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2002 Season Preview

March 13, 2002
by Jim Mullins
Assistant Director
Sports Information

UMass Dartmouth will rely on returning veterans and experienced transfers to make a run at LEC crown

(Dartmouth, MA) - UMass Dartmouth baseball coach Bruce Wheeler has a roster filled with veteran players as the Corsairs head into the 2002 season. In addition to five returning starters from last year's 23-15 team (8-6 LEC), Wheeler has added a handful of talented transfer students to round out the Corsairs' starting lineup this season.

"This is a talented group of players we have this season," said Wheeler, who is heading into his 31st season with the Corsairs. "We have some good arms on the mound and quite a few players who can hit the baseball. Now we've got to go out and see what kind of team they can be on the field."

Leading the returning veterans will be senior captain and second baseman Mike Dougan (Marlborough, CT), along with junior outfielders Jason Orlando (Gloucester, MA) and Brian Pereira (New Bedford, MA), plus sophomore Kevin Walsh (New Bedford, MA).

A three-year starter for the Corsairs, Dougan was among the top hitters as a junior last season, hitting .323 with 53 hits and 19 RBI while playing steady defense at second base. Orlando was a second team All-LEC selection as a sophomore and was a third team All-New England choice as well. Orlando was the Corsairs' second-leading hitter at .362 with a .560 slugging percentage. He also led the team in homeruns with six and was among the leaders in every other offensive category, including runs (2nd, 36), RBI (2nd, 33), total bases (2nd, 76) walks (2nd, 24) and hits (3rd, 50). Walsh saw plenty of playing time at third base and as the designated hitter last year, batting .295 with three home runs and 20 RBI. Pereira is coming off an injury last season but still had a productive year, hitting .274 in 25 games with five HRs and 23 RBI.

The Corsairs will also have plenty of experience behind the plate where seniors Mike Rahme (East Providence, RI) (.245, 3 HR, 18 RBI) and Jon Merrill (Rehoboth, MA) (.256, 10 hits, five RBI) will probably share the position. In addition to his catching duties, Rahme could also give the Corsairs a boost on offense as one of the players who could move in the DH role this season. Among the other experienced players battling for starting jobs will be senior outfielder Tim Dwyer (Franklin, MA) (.292, 28 hits, 23 runs) and sophomore Ryan Sullivan (Chicopee, MA) (.289, 2 HR, 16 RBI), who saw action at both third and in the outfield last season.

UMass Dartmouth lost a couple of starters to graduation last year, but Wheeler has brought in several experienced transfer students who should be ready to step into key positions.

At shortstop, sophomore Geoff Nettleton (Marlboro, MA) comes to UMass Dartmouth by way of the University of Maine at Orono, while junior third baseman Tom Jachimczyk (Marion, MA) is a transfer from the University of Tampa. Three new pitchers joining the roster this season are also transfers, including junior Pat Reedy (New Bedford, MA) from UMass Amherst, sophomore Brandon Perry (Carver, MA) from WPI and junior Andy Marshall (Middleboro, MA) from Massasoit Community College. Junior Brett Simarrian (Franklin, MA) is a transfer from Dean Junior College, who might see some time at first base.

The Corsairs have also brought in several first-year players, who will be gaining experience during their rookie seasons. Freshmen Jeremy Robidoux (Webster, MA) and Robert DelDuca (Methuen, MA) are a pair of talented infielders joining the team this year. In the outfield, the newcomers include freshmen Chris Lockhead (Quincy, MA), Chris Unglaub (Ludlow, MA), catcher John Macone (Stoneham, MA), plus junior Darryl Morris (New Bedford, MA.

"The key to our starting line up is going to be who is producing on offense," Wheeler said. "Depending on who is swinging a hot bat, we have a lot of flexibility to move people around to get as much offense as we can. We've got a lot of big strong kids who can hit it a ton and I want to get as many of them in the lineup as possible."

Reed and Perry along with returning senior captain Jason DeVincent (Natick, MA) (4-3, 5.33 ERA) are the Corsairs' starting pitchers with several other experienced hurlers looking for a chance to move into the rotation. Among the returners are juniors Jason Daley (Andover, MA) and Mike Gikis (Gardner, MA), sophomores Chris Nault (Millbury, MA), Mike Fernandes (Westport, MA), and Kyle Darrow (Marlboro, MA) and senior Butch Langton (Carver, MA). Rounding out the staff are freshmen Dan DeCosta (Somerset, MA) and Jimmy Peters (Taunton, MA).

"In Reedy and Perry we have some newcomers to the program but they both bring with them plenty of college experience and that's important for a pitcher," said Wheeler. "Looking at the list of returning pitchers, I think we have both depth and experience and what we will do in the early going is take a look at who is going to step up and earn some time on the mound. We won't have a designated closer. We will try a few people in that role and see who can get people out for us."

UMass Dartmouth will open its 2002 season with a 12-game tour through California before returning at the end of March to open the New England portion of its schedule. The Corsairs will continue to play a competitive schedule, facing most of the top-ranked teams in the region. UMass Dartmouth should also be one of the top teams in the Little East Conference which will feature pre-season nationally ranked teams in Southern Maine and Eastern Connecticut."

"The LEC has become one of the top Division III conferences in the country and for us, there is no better place to be," said Wheeler. "If you want to be a good team you have to play good teams and that's what we try to do. The LEC games are key to our season as we look down the line at the LEC Tournament and, hopefully, a chance to get back to the NCAA Division III Tournament in May."

UMass Dartmouth will take on Montclair State on March 15 in the season opener in California. The Corsairs will play their home opener on March 26 against Wheaton College at 3:00 p.m. LEC action gets underway on March 30 with the Panthers of Plymouth State College come to campus for a doubleheader, beginning at 12 noon.
Jim Mullins
Assistant Director, Sports Information and Daily News
University of Massachusetts Dartmouth
285 Old Westport Road
Dartmouth,MA 02747-2300
Phone: News (508) 999-8965 Sports (508) 999-8720
Fax: (508) 999-9200
JMullins@UMassD.edu

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Last Updated On: 8/20/07