie, as well as sophomore Matt Busch, could also see time in the outfield. Additionally, the versatile Seidell has spent some time taking fly balls.
High school center fielders freshmen Chet Otis and Colby Vanderbeck and fellow rookie Brett Ashley will also compete for time. Depew calls Otis the fastest person on the team, while Ashley's 6-3, 235 frame is imposing.
