The baseball team had its most successful spring break trip of the 21st century from March 14-23, going 11-1 over a jam-packed slate in Virginia and North Carolina. The Jumbos have not posted that high a winning percentage (.917) in their annual season-opening stint since at least 2000.
Many of the wins came in dominant fashion, including seven victories by three runs or more. The Jumbos scored seven-plus runs in seven different games.
And there were thrilling wins, too. On March 16 against Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Newport News, Va., freshman second baseman Tom Petry doubled home sophomore shortstop Matt Moser to give Tufts an 8-7 lead in the top of the 12th. With two runners on in the bottom half of the inning, junior southpaw Tom Ryan induced a fielders choice to seal the win.
From March 22-23, the Jumbos won three games by a total of four runs. In a doubleheader against the Apprentice School, Tufts got strong pitching from junior left-hander Kyle Slinger, and then from Ryan, coming from behind in both games to win 4-2 and 3-2.
The next day against Virginia Wesleyan, Tufts plated three runs in the eighth and one in the ninth to win 12-11 in a game that featured 28 hits and six errors.
When the Jumbos flew back to Boston on Monday evening, many things were clearer than when they first departed for Virginia on March 13. For one, the pitching staff will likely center around Slinger, senior co-captain right-hander Christian Sbily and sophomore righty Andrew David the three of whom started the first three games of the season and each earned multiple wins on the trip.
Slinger (3-0, 1.42 ERA) was particularly impressive, winning all three of his starts and allowing just three earned runs while lasting at least six innings in each outing. He was named NESCAC Pitcher of the Week on Monday.
Sbily (2-0, 2.81 ERA) was stellar in his first two efforts before lasting just two innings in his third, a 12-11 win over Virginia Wesleyan.
I felt I pitched well overall, but definitely have some things to sharpen up and improve upon, Sbily told the Daily in an email. My changeup was working well in each of my starts, and I felt I did a solid job of making in-game adjustments when I needed to.
While his third outing was disappointing, Sbily hopes to learn from it going forward.
I just left my fastball up in the zone which made it easier for their guys to put the bat on the ball, he said. Its very important to me to have continuous faith in the process and my preparation and use those mistakes as learning experiences.
David (2-0, 5.54 ERA) bounced back from a sub-par outing against MIT to toss six shutout frames at Guilford.
While Slinger, Sbily and David were all in the Jumbos regular rotation last year, head coach John Casey certainly cannot ignore freshman Tim Superko (2-0, 1.50 ERA). The 6 2 southpaw, who spent a year honing his skills at Phillips Andover after attending Wellesley High, surrendered just eight hits and fanned 16 batters in 12 innings while allowing two runs. Whether he finds himself in the regular rotation or not, Superko will be a valuable asset to the Jumbos once they begin NESCAC East division play at Bates on Friday.
It was the Jumbos offense, though, that stole the show. Junior co-captain Wade Hauser, an All-NESCAC second team selection last season, racked up 30 total bases in 12 games, posting a .491 on-base percentage and a .652 slugging percentage while driving in 11 runs. Hauser did it all for Tufts offensively, including five stolen bases. Defensively, though, he struggled, making eight errors at third base, three of which came in one game against Lynchburg.
Several others posted eye-popping offensive statistics. Junior Nick Barker who is listed as a catcher on the roster but started 10 games in left field and did not see time behind the plate batted .458 with a .568 slugging percentage. Junior center fielder Connor McDavitt sparkled in the leadoff spot, posting a .453 on-base percentage while compiling 10 RBIs and 12 runs.
Senior Max Freccia, a first baseman when hes in the field, spent most of the trip as the designated hitter and drove in 10 runs, including a two-run homer at Greensboro.
I have DHed for a large part of my college career and feel comfortable in the position, Freccia told the Daily in an email. At this point I have my routine down pat and Im ready to go each at bat.
The Jumbos also appear to have settled on their 2014 shortstop in Moser, who committed just one error on the trip, and on their right fielder in freshman Oscar Kutch, who started eight games at the position.
Overall, Tufts outscored opponents 94-43.
At 3 p.m. today, the Jumbos will take on non-conference opponent Mass. Maritime, before playing at Bates Friday and Saturday in the first of four three-game series against NESCAC East opponents. The Bobcats took two of three last year at Huskins Field.12
