Baseball To Open 2014 Slate At Hawaii Thursday
ALBANY, N.Y. – After getting snowed out last weekend in Cary, N.C., the University at Albany baseball team will open the 2014 season Thursday in Honolulu, O’ahu with a four-game series against the hosting University of Hawaii Rainbow Warriors. UAlbany and Hawaii will play the first two games of the series on Thursday and Friday at 6:35 p.m. HST (11:35 p.m. EST) and the final two on Saturday and Sunday at 1:05 p.m. HST (6:05 p.m. EST).
GAMES 1-4
UAlbany at Hawaii – Les Murakami Stadium
WHEN: Thursday, Feb. 20 (11:35 p.m.), Friday, Feb. 21 (11:35 p.m.)
Saturday, Feb. 22 (6:05 p.m.), and Sunday, Feb. 23 (6:05 p.m.).
AUDIO: http://www.espn1420am.com/ (Friday/Sunday games only)
LIVE STATS: http://hawaiiathletics.com
SCOUTING THE GREAT DANES
2014 Record: 0-0, 0-0 America East
2013 Record: 23-25-1, 16-14 America East
2014 Preseason Poll: 5th/7
Head Coach: Jon Mueller (15th season / 302-408-5)
THE COACH: Jon Mueller enters his 15th season as the head coach of the University at Albany baseball program in 2014. The Stillwater, N.Y. native has had proven success as both a player and coach throughout his career. Mueller ranks first among UAlbany’s career leaders with 302 coaching victories, and was named the America East Coach of the Year in 2004. He also led the Danes to the program’s first America East Conference tournament championship title and NCAA appearance in 2007. Mueller has produced dozens of all-conference standouts and has had six players selected in the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft under his direction, including two in the past three seasons.
2014 SEASON OUTLOOK
After finishing third in the America East standings a year ago, the University at Albany expects to contend for the conference title in 2014. Returning a strong core of six position players and 10 pitchers, the Great Danes will also mix in one of the top freshman classes in the Northeast.
Offensively, the Great Danes will lean on the leadership of redshirt seniors Josh Nethaway and Brian Bullard. Nethaway, a first-team all-conference selection led the team with a .310 batting average last season, including 17 doubles and 35 RBI, while Bullard batted .296 with a .369 on-base percentage and three home runs.
Despite graduating three all-conference starting pitchers, the Great Danes project to have one of the strongest pitching staffs in program history. With 10 hurlers returning from a year ago and five talented newcomers, there will be a dogfight for innings early on in the season as roles get defined.
Senior southpaw Kevin Archbold, junior right-hander Cameron Sorgie, right-handed junior college transfer Matt Gallup, and freshman righty Stephen Woods – a sixth round pick by the Tampa Bay Rays in the 2013 MLB Draft – will vie for starting roles in the weekend rotation. Meanwhile, the Great Danes boast a deep bullpen, including closer Ryan Stinar, who logged five saves in his freshman campaign and was named to the America East All-Rookie Team, as well as junior Andrew Jaurique, who boasted a 2.25 ERA in 2013, marking the staff’s lowest, in 20 innings of work.
In addition to a sound pitching staff, UAlbany projects to keep opponents off the board with a solid defense in the field, returning six starting position players. Junior college transfers Cory Kingston and Jeff VonMoser will serve key roles in centerfield and shortstop, respectively. In addition, Coach Jon Mueller looks to senior left fielder D.J. Hoagboon and sophomore third baseman Matt Hinchy to have bounce back years, while Bullard and Nethaway will man the right side of the infield. Behind the plate, junior Craig Lepre and sophomore Evan Harasta will share time, adding depth to the battery.
COACH MUELLER SAYS: “I think the strength of this team will rest in the pitching staff. On paper we’re the strongest we’ve been in a long time, but guys need to settle into roles and we need some guys to make normal jumps in their careers. Our expectations are to qualify for the America East Tournament and win it. We want to get back to that Regional.”
2014 CAPTAINS
Brian Bullard, Stephen Carey, D.J. Hoagboon, and Josh Nethaway will serve as team captains for the 2014 baseball season.
Brian Bullard, redshirt senior from West Nyack, N.Y., has been a mainstay at second base throughout his career at UAlbany. A .296 hitter in 2013, Bullard logged 37 hits, 23 runs, and 14 RBI, while also co-leading the team with three home runs.
Stephen Carey, a redshirt junior from North Rockland, N.Y., served as a key reliever for the Great Danes in 2013, making 11 appearances on the mound, including three starts. In 29 innings of work, the 6’3 right-hander finished the season with a 1-2 record, one save, and a 6.52 ERA.
D.J. Hoagboon, a senior from Mayfield, N.Y., will serve his second straight season as team co-captain. The left fielder started all 49 games last spring, recording a .219 batting average with 39 hits, five doubles, and 17 RBI.
Josh Nethaway, a redshirt senior from Fonda, N.Y., is also a two-year captain for the Great Danes. A first-team all-conference outfielder and two-time America East Player of the Week award winner in 2013, Nethaway batted a team-best .310 with 35 RBI, starting all 49 games. Nethaway also tied for third in the America East with 17 doubles.
DANES PICKED FIFTH IN PRESEASON POLL
With 17 points, UAlbany ranked fifth in the 2014 America East Preseason Coaches’ Poll. For the first time in America East baseball history, two teams were selected as co-preseason favorites, as Binghamton University and Stony Brook University tied for the top spot, each sporting 31 points. The four-team America East Championship will take place May 22-24 and if necessary on May 25 at LeLachuer Park in Lowell, Mass.
SCOUTING THE ‘BOWS
2014 Record: 0-4, 0-0 Big West
2013 Record: 16-35, 11-16 Big West
2014 Preseason Poll: 6th/9
Head Coach: Mike Trapasso (13th season / 360-333)
THE COACH: Mike Trapasso is in his 13th season as the head coach of the University of Hawaii baseball program. After 11 seasons of guiding his team through the Western Athletic Conference, he made the transition last year to the program’s new home in the Big West Conference. He has led his teams to winning records in eight of the last nine seasons, and has guided his teams to 30 or more wins in eight of his seasons. Trapasso is 360-333 overall at Hawaii.
HAWAII OVERVIEW: Fielding a veteran squad, the ‘Bows return seven of eight position starters from a year ago, including shortstop Austin Wobrock who committed just one error last season while starting all 51 games. On the mound, Matt Cooper, who led the team in strikeouts last season, returns to the starting rotation along with two-year starter Scott Squier. The ‘Bows come off an 0-4 start to the season, getting swept by No. 6 Oregon last weekend. The Ducks, who advanced to the Eugene Regional title game in 2013, topped Hawaii by scores of 3-2, 10-5, 6-5 (10 inn.), and 10-2 at Les Murakami Stadium.
ON DECK
UAlbany will return to the Northeast for a three-game series at Central Connecticut State, March 1-2, followed by a midweek clash at Hofstra March 5th.
