Feb. 26, 2004

Johns Hopkins head baseball coach Bob Babb has coached a number of talented teams during his 24 seasons at Homewood, but his 2004 squad could be his best. And he is not afraid to say just that.

"This is the most talented team I've had in my tenure at Hopkins," said Babb, who enters the season ranked seventh on the Division III active coaches list with a .722 winning percentage and is just one win shy of his 650th career win. "I have very high expectations for this team; I expect us to contend for the national championship."

That goal seems attainable, as the Blue Jays return all but two starters from the 2003 team that went 34-7, won its third straight Centennial Conference title and reached the NCAA Tournament for the fifth time in seven years.

The Hopkins offense will be led by junior Paul Winterling, who will start in center field for the Blue Jays after a phenomenal season in 2003. The Centennial Conference Player of the Year, Winterling led the team with 50 hits, 46 runs, 13 doubles, 12 home runs, 46 RBIs and 12 stolen bases. Winterling, a five-tool player who tracks the ball well in the outfield, tied the NCAA record with two grand slams and was one RBI short of the Division III mark with 11 in the 32-3 win over Washington College on April 14.

Starting alongside Winterling in left field will be senior Craig Cetta, a Second Team All-Centennial selection for the second straight season in 2003 after ranking third on the team with six home runs and 29 runs batted in. Cetta, a solid defender with a good arm who became stronger in the off-season, was fourth on the Blue Jays with 40 hits a year ago while adding eight doubles, two triples and seven stolen bases.

The starting right field spot will be a battle between senior Brian Morley, junior Eric Nigro and sophomore Gary Rosenberg.

Morley, who is the team's emergency catcher and could also see time at first base or as the designated hitter, batted .283 last season in 24 games with 13 starts. A hard worker who had an excellent fall season, Morley posted 10 runs, four doubles, a triple, a home run and 10 RBIs in 2003.

Nigro, who could also be the Blue Jays' designated hitter, was the team's best hitter during the fall season and has gotten bigger and stronger during the off-season. He batted .304 last season while appearing in 19 games with 11 starts, totaling 18 runs, five doubles, two home runs and 15 runs batted in. Babb thinks Nigro, who hit .389 with runners in scoring position in 2003, has the potential to be an all-conference player.

Rosenberg could also see action as the designated hitter and can also play third base. One of the best pure hitters on the team who has an extremely quick bat, Rosenberg hit .488 a year ago while appearing in 19 games with eight starts. He also recorded nine runs, four doubles, one home run and 12 runs batted in last season.

Senior Rob Morrison and junior Dave Montegari will provide depth to the Blue Jay outfield.

Morrison, who runs well on the basepaths and could be used as a pinch runner, appeared in 20 games last season, hitting .273 with nine hits, 11 runs, two doubles, six RBIs and two stolen bases.

Montegari, who could also pitch for Hopkins, has tremendous power and the best outfield arm of any player under Babb. He saw action in 12 games with three starts last year, hitting .167 with five runs scored, a home run and three runs batted in, and allowed one run in an inning of work in an appearance on the mound against Elizabethtown.

Starting at third base will be junior Paul Long, a second team all-conference and all-region selection a year ago. Long, who is an excellent defender as he has good quickness and a great arm, batted .361 in 36 games last season. He tied for the team lead with three triples, was second with 11 stolen bases and fifth with 39 hits while also posting 28 runs scored, 11 doubles, five home runs and 27 runs batted in.

The starting shortstop position will be a battle between seniors Tim Casale and Carl Ippolito, while sophomore Corey Gleason should also see plenty of playing time.

Casale appears to have the inside track after an outstanding fall season. He started 27 of the 34 games he appeared in last year, totaling 19 runs, five doubles, a triple, four stolen bases, three home runs and 20 runs batted in, while also playing excellent defense. Casale, who is a terrific baserunner and has a good eye at the plate, could also play second base for the Blue Jays.

Ippolito also had a strong fall season, as he rebounded from an injury that cut short his junior year. One of the team's top hitters who has good power, Ippolito had 10 hits, 10 runs scored and nine RBIs in 15 games last season before sitting out the final two months of the year. In 2002 Ippolito earned first team all-conference honors while ranking third on the team with 42 hits and 36 runs scored and placing second with 38 runs batted in.

Gleason, who can play any of the infield positions, is a sure-handed fielder with a nice arm and has a quick bat. Gleason saw action in 18 games last season at second base and shortstop, hitting .340 with 16 hits, 15 runs, nine doubles, two home runs and 13 runs batted in.

Junior Mike Spiciarich, a First Team All-Centennial and Second Team All Mid-Atlantic Region selection last season, returns to start at second base for Hopkins. Spiciarich batted .393 a year ago with 42 hits while ranking second on the team with 42 runs and 12 doubles, and tied for the team lead with three triples. Spiciarich, who has quick hands defensively, also posted four home runs, 20 RBIs and eight stolen bases in 2003.

Spiciarich will be backed up by senior David Luongo, a steady fielder with an accurate arm. Luongo saw action in 11 games and made two starts last season, batting .286 while recording two runs, two RBIs and a stolen base.

Junior Mike Durgala rounds out the starting infield for the Blue Jays, as he will again play first base. Durgala started 34 games last year, batting .380 and ranking second on the team with 44 RBIs, 10 home runs and a .711 slugging percentage. A smooth fielder with good hands who has power at the plate but can also hit for average, Durgala added 35 runs scored, 10 doubles and nine stolen bases in 2003.

