2012 Season Outlook

Despite the graduation of eight talented players who led the Fords to a 32-10 record and a national ranking last year, Dave Beccaria, now in his 12^th year as Haverford's head coach, is optimistic about the team's prospects for this spring.

"We have excellent pitching, talented, competitive guys everywhere on the field, and experienced upperclassmen who know what it takes to earn a berth in the playoffs and compete for a conference title," said Beccaria.

The Lineup

Senior Jake Chaplin, who earned all-conference honors last year after hitting .304 with 41 runs scored, 28 RBI, and 23 stolen bases, will anchor the infield from his first base position. A trio of young, talented players, including sophomore Luke Frankiw and freshmen Clay Bloszies and Mike Tentilucci, will earn starts at second base. Sophomore William Bannard, who hit .438 in limited duty last year, will play shortstop, and freshman Casey Fox will be the Fords' everyday third baseman. Freshman Chance Griffiths will provide depth at the corner infield positions.

Junior Matt Liscovitz returns to lead the outfield after hitting three home runs, driving in 34 runs and stealing 18 bases last year. Junior Alex Hudak and sophomores Justin Coulter and Nick Miranda will platoon in left field. Hudak and Coulter will also be the Fords' primary designated hitters, while Miranda will also share center field duties with freshman Mike Tentilucci. Freshman Marley Randazzo appears ready to make important contributions in the outfield as well, and senior Daniel Maddy-Weitzman, who will also provide some depth for the bullpen, rounds out the outfield.

Seniors Jeremy Zoll and Bobby Hubley provide experienced leadership behind the plate for the Fords and will share duties at catcher again in 2012.

The Rotation

Senior captains Jonny Williams and Bryan Henrick, two of the Fords' top starting pitchers from 2011, return to lead the pitching staff. Williams posted a 7-3 record and a 3.01 ERA with 52 strikeouts in 71.2 innings last year. The right-handed Williams needs seven more wins to become the college's all-time leader in pitching victories. Henrick broke the college's single-season record for wins (compiling an 8-2 record and 2.90 ERA) last year en route to third team all-region and second team all-conference honors.

A number of other talented pitchers, including sophomores Brett Cohen and Kyle Waney and freshmen Tommy Bergjans and Michael de Armas, appear poised to complete Haverford's starting rotation.

The Bullpen

Quality pitching depth will be a strength for the Fords, who will rely on contributions from many talented pitchers out of the bullpen. Senior Mike Bozzi, who made 15 appearances in 2011, will continue to be one of Haverford's late-inning relievers. Juniors Jonny Black and Kevin Goff appear ready to assume larger roles this year and sophomore submariner Justin Coulter will be counted on to provide some quality innings. Freshman Max Gerard will make immediate and significant contributions out of the bullpen.

Expectations

"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," said Beccaria. "We expect to be very good again this year, and we're focused on staying true to the process that will help us compete for the conference championship again this year."

2011 Season Review

Signature Win: A trio of victories share the honor for signature win in 2011. Perhaps the leader in the clubhouse by a slight edge may be a 12-5 victory over visiting Franklin & Marshall on April 22. The win clinched a playoff spot in the Centennial Conference tournament for the Fords and gave head coach Dave Beccaria his first win over the Diplomats at Class of ’19 Field. It was also the Fords’ first home win over F&M since the 1999 season. The other two candidates stand on equal ground as, facing elimination in the Centennial playoffs, the Fords took down Ursinus (13-2) then F&M (19-2) to advance into the tournament’s championship game.

Season Notes: It was a season of records for the Fords as the squad set a new benchmark for wins. A 10-0 start kicked off the 2011 campaign setting the stage for a 32-win spring, surpassing the previous high of 27 set in the 2008 season. The Fords also set new team records for stolen bases (161) and double plays turned (41). Several players set individual season records including runs scored (42, Charlie Carluccio), hits (61, Carluccio), doubles (17, Mike Galetta), stolen bases (34, Louis DeRosa) and pitching victories (8, Bryan Henrick). Carluccio set new career highs for the program in runs (144), hits (191), RBIs (148) and assists (482). DeRosa took over the top spot in double plays turned with 93 in his career. And lastly, the graduating class of 2011 exits the program as the class (100-57-2) in program history.

Postseason Awards:

• D3baseball.com All-America Team: Charlie Carluccio (first team)
• American Baseball Coaches Association/Rawlings All-America Team: Carluccio (third team)
• ABCA Mid-Atlantic All-Region Team: Carluccio (first team); Mike Galetta (second team); Jeff Butera, Bryan Henrick (third team)
• ABCA/Rawlings Mid-Atlantic Region Gold Glove: DeRosa (second base)
• Centennial Conference Player of the Year: Carluccio
• Centennial Coach of the Year: Dave Beccaria
• All-Centennial Conference: Butera, Carluccio, DeRosa, Galetta, Colin Sarafin (first team); Henrick (second team); Jake Chaplin, Bobby Bailey (honorable mention)
• All-Centennial Academic Honor Roll: Mike Bozzi, DeRosa, Galetta, Henrick, Dan Hochberg, Matt Liscovitz, Jonny Williams, Jeremy Zoll
• Philadelphia Inquirer Academic All-Area Team: Carluccio, DeRosa, Galetta

Looking Ahead: The Fords will need to replace three first-team all-conference infielders and two-thirds of their outfield, but the pitching rotation remains solid if not the expected strength of the 2012 squad. Several newcomers to the 2011 squad played pivotal roles off the bench and should slide into starting positions making the transition to new blood a seamless one in 2012. The program’s winningest coach should be able to keep the reloaded team rolling into the postseason and looking for a berth in the conference championship game for the fifth time in seven seasons.