Tufts baseball has been extremely strong the past few years, as the team has won at least 23 games the last three seasons and at least 21 for seven of the past eight. Last year, the team went 25-12, advancing all the way to the NESCAC finals, and much of that success could be attributed to the team's pitching.
Last season, the Jumbos compiled an impressive 3.68 team ERA, down from 3.84 in 2006, and recorded a team-record 225 strikeouts. This season, the squad will look to continue that trend, despite graduating pitchers Carlos Lopez, Derek Rice and Brian Casey.
Last year Lopez and Rice had ERAs of 3.60 and 4.20, respectively, while the two combined for 15 starts, six wins and 94.1 innings pitched. Casey, coming out of the bullpen, went 3-0 with six saves and a 2.00 ERA in 18 innings pitched.
This year, the team will have to rely on senior co-captain Adam Telian. Armed with a low-to-mid 80s fastball, a slow curve and a changeup, the lefthander was the rock of the pitching staff in his junior year.
Telian's stats were impressive for most of the season. He finished 5-2 in nine starts with a 2.41 ERA and 44 strikeouts against a mere nine walks in 56 innings pitched.
In his three seasons at Tufts, Telian has compiled a 12-5 career record, and his .706 winning percentage is good for 10th on Tufts' career list. Still, he has found room for improvement this year.
"My focus is just being more consistent," Telian said. "My last two starts last year were terrible - something like 18 hits and 11 runs in my last six innings. It's just a matter of keeping it going the entire season."
Tufts will also look to senior Jason Protano to continue his improvement in his final season. As a sophomore, the Milford native compiled a 5.11 ERA in relief and tied a Tufts record with 20 appearances. Last season, he started eight games, won four and put together a 4.15 ERA and 43 strikeouts in 52 innings pitched.
Beyond those two pitchers, three other Jumbos combined for just five starts. Junior Mike Stefaniak started two games for the team last year, but he had a 6.75 ERA in five appearances and 9.1 innings pitched. Sophomore David Gibbs made 11 appearances, two of them starts, and compiled a 5.33 ERA in 25.1 innings pitched. He struck out an impressive 21 batters, but also walked 17.
"Being consistent was a problem," Gibbs said. "Sometimes I'd feel good and throw like I could, and some other times I would not be able to hit my spots. This year I've just worked harder. The main thing is just to focus on every pitch and not take any pitch off, because it'll come back to bite you."
Sophomore Tommy Hill is the last pitcher on the team with any starting experience, and he made only one in 10 appearances. Still, in 17.2 innings pitched, he posted an impressive 3.06 ERA, despite striking out only six and walking five.
"I would say that I'm definitely much more of a control pitcher than a power pitcher," Hill said. "I know I'm never going to blow a fastball by someone in the NESCAC.
"It's important to keep the ball low and hit spots. If I go up and miss, because I don't have great stuff, it's going to get hit hard. Strikeouts, I don't care too much about, as long as I'm getting outs. Strikeout, flyout, groundout - they're all outs."
Hill's role for this year has yet to be determined, but he remains prepared.
"I don't know exactly when I'll be called in to pitch, but I'll be ready whenever I'm called on," he said. "Whenever I am pitching I'll just be out there to compete and try to put the team in a good position to win."
The team also has three freshman pitchers in Ed Bernstein, Pat O'Donnell and Jack Dilday. The trio will be looking to turn some heads this year.
"I hope to get out in some big situations and prove myself as a contributor to the team," Dilday said.
In the bullpen, it seems that sophomore Jordan Goldberg is the likely go-to guy. In his freshman season, the southpaw had a 1.53 ERA in 29 innings pitched. After losing last year's saves leader to graduation, Tufts will likely lean on Goldberg at the end of games.
"I know I'm not planning on starting now, so I'll probably be in the same role coming out of the pen," Goldberg said. "I hope to just replicate last year and pitch some bigger games at the end."
The team's first game is today at Lynchburg, which the Jumbos will follow up with nine more contests in eight days over spring break.
