Williams Spoils Fun in the Sun for Panther Baseball

Author: Jakob Heller

For most college students on spring break, a week in Florida generally entails relaxing on the beach and taking it easy, but for the Middlebury baseball team it meant a chance to make a statement.
Against some of the toughest competition they will face this season the Panthers compiled a 5-4-1 record in one of the most successful Florida trips in recent years. The team defeated Union twice, Southern Maine, M.I.T. and Williams. Two of the four losses came to rival Williams, while the University of Chicago and Salisbury State also defeated the Panthers. The lone tie came against an always tough New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) opponent Colby.
Offensively the team was led by designated hitter Jason Hanna '03 who finished the week with a .429 average and .714 slugging percentage to go along with his seven RBI and seven runs scored. Pitcher Chris Fraser '04 won his first start of the season in a 14-3 stomping of Union and then produced a second outstanding pitching performance in a 2-0 win over Williams. Fraser finished the trip with a stellar 1.12 ERA.
The entire week the Middlebury pitching staff came through, keeping the team in almost every game it played. Coach Bob Smith used 11 different pitchers throughout the trip and received a tremendous performance by first-year pitcher Tyler Bak who won a 7-3 decision over Southern Maine.
By giving 11 pitchers innings, Coach Smith believes he can develop a staff deep enough to carry Middlebury into the playoffs. "I could not be more pleased with the overall performance of our pitchers. For a freshman to step up and get a win for us was huge. It is critical the pitchers maintain their momentum this weekend if we want a shot at the NESCAC playoffs."
To turn the Panthers shot at the playoffs into a reality, Coach Smith is also looking for more consistency at the plate as Middlebury frequently left runners on base in each tough loss.
One loss was particularly difficult for Middlebury to stomach. Middlebury had a chance to give its playoff quest a boost during a hard fought 6-5 loss to Williams. Williams, along with Amherst, Wesleyan, Hamilton and Middlebury all reside in the NESCAC Western Division. Only the top two teams in the NESCAC Western Division make the NESCAC playoffs.
Sophomore pitcher Russ Budnick noted the importance of the team's defeat to Williams. "This loss will make it harder for us to reach the playoffs but we know what this team is capable of and we are still confident that the postseason is in our future. To lose a one run game is always disappointing but if we had scored more runs than they did we would have won that game."
The Panthers believe the tough losses to Williams are behind them and they will get their chance to prove it at Amherst this weekend.
The Panthers' inability to take more than one game off Williams could prove costly but might not matter depending on the remainder of the season.
After losing two of three to Williams, Middlebury can ill afford to lose the upcoming three-game series with Amherst if it wants a realistic chance at postseason play. Although this weekend is critical for Middlebury, the team shows no signs of concern, only confidence after a successful Florida trip and week of preparation.