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March 01, 2005
Piper baseball enters 2005 campaign with high expectations; seeks first berth in MIAC playoffs
Though there may be snow on the ground, the baseball season is right around the corner. The Hamline Pipers, under the direction of fourth-year coach Jason Verdugo, look to move up the MIAC standings and improve on their 2004 campaign, in which they finished seventh in the conference (15-23 overall, 8-12 MIAC).
“Our main goal is to do something that hasn’t been done before [by Hamline], and that is to finish in the top four of the MIAC and qualify for the playoffs,” Verdugo said. This will definitely not be an easy task with a very tough schedule ahead of them, but Verdugo looks to his six seniors for leadership and as an example of a positive work ethic. The six seniors leading the way for the Pipers this year are Andy Gagnon, Aron Helm, Dan Ryks, Isaac Tyroler, Ryan Virden, and Mike Walsh.
Other players that Verdugo looks to for solid contribution will be the Pipers’ trio of first-year left-handed pitchers, Brian Martin, Josh Roiger, and Josh Juntunen. First-year Andrew Bennet will also be expected to step into an active role at shortstop in his first year as a Piper.
The Pipers will get things started under the roof of the Metrodome on March 3 with two games against
Morningside College. This game, along with the next three, will be doubleheaders hosted by the Metrodome.
The final of these doubleheader contests will be on March 10 against NAIA nationally ranked Jamestown College. Jamestown is coming into this season on a high note after winning over 40 games in the 2004 campaign.
“They will be a good early-season test for us,” Verdugo said. “They have a lot of talent and I look forward to see what we can do against them.”
Again this year, the Pipers will be traveling to Texas for a baseball tournament in the Dallas area over spring break. The feature game of this tournament for Hamline will be against the University of Texas-Tyler, which has a new baseball program as well as a brand-new stadium to host their home games.
Hamline’s game against Tyler is scheduled to be a night game, and the tickets for this game are already sold out. “It will be a great experience for us to play in this great facility in front of a full house,” Verdugo said.
Even with stiff competition in both the nonconference and conference schedules, the Pipers remain optimistic. “It will be tough. We have as tough of a nonconference schedule as anyone in the country,”
Verdugo said. The Pipers also will have challenges facing them in the conference with nationally ranked foes St. Thomas and Gustavus.
“I look for our depth, leadership and work ethic to pull us through these tough games and the rest of the season on a high note,” Verdugo said.
The Pipers will be practicing and playing in Midway Stadium, home of the St. Paul Saints. Their first home game is slated for April 9 at 1 p.m.
Posted by msveum at March 1, 2005 08:18 PM
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