By MAX PRINZ
The Rams will play at Houlihan Park for the first time in 2014 on March 9 at 1 p.m. in a matchup with Stony Brook. (THE RAM ARCHIVES)
The end of winter brings a number of welcoming things: warmer temperatures, beautiful sunny days and, most welcome of all, baseball season.
The Fordham Rams, the winningest program in all of NCAA baseball, will return to the diamond at Houlihan Park in early March looking to add to that historic win total. After a 22-33 campaign last season, with an 8-16 record in Atlantic 10 play, the Rams have a lot of work to do in the 2014 season.
Now entering his third year at Fordham, head coach Kevin Leighton is leading the Rams.
“The team has set three goals this year: qualify for the A-10 Tournament, win 35+ games and play for each other,” Leighton said in an email. “I think the goals that the team has set are going to challenge us but are definitely attainable. Year after year, we expect to be a playoff team, and if we stay healthy and focused, I don’t see why we can’t make the playoffs and win 35 [games].”
Leighton also said that depth will be a strength for this year’s Rams.
“We have many different options on the mound and positionally that we feel comfortable with and I think that will be our strength,” Leighton said. “If a guy goes down or starts to struggle, I think we have a number of guys who will be able to fill in and do the job.”
Fordham returns eight of its nine regular starters from last season on to the field, including sophomore second baseman Joseph Runco. Runco, an Atlantic 10 All-Rookie selection, played in all 55 games as a freshman and led the Rams in average (.303), runs scored (34), hits (63) and stolen bases (19). While pleased with his numbers from a year ago, Runco says he is not resting on his laurels.
The Rams’ pitching staff hopes to improve on last year’s 4.66 team ERA. (THE RAM ARCHIVES)
“I just want to get better season by season,” Runco said in an email. “You can’t let a good season affect your work habits for the upcoming year. Last year is in the past, so it has no impact on this year. I just want to have a better season than last to give my team a better chance to win more games.”
The Rams will have Runco leading things off, while another sophomore will serve as the lineup’s anchor. Catcher Charles Galiano, who led last year’s team with 31 RBI, will bat in the middle of the lineup. In addition to strong numbers with men on base, Galiano broke a school record, getting hit by 21 pitches last season.
This year’s Rams are a relatively young group. For the second straight season, Fordham boasts 10 freshmen. Just seven of the team’s 34 players are seniors and only one senior, Sam Careccia, was an everyday starter a year ago. The Rams will have many players like Runco and Galiano, talented starters with a year’s worth of experience, but they will still be a team of youth.
The Rams’ pitching staff also faces the challenge of inexperience. Of the 12 pitchers listed on Fordham’s roster, 10 are either freshmen or sophomores. Senior John Porter, who saw action as both a starter and reliever last season, will take on more of a leadership role this season.
With their top two starters now departed, the Rams will look to their young arms for an improvement on last year’s 4.66 team ERA. Sophomore Brett Kennedy, who posted an impressive .216 batting average against in 46.2 innings last season, will also likely see an increase in workload.
Leighton said he was happy with the mix of young impact players and talented upperclassmen.
“We are rather young again, but we do have a lot of sophomores who played a lot last year,” Leighton said. “I also like what I have seen in our seniors and juniors and expect them to lead this team to the goals that we have set. It’s always nice to have an experienced team, but experience isn’t dictated by year of graduation.”
Runco says his expectations for this season are running high.
“I expect us to make the A-10 tournament and make a run in it,” Runco said. “We have the team to do this; we just need to get hot at the right time.”
To prove Runco right, the Rams will need more consistent production, both at the plate and on the mound. If they can get that, Fordham could make some noise in the A-10 and remind everyone who has the winningest program in the NCAA.
Max Prinz is Sports Editor at The Fordham Ram.
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