Trinity Baseball Wins National Title
Joey Roberts
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The players and coaches of the Trinity College baseball program are fully embracing the Division III National Championship. Their 5-4 victory over John Hopkins was on ESPN's "SportsCenter" Top 10 and more notoriety has followed. Television interviews, newspaper articles, and references in magazines such as Sports Illustrated have kept Trinity baseball in the news throughout the summer. They will soon be honored on Friday, Sept. 19 at the University of Connecticut-Baylor University football game. On Sunday, Sept. 28, the Bantams will also be honored at Fenway Park before the Boston Red Sox take on the New York Yankees. Finally, they will receive their championship rings on Saturday, Oct. 11 when Trinity's football team takes on Tufts.
The eight seniors lost due to graduation include pitcher Tim Kiely, utility player Chandler Barnard, and shortstop Thomas DiBenedetto. Kiely, a First Team All-American, was drafted in the 27th round by the Los Angeles Angels. The Red Sox drafted DiBenedetto, who was one of four players to start all 46 games, in the 37th round. Lastly, Barnard signed a contract with the Worcester Tornadoes of the Can-Am league.
Trinity was one of three Division III schools to have multiple players selected in the draft.
Combining the skillful senior leadership with the outstanding abilities of the underclassmen, Division III Coach of the Year Bill Decker created a formula for success. This allowed the Bantams to compile a historic .978 (45-1) winning percentage. This formula would also set the Division III record for wins to start a season at 44, a mark previously held by John Hopkins of Maryland.
"The kids never panicked," said Decker. "They really did well in situations outside of their comfort zone."
He continued, saying, "Leadership was not only found at the top, but was also spread out amongst the whole team. The team continued to grow as the season went on. Everyone from top to bottom continued to show up to work, day in and day out."
It is the outstanding abilities of the underclassmen that have Division III teams across the country fearing another big season by the Bantams.
Second Team All-American pitcher Jeremiah Bayer '10 (9-0, 1.33 ERA) and First Team All-New England Intercollegiate Baseball Association (NEIBA) first baseman Kent Graham '10 (.411, 9 HR, 59 RBI) headline the returnees. Bayer looks to fill Kiely's void as the ace of the pitching staff, while Graham wants to build on his NESCAC leading 72 hits and 59 RBI from a season ago.
Not far behind is a pair of First-Team All-NEIBA senior co-captains. Second baseman Ryan Piacentini (.370, 5 HR, 34 RBI) and catcher Sean Killeen (.378, 7 HR, 43 RBI) will lead the team through the ups and downs of the season.
The pitching staff should be strong with Bayer and fellow junior Derek Anderson (3.70 ERA in 24.1 IP), and senior Eric McGrath (15 SO in 11.1 IP) all returning. Doug Loudon '10 might also surprise some teams. He was held out of last season because of Tommy John surgery, but has been working extremely hard and is looking better than ever.
The offense returns First Team All-NEIBA outfielder Jim Wood '10 (.356, 12 HR, 50 RBI), outfielder Matt Sullivan '10 (.336, 12 SB, 1 Error in 43 games) and outfielder Jack Abbott '10 (.288, 16 SB, 1 Error in 45 games). Two players that have been mentioned as possible breakout players are sophomore outfielder Alex Rokicki and sophomore shortstop Rob Martin.
In between being honored for the memorable season, the Bantams are working hard in the weight room and participating in team runs on Sundays.
Coach Decker's thoughts on the upcoming season are simple, "We have to move on and keep building on what we have done"
It's a long way until the season starts, but the Bantams know that their success during the season is determined by how hard they work in the off-season. 45-1 is a clear indicator that they know what it takes.
