By Gavin Lindahl
Assistant Sports Editor
After dropping Wednesday’s game to Binghamton University, the baseball team is now winless in its last five games. That streak includes a three-game series against Atlantic 10 opponent Fordham University in which the Bonnies were outscored by 20 runs.
The Bonnies current streak of losses came after what appeared to be a turning point for the season that saw the Bonnies winning games or losing by a slim margin. The change has confounded Coach Larry Sudbrook.
“We were excited about the series against Fordham,” Sudbrook said. “We had a nine-game stretch where we had won four games, lost two in extra innings by one run, and I think every one of those nine games were very competitive except one. We had gotten to the point where all the young players were figuring things out, and we came into the Fordham weekend and got hammered.”
Much of this season’s struggles have come as result of the team’s young crop of players, according to Sudbrook. Although the team appears to have a bright future, the current squad’s lack of experience has hindered consistency.
“When you start off with a young team, you’re going to struggle,” Sudbrook said. “When we started getting better, we bounced back a little bit, but we have been getting better. The last 20 games will certainly have their ups and downs.”
Lacking experience and lacking skill aren’t the same thing though, according to Sudbrook. However green the squad may be, young players have played well and have made their mark.
“One of our most consistent guys over the past 12 games has actually been a freshmen. Second basemen Jared Baldinelli is hitting well over .300, and his on-base percentage is quite over .400. He’s been playing very well,” Sudbrook said. “Sophomore pitcher Thad Johnson has also been playing well for the last four or five games.”
The team’s depth of youth has been anchored by some more veteran players. Although there’s not enough of them to make large impact, their contributions have been consistent, according to Sudbrook.
Senior right-handed pitcher Joel Rosencrance has been one of the team’s most consistent players all season. Rosencrance is currently hitting slightly above .500, and his on base is well above .400. Junior centerfielder Tyler Bell has also been hitting above .300 and has been the team’s best defensive player all season, Sudbrook said.
While most of the campus will be enjoying Spring Weekend, the baseball team will be in Ohio to take on their conference opponent, the Dayton Flyers, in a three-game series starting today. Dayton, who is fifth overall in the A-10, has won six of its last 10 games, but with only two of those wins coming in its last five. However, Sudbrook expects a tough series from the Flyers.
“Dayton has always been one of the best teams in the conference, and they won the conference just two years ago,” Sudbrook said. “They’re a fully funded program, and they’re going to be better than they were last year. Do I think they’re top two or three? No, but they’re going to be competitive.”
Sophomore right-handed pitcher Steven Klimek, who is one of the team’s top pitchers, is suffering from a lingering oblique injury from earlier this season. After missing three weeks, Klimek returned to the lineup, but regressed last Saturday and was taken out of the game. Klimek isn’t slated to pitch this weekend and may get an MRI if he doesn’t improve.
