After losing a majority of the University of Tampa baseball team to either the minor leagues or graduation, the 2011 season will certainly be an experience unlike that of last year.
“There is no replacing last year’s team; our dynamic this year is totally different from last year,” said senior infielder Patrick Donahue.
The 2010 Tampa squad finished last season with a 46-11 record, going 25-8 at home and 21-1 away.
The team was the Sunshine State Conference champions and the champions of the South Region.
In the opening round of the NCAA Division II Championships in Cary, N.C., the Spartans lost, something they rarely did in the regular season, to the University of Central Missouri Mules, sending themselves into an elimination game against Georgia College.
The Spartans fell once more, terminating their season and their shot at the 2010 national title.
The losses could be regarded as a surprise considering the numbers that the team boasted at the end of the season.
The entirety of the starting line-up put up batting averages of over .300, the highest being .415 held by former Spartan designated hitter Mike Schwartz.
Last season, Tampa totaled 733 hits including 87 homeruns, while its opponents totaled only 556 with only 38 homers.
Can this year’s numbers compete with those of the previous roster?
Donahue talked about a new style of play with this year’s team.
“Last year we lived by the long ball as opposed to this year – we will be playing small ball. This year we will have to manufacture runs, and play good defense and pitching.”
Part of this “small ball” attitude may be due to the new bat standards imposed by the NCAA. The new bats required for use now are made to have more of a wood bat feel and performance. There are quite a few additions to the team – some from high school, other colleges and a few Division I universities. Taylor Wrenn, transfer from the University of Southern California, has joined UT’s squad.
Alongside him, Josh Thrailkill from Clemson University, Raiko Alfonso and Justin Leith, both from Florida International University, Shane Riedie from Louisiana State University, and many others.
All are expected to contribute to Tampa’s goal of a winning season
When asked about the dynamic of this new team, Head Coach Joe Urso responded saying, “the biggest challenge is going to be the chemistry of the team – getting to know each other – because a lot of our success here at UT has been talent as well as the personality and chemistry of the team.”
In order to build this team chemistry, Urso and team recently took a trip to a Lightning Game where the players as well as the coaches could establish a relationship off the field, as well.
One of the key players Urso said to look out for was the only returning position player, Donahue, who hit over .400 last season.
Donahue was asked the same question about key players. He stated, “I feel like we can look out for Wrenn, Shawn Pleffner, Eric Grabe and Damon Elder to have pretty good seasons and be big time contributors to our offense.”
Urso mentioned the same names. All are recent transfers with junior eligibility.
As far as strengths go, Urso stated that “both the depth of the pitching staff and the infield should be the strongest.”
The young outfield and players making position changes from the infield may be the team’s biggest challenge; teaching the players what is needed of them and aiding the others in the transition is one of the coaching staff’s ambitions.
Time will tell if the team’s chemistry can, in fact, get stronger and their initial goals are met successfully.
Urso and the team’s expectations are the same as every year at the University of Tampa: to win a national championship.
Tampa, standing at 1-2 following a series against the fourth ranked team in the nation, will travel to South Carolina to face off against Lander, Grand Valley State and Mount Olive.
Maya Todd can be reached at mtodd@spartans.ut.edu.