By Mikael DeSanto
Sports Editor
As signs of spring emerge, the St. Bonaventure University baseball team sets its sights on its first Atlantic 10 tournament appearance since 2008. It also will be seeking their second ever tournament title, with the first coming in 2004.
Longtime Head Coach Larry Sudbrook has high expectations for the team this year, especially since he projects it to be the beginning of the pinnacle of the development process that started years ago.
“A couple years ago, we sort of blew up the roster and we started playing a bunch of freshmen, talented players,” Sudbrook said. “They are juniors now and when they were freshmen we expected to get our butts kicked, and we did. Last year we expected to be competitive in the conference, and we were. We were 26-22 overall, we were 11-13 in the Atlantic 10 with six one-run losses, and we missed the postseason by one game. This year you want to be more than competitive, you want to take that next step up where you are an Atlantic 10 tournament team.”
One factor that may be on the Bonnies’ side this season is the summer experience of some of their starting players. Five of the players: juniors Aaron Phillips, Cole Peterson, David “Bubba” Hollins (a transfer from St. Petersburg College), David Vaccaro and Nate Grant, played for the New York Collegiate Baseball League’s Olean Oilers. As members of the Oilers, they captured the 2016 NYCBL Championship.
Sudbrook said his players played well over the summer and will play a major role on this year’s team.
“Those guys are key players for us: Aaron Phillips will play first base, bat in the three hole and be our number two starter, Cole Peterson will bat in the two hole and play shortstop, he is the best defensive shortstop I’ve ever had in 32 years, [junior] Brandon Schlimm didn’t play with the Oilers last year, and he will be our number one pitcher,” Sudbrook said. “Bubba Hollins will bat in the four hole for us and he had two very good summers for the Oilers, Dave Vaccaro is going to be our starting right fielder [and] bat in the six hole.”
Sudbrook made a point to explain the differences between the NYCBL and the level of competition they will face this season.
“Now that being said, that league is not one of the best leagues in the country. They were beating up on a lot of Division II, Division III and junior college players, so they’ll have a challenge to continue that excellence they had against Division I players,” Sudbrook said.
The one thing the Bonnies may struggle with this season, however, is pitching, as their rotation depth is in question following graduations and a recent injury.
“Last year we finished fourth in the country in pitching and we lost four senior arms that were very good pitchers for us,” Sudbrook said. “The number three spot, Nate Grant, a junior left hander, had been pitching very well and just his last outing on Friday, pitching live in a batting cage, Phillips hit a 94-mph ball off the bat and hit his pitching hand and broke a finger. He’s going to be out for six weeks and then you have to build his pitch count up, so it’s possible he’s going to miss the first half of the season.”
Vaccaro advocated the team’s chemistry both on and off the field as a major factor that makes this year’s team better than those in years past.
“I think this year especially, I just feel closer as a team,” Vaccaro said. “This year I feel like there are some many guys coming back with positive attitudes and they are ready to just go out there, do their jobs and win. It is really nice to have that.”
Tommy LaCongo, a senior and the projected starting catcher, said his year and position make it necessary that he lead the team on and off the field, which will be important to the Bonnies finding success this season.
“As a catcher you have to be a leader, it doesn’t matter if you are a freshman, sophomore, junior or senior, you have to a leader on the team always,” LaCongo said. “You are pretty much the captain out there on the field because you see everything on the field, you have to let everyone know what to do on every single play and what pitches to call for the pitchers.”
The Bonnies will open the season by traveling to Port Charlotte, Florida, this weekend.
They will take on Eastern Michigan on Friday at 1 p.m., then Dartmouth on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. and Sunday at 11 a.m.
desantmj13@bonaventure.edu
