Feb. 25, 2010

The Johns Hopkins baseball team returns 26 players from last year and is ranked 30th in the 2010 ABCA/Collegiate Preseason Poll. With at least an appearance in the Regional Championship in the last three years, hopes are high for the Blue Jays with the goal for the 2010 season is to return to the College World Series.

One of the Blue Jays biggest strengths this season is the depth at each position. There are at least two players with collegiate experience at every defensive postion who can step in and perform at a high level.

Hopkins will expect a lot of output from their offense. The Blue Jays are returning 394 hits, 313 runs, 281 RBIs, and 53 home runs. The returning players hit for a batting average of .357 and slugging percentage of .584.

The 2010 team should have no problems scoring runs, despite the loss of third baseman Todd Emr and first baseman Ryan Biner. Emr was the Centennial Conference Player of the Year in 2009. Biner was a First Team All-Centennial pick and led the 2009 Blue Jays with 61 RBIs.

Hopkins will have a very experienced infield in 2010. Coach Babb will experiment with graduate student Brian Youchak at second base, instead of his right field spot of the past two seasons. Youchak was a First-Team All-Centennial selection in 2009 and an All-American in 2008

Coach Babb says the Blue Jay defense will be stronger in 2010 as six infielders, six outfielders, and three catchers return, all of whom have experience with Johns Hopkins.

The Blue Jays have two senior shortstops in James Teta and Lee Bolyard. Bolyard was first team all-conference and First Team ABCA All-Mid-Atlantic Region selection in 2009. Both of these players could see time at third base as well in 2010. Junior Tim Rappazzo is also returning to the mix for 2010 after his bout with cancer last year.

Senior Chris Huisman will get the starting nod at first base. Coach Babb is expecting a big season out of Huisman. Sophomore Zack Small will also see some time at first. Additionally, there are some talented freshmen who could work their way into playing time at first base.

The Blue Jays are returning their entire outfield from 2009, but with Youchak moving to the infield, there is a spot opening up.

Junior Jesse Sikorski returns to left field after leading the team with 13 home runs and a slugging percentage of .782 in 2009. Coach Babb says that Sikorski could possess the most power of any hitter in the Centennial Conference. The junior was a second team all-conference selection last season.

Senior Dave Kahn will track down fly balls in centerfield for the second straight year. Coach Babb is looking for a breakout year in Kahn, who will start the season batting leadoff due to his great speed on the base paths.

Right field could see a platoon of different players during the season. Seniors Brendan Walsh, Matthew Bernardi, and Mike Aspegren will all see playing time in the outfield, as will junior Anthony Venditti and sophomore Sam Wernick.

The Blue Jays are deeper in the catching position than they have ever been. Senior John Swarr earned First Team All-Centennial honors in 2009. Senior Joe Borelli, who was the back-up catcher in 2008, is returning to the lineup after missing 2009 due to an elbow injury.

In addition, Small, who batted .475 with five home runs in 40 at bats last year, will also see some playing time behind home plate as well as at first base and designated hitter.

Pitching will be the key to success for the 2010 season. The staff lost its top two pitchers from 2009 in Chez Angeloni and Dave Fioretti. Fioretti was 5-0 with an ERA of 4.12 while Angeloni was 5-3 an ERA of 4.90.

The Blue Jay hurlers will be led by a trio of senior south paws. Hopkins will also rely on a group of talented but untested sophomores. Senior Matt Wiegand will miss this season season due to an elbow injury but will return in 2011 while attending graduate school.

Senior Greg Harbeck has been the most consistent Blue Jay pitcher over the past three years according to Coach Babb. Harbeck finished 2009 with a 4-2 record and pitched 40.0 innings.

Marco Simmons pitched 49.2 innnings last season for the Blue Jays and produced some big performances, including a complete game against Washington & Jefferson in the NCAA Regionals.

Rounding out the trio of senior lefties is Andrew Pevsner, who "seems to have finally come into his own this fall and should play a significant role this spring as a starter or a closer," says Coach Babb.

Bolyard, who has never pitched before, could also see some time in the closer spot this spring.

A number of sophomore righties in Eagleson, Alex Eliopoulos, Garrett Gomez, Lucas Henneman, Blake Platt, Ryan Scherich and Aaron Schwartz will see a significant amount of time this spring. All these sophomores have the potential to be successful, along with lefty Ryan Kahn.

Additionally, there are many talented freshmen. Although they may not get significant playing time in 2010, they will be a force to be reckoned with in the following three years.

The Blue Jays will have another grueling schedule in 2010. Hopkins is scheduled to open its season on February 27 at home against Elizabethtown. This is one of five games scheduled before the spring trip to Arizona on March 12.

The Blue Jays have a tough 11 games in nine days during the annual trip to Arizona for the RussMatt Invational Tournament. Six of the nine teams on the Arizona schedule won 25 or more games in 2009, with two of the teams being ranked in the Preseason ABCA/Collegiate Baseball Poll (Eastern Connecticut-3rd, Southern Maine-12th).

The Blue Jays jump right into their Centennial Conference Schedule upon returning from Arizona on March 23 at Gettysburg.