Jumbos prepare to begin 2015 campaign

Coming off a 34-9 season and its third NCAA national tournament appearance in five years, the baseball team is a powerhouse poised for another terrific season. Coach John Casey, now in his 32nd season managing his alma mater, has high hopes for this spring.

"Last year is last year; this is a new team with different leaders and players," Casey said. "At this point it looks like several younger players have taken steps forward, and our seniors have been really focused this preseason. We are ready to start the ride and don't plan to get off until they force us off."

Tufts hopes to reach the tournament again on the strength of its stellar pitching staff, which compiled the seventh-lowest ERA in Div. III last year at 2.53. Led by senior tri-captains Tom Ryan and Kyle Slinger as well as junior Matt Moser, the Jumbos have an abundance of talented arms.Slinger was recently selected to D3baseball.com's preseason All-American first team after an incredible 2014 in which the lefty went 9-0 with a 1.18 ERA that ranked 12th in the nation. The site also chose Slinger for NESCAC and New England Pitcher of the Year awards for his remarkable performance.

If Slinger can follow up last year's performance with a similar campaign this season, he might become the rare Jumbo to get drafted by a major league team -- something that has happened only six times during Casey's coaching tenure. Right now, the southpaw is concentrating on polishing his game so he can be even better than last year.

"It's an honor to be nominated for the preseason All-American award, but I haven't proven anything this year," Slinger said. "I hope to build off last year by adding new aspects to my game to keep [my opponents] off-balance. I don't want them thinking I'm the same as last year ... There is always room for improvement."

Tufts will also prevent runs with its strong outfield defense anchored by senior tri-captain center fielder Connor McDavitt. McDavitt led the Jumbos in stolen bases last year with 15 in addition to batting .345 and posting the team's second-highest OBP at .461.

"We're very excited to have the opportunity to go out and compete this spring," McDavitt said.

Tufts will also look to senior catchers Bryan Egan and Nick Barker for leadership behind the plate.Seniors James Howard and Will Glazier are expected to provide stability at first base and third base, respectively, with Glazier filling in at designated hitter as well. Senior swingman Willie Archibald -- whom Casey called a "utility pitcher" -- should solidify the staff with his flexibility and versatility.

But even with all their senior leadership, the Jumbos will need ample contributions from their underclassmen to return to the tournament.

"We will need a few younger, less experienced players to step in and play important innings, and we need to increase our quality at-bats," Casey said.

Casey expects sophomore pitcher Tim Superko, last year's NESCAC Rookie of the Year, to build off his impressive debut. He's also counting on similar breakouts from sophomores Tom Petry and Speros Varinos to solidify the middle infield.

Tufts has 12 games scheduled over spring break, starting with this Friday's tilt against Castleton State College in Newport News, Va. The Jumbos started last year against the Spartans as well and won 7-1, launching an eight-game winning streak to open the season. Casey hopes to have similar early success this time around and get a better feel for his roster along the way.

"We will make a lot of decisions on our upcoming trip to [Virginia and North Carolina] and hopefully be a little more settled when we return to play up here," Casey said. "Our goal is to compete at our best every time we take the field, be in the moment, play as hard as we are capable of and trust the process. If we do that, we can live with any results."