Baseball team primed for run at conference title in 2011

The Haverford College baseball team has advanced to the Centennial Conference championship game three times in the last five years. Returning one of the most experienced and most talented squads in recent memory, the Fords are optimistic about taking the next step and capturing the seemingly elusive Centennial Conference title.

Haverford returns seven starting position players who batted over .300 last season and four starting pitchers who played integral roles in getting the Fords back to the conference championship in 2010.

"We're excited about the talent and experience returning to our roster for this year," said 11th-year head coach Dave Beccaria. "We have quite a few guys who know what it takes – mentally and physically – to earn a berth in the playoffs and compete for a conference title. We'll need to be at our very best every day this spring because the strength and depth of our conference is at an all-time high."

The Lineup

The Fords return seven starting position players this season and will be led by experience up the middle. Junior Jeremy Zoll is a two-year starter behind the plate and batted .327 with a .427 on-base percentage last season, and classmate Bobby Hubley gained a lot of confidence with 13 starts in 2010 and appears primed to take on an even larger role behind the plate this year. Senior middle infielders and three-year starters Louis DeRosa and Charlie Carluccio are one of the very best double play combinations in Division III baseball, and senior Jeff Butera, an all-region and all-conference selection in 2010, returns as the leader of the outfield.

DeRosa hit .306 in the leadoff spot for the Fords last year and led the Centennial Conference with 19 stolen bases. Carluccio will again be a force in the heart of the batting order, coming off a season where he tied for the team lead in triples (4), finished second on the team in runs scored (39), and added five home runs and 34 RBI. Butera was one of the most feared hitters in the conference in 2010 while having one of the best offensive campaigns in Haverford history. He finished 2010 with a .403 batting average, .701 slugging percentage, nine home runs, 14 doubles and 53 RBI.

Junior first baseman Jake Chaplin and senior third baseman Mike Galetta will round out one of the best infields in D-III. Chaplin flourished in the two-hole last season, leading the Centennial Conference with 40 walks and finishing second in the country in on-base percentage (.600) while hitting .402. Galetta had a big year in the middle of the Fords' lineup in 2010, hitting .364 with five long balls and 28 RBI. Freshmen William Bannard and Luke Frankiw will provide quality depth and versatility in the infield this year.

Senior Bobby Bailey flourished in his first season as a full-time starter in 2010, batting.339 and finishing second on the team with 39 RBI and 11 doubles. Sophomore Matt Liscovitz, who returns from a strong freshman season, will combine efforts with Butera and Bailey in the starting outfield. Senior Jake Alter continues to improve and provides a lot of positive leadership in the outfield. Sophomore Alex Hudak, who will be the team's primary designated hitter, will see some time in left field, and freshman Justin Coulter will back up Bailey in right field. Freshman Nick Miranda will compete for opportunities in the outfield.

The Rotation

Haverford returns its four starting pitchers from last season, all of whom threw at least 39 innings. Senior Colin Sarafin is the leader of the staff after posting a 7-0 record and a 3.25 ERA which earned him second-team all-conference honors last season. Junior Jonny Williams joins Sarafin at the top of the rotation. Last season, Williams tossed a team-best 51.1 innings, going 5-3.

Junior Bryan Henrick and senior Dan Hochberg, who have both shown flashes of brilliance in the past, will be relied on heavily again in 2011.

The Bullpen

Junior Mike Bozzi and Galetta will be Haverford's primary late-inning relievers. Bozzi was a workhorse in 2010, appearing in a team-high 14 games while posting a 2.73 ERA. Galetta, who pitched just six innings last year, is finally healthy enough to make a huge impact on the mound for the Fords and may see opportunities in the starting rotation as well.

Sophomores Jonny Black and Kevin Goff gained valuable experience on the mound as freshmen and will be needed for quality relief in the middle innings this year. Freshmen Brett Cohen, Patrick Falkoff and Kyle Waney have the talent to make a significant impact this spring, and junior Daniel Maddy-Weitzman continues to improve and will compete for more opportunities on the mound.

Expectations

"We expect to be very solid in all aspects of the game. We can swing the bat, run the bases, score runs, and play very good defense. We also feel that we have the pitching needed to compete on a daily basis," said Beccaria. "Our goal is to win the conference championship, but we're mostly focused on the process, what we need to do on a daily basis to give us an opportunity to get where we want to be."

And where Haverford wants to be is holding the Centennial Conference trophy on the first Sunday in May.