Baseball's approach: Stay the course
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FREDONIA, N.Y. -- The approach heading into the SUNYAC Tournament will be just as it was during the regular season for the Fredonia State baseball season.
The Blue Devils set a school record for wins in a season (25-8) with a balance of hitting, pitching, and defense. They will look to continue their success using all the tools at their disposal when they face the Brockport Golden Eagles at noon Friday in the first game of four-team double-elimination tournament at SUNY Cortland's Wallace Field.
Host and top seed Cortland faces Plattsburgh in the 3:30 p.m. game. Both games will be webcast by Cortland Internet Radio, weather permitting.
The tournament resumes Saturday and is scheduled to conclude Sunday.
"In order to win," head coach Matt Palisin said, "we will have to keep doing the routine things we have been doing all year -- play good defense, throw strikes and hit the ball where it is pitched. We have a very balanced team with great depth. We just need to play relatively mistake free and taking the same approach we've had all year."
The Blue Devils, making their first SUNYAC Tournament appearance since 1991, enter play as the No. 2 seed on the strength of an 8-4 conference record, including a split with the Golden Eagles, the No. 3 seed, last Saturday at Brockport. Fredonia State won the first game 9-4 before the Brockport bounced back 9-8 in the nightcap with a four-run rally in the last of the eighth inning.
Nonetheless, the Blue Devils rapped 33 hits in the two games, an output that was more than norm than the exception this spring. The team batting average of .346 at the start of the week ranked 33rd in NCAA Division III (of 359 teams). They have since upped the average to .348, which leads the SUNYAC.
Individually, junior second baseman Josh Greco (Lockport) is SUNYAC's leading hitter with a .421 average. Three other Blue Devils are in the top six -- junior third baseman Don Kirsch (Cowlesville/Attica) third at .398, junior first baseman Josh Melquist (Jamestown) fourth at .397, and senior center fielder Jordan Basile (Jamestown) sixth at .394.
The hitting success is a product of, as Palisin noted, hitting pitches where they are pitched. The other areas he mentioned -- good defense and throwing strikes -- are also supported statistically. The Blue Devils lead the SUNYAC, tied with Plattsburgh, with a .960 fielding percentage. Fredonia State's 47 errors are fewest in the conference.
As for throwing strikes, Fredonia State is second nationally in fewest walks allowed per nine innings (2.29). Sophomore right-hander Andy Dlugosz (Lackawanna/Timon-St. Jude) leads in that category with 1.15 batters per nine innings, 16th in the country, while junior right-hander Justin Nowak (Cheektowaga/Maryvale) and senior left-hander Ricky Carlson (Frewsburg) are 49th and 55th, respectively, in the national rankings.
In addition, Carlson's 2.14 earned run average is second in the SUNYAC and 32nd in the nation. The team ERA of 2.29 is 21st in NCAA Division III.
The running game is another important factor in the team's success this year. The Blue Devils started the week 12th in the nation in stolen bases per game (3.03) and 20th in total stolen bases (97). On the other hand, SUNYAC opponents have conference-low totals of 14 stolen bases in 19 attempts in 12 games against the Blue Devils.
Fredonia State pitchers have done their part keeping opposing runners at bay. The Blue Devils have 20 successful pickoffs this season, six by Carlson.