Young Bridgewater State baseball team gaining valuable experience

April 7, 2010

By Jim Fenton, Enterprise staff

The starting lineup of the Bridgewater State College baseball team has as many freshmen – three – as seniors this season.

The seven pitchers who have made at least two appearances for the Bears are all underclassmen, including three first-year players.

With just the three seniors on the roster, BSC is relying on a lot of young players, and so far, they’ve responded. The Bears are off to a 2-0 start in the Massachusetts State College Athletic Conference and 10-8 overall.

“The future looks very bright,’’ said Coach Rick Smith, who is in his 17th season and has 415 victories. “The experience they are getting now is really going to help, and I have other freshmen that I haven’t used and they deserve to be on the field.

“I think we’re going to do very well this season. We have a mix with the juniors and seniors that will allow us to be very competitive.’’

BSC was 5-2 during a trip to Vero Beach, Fla., and is 5-6 since returning as the Bears had to deal with weather issues like every team in the region.

Things are picking up this week for BSC, which is playing seven games in six days. The Bears, who lost to Wheaton College, 7-6, on Tuesday, host Johnson & Wales today and UMass-Boston on Thursday.

“It’s tough when you’re in and out of the gym like we had to be,’’ said Smith. “But now we’re able to get on the field more, and it helps.’’

BSC, which has a team batting average of .321, has seven players above the .300 mark, and the Bears are averaging seven runs per game.

Junior DH Matt Greenberg is leading the way with a .404 average, and he has six doubles, three home runs and 17 RBI. Junior left fielder Ian Williams is batting .377 with three homers and 17 RBI.

Freshman second baseman-catcher Tyler Dennis of Stoughton is hitting .361 followed by senior shortstop Brian Medairos of Brockton (.349), senior first baseman Tom Couet, an Apponequet High graduate who is batting .345, freshman catcher Keane Costa (.321) and senior third baseman Mark Claffey (.317 with 16 RBI).

The rest of the lineup includes freshman center fielder John Garabedian (.266 with 13 RBI) and junior right fielder Greg Steele, who has also driven in 13 runs.

The Bears, who resume the MASCAC schedule on Saturday at Framingham State, are also playing solid defense, led by Claffey and Garabedian.

Keying the young pitching staff is sophomore Jim Balboni, who is 4-0 with a 3.29 earned run average and two complete games in five starts.

Junior Jeff Puopolo of Brockton is 2-2 with a 3.38 ERA in seven appearances, including four starts, and has a team-leading 31 strikeouts. Puopolo was named the MASCAC pitcher of the week after pitching a one-hitter with eight strikeouts to beat Salem State College, 10-0, last Friday.

“He’s been excellent,’’ said Smith. “He struggling a little bit coming out of the gym with his consistency throwing strikes, but he’s really settled in nicely now.

“Last year, he was a catcher, pitcher and outfielder, but this year, he is concentrating solely on pitching and he’s dedicated himself to that.’’

Junior Brian Guillotte is 2-1 with a 3.62 ERA and two complete games, freshman reliever Jonathan Surette has allowed one earned run in five appearances and freshman Bryant Warner is 1-0 with a complete game.

“Right now, it’s been our hitting and defense that have been good,’’ said Smith. “Our hitting has been pretty good right from the start. Our pitching is real young and they are getting better with the experience.’’