College Baseball
Bronc Season Begins Today
NORFOLK, VA-The 2012 Rider baseball season begins today with a 1pm doubleheader at Norfolk State. The Broncs will play four seven-inning games with the Spartans on Friday and Saturday. The original schedule called for single games on Friday and Sunday, with a doubleheader on Saturday, but the threat of rain on Sunday moved that game to Friday.
The Broncs tied the program record for regular season victories (33) last year, but lost two pitchers to the pros and graduated four infielders who rank among the program's top 15 career hitters, three of which rank in the top 15 in career RBI and two in the top 15 in runs scored.
"Not one of our catchers has caught a game for us, our middle infield hasn't played a game for us yet, and some of the pitchers we'll be counting on haven't pitched for us yet," said head coach Barry Davis, now in his eighth season at Rider. "It will be like 2008 all over again in a lot of ways. That team had a lot of young unknowns but got better and better as the season went on."
The young 2008 Broncs reached the .500 mark at the end of the season, finished fourth to qualify for the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference tournament, and won the championship to advance to the NCAA Regional in Fullerton, California. Many of the 2008 freshmen became four-year starters, graduating last season.
Now the cycle begins again.
The strength of the Rider squad this year, on paper anyway, is the pitching. Leading the mound corps this year is third-year sophomore Mike Murphy, a pro prospect who red-shirted last season. Also returning to the mound in a starting role will be fifth-year senior Patrick Devlin and junior Joe Calogero.
To find the back end of the bull pen, Coach Davis needs to look no farther than junior Tyler Smith. A Preseason Second Team All-America selection by the College Baseball Writers Association, Smith earned All-East honors last season and was named the MAAC and the New Jersey Closer of the Year in 2011. He finished 10th in the nation in saves with a Rider-record 15 and opponents batted .190 against him.
The outfield will have the most experience on the team, returning a pair of MAAC and New Jersey award winners in senior Brandon Cotten and sophomore Nick Crescenzo.
A 'five-tool' player, Cotten was a First Team All-MAAC selection in 2011, was on the MAAC All-Tournament team in 2010, and earned All-New Jersey honors both years. He is a career .331 hitter and his defense is second to none. "Cotten has been the best defensive outfielder in the MAAC for two years," Davis said, "and he can do some things offensively as well. He will bat third for us."
Crescenzo was a Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American and the 2011 MAAC and New Jersey Rookie of the Year, earning Second Team All-MAAC honors. He collected his 50th hit in just his 38th start. "Crescenzo will bat leadoff and play left or right field," Davis said. "He can really run and we are going to turn him loose on the bases."
The infield will have a new look, with junior Adam Wayman the only returnee at third base. Wayman enters his junior year with 103 hits, 71st on Rider's career hit list. He batted .338 against MAAC pitchers in 2011 after batting .330 against MAAC pitchers in 2010.
The middle infield graduated John Ralston and A.J. Albee, who turned over 100 double plays in the last three years and combined for 400 hits in their careers. Filling those large shoes will be freshmen Greg Fazio and Mike Parsons, with freshman Troy Miller backing up both of them.
Following the trip to Virginia (Norfolk State), the Broncs will travel to North Carolina (Appalachian State, Campbell), and South Carolina (Charleston Southern, Winthrop). "We play 18 games before the MAAC season starts so we should have our rotation figured out by then," Davis said. "Hopefully we'll be better on May 1 than we are on March 1. That's our goal, to improve as the season goes on. The schedule is challenging. I think it will prepare us for the MAAC season."
Rider has made the MAAC playoffs five times in the last six seasons, including the last four, winning the Championship in 2008 and 2010.
Starting today, the Broncs are gearing up for a run at the 2012 MAAC title.
-ru-
