Diamond Dukes making push at CAA elite

The Hot Corner

Kyra Papafil / file photo Junior outfielder Mike Butia bats during JMU's game against Virginia Tech earlier this season. The Diamond Dukes currently are in third place in the CAA.

As the NCAA baseball season continues past its halfway point, JMU baseball enthusiasts are faced with two facts about their Diamond Dukes.

Fact No. 1: this team is very young.

Fact No. 2: Fact No. 1 doesn't matter.

JMU currently sits in third place in the Colonial Athletic Association team standings. The Diamond Dukes are 26-14 overall, 7-5 in conference play and are winners of four of their last five games. The astonishing fact is that they have accomplished this with a team primarily composed of underclassmen.

In an era where many college athletic programs stress the need for a plethora of senior leadership, the Diamond Dukes can show baseball fans what young teams are capable of accomplishing.

After graduating a small army of players last year, JMU features an everyday starting lineup loaded with freshmen and sophomore players. The official 2004 team roster is composed of three upperclassmen, only one of which is a senior.

To get an idea of how young the Diamond Dukes are, the new pitching rotation came into this season boasting a grand total of 12 career college starts.

In late February, lone senior outfielder Alan Lindsey underwent surgery to correct a staph infection in his heart. Since, the Diamond Dukes have been forced to make due without their team captain.

At that point, the 2004 season could've turned into a rebuilding year — but it didn't.

Since Lindsey's surgery, the Diamond Dukes are 21-13. JMU is 19-7 at Long Field/Mauck Stadium and, at 7-7, is one of only two CAA teams at or above .500 away from home.

The solid overall play of the Diamond Dukes can be attributed to a number of factors, most specifically their ability to win games in the late innings.

Of course, junior outfielder Mike Butia leading the CAA in hitting doesn't hurt, and junior pitcher Brian Leatherwood's three complete games have cemented him as the ace of the rotation. But, it's the comeback wins that have fans buzzing with excitement.

Statistics and individual honors aside, the Diamond Dukes are winning games in dramatic fashion. This season has seen walk-off home runs, nail-biting finishes and enough late-inning comebacks to make ESPN analyst Mel Kiper Jr.'s hair turn white.

At home against the University of North Carolina-Wilmington last month, the Diamond Dukes blew a 7-run lead to the Seahawks and then promptly won the game in the bottom of the ninth inning when sophomore second baseman Michael Cowgill drilled a home run to straight-away center field.

It's the toughness of this young team that makes that type of win possible.

Inexperienced teams may lapse, become a bit overconfident, or blow an occasional big lead, but they also are resilient.

The Diamond Dukes have taken on their own personality. No longer is this team an unknown entity in a "rebuilding year." It's a young, scrappy group that continues to pick itself back up off the deck when it's down the most.

As a result, the Diamond Dukes will be a tough team to play when the CAA tournament begins next month. Think about it — who really wants to face an overachieving young team with a knack for putting up big numbers in the late innings?

If I were another conference team, I'd keep an eye on JMU. The Diamond Dukes might not be a sleeper, but they sure are making some unpredicted noise.

James Irwin is a sophomore SMAD major.