Tigers Baseball is Sliding into the Spring Season

LOS ANGELES, Calif. (Jan. 21, 2009) – Under new leadership the Occidental College Tigers will carry a different look this season as they continue to improve and emerge from the SCIAC basement to become a contender in the conference.

Already, first year head coach Jason Hawkins has been very impressed with their adaptability.

"This year's squad has undergone a great deal of change in the way of culture. They are learning a new system and a new way of going about their business,” he said. “We have been very impressed with their adaptability and I am encouraged by our ability to potentially consistently compete at a high level.”

The 24-man squad is comprised of 17 returning letter winners coupled with seven incoming athletes, many of whom will make immediate impacts.

One of the keys to Occidental’s success this spring will be their experienced pitching staff. Senior Matthew Jones who has been a two-time Second Team All-SCIAC recipient will anchor the rotation with sophomore Ross Pomerantz stepping up as the #2 man. The third starting spot is up for grabs between senior Noel Banuelos and sophomore Brooks Belter who struck out 45 last year in 45.2 innings of work. In 2008 Jones and Belter each won four games. All four notched more than 40 innings of work with Jones tossing a team-leading 76.2 innings.

The bullpen will look to the sophomore pair of Nick Smallman (12 appearances) and Kris Suzuki (13 appearances) and senior Kieran Doherty (19 appearances)with freshman south paw Tyler Eyrich figuring to be a steady contributor as well. Eyrich is a multi-sport athlete at Occidental, having just completed his first Occidental football season.

Offensively the Tigers will look to the leadership of junior Glenn Gray who was named to the Second Team All-SCIAC for the second consecutive season in 2008. He led the team in batting average (.373) and was third in RBIs (28), fourth in runs scored (26) and second with four homeruns.  

Joining Gray in the outfield will be a pair of standout rookies. Anthony Salsedo is poised to fill the void left in the outfield by two-time All-SCIAC recipient Matt Andersen while transfer Steve Schaffer will also compete for time in the outfield. Last spring as a freshman at Nebraska-Wesleyan University Schaffer started 39 games and hit .355 (43 H, 7 2B, 28 R, 34RBI, 57 TB, 13 BB) while swiping eight bases in 10 chances.

The infield will be a mix of veterans and newcomers. Senior Richie Vehil will man the hot corner and serve as a leader both on and off the field as he has done for three seasons. Last year he batted .307 with 23 hits (3 2B, 2 HR) and was 4-for-4 on the base paths. Gonzalo Villasmil will compete for playing time at third as a freshman.

Junior Jason Jebbia and freshman transfer Kevin Ozaki (Orange Coast College) will both split time in the middle of the infield at short and second. Last season Jebbia batted .383 with five doubles, 15 runs and a .571 slugging percentage while swiping nine of 11 bases. Ozaki will add depth to the infield and also handles the bat very well.

On the right side of the infield sophomore Dan Kelley will control second base with sophomore Alex Bukac transitioning from the outfield to first base. Bukac, who connected for 12 hits, including a pair of homeruns, while scoring 13 runs, got a taste of collegiate baseball in 2008 with time both in left and at first. During his freshman campaign Kelley collected 25 hits, scored 15 runs, drove in 14 and tallied 32 total bases while posting a .966 fielding percentage.

Spencer Woolwine, a four year player, is a multi-facet player who will once again serve as a utility man, playing in the field and pitching this season. He scored 19 runs last year and drove in 13 runs with 38 total bases. His three homeruns were second on the team and appeared on the hill three times.

A pair of backstops with collegiate experience will be catching in 2009. After a year long hiatus from baseball, Cameron Yeun-Shore returns to the diamond where he caught for the Tigers in 2006 and 2007. Sharing the duties behind the plate will be sophomore Dale Garrett who also played first base for Oxy a year ago.  

Rounding out the 2009 roster are junior Ryan Falck, sophomore Casey Harms and a pair of newcomers in Nick Saraceni and Barry Ennis. Falck, a 6-foot-5 leftie, will see time at first base after batting .333 in his first season as a Tiger with seven doubles and 14 RBIs and a .981 fielding percentage in 30 games. Harms, who was injured much of last spring, will compete for playing time in the outfield. Saraceni, another cross-over athlete played football this fall for Oxy, and Ennis will appear in black and orange for the first time as a freshman and senior, respectively.

Throughout the season the Tigers will look to the seniors for leadership on and off the field.

"If our seniors have a good year, we have a chance to be competitive in this conference. Matthew Jones is an All-SCIAC pitcher, Spencer Woolwine is a versatile athlete who could anchor our staff in the pen and Richie Veihl is  a solid corner guy who knows how to lead."

Hawkins went on to say, “I’m excited about the effort these guys have put out collectively and how that might potentially translate. This squad is very receptive and incredibly focused; they are hungry."

Hopefully that hunger will produce an improvement on the Tigers’ 15-24 overall record from a year ago as the program continues to rebuild. Oxy finished the conference season with a 7-14 mark.

Occidental will throw out the first official pitch of the season on Friday, Jan. 30 when they host one of 25 home games schedule for this season. The Tigers play a 40-game regular season schedule with an exhibition game against the University of British Columbia and the Annual Alumni Game, which will be held on Jan. 24 at noon.