Senior Sven Stafford will also see time at first base for Hopkins, and could also be the Blue Jays' designated hitter. Stafford appeared in nine games in the field last year, hitting .143 with four hits, four runs scored, seven RBIs and a grand slam in the season-opening win over Albion.

Seniors Bryan Eberle and Doug Hitchner will again split time behind the plate for Hopkins.

Eberle had a breakthrough fall season as he was one of the Blue Jays' top hitters, and has improved defensively. Last season he batted .420 while appearing in 22 games with 14 starts, setting career-highs in every major category. Eberle, who has an extremely strong arm, posted 10 runs, two doubles, three home runs and 17 RBIs last season.

Hitchner played in 26 games with 23 starts in 2003, hitting .314 with 11 runs, two doubles, two home runs and 10 runs batted in. The team's top defensive catcher who knows how to handle the pitching staff, Hitchner committed just one error in 173 chances to post a .994 fielding percentage last year.

The team's third catcher will be junior Brian Harris, who made significant improvement both offensively and defensively during the fall season. Harris appeared in 10 games while starting four last season, hitting .294 with five hits, a double and three runs batted in.

The entire Blue Jay pitching staff, which posted a team earned run average of 3.35 last season and held its opponents to a .227 batting average, returns for the 2004 season. Last year JHU hurlers set a school record by striking out 302 batters, while the staff also became the first in school history to total more strikeouts than hits allowed.

"All of our pitchers from last year return, and we have a good group of freshmen, so we have the potential to be a dominant staff," Babb stated. "It will be a challenge for me to make sure I give each of them enough work to stay sharp."

Senior Jeremy Brown will again lead the Hopkins staff after a stellar 2003 season. Brown, who has excellent control and pitches well in big games, went 8-2 last season while making a team-high 10 starts, and posted a 3.27 ERA and 77 strikeouts. He allowed just 52 hits , a combined opponents' average of .213 and pitched the sixth no-hitter in school history on March 8 against No. 19 Lakeland, striking out 12 and walking only one.

Senior Russ Berger, a durable pitcher who holds runners well, is projected to be the No. 2 starter for the Blue Jays. Berger appeared in 11 games with nine starts a season ago, went 8-0 with a 3.04 earned run average and a team-high two shutouts.

Considered the best fielding pitcher in school history, Berger had a 22-inning scoreless streak last year and currently ranks fourth at Hopkins with a career winning percentage of .809 (17-4).

Senior Matt Righter will also start for Hopkins after posting a 5-0 mark and a 2.47 earned run average while appearing in a team-high 16 games. Righter who threw well in the fall season, has good velocity on his fastball and a nasty slider. He tied for third on the team with 35 strikeouts in 40 innings, and also recorded three saves on the year.

Another pitcher who will see significant time is junior Ryan McConnell, who appeared in 12 games last season with seven starts. McConnell, a very strong hurler who has good velocity and nice breaking pitches, ranked second on the team in 2003 with 53 strikeouts in 45.2 innings.

Stafford, the Blue Jays' closer, will also start some mid-week games for Hopkins. An excellent control pitcher with good velocity, Stafford appeared in 13 games on the mound last season, compiling a 3-2 record and a 3.63 earned run average. Stafford tied Righter for the team lead with three saves, stuck out a career-high 31 batters and recorded a complete game in 2003.

Senior Adam Josephart will also see action on the mound for the Blue Jays after appearing in seven games with four starts last season. Josephart, who has great movement on his fastball and a wicked slider, went 2-1 with a 4.82 ERA in 18.2 innings a year ago.

Hopkins has three lefthanders to send to the hill in junior Jason Hochfelder along with sophomores Jim Flannery and Andrew Bail.

Hochfelder was one of the top relievers on last year's team, posting a team-best 1.50 earned run average in 13 relief appearances. Hochfelder, who has improved his strength and sets up hitters well, allowed just two runs in 12 innings and, at one point, posted seven consecutive scoreless appearances a season ago.

Flannery could start some mid-week games for the Blue Jays after appearing in six contests with two starts in 2003. A tough competitor who has good movement and sneaky quickness on his fastball, Flannery went 2-0 with a 3.15 ERA while holding opponents to a .127 average in 20 innings of work last season.

Bail, an intelligent pitcher who has gotten stronger and added velocity, could also see action as a spot starter as well as out of the bullpen. He saw action in eight games last season, going 1-0 with a 3.27 earned run average in 11 innings.

Sophomore Jason Thayer will also battle for a spot in the rotation after a very impressive fall season. Thayer, who has great movement and good velocity on his fastball, appeared in 11 games with two starts last season. He went 2-0 with a 3.26 earned run average, recording 18 strikeouts and holding opponents to a .214 batting average.

Hopkins will again face a challenging schedule in 2004. Ripon, Salisbury, Messiah, Mary Washington and Wheaton (MA) all appeared in the NCAA Tournament a year ago, while the Blue Jays will travel to Elizabethtown, College of New Jersey, Montclair State, Catholic and York. On its Florida trip JHU will also take on Suffolk and William Paterson, each which received votes in the Collegiate Baseball Preseason Poll, while the Centennial Conference should also be improved this season.

"Our goal is always to finish first in the conference to earn the right to host the league tournament," Babb said. "The conference will be stronger this season; Ursinus will be good while Muhlenberg, Franklin & Marshall and Haverford should be improved, but I also think that we are better than last year as well."

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