Season Previews
Jonny Williams, Haverford
Franklin & Marshall
Expectations are high in Lancaster for the 2012 Franklin & Marshall baseball team after a solid 22-18 campaign last spring. With a wealth of returning experience, a strong group of newcomers and depth both on the mound and in the field, the Diplomats are primed for an exciting 2012 season. Fourth-year head coach Adam Taylor welcomes back 10 field players with significant starting experience, seven pitchers that have recorded innings for the Diplomats, and a host of talented newcomers to a squad that finished third in the 2011 Centennial Conference (CC) regular season.
Gettysburg
The 2012 season will present a youth movement of sorts for the Gettysburg College baseball team. Of the 31 players dotting the roster, all but seven are freshmen or sophomores, and the opening-day lineup could include as many six first- or second-year players. However, Head Coach John Campo is excited about the prospects for his current Bullets, who finished second in the Centennial Conference (CC) in team pitching (4.18 ERA) a year ago. "I'm impressed with the overall athleticism of this team," said Campo, who enters his 26th year at the helm and is the program's all-time leader in victories (432). "We want to keep our pitching and defense strong, but we need to find ways to be more productive offensively."
Haverford
Haverford reached the Centennial Conference championship game in 2011 for the second straight year and the fourth time in the last six years. The goal for 2012 is simple: take the next step and win the Centennial Conference title. Despite the graduation of eight talented players who led the Fords to a 32-10 record and a national ranking last year, Dave Beccaria, now in his 12th year as Haverford's head coach, is optimistic about the team's prospects for this spring. "We have excellent pitching, talented, competitive guys everywhere on the field, and experienced upperclassmen who know what it takes to earn a berth in the playoffs and compete for a conference title," said Beccaria.
Johns Hopkins
When talking about the 2012 Blue Jays, it would be hard to not start with what has the potential to be one of the deepest and strongest pitching staffs to anchor a Hopkins team. The Blue Jays starting rotation is highlighted by three right-handed pitchers who head coach Bob Babb expects to be dominate on the mound. The top-two starters for Hopkins are seniors Alex Eliopoulos and Sam Eagleson.
McDaniel
When the baseball season opens on Saturday, McDaniel has a couple of important things working in its favor. Not only has the Green Terror been able to be on its field for the vast majority of preseason, but the squad also returns experience at virtually every position on the diamond.
Muhlenberg
During the offseason, one of the racquetball courts in the Life Sports Center was transformed into a batting cage for the Muhlenberg baseball and softball teams. The baseball players have spent the winter months logging plenty of hours in the cage doing tee work and other hitting drills, and they hope all of that work will help them perform a transformation of their own on the diamond. The Mules open up the season with a doubleheader at Gallaudet on Saturday followed by a game at Catholic on Sunday afternoon. But that's not soon enough for senior Nick Busillo, who said he has never been so eager to get a season started.
Swarthmore
The 2011 season was a rollercoaster ride for the Swarthmore baseball team. The Garnet won 20 games for the second year in a row for the first time in program history -- including a historic sweep of national powerhouse Johns Hopkins -- but missed the playoffs on a tiebreaker. In 2012, the team looks to rebound from its 2011 finish and continue the team's multi-year streak of success and improvement. Even though the 2011 team graduated seven seniors, the Garnet return a core of key contributors who will be looking to improve.
Washington College
With all four All-Centennial Conference players from 2011 back in the fold, a deeper pitching staff and a more versatile squad, the Washington College baseball team is hoping to return to the Centennial Conference Tournament for the second time in three years this spring as the Shoremen Nine seek to improve on a 17-18 overall and 8-10 conference record from a year ago in what will be the final season for head coach Al Streelman.
