Globe Life Field opened in 2020. Three years later, the Texas Rangers won their first-ever World Series.
Quinnipiac baseball may not be destined for the World Series, but it enters 2024 on a new field with a new set of expectations.
Quinnipiac Athletics announced renovations for the baseball field following a historic 30-win season in 2023, tying the program record for most wins in a season. The new facility includes a turf field, updated dugouts and fencing.
“It’s brought a new life to the program,” assistant coach Trey Stover said. “Most of the renovations and funding came from (alumni). It just goes to show the culture and the team aspect that we have going on.”
Senior catcher Keegan O’Connor called the field, “a long time coming.” The same goes for the Bobcats’ success in 2023.
Quinnipiac had its first postseason run in four years cut short during the MAAC semifinals after a 12-4 loss to Fairfield, and like most teams who get a taste of the postseason, the Bobcats want more.
“Two years prior were not winning seasons, (they) were not what we wanted,” O’Connor said. “(Last year) showed us the hard work that we put in really pays off and we’re continuing to do that today.”
GAINS, LOSSES AND RETURNS
To have another winning season, Quinnipiac needs to harness what it already has in its arsenal.
“We have a lot of our lineup returning,” graduate right-handed pitcher Jimmy Hagan said. “(We’re) trying to continue building that year in and year out.”
The Bobcats welcome back O’Connor, an All-MAAC and NEIBA All-New England first-team catcher. In 2023, the Massachusetts native hit .342 and had a .987 fielding percentage behind the plate.
Additionally, seniors, infielder Sebastian Mueller and outfielder Jared Zimbardo, redshirt senior infielder Sean Swenson and graduate student outfielder Braydon Seaburg resume their roles as veterans in the lineup.
Quinnipiac’s biggest loss lies with center fielder and NCBWA Preseason Second Team All-American Anthony Donofrio, who lept from the MAAC to the ACC after transferring to the University of North Carolina following a stellar senior season. Donofrio boasted a .364 average with 16 home runs, 64 RBIs and 31 stolen bases from the two-spot.
“Whether he’s in a Quinnipiac navy blue or UNC light blue, he was always an All-American in our book,” Stover said.
It’s hard to replace a one-of-a-kind talent like Donofrio. But Stover and the coaching staff believe they’ve brought in “the right pieces” to fill the void.
Outfielder Gabe Wright, a sophomore JUCO transfer, has the potential to do that for Quinnipiac with his speed in the field and power at the plate.
“We think he brings a different element to the game,” Stover said.
Although Wright can bolster Quinnipiac’s lineup, the Bobcats must also match the presence of former second baseman Kyle Maves and former right-handed pitcher Kevin Seitter.
Senior infielder Matt DeRosa will step into Maves’ shoes at second base, which will be difficult to fill. In 2023, Maves had a .358 batting average on 82 hits and was the runner-up in runs scored for the Bobcats. He also holds the program record for stolen bases.
Replacing Quinnipiac’s No. 1