It was 32 degrees outside but the Quinnipiac University men’s baseball team was on the field. They are not going to miss a practice just because it is a little chilly. The whole team was out there, bundled up and working hard. They kept moving to stay warm as they prepared for their first conference game of the season.
The team has only one win in seven games this year so far, but Head Coach Dan Gooley, complete with wool hat, is not at all worried about having a season similar to last year’s dismal 5-37 showing.
“It’s not a rough start whatsoever,” said Gooley. “I’m very happy with our development at this stage right now. We’re playing very decent baseball.”
Five of the team’s six losses have come at the hands of conference champions: University of Massachusetts (Big Ten), Delaware (Colonial), Rider (MAAC), and Seton Hall (Big East). Their only loss to a non-conference champion was a 4-2 defeat at Hofstra who they came back to beat 11-2 the very next day.
“If we’re here three weeks from now,” said Gooley, “with the same ratio of wins to losses, I will be very, very disappointed.”
The team begins conference play on March 23 with a double-header against Sacred Heart with Dave Bennett and Chris Gresh starting those two games. John Melillo will start the third game on the March 24 and the coach expects good things.
“We are easily two hits away from being 3-3,” said Gooley. “We just haven’t finished it. It’s the clutch base hit with two outs. It’s the two-out hit and the two out run. It’s getting the third out in the eighth inning with second and third and two outs, and we just haven’t done it yet,” he said.
The QU baseball team returns to action with a three game series against St. Francis (NY) consisting of a double header on March 29 and the third game on March 30.