Success is a strange thing when it comes to baseball. Being the more talented team doesn’t always bring home the victories. It is much more complicated than just fielding a talented team. Success is something that is unquantifiable, with no concrete formula to follow. In fact, success is so unpredictable in baseball that players, managers, and fans alike religiously practice superstitious routines, believing that their lucky underwear will somehow win them the World Series.
For those of you who believe in these superstitions, don’t stop doing them. The University of Massachusetts Boston’s Baseball program has been off to a tear the past two weeks of seasonal play. Two weeks ago, ask Head Coach Brendan Eygabroat how his team would fair over the remainder of April; Eygabroat would tell you himself he’d be lying if he claimed the Beacons would be undefeated.
“We have had a phenomenal stretch of play over the past few weeks. Moving into [the winning stretch] the team was 13-12 overall,” said Eygabroat. “It’s great to have momentum moving into the final stretch of the season. There are six games left on our schedule and we’d like to close the season on a roll.”
In the Beacons’ last ten games, the team has posted a record of nine wins and one loss, winning their last eight consecutive matches. While the Beacons haven’t posted incredible batting numbers, they have done a good job of putting up numbers in bunches when they get on base. As a team, the Beacons have posted a .277 batting average, with a .376 slugging percentage. While the batting has been lackluster, the team has still managed to get on base, earning themselves a .370 on base percentage. Despite the slow offensive production, Beacon Dave Murphy has had an exceptional year behind the plate.
Murphy is a junior shortstop for UMass Boston. On the year, Murphy has a batting average of .344 in the 33 games he’s appeared in. Beyond this incredible batting average, Murphy has 32 RBIs, 31 runs scored, six stolen bases, and five of the team’s 12 home runs. The Beacon is by far the most productive offensive threat for UMass Boston.
“We haven’t had as much success with the bat as I anticipated earlier in the year. Of recent though, there have been improvements offensively, especially with Dave Murphy who bats in our three hole,” said the coach. “During our trip to Florida, Dave had some troubles finding a rhythm, but since the team returned, he has been incredible.”
While Murphy has been an outstanding performer on the offensive side of the ball, the Beacons’ success has been in large part caused by the defense. Head Coach Eygabroat attributes a large portion of this to the freshman pitching class. The team is comprised of over 17 freshman athletes, eight of which are pitchers.
“Fernando, JT, Bobby, and Manny have been huge presences on the mound. Our lefty JT has been huge for us this year and Fernando is also a crucial starter,” said Eygabroat. “Fernando will be getting some rest this next week before postseason. Depending on the match-ups, he could be our starter for game one [of the LEC tournament].”
Moving forward, the team has one goal in mind according to Eygabroat. That is “to win the Little East Conference tournament.” While some teams earn bids to the NCAA National Tournament, the Beacons aren’t currently positioned for an automatic bid. This is essentially BS, considering the Beacons beat four of the top 25 regionally ranked opponents, including victories against MIT, Southern Maine University, and Western New England. Despite these victories, UMass Boston didn’t manage to make the top 25 regional teams within this week’s NCAA polling. Regardless of ranking, UMass Boston has their eyes set on the prize and nothing can stop them. Head Coach Eygabroat and his Beacons are moving full steam ahead as they enter the postseason.