Feb. 9, 2006
Georgetown's season opener at William & Mary on Saturday was suspended after the second inning due to rain. The game will continue tomorrow at 12:00 pm at Plumeri Park, as part of a doubleheader, with the second and final game of the series set to start after the conclusion of the first game.
The Georgetown University baseball team opens the 2006 baseball season with a pair of games at William and Mary this weekend. The Hoyas and the Tribe battle in single games at Plumeri Park in Williamsburg, Va. on Saturday, February 11 at noon and Sunday, February 12 at 1 p.m.
Saturday's season opener can be heard live through the William and Mary athletic site at
The Hoyas are coming off its second straight season with 25 victories and has a good nucleus that will be looking to build on that number. Seventh-year head coach Pete Wilk returns 24 lettermen, including seven starting position players and eight hurlers.
OUTFIELD
The Hoyas will look to senior outfielder Timmy Jones to run down balls in centerfield and be a threat on the bases. Jones started 55 games last year and led the squad with 41 runs and 10 stolen bases. The Ledgewood, N.J., native should bat near the top of the lineup.
Junior outfielder Mark McLaughlin is back after ranking sixth on the team with a .307 batting average in 51 games. The 5-9 lefty was one of five Hoyas with more than 50 hits and should see most of his action in leftfield and in the leadoff spot in the order.
Senior outfielder Drew Dargen played in 31 games with 16 starts, collecting eight doubles in 64 at-bats. Now that he is healthy, the Oklahoma native should start the season in the middle of the order and in rightfield. Junior lefty Derek deGrijs batted in .357 in 14 games will look to see some action in the outfield. deGrijs runs extremely well and has shown to be more than effective on defense.
Freshman Rob Begin can play all three of the outfield positions and will compete for a starting job.
INFIELD
Georgetown will rely heavily on All-BIG EAST First Teamer Ryan Craft. Craft, a 6-4, 225-lb. first baseman/DH ranked among the league's top 10 in all of the major offensive categories with 13 homers, a .598 slugging percentage and 48 RBI. Craft, a senior who earned a spot on the 2006 All-BIG EAST Preseason team, will be expected to anchor the heart of the order.
Senior shortstop Matt Johnson has started in just about every game over the past two seasons and will once again be asked to play everyday. Johnson, one of the better defensive shortstops in the league, led the team in assists in 2005 and has increased his hit total from season to season.
Junior Joe Graziano will likely get the opportunity to man the hot corner. The Long Island native, who is one of the hardest workers on the team, batted .310 in 84 at-bats last season and had six multi-hit games.
Sophomore Matt Bouchard is one of the most athletic players in the BIG EAST. Bouchard can play second base, shortstop and third base and give Coach Wilk numerous options. Bouchard appeared in 37 games, including 23 starts, and had a career-best six-game hit streak at the end of April.
Sophomore Matt Harrigan has a very good left-handed bat that can fill in at first base and in the outfield. Sophomore Matt Maranges will be fighting for the starting second base job and freshman Kelly Muir will add depth in the infield.
CATCHER
Junior catcher Brandon Davis started in 33 games, including 20 in conference play. Davis closed in on the .300 mark as a sophomore and threw out 16 would-be base stealers. Davis will be asked to handle the Hoya pitching staff on a daily basis in 2006. Junior Nick Barnicle and freshmen Sean Baumann and Greg Pustizzi can all spell Davis at any time.
PITCHING STAFF
On the pitcher's mound, Georgetown lost Eddie Pena, Tom Braun and Mike Halloran to graduation and the trio combined for 192 innings and 12 victories. Heading into the season, the Hoyas weekend staff might consist of sophomore lefty Mike Gaggioli, senior righthander Warren Sizemore, senior righty Stephen Burns, sophomore righty Grady McConnell and freshman lefty Andy Ferich.
Last season, Gaggioli ranked second on the team with and 14th in the BIG EAST with a 3.42 ERA in 81 innings. The Mission Viejo, Calif., native held opponents to a .255 batting average and posted a 4-6 record.
Sizemore pitched to a 5-5 record in 2004 and compiled a 3-0 record and a 2.49 ERA last season before missing the end of the season to surgery. Last year, the Hamilton, Ohio, native fanned 18 hitters in 15 innings prior to the injury. It would be a big boost to the Hoyas if Sizemore could return from the injury.
Senior righty Stephen Burns posted a 3-3 record in 11 appearances after striking out 28 hitters in 51.2 innings of work and will look to compile even more innings in 2006. Sophomore righty Grady McConnell had a tremendous fall season after striking out 12 in 21 innings last year. McConnell will compete for a starting spot.
Junior lefty Mark Dutmers (28 K's in 30 IP) remains ahead of freshman lefty Andy Ferich and freshman righty Darren Sizemore for a spot in the rotation. Both Ferich and Sizemore had impressive fall debuts to stay in the competition.
Junior Erick Chandler returns to Georgetown after spending last season at the University of Virginia. Chandler was named the Hoyas' Rookie of the Year in 2004 after posting a 5-5 record. The righthander fanned 57 in 60 innings and held opponents to a .232 average.
Sophomore Daniel Kennedy is working into the closer role after striking out 18 hitters in 25 innings last season.
Righty Scooter Bernoskie, sophomore Ben McKean and sophomore Brian Sullivan will add a quality bunch of arms to the staff and give Coach Wilk options out of the pen. Senior Kevin Lundquist, who took two years off after pitching for GU in 2003, returns to the roster to assist on the pitching staff. Junior righty Mike Hoy, who played on the Hoya football team, should also log some innings out of the pen.
The 2006 edition of the Hoyas once again boasts a strong nucleus and a hungry group of newcomers that want nothing more to make a bold statement in the BIG EAST Conference.
