Mid-season win streak lifts UMass Dartmouth to third place in Little East Conference regular season

(Dartmouth, MA) – After opening the season with only six wins in their first 20 games, UMass Dartmouth’s baseball team turned its season around by winning 11 of the next 13 games. The Corsairs were seeded third in the Little East Conference Tournament and advanced all the way to the LEC Tournament championship game before losing in the title game. Coach Bruce Wheeler’s Corsairs finished the season with a 20-19-1 overall record and were 8-6 in LEC competition.

UMass Dartmouth opened the 2003 season by going 3-8 in California and reached 6-13-1 after dropping a 2-1 loss to Brandeis on April 14. Starting with an 18-8 LEC win over Rhode Island College the following day, the Corsiars played their best baseball of the season over the next three weeks. The highlight of the regular season was the Corsairs’ seven-game winning streak which included a pair of LEC doubleheader sweeps of Plymouth State and Keene State.

In the LEC Tournament, the Corsairs opened with a tough 1-0 loss to Keene State, placing UMass Dartmouth in the loser’s bracket. But the Corsairs got hot, winning three straight, including a 6-2 win over the eventual LEC champs from Eastern Connecticut, and a 6-0 shutout of Western Connecticut. UMass Dartmouth earned a spot on the LEC finals by eliminating second-seeded Southern Maine with a 6-5 win. Eastern Connecticut got a measure of revenge on the Corsairs, winning the LEC championship with a 15-0 win over the Corsairs on May 10.

On offense, the Corsairs were led by Division III All-New England Designated Hitter and senior co-captain Brian Pereira (New Bedford, MA). An NEIBA All-Star, who represented the Corsiars at the annual New England College All-Star game at McCoy Stadium, Pereira was also an LEC First-Team selection as DH. Pereira capped an outstanding career at UMass Dartmouth by leading the Corsairs in several offensive categories. He led the team in slugging percentage (.652), RBI (40), stolen bases (17), home runs (13) and total bases (103). Pereira finished third in hitting at .348 and led the LEC with .33 home runs per game.

Joining Pereira on the LEC First-Team was senior third baseman Tom Jachimczyk (Marion, MA). He hit .333 with one home run and 24 RBI, tied for third on the team, while scoring 22 runs, stealing 13 bases and posting a slugging percentage of .404. Junior second baseman Geoff Nettleton (Marlboro, MA) also earned post season honors, being named Third Team All-New England after hitting .363 on the season. Nettleton led the Corsiars in runs (43), hits (62) and was second in total bases (94), while adding six HRs, 24 RBI and a .550 slugging percentage.

The Corsairs had four players named to the LEC Second Team, including sophomore shortstop Bob Delduca (Methuen, MA), junior relief pitcher Kyle Darrow (Marlboro, MA), senior co-captain and outfielder Jason Orlando (Gloucester, MA) and junior outfielder Ryan Sullivan (Chicopee, MA). Delduca hit .294 with 1 HR and 16 RBI, finishing third on the team in runs scored (32) and hits (53). Darrow finished 4-3 overall with a pair of saves and a 5.86 earned run average. In 19 games, he pitched 52.33 innings striking out 35 and walking 18. Orlando hit .312, leading the Corsairs with 11 doubles and was third in HRs with four along with 21 RBI and a .496 slugging percentage. Sullivan led the Corsairs in hitting with a .381 batting average (5th LEC) and a .489 on base percentage along with a pair of HRs and 28 RBI.

Junior lefthander Brandon Perry (So. Carver, MA) led the Corsiars’ pitching staff with five wins against four losses and a team-low ERA of 2.14, tied for third best in the LEC. Perry was also among LEC leaders in won-loss percentage (.556, tied for 6th), and strikeouts (9.93 per nine innings, 3rd in LEC. In a team-high 67.33 innings, Perry struck out 74 while walking 14. Senior lefthander Pat Reedy (New Bedford, MA) tied Perry for the lead in wins, posing a 5-2 record with a 4.19 ERA. He had a pair of complete games and two shutouts, pitching 58 innings, while striking out 38 and walking 21. Freshman right hander Jason Thompson (Plymouth, MA) was 3-3 overall with a 3.98 ERA, going 61 innings with 33 strikeouts and 22 walks.