JMU has ‘real deal’ in ’08
Return of experienced young players bodes well for JMUPosted on February 21, 2008
This spring the JMU baseball team will set out to make history as Madison looks to win the first conference title in school history.
The Dukes are coming off a 22-31 season where they finished ninth in the conference with a record of 11-17. The freshman class, rated as the top class in the Colonial Athletic Association, along with the return of six field starters and all three weekend pitchers bring hope that history can take place this season.
“I feel that with the team that we have and the hard work we put in that our goals can be easily reached,” sophomore first baseman Steven Caseres said. “We want to get to a regional and make an impact on the national level.”
To make an impact on the national level JMU’s freshmen will need to grow up fast and make the transition to the college game. Fortunately, redshirt freshman Trevor Knight will be returning from Tommy John surgery as Madison’s closer.
“He’s the real deal,” coach Spanky McFarland said. “That’s what he was brought in to do, to close games down. We’re excited to have him [and] wish we had him last year. It would have been a different year.”
Last season JMU started 1-12 with nine straight road games; Madison’s first series was cancelled due to snow. Ten letter winners are gone from that team, including outfielder Kellen Kulbacki, now a member of the San Diego Padres.
This year’s team only has two seniors on the roster, something Coach McFarland is not concerned about. Last season injuries allowed many of the young players to play right away, gaining experience that will be valuable this season.
“We had all of those freshmen playing last year,” McFarland said. “Now they have forty, fifty, sixty games of experience plus summer leagues so they are a lot better. We have a good nucleus back.”
One of the players who took advantage of that opportunity last season was sophomore Matt Browning, a freshman All-American last season. Browning was recently awarded the Brooks Wallace Player of the Year Award, given to the top players in Division I baseball. Browning was joined on the All-American list by outfielder Alex Foltz and Caseres last season.
“I think we have nine solid hitters that are going to do well,” senior Joe Lake said. “Steve Caseres and Matt Browning are going to do a great job in the middle of that lineup for us.”
The offense will be a key throughout the season as the pitching staff grows and develops. All three weekend starters from last season return, and must be consistent for the Dukes to have success.
“They have been there before. They know what it’s like to play in conference games,” Lake said.
Old Dominion University was picked to win the CAA by nine of the conference’s 11 coaches. But the team feels confident in each other and what they know each player can contribute on the field.
The first contest is Saturday at home against Binghamton in the first game of a doubleheader. Junior Justin Wood will pitch the first game for Madison and will try to start the history each player is hoping to make.
