2008 season preview

February 29, 2008

NORTON, MA- Twelfth-year head coach Eric Podbelski is a firm believer in challenging his Wheaton College baseball team, and few could find fault with the approach or end result, as the Lyons recently enjoyed their finest three-year stretch in the program's 10-year varsity history.

Falling one game short of reaching its third consecutive NCAA New England Regional Tournament championship round last spring, Wheaton went 34-13 while surpassing the 300-win plateau. The Lyons captured their ninth New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) regular season title in the league's nine-year existence with a 9-3 mark and won their eighth league tournament after hosting the event for the seventh successive spring.

"We don't really go beyond the fact that the whole idea is to get better and, in order to get better, you have to challenge yourself," said Podbelski, who is the only coach the program has known. "If the opportunity to play the best teams in the country presents itself, you play them. If you're practicing to become good, you play the best teams you can because you find out how good you are or how far you need to come. It's called competing."

The 35-member team, Wheaton's largest to date, is certain to be presented with a stiff challenge during its spring week in Phoenix, Arizona, where the Lyons play eight of their 10 games against 2007 NCAA Tournament participants and seven of the 10 versus teams that are either nationally ranked or receiving votes in the Collegiate Baseball preseason poll. Wheaton squares off against second-ranked Cortland State College twice, 10th-ranked Johns Hopkins University once and 14th-ranked The College of New Jersey on two occasions.

"It's going to be very difficult to put together a really great record against that competition," added the 2007 New England Intercollegiate Baseball Association (NEIBA) and NEWMAC coach of the year. "We just hope to react to wins and losses the right way. You have to play baseball at a very high level right out of the chute. It quickly sharpens you up and, win or lose, and we've done a little of both over the years, you aren't fooled into thinking you're better than you are."

Wheaton, which enters the season ranked 13th nationally, returns four assistant coaches, all of whom played in the program. Top assistant Zach Brown '02 is in his sixth year, Ryan Parker '01 is in the midst of his fourth, Jeff Ambrosini '04 is in his third and Andy Koocher '06 his second. Jesse Woods '04, who began his fourth season on the staff last fall, took an assistant job at Boston College.

The Lyons' northern schedule, which starts on March 20 at Rhode Island College, isn't any more forgiving than their Arizona slate, as Wheaton faces sixth-ranked Eastern Connecticut State University, 19th-ranked University of Southern Maine and 30th-ranked Keene State College. The Blue and White begins defense of its NEWMAC title with a home doubleheader against the United States Coast Guard Academy on March 22. The NEWMAC Tournament and its new six-team, double-elimination format begins on April 23.

Combining 23 underclassmen, which include 16 freshmen, with five seniors and seven juniors to combat the loss of key players, especially on the pitching front, Podbelski is anxious to get the season underway. "There's definitely an element of curiosity to see how the season is going to play out on the field, but I am confident in the guys who are going to go into their spots," said Podbelski. "There's enough veteran presence on both the positional side and the pitcher's side where we should be fine."

Leading the pitching staff is senior southpaw Chris McDonough (Weymouth, MA/Weymouth), who is Wheaton's most seasoned hurler. A two-time all-region and all-conference player and 2007 NEWMAC Pitcher of the Year, McDonough posted a 5-1 record and 1.94 ERA with 62 strikeouts and just 11 walks last spring. He is second at Wheaton in career strikeouts and third in complete games.

Juniors Adam Gingras (Woonsocket, RI/Woonsocket), Brian Hughes (Dudley, MA/Shepherd Hill Regional) and Josh Simmons (Cranston, RI/Cranston West) all look to play prominent roles in the starting rotation. Last year, Gingras went 2-1 with a 3.00 ERA in six starts. Hughes, a lefty who came out of the bullpen in 2007, had one save and a 4.50 ERA in 14 games. Simmons served as Wheaton's closer last year and might be asked to close at times this season. As a sophomore, he was 2-0 with six saves and a 3.66 ERA in 21 games. He's fourth in career saves.

Sophomores Nick Kostaras (North Attleboro, MA/North Attleboro) and Jon Shepard (Salisbury, MA/Triton Regional) are in position to be members of the starting rotation following limited roles their freshman season. Kostaras picked up two starts in his initial campaign while appearing in 10 games, and Shepard didn't allow a run in eight outings.

Pitchers who might see spot starts but will be primarily relied upon out of the bullpen are junior Karl Olson (Bethel, ME/Gould Academy) and first-year lefty Kevin Calabro (Andover, MA/Andover). Olson, who has mound experience from his high school days, is transitioning over to the pitching ranks after serving as an infielder and DH his first two seasons. Freshman southpaw Chad Kasik (Dudley, MA/Shepherd Hill Regional) is also a relief option. Their progression will dictate which relief roles they serve.

