by Jim Mullins
Assistant Director
Sports Information

UMass Dartmouth Coach Bruce Wheeler will count on six veterans
to lead 1998 Corsair baseball team

(Dartmouth, MA) -- UMass Dartmouth baseball coach Bruce Wheeler heads into the 1998 season with six returning veterans and a pair of experienced pitchers from a team which posted a 22-16 record last year and finished ninth in the final New England Intercollegiate Baseball Association (NEIBA) poll.

Wheeler begins his 27th season at UMass Dartmouth (601-401-2) with a solid core of returning veterans from last year's team. Building on last year's success, the return of four All-New England All-Stars plus the Little East Conference Pitcher of the Year have the Corsairs optimistic about the 1998 campaign.

The Corsairs will return six experienced position players from last year, including senior captain and left fielder Eric Alberto (Fall River, MA), senior pitcher and DH Steve Pereira (New Bedford, MA), sophomore shortstop Jeff Cross (Holden, MA), senior rightfielder/DH Pat Schultz (Wareham, MA), junior catcher Eli Munkholm (Salem, MA) and senior second baseman John Connole (Auburn, MA)

Alberto is an ECAC New England Division III and NEIBA All-New England first team outfield selection last year. He led the Corsairs in hitting with a .412 average, plus 10 HRs and a team-high 48 RBI. Alberto also led the Corsairs in hits (48), triples (2), and stolen bases (15).

Cross is coming off an outstanding freshman season in which he was an NEIBA Division III third team All-New England selection, LEC Honorable Mention and LEC Rookie of the Year. He hit .394, second best for the Corsairs last season, with 5 HR and 32 RBI. Teaming up with Cross in the middle of the Corsairs' infield, Connole (.315, 2 HR and 26 RBI) is a four-year starter at second base for UMass Dartmouth.

Joining Alberto in the outfield will be Schultz, another NEIBA Division III All-New England first-team selection last year. He led the Corsairs with 13 home runs and 48 RBI, a .717 slugging percentage, while hitting .382, third best on the roster.

Behind the plate, Wheeler will be counting on Munkholm, who missed most of last season with an illness. During last year's California trip, Munkholm was off to a great start, hitting .538 in the Corsairs' first six games before he was forced to leave the team.

Senior Brian Sullivan (Wareham, MA) (.317, 1 HR and 7 RBI) saw most of his action in the outfield a year ago, but could be moved to the infield this season. Sophomore outfielder Manny Santo (Warwick, RI), a transfer from Southern Maine, could move into the starting lineup. He hit .280 for the Huskies last year with 1 HR and 4 RBI in 23 games.

Wheeler will bank on a couple of new comers to fill some holes in the starting lineup and back-up positions on the bench. Freshman Brian Ronayne (Bridgewater, MA) will see some playing time at first base as will center fielder Doug Kelsch (Wareham, MA).

"We should be a very good team offensively, both with power and consistency," said Wheeler, who is in his third season as Chairman of the NCAA Division III Baseball Committee. "We've got a solid lineup of hitters so I'm confident we will be able to score some runs. We've got our top pitcher in Pereira back and four outstanding first-year pitchers, but their contributions will depend on their ability to get the ball over the plate."

Pereira, the LEC Pitcher of the Year Last season, will be the Corsairs' ace this season. He posted a 6-1 record with a save and a team-leading 2.59 earned run average. In 12 games as a junior, Pereira started nine games, pitched six complete games, walking 19 and striking out a team-high 43 in 73 innings.

Pinto is UMass Dartmouth's other returning veteran on the mound. Last season, he appeared in seven games, including five starts. In 24.3 innings, he posted a 1-3 record with a complete game and 31 walks plus 19 strikeouts.

The Corsairs will have a pair of converted relief pitchers taking care of the closer's role this season. Munkholm and Ronayne will share the late-game duties for the Corsairs this season.

While the Corsairs may be deep in the field and on offense, they will miss the departure of three pitchers from last year's staff. That's where Wheeler will be looking to a group of highly recruited first-year players who pitched well during the fall season.

Looking for a shot to join Pereira and Pinto in the rotation are freshmen Bob Haskins (Brockton, MA), Jason Hinchcliffe (New Bedford, MA), Tim Troup (Halifax, MA) and Jimmy Burke (Milton, MA). Haskins was the Division I Massachusetts state tournament MVP last year when Brockton captured the title. Hichcliffe was the American Legion state tournament MVP for New Bedford Post 1 last summer.

Coming off the Corsairs' bench this season will be freshman first baseman Randy Basett (Brewster, MA), freshmen second basemen Mike Williams (Northampton, MA) and Chris McLain (Northampton, MA), freshman shortstop Rob Geggatt (Falmouth, MA), junior catcher Nelson Linhares (Dartmouth, MA) and freshman outfielder Jim Sfougaris (Brockton, MA). Wheeler will also bee looking at pitchers sophomore Aaron Sorelle (Freetown, MA), freshman Mike Sullivan (Swansea, MA), and freshman John Ferrari (Somerville, MA).

One year ago, the Corsairs posted a 7-4 record during their 11-game swing through California before returning to New England where they were 15-12. UMass Dartmouth saved some of its best baseball for the end of the season. The Corsairs won seven of their last 10 games, qualified for the first Little East Conference Tournament and were eventually eliminated in the title game by the eventual NCAA Division III national champions from Southern Maine.

This season, UMass Dartmouth has a 38-game schedule set, including an 11-game trip to California, plus seven Little East Conference double-headers and a non-conference schedule which includes most of the top Division III New England baseball programs. The Corsairs open their season on March 21 in the California Invitational Tournament against La Verne University and return to campus for their home-opener on March 31 against Bridgewater State College.

Wheeler will again be joined on the Corsairs' bench by assistant coaches Robert Curran, Jim Sullivan and Mike O'Leary.