Tag: Jon Fraser

Bevy of Seniors Look to Bounce Back: Bowdoin Baseball Season Preview

Peter Cimini (#25) will be a big part of the Bowdoin lineup this season. (Courtesy of CIPhotography.com)
Peter Cimini (#25) will be a big part of the Bowdoin lineup this season. (Courtesy of CIPhotography.com)

2014 Record: 18-16-1 (5-7, Fourth in the NESCAC East)

Postseason Outcome: Missed NESCAC Playoffs

Returning Starters: 9 (6 Position Players, 3 Starting Pitchers)

Projected Starting Lineup (Stats are from 2014)

2B Aaron Rosen ’15 (.331/.396/.496, 0 HR, 19 RBI)
LF Cole DiRoberto ’15 (.301/.358/.376, 1 HR, 10 RBI)
CF Peter Cimini ’16 (.279/.367/.404, 1 HR, 20 RBI)
DH Chad Martin ’16 (.333/.362/.496, 4 HR, 30 RBI)
3B Sam Canales ’15 (.304/.368/.363, 0 HR, 13 RBI)
1B Erik Jacobsn ’15 (.277/.358/.349, 1 HR, 11 RBI)
C Chris Nadeau ’16 (.196/.327/.217, 0 HR, 3 RBI)
SS Sean Mullaney ’17 (.180/.349/.180, 0 HR, 6 RBI)
RF Joe Gentile ’18

RHP Henry Van Zant ’15 (1-2, 1.95 ERA)
RHP Erik Jacobson ’15 (3-3, 4.09 ERA)
LHP Harry Ridge ’16 (4-2, 2.87 ERA)

Offensive Overview:

The offensive core returns for Bowdoin as six of the top seven OBP performers from last season are back. The bad news is that this group sputtered in conference play finishing with the second fewest runs scored. The top of the lineup should be very good with Aaron Rosen ’15, First Team All-NESCAC in 2014, getting things started. Peter Cimini ’16 and Chad Martin ’16 will look to build off of their breakout sophomore campaigns. Those two were two of the biggest positives from last season. They will need to provide most of the power for this lineup.  Sam Canales ’15, Erik Jacobsen ’15 and Cole DiRoberto ’15 are line drive hitters who will be very solid cogs for Bowdoin. The bottom of the lineup is a big question mark. Both Chris Nadeau ’16 and Sean Mullaney ’17 played occasionally last season and hit below the Mendoza line. Joe Gentile ’18 is the frontrunner to grab the final outfield spot and has above average speed, but freshmen regularly struggle to adjust to collegiate pitching. The bottom of the lineup needs to be serviceable while the guys who have proven themselves must be special.

Defensive Overview:

First of all, we lack the advanced stats or the extensive scouting that allow us to break down defense like they do at the professional level. From what we know, the Bowdoin defense was neither a strength or weakness overall, but they made some critical errors in conference that cost them. Cimini will have to replace speedy centerfielder Kyle LeBlanc ’14, and he is flanked by DiRoberto and Gentile, two players who are question marks defensively. The infield should be a strength with the duo of Rosen and Mullaney a potent double-play combination. Nadeau only threw out three of the 18 base runners who attempted to steal against him. That percentage must, and should, go up by a lot. The defense is unlikely to be a game-changer for Bowdoin, but they should be more sure handed and commit fewer errors than last season.

Pitching Overview:

The strength of Bowdoin is a pitching staff that was very good despite injuries to their presumed top two starters. Now the staff that had the second best overall ERA behind Tufts returns their top four starters and closer. Ace Henry Van Zant ’15 was only able to pitch near the end of the season, but he looked great tossing a casual 1.95 ERA in 27.2 innings. Harry Ridge ’16 and Erik Jacobson ’15 both return after posting solid though not remarkable numbers. Jon Fraser ’15 emerged as a legitimate weapon out of the bullpen with an eye-popping 0.76 ERA to go with a 11.03 K/9 rate. Michael Staes ’16 also pitched very well and looks to be the first guy up if someone in front of him stumbles or gets hurt. Finally, keep an eye on freshman Logan Simon ’18, a freshman from recent baseball powerhouse Harvard-Westlake in California. He will get innings early on in Florida to get a good look at what he can do.

Storylines to Watch

1. How much do they steal?

Though Bowdoin doesn’t lose a lot of production from last year on offense, a good deal of their 40 steals from a year ago are no longer on the roster. Rosen is the only significant threat to steal a base, and even he only stole eight times in 2014. Cimini has good speed, but Manager Mike Connelly might be loathe to let him loose if Martin bats behind him. If the back end of the lineup gets on base more, Connelly might set them loose in order to create havoc on the base paths. On the other hand, the Polar Bears might choose to simply eschew stealing for the most part and instead concentrate on smart, safe base running.

2. Does SP Harry Ridge ’16 wear down again?

In each of the past two seasons, Ridge has started the season off by pitching a few games beautifully before seeing his numbers dip significantly in the second half. This might make sense if Ridge was a power pitcher unused to throwing so many innings, but he is actually a control pitcher who strikes few guys out even when he is pitching well. Why he has struggled so much in the second half is somewhat of a mystery, but the third time might be the charm. One of the problems for Ridge was the defense behind him committing a lot of errors with him on the mound. Some of that is because pretty much everybody puts balls in play against him, but he should have better luck this season.

3. Can the entire lineup hit?

This is probably the biggest question for the Polar Bears. The bottom three hitters in their lineup do not project to hit very well. That impact is huge as pitchers are able to relax and pound the zone for a couple of hitters. The best hitters for Bowdoin will not see as good pitches because opponents will depend on getting Bowdoin hitters out with runners on base. Big innings become very hard also. The best NESCAC teams have threats at every spot in the lineup.  The Polar Bears don’t need Mullaney, Nadeau and company to hit like rock stars down there, but they need to at least put the ball in play and make the defense get them out. Bowdoin was near the league lead in strikeouts last season.

Biggest Series: At Bates April 3 and 4.

The good news for Bowdoin is that the second spot in the East behind Tufts looks wide-open, and they probably have the most returning talent of any of the remaining four teams. Bowdoin opens the NESCAC season against Tufts, but their series the next weekend against Bates will tell us whether this team is capable of returning to the playoffs. Taking two out of three will go a long way towards getting Bowdoin to the top of the heap. Last season Bates took two of three from Bowdoin in what turned out to be a huge series for the Bobcats. Also, we would be surprised if these games happen at Bates on schedule given all the snow still on the ground.

Bowdoin Team Preview – Polar Bears Look to Prove Winter is Coming

Editor’s Note: This post was written by editor Adam Lamont, a former member of the Bowdoin football team. Adam played his freshman year and very beginning of sophomore year for the Polar Bears, but is no longer in uniform for Bowdoin and instead roots them on from the sideline.

2013 Record: 3-5

Number of Returning Starters: 14 (7 offense, 6 defense, 1 specialist)

Offensive Overview:

In terms of yards per game, Bowdoin was the worst offense in the NESCAC last season, though the team did finish seventh in scoring offense. Running back Zach Donnarumma ’14 and two offensive lineman don’t return, but the other starters coming back give Bowdoin a compelling case for improvement. Quarterback Mac Caputi ’15 is the key to the offense. He struggled in 2013, especially against the better defenses in the league, but he finished the year on a high note throwing for 211 yard with a completion percentage of 64 percent (16-25). His two starting receivers, Dan Barone ’16 and Ethan Drigotas ’15, are both back. Barone will serve once again as a Julian Edelman-type player by returning punts and kickoffs, working out of the slot, and running the ball on the occasional sweep. Drigotas plays on the outside where he runs crisp routes and acts as Caputi’s security blanket.