Senior Keith Pescosolido (Newton, MA/Newton North) and junior Jared Barnes (North Attleboro, MA/Bishop Feehan) are expected to make significant impacts in late-inning relief situations. With both serving as setup men mostly during the seventh and eighth innings last spring, Pescosolido was 4-3 with a 2.84 ERA and one save in 20 games, while Barnes went 1-0 with a 0.81 ERA in 16 appearances. Either one of them might be asked to close on occasion.

Rounding out the rotation are freshman righthanders Anthony Blais (Longmeadow, MA/Springfield Central), Kyle Martinis (Bellingham, MA/Bellingham), D.J. McGee (Worcester, MA/Saint Peter-Marian) and Derek Pelkey (South Hadley, MA/South Hadley). Blais and Pelkey are deemed middle relievers, McGee is being converted to a pitcher, while Martinis, a mid-year transfer from Northeastern University, is currently injured.

Completing the battery and targeted to carry the bulk of the catching load is sophomore Jeff Lieneck (Foxboro, MA/Xaverian Brothers). Lieneck, who earned valuable experience playing in the New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL) over the summer, has taken great strides since his freshman season, when he mostly served as the backup catcher and a DH. Freshman Rob Jenkins (Rochester, NH/Spaulding) will relieve Lieneck on occasion, while classmate Alex Rossi (Norwood, MA/Norwood) continues his recovery from surgery last year and might also pinch hit.

Wheaton's infield corps will have a familiar look, with senior captains Scott Guillerault (South Portland, ME/South Portland) and Jake Yagjian (Brewster, MA/Nauset Regional) returning to third and second base, respectively, for the fourth consecutive year. Guillerault, who has been a starting fixture at the hot corner since his freshman year, has earned national, regional and conference recognitions during his career. Guillerault knocked in 33 runs, scored 32 and drew 31 walks last season. A 2007 all-region player, Yagjian batted .343 with 59 hits, 38 runs and 33 RBI as a junior. He ranks among Wheaton's all-time leaders in five different categories.

Junior Nick Pecora (Highland Park, NJ/Immaculata), who saw time as a shortstop his freshman year and first baseman last season, is expected to get the nod at short. A NEWMAC All-Conference selection a year ago, Pecora led Wheaton in hits (64) and RBI (37) to go alongside a .364 batting average and .986 fielding percentage. Freshman Eric Laliberte (Nashua, NH/Bishop Guertin) is slotted to relieve either of the middle infielders, while sophomore Sean Buckley (Webster, MA/Bartlett) is the first option to spell Guillerault at third.

At first base, Laliberte, sophomore Jason Clucas (Peabody, MA/Saint John's Prep) and freshman Sean Munley (Trenton, NJ/The Hun School of Princeton) are all in the mix, as Podbelski acknowledges each of the three will factor in somewhere. Should Laliberte see significant time at first, Clucas and Munley would most likely share DH duties. Should Laliberte move to the outfield, Clucas or Munley would slide into first while the other would move to the DH spot. McGee and freshmen Nick Alosco (Mahopac, NY/Mahopac) and Jose Santos (Boston, MA/Madison Park Technical Vocational) provide added depth to the Lyon infield.

Junior Robert Foote (Walpole, MA/Walpole) is the lone returning starting outfielder, as he is slated for left, the corner opposite from which he played as a sophomore. Foote was the Blue and White's top hitter at .367 with 62 hits and a .473 slugging percentage. Sophomore Paul Malaguti (Andover, MA/Andover) has earned a starting spot in right after hitting .324 in 18 games last year.

Sophomore Marshall Chick (Bowdoinham, ME/Mount Ararat) might see at bats against lefthanded pitching at a corner outfield spot, while first-year Hadi Raad (Hastings-on-Hudson, NY/Hastings) will be used as a defensive replacement and could see some starts. Laliberte, senior Ken Depasse (Holden, MA/Saint John's) and freshman Tad Skelley (Wolfeboro, NH/Holderness School) are all vying for time. Depasse stole eight bases in 35 games last spring and might also DH, while Skelley is a converted infielder.

Freshmen Scott Ciccone (Malden, MA/Arlington Catholic) and Colin Lynch (Danvers, MA/Danvers) complete the group of outfielders. Lynch will also be used as a pinch runner.

In order for the 2008 team to experience success, Podbelski knows full well that the Lyons will have to be strong in every phase of the game. "You have what you have," said Podbelski. "You try to put guys in the right positions and the right spots and get them to work hard every day. That stuff generally takes care of itself if you have enough good players, and I think we do. It still remains that you have to pitch, play defense and hit. There are a lot of teams out there that are good in all facets, and I hope that we are too."

This page is maintained by Scott Dietz. Last updated on 2/29/08.
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