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Baseball Weekly Notes
March 24, 2003
Complete Release in PDF Format
Results: The Blue Jays currently sport an 11-2 record after sweeping a doubleheader versus 26th-ranked Ithaca (5-1 & 8-4) on Sunday. JHU also defeated Widener, 4-3, last Tuesday, but suffered a 12-7 loss to Elizabethtown on Wednesday.
Up Next: Hopkins opens Centennial Conference action Tuesday as the Blue Jays travel to face Gettysburg at 3:00 p.m. JHU then hosts the Bullets on Friday at 3:00 p.m. before travelling to Ursinus for a doubleheader on Saturday beginning at 12:00 p.m.
The Coach: Bob Babb is in his 24th season as head coach of the Blue Jay baseball. Babb, who is the all-time winningest men's baseball coach in JHU history, sports a 626-242-8 (.719) record. Last season, Babb became the 14th active Division III head coach with 600 wins as JHU defeated Franklin & Marshall, 4-1, on April 6. Under Babb's guidance, Hopkins has captured 10 Middle Atlantic Conference Southeast League titles, seven UAA titles, five Centennial Conference Championships, and made 10 appearances in the NCAA Division III Tournament.
Team & Player Notes
* Winning Ways: Hopkins is off to another exceptional start with a 11-2 record through 13 games. Including this year, the Blue Jays have posted a 386-146-1 (.725) record since the start of the 1990 season. In that time, JHU has won five Centennial titles and reached the NCAA Tournament seven times. The Blue Jays have also won at least 25 games for 11 consecutive seasons and have not had a losing season in 23 years under coach Babb.
* Strength in Numbers: Through the first 13 games, JHU has displayed its depth with 21 players seeing time in the field and 11 pitchers taking the mound. All 21 players have recorded at least one RBI, while 19 players have scored a run and 20 players have tallied at least one hit. Eight pitchers have started a game this year and nine pitchers have made at least two appearances.
* Scoring in Bunches: The Blue Jays have scored 108 runs in the team's first 13 games for an average of 8.30 runs per game. Hopkins has scored 10 runs or more in four games, with a season-high 16 runs in a win over William Penn on March 11. JHU has scored at least four runs in an inning on nine occasions. Last season, the Blue Jays averaged 9.09 runs in 44 games for a total of 400 runs.
* Power Surge: JHU has hit 23 home runs in the first 13 games for an average of 1.77 home runs per game. If the team maintains the current pace over the final 24 regular season games, the Blue Jays would finish with a school-record 65 home runs. Hopkins set the school mark with 57 home runs in 44 games a year ago. Sophomores Mike Durgala and Paul Winterling lead the team with four home runs, while senior Jay Cieri and junior Craig Cetta have added three homers.
* Clutch Hitting: Hopkins is hitting .345 (49-for-142) with runners in scoring position and .316 (6-for-19) with the bases loaded. Blue Jay pitchers have limited opponents to just a .228 combined average with runners on base. Paul Winterling leads the team with a .571 (8-for-14) average with runners in scoring position.
* Winterling Off to Fast Start: Paul Winterling is off to a tremendous start as he leads the team in runs (12), hits (16), RBIs (15) and is tied for the team lead in home runs (4) and doubles (3). Winterling, who is fourth on the club in hitting with a .457 average (16-for-35), is second on the team in stolen bases with five. He has already surpassed his totals in many categories from last year and looks to be a fixture in the starting lineup.
* Cieri Leads the Way: Senior Jay Cieri has been one of JHU's top hitters this season from the leadoff spot. He leads the team in runs scored (13), walks (11) and on-base percentage (.639). Cieri, who is second on the team with a .480 (12-for-25) average, has also hit three home runs and totaled eight RBIs. Last season, Cieri walked 30 times, just six walks shy of the school single-season record, and posted a team-best .508 on-base percentage.
* Brown Notches No-Hitter: Senior Jeremy Brown pitched the sixth no-hitter in school history against #19 Lakeland College in a 9-0 win on March 8. Brown struck out a career-high 12 batters and walked just one in seven innings for the first no-hitter for JHU since three pitchers combined to no-hit Franklin & Marshall on April 7, 2001 in a 9-0 win.
* Righter Picks Up Where He Left Off: After allowing just one run in 8.2 innings in his final five appearances last season, junior Matt Righter is 2-0 this year with a 1.93 ERA in 14 innings. He has struck out 13 and held opponents to a .180 combined average in a team-high five appearances.
* Freshman Pitchers Start Strong: Freshman pitchers Jim Flannery, Andrew Bail and Jason Thayer have all made major contributions in the team's first 13 games. The trio has combined for three wins, one save and 27 strikeouts in 22 innings of work.
Flannery, who is 1-0 with a 0.90 ERA and 16 strikeouts in 10 innings, just missed a no-hitter in his first career start against St. Joseph's on March14. He allowed one hit with two outs in the seventh inning and struck out 13 in Hopkins' 4-0 win. Flannery has allowed just four hits on the year and is limiting opponents to a .108 combined average.
Bail is 1-0 with a 1.80 ERA in four appearances. He has struck out six batters without a walk in six innings pitched. Thayer is 1-0 with one save in four appearances. He has posted a 5.14 ERA in seven innings of work and allowed just one hit in 3.1 innings while in relief.
*Spiciarich Leads Team in Hitting: Sophomore Mike Spiciarich is off to a solid start this season and leads the team with a .500 (9-for-18) average. He leads the team with three triples, has two doubles and belted his first career home run against Ithaca on Sunday. Spiciarich, who has seen time at second and third base, also has three stolen bases and leads the team with a 1.111 slugging percentage.
Centennial Standings (as of 3/24)
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