Eckerd College started its baseball season with three straight losses to rival Tampa, but that did nothing to dampen coach Bill Mathews' optimism. The Tritons lost the first two games by one run before being beaten 9-3 Tuesday night.
The way Mathews sees it, losing to the top-ranked team in the preseason NCAA Division II national poll is no reason to think the season is doomed.
"I think this can be a great team and I still think that," Mathews said. "Our entire pitching staff except for our No. 4 starter is back. There is a lot of experience there. The infield is intact, basically. The only disconcerting thing is that we lost all of our outfielders."
Mathews said that during the early season he will look at Billy Evers, Mickey Penrose, Matt Lichtenberg, Joe Savino and Patrick Bordieri in the outfield. His plan is to give them all at bats before setting a starting outfield.
The pitching staff decision is a little easier. Junior right-hander Jason Wishin returns as the ace after posting a 3-3 sophomore season with 40 strikeouts and a 6.39 earned run average. Wishin lost a 5-4 decision in the season opener. He pitched five innings and allowed seven hits and five earned runs.
Senior right-hander Eric Canestrari is the No. 2 starter after a 5-5 season with a 4.83 ERA. Sophomore right-hander Sam Reece (5-5, 4.98) and junior right-hander Andre Steele (5-1, 4.62) round out the rotation.
The Tritons had a 5.13 team ERA last season. Mathews is hoping experience will bring that number down.
A solidified infield should help Eckerd cut down on runs scored. Joe Milbury and Evers will split time at first base. Milbury, a senior, hit .387 last season. Senior Chris Rosende returns to anchor second. Junior Casey Weseman will play third and Nick Byrd will be at shortstop.
The Tritons hit .303 as a team and Mathews expects his team to hit again. If the pitching rises to his expectations, Mathews said his team can compete in the top half of the Sunshine State Conference.
He also said a tougher schedule will make his team stronger when conference play rolls around.
"I want my legacy here to be that we would play anybody at any time," Mathews said. "I think that makes us a better ball club and I think that's why players come here. We rake our own field for goodness sake, so you have to come here for the competition."
TITANS BASEBALL: St. Petersburg College has almost an entirely new pitching staff and some key losses in both the infield and outfield, but the Titans appear to be just as strong this season. They have qualified for the junior college state tournament six straight seasons, and with another influx of talented freshmen the Titans could make it seven.
"I'm really happy with the pitching so far," said SPC coach Dave Pano, whose team is 2-0 in the early season.
"Offensively we're not where we want to be yet. But I believe we will be."
Shawn Williams heads the list of returners. Williams, who played at Clearwater Central Catholic, will pitch and play first. Sophomore Aric Van Gaalen is the only returner from last year's pitching staff.
Former Northside Christian pitcher Todd Redmond will likely get plenty of starts. He threw four shutout innings in his first start. Freshman Paul Buhrow of Seminole, sophomore Justin O'Keefe of Clearwater Central Catholic and Jeremy Hunt of Northside Christian should also eat up innings.
Of the newcomers, Pano expects Alfredo Ortiz of Northeast High and David Scott of Northside Christian to make an impact in the field and at the plate.
St. Petersburg College plays its home games at Clearwater's Carpenter Complex. For a complete schedule, go to www1.spjc.cc.fl.us/web
central/welcome/1BASE.htm.
CHALLENGED: After a disappointing conference loss to Rollins on Jan. 31, Eckerd men's basketball coach Tom Ryan challenged his team to play hard down the stretch. It seemed to work for one game at least as the Tritons defeated rival Tampa 63-56 to improve to 13-8, 5-4 prior to Saturday's game against last-place Saint Leo.
The chance for a conference championship is unlikely, but Eckerd can improve its tournament seed with a strong finish.
