Middlebury (12-19, 4-8 in 2013)
What they lost:
Despite heavy losses in the offseason due to graduating seniors, the most devastating blows to Middlebury’s lineup came just this last week. Hunter Merryman ’15 and Dylan Sinnickson ’15, the two best offensive players on the team, both made the decision not to go out this year. Merryman and Sinnickson, who both also play basketball, tied for the team lead in average last year at .379, and Sinnickson led the team in pretty much every major offensive category. Among the graduating seniors were the top three RBI men on the team in Mike Morris, Tom Driscoll, and Tom Rafferty. If you add Merryman and Sinnickson to that list, that’s five of the top six. Morris, Driscoll, Sinnickson and Merryman all hit well over .300, and Morris added a team leading 13 steals. In terms of the rotation, Noah Bakker ’15, despite posting a sub-4.00 ERA in 2013, will not be with the team in 2014 by the coaches’ decision. To make up those losses, Middlebury will need not only established players like Eric Truss ’15 and Alex Kelly ’14 to continue playing well, but for a bevy of sophomores and first-years to step up and do what they can to fill the gaps.
2014 MVP: Outfielder Alex Kelly ’14
With Sinnickson and Merryman gone, a huge offensive burden falls onto senior captain Alex Kelly. Kelly batted .316 last year with 14 RBI. He didn’t have any home runs, but he still slugged at a .447 clip, showing solid gap to gap power. It is unclear where Coach Bob Smith will employ Kelly’s talents. Kelly has decent speed and could be an effective lead-off man, given his uncanny knack for fighting off pitches and making pitchers work. If the NESCAC tracked pitchers per plate appearance, there is no doubt that Kelly would be one of the leaders in that category. On the other hand, Smith may decide to drop Kelly into the heart of the order in the three or four slot. Kelly’s leadership and talent will be imperative if Middlebury hopes to weather these disappointing losses.
2014 Pitcher of the Year: Eric Truss ’15
The pitching staff will also be crucial for a comeback, as the lineup will probably be weakened. And for the first time in several years, pitching appears to be the strength of the Panthers. The (admittedly heavy) losses that Middlebury sustained in the offseason were primarily position players, leaving the majority of the staff intact. The return of Matt Leach ’15, who had an inspiring freshman campaign, from Tommy John surgery brings a new weapon to the rotation. Tri-captain Dylan Kane ’14 and Logan Mobley ’15 should make larger contributions than was the case last year, and Mark Dickerson ’15 was very effective out of the bullpen last year, posting a 1.02 ERA in 10 appearances. But, as is the case with the lineup, only one returner can truly be counted on at this point, and that is tri-captain Truss. Last year, Truss made the leap to the ace of the staff, leading the starters in ERA (3.54) and wins (three). Using his excellent control (only 9 walks in 48 innings), Truss could be ready to make another leap, into all-NESCAC territory. A dangerous pitching staff has not exactly been a staple of recent Panthers teams, but this year’s incarnation appears poised to break the mold.
Season Outlook:
This is a very young team. Along with the stats, Sinnickson, Merryman and the departing seniors are taking away much of the seniority. At most, two upperclassmen will be in the starting lineup when the team heads to Arizona to begin the season. To be competitive this year, the Panthers will have to play smart, fundamentally sound baseball. The rotation should be good enough to keep the games close, so the offense will have to be able to scrape out enough runs to back them up. This should be the team that writers like me get to wear out clichés on. The Panthers might not have the talent this year to really compete for a NESCAC title, but the experience that these young players get this year be huge in preparing them for the coming years. And who knows, maybe the Panthers will get hot and make a title run, and then we can get a great sports movie out of it.
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