After closing last season with 11 wins in their final 13 games, plus an invitation to the ECAC Division III tournament, Coach Bruce Wheeler's Corsairs will return six starters along with an experienced pitching staff from a team that went 20-15 and was ranked in a tie for eighth in the New England Division III poll at the end of the season.

Led by a core group of six juniors, who have seen considerable playing time since their freshman season, the Corsairs enter the 1997 season with high hopes. UMass Dartmouth also has a couple of junior college transfer students, who may have an immediate impact on the lineup, plus two returning pitchers who earned post seasons awards last season.

"We've got a group of players who have played an awful lot of baseball together over the last two seasons, " said UMass Dartmouth head coach Bruce Wheeler, entering his 26th season with the Corsairs (577-384-2, .600 winning percentage). "There are seven experienced pitchers back from last year and we should be able to score some runs with our offense as well."

UMass Dartmouth's pitching staff is led by sophomore Jason Cook (Bellingham, MA) (6-2, 2.70 ERA) and junior Steve Pereira (New Bedford, MA) (4-1, 1 save, 3.88 ERA), both New England Intercollegiate Baseball Association NCAA Division III Third Team All Stars last year. Among the other experienced pitchers looking to crack the starting rotation are senior Sean Donovan (Quincy, MA) (2-1, 4.83 ERA) and junior Ryan Pinto (New Bedford, MA) (1-3, 4.26 ERA), along with freshmen Steven Lauzon (Lincoln, MA) and junior colleg transfer John Mika (Boston, MA). Tri-captain Alex Tikonoff (Middleboro, MA) (1-1, 3 saves, 1.73 ERA) will be the Corsairs' stopper out of the bullpen. Senior John Alves (2-1, 2.70 ERA), who pitched in three games last year before missing the rest of the season with an injury, will also battle for time on the mound.

Behind the plate, two-year starter junior Eli Munkholm (Salem, MA) (.296, 18 RBI) is a solid receiver with back up help from junior Andre Gabryjelski (Methuen, MA) and newcomer freshman Tom Jupin (New Bedford, MA), who can also play in the outfield.

The right side of UMass Dartmouth's infield is set with a pair of two-year starters in senior tri-captain Derek Handler (Harwich, MA) (.290, 19 RBI) at first base and junior John Connole (Auburn, MA) (.261, 27 runs scored) at second base. Junior Frank Sniezek (Fairhaven, MA) (.280) will be the utility infielder.

A pair of new faces will hold down the left side of the infield with freshman Jeff Cross (Holden, MA), a Worcester Telegram All Star last season for Wachusett Regional HS at shortstop and CCRI transfer junior Isidro Fonseca (New Bedford, MA) at third base. Fonseca and junior right fielder Pat Schultz (Wareham, MA) were both two-year players for CCRI's Junior College World Series team last season. Fonseca also played for a state championship baseball team at New Bedford High School. Competing for back up spots in the infield are freshmen Adam Surgen (Northampton, MA) and Michael Silva (Fall River, MA).

Schultz, who also played ice hockey this year for the Corsairs, had 15 home runs for CCRI last year and will be joined in the outfield by a pair of returning veterans, junior Eric Alberto (Fall River, MA) (.308, 5 HRs, 28 RBI) and senior tri-captain Mike O'Leary (West Roxbury, MA) (.277, 14 RBI). Alberto can play either third base or left field and will probably bat either third or fourth, switching off with Schultz. In centerfield, O'Leary is a four-year starter with experience in left and center for the Corsairs. Among the outfield backups this season are fresham David Abreu (New Bedford, MA) and Michael Mullen (Dighton, MA) and sophomore Michael Millerick (Winchester, MA).

When he isn't pitching, the designated hitter duties will be shared by Pereira, the Corsairs' leading hitter last year with a .313 average along with 3 HRs and 19 RBI. Junior Brian Sullivan (Wareham, MA) (10-23, 6 RBI), who saw limited DH duty last year will get some at bats.

As they always have, the Corsairs will play a very difficult scheduled again this season, including an 11-game trip to California where UMass Dartmouth could face up to five teams that qualified for last year's NCAA Division III tournament. Another new wrinkle to the Corsairs' 40-game schedule this spring will be a series of weekend games against teams from the Little East Conference. At the end of the season, the LEC teams will also compete in a double-elimination tournament to crown a conference champion.

"One of the keys for us is to get off to a good start out in California, " said Wheeler, who serves as chairman of the NCAA Division III Baseball Committee. "Two years ago we started 1-8 out there, but last year we were much better and came home with a 5-5 record. We're going to know an awful lot about this team after those first 11 games out west because we're playing against some of the top teams in the country."

Prior to their week-long trip to California, UMass Dartmouth has three New England games scheduled (weather permitting) at Stonehill College (March 15, 16) and at Salve Regina (March 18). The Corsairs return to New England after the western swing with an April 1 game at Bridgewater State, an NCAA Division III World Series team last year, before returning to campus for the home-opener on April 3 against Springfield College.

Wheeler will be assisted this season by coaches Bob Curran, Jim Sullivan, Dan Kapstein and Ed Morais.