ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – With spring just around the corner, a new season filled with anticipation also looms on the horizon for the Eckerd College baseball program.
The Tritons begin 2012 with a fresh slate and are primed to break their season with a four-game homestand this week, the first being a 7 p.m. affair against Warner University on Wednesday with additional games against St. Thomas University also on the docket.
With a total of 26 home dates scheduled to be played at the Turley Athletic Complex this spring, fans and parents will have plenty of opportunity to see the Tritons on the diamond.
EC Head Coach
Bill Mathews returns to the dugout for his 22nd season along with his experienced staff. For a group of 15 seniors, it will be their last stand.
“I wanted this season to be a great experience for the members of our senior class,” Mathews said. “The maturation process has been outstanding and they've shown as a group what can happen when you do everything together.”
“We're going to hit better for average this year and we've changed our approach at the plate,” he added. “I don't think we'll be a power team, but we will play good defense and show our speed in some spots. The depth of our pitching staff is better than what it's been in a long time.”
As is the case with any program, the depth chart is subject to change at any point in the season.
Around the horn, Mathews has Joey McLemore (.255, 3 HR, 18 RBI) preliminarily penciled in at first base,
David Regidor (.256, 26 BB, 44 H) at second,
Alex Del Monte (.284, 9 2B, 20 RBI) at shortstop and junior transfer Lee Spinelle at the hot corner.
The senior-laden outfield features a valuable combination of speed and arm strength from
Joey LaRose,
Bryant Gibson and
Dan Capra.
Aaron Shapiro will start the year behind the dish with plenty of depth behind him.
Also in the plethora of backstops includes the versatile Regidor and LaRose and freshman Michael Abraham. Abraham's older brother, Matt, was an Eckerd graduate and went on to start a professional career in the Toronto Blue Jays organization.
“We have great confidence in our catchers and our outfielders can throw anybody out at any base,” Mathews said.
Capra (.289, 15 SB) is the team's leading returning hitter and Mathews believes McLemore is poised to break out with huge while batting cleanup or in the No. 3 slot.
Defending Sunshine State Conference Pitcher of the Year
Joey Cuda returns to the mound for his final encore while anchoring the Tritons' arsenal of arms. The senior ace and St. Petersburg hurler was second in the league in ERA (1.66), innings pitched (108 2/3) and third in strikeouts (110).
“Joey has the uncanny ability to make adjustments from pitch-to-pitch just as hitters do,” Mathews raved. “His arm slot is so consistent and he's not afraid to fall behind in the count and attack the zone. He really trusts his stuff.”
Also figuring into the rotation will be
Johnny Lancaster, bookend 6-3 righties Jordan Huchro and
Jake Wilder and
Alex Menendez.
Robbie Nabers also returns to the fold along with his team-high 18 appearances from a year ago.
The Sunshine State Conference will again be among the strongest of leagues in the country from top to bottom. The University of Tampa has been ranked No. 2 in several preseason publications and Florida Southern College has been tabbed as high No. 10.
“It's a matter of being more mentally prepared than physically prepared to play three games in 24 hours,” Mathews said. “We're not going concerned with preseason rankings. I just haven't seen those teams play yet, but we're excited and ready to get going.”
Nearly all of the Eckerd home games will feature live stats and video with broadcasting on
www.eckerdtritons.com. The web features will be available for Wednesday and Friday's games, but due to overlapping events, will not be available for Saturday.