Tyler Grant ’17 is the starting running back after being the backup last season. The offensive line shifts around a little bit. Jake Giovanucci ’15 is in his third year at left tackle while fellow three year starter Anthony Todesco ’15 moves from his center position to right tackle. Matt Netto ’16 therefore changes from his guard position to center. That means the two guard positions were open entering camp, but Stephen Melgar ’16 and Brian Mullin ’17 appear to have grabbed those spots as first year starters. Captain and tight end Matt Perlow ’15 is healthy after recovering from an ACL tear last season.

Defensive Overview:

The strength of this defense may have shifted in recent weeks. As we reported yesterday on Twitter, Clarence Johnson ’15, starting defensive tackle and All-NESCAC second team performer in 2012, is no longer playing because of foot injuries. Dan Wanger ’17 looks like the favorite to win increased playing time beside Jake Prince ’15 at tackle. Tom Wells ’15 and Brian Golger ’15 are both third year starters at defensive end, and there is still a lot of depth with Parker Mundt ’16 a top backup along with others. All three linebackers graduated leaving Brendan Lawler ’16, Brandon Morin ’16, and Bjorn Halvorsen ’17 the new starters.

Meanwhile in the secondary, reports are that captain Jon Fraser ’14 has looked great in camp and Jibrail Coy ’16 is healthy and should start at a safety position. The secondary also returns Reeder Wells ’17 and Dan Johnson ’15 to a unit that looks primed for major improvement this year. If the veteran front four is able to consistently make plays then Bowdoin’s pass defense, second worst in the NESCAC last season, should improve.

Dan Barone makes the Hail Mary Catch (Courtesy D3Football.com)
Dan Barone makes the Hail Mary Catch (Courtesy D3Football.com)

Three Big Questions:

1. Will Tyler Grant hold up?

Grant showed he has talent when he ran for 119 yards against Wesleyan when Donnarumma was injured, but his health is a concern. His height and weight as a freshman last year was 5’10”, 158 pounds. While he has put on about fifteen pounds (heights and weights on the current Bowdoin roster have not been updated), he is going to take a lot of hits over the course of the season. Behind him at running back are a few promising, albeit very uncertain, options including Garrett Thomas ’17 and Barone, who could switch positions if Grant sustains a lasting injury.

2. Are the linebackers ready to step up?

All three of the graduated linebackers were major playmakers a year ago that limited the time the backups saw.  Lawler ’16 is the most experienced returner as he started the second half of the season because of an injury to Griffin Cardew ’14. Morin played some against run heavy Bates, and he could be primed for a big year while replacing 2013 NESCAC defensive player of the year Joey Cleary ’14. Halvorsen is a little bigger of a question mark because he was so limited in playing time last season, but he has looked confident and athletic in camp at his outside linebacker position.

3.  Can Bowdoin engineer big plays in the passing game?

For the offense to take a step forward, plays of more than 20 yards are going to have to come more often. The lack of a down-field passing attack was a major reason why Caputi only threw for four touchdowns all season. Unfortunately Ken Skon ’16, Bowdoin’s biggest receiver and best deep ball threat last season, is not playing because of back and knee injuries he sustained in 2013. A combination of receivers will have to replace him, and taking more chances could also yield more big plays.

Team MVP: Dan Barone. He was fifth in the NESCAC in total yards from scrimmage and could be primed for an even bigger year this season. An uptick in passing will leave Barone as one of the biggest benefactors. The more times he gets the ball in space, the more chances the shifty slot receiver will shake a defender and pick up a big gain.

Biggest Game: Nov. 1 against Bates

The Bobcats have now beaten Bowdoin for three consecutive seasons and won the CBB title the last two seasons. Last season’s game in Lewiston was a low scoring affair that saw the Bates defense stifle the Bears. Expect head coach Dave Caputi to open up the playbook a lot more in this matchup. The linebackers, who will have almost an entire season of experience under their belts by November, will be tested by the Bates triple option.

Best Tweet of the offseason: QB Mac Caputi and LB Brendan Lawler spent the summer in the Marines. Great story.

Bowdoin looks to see its magical end to 2013 grow into a big season around its returners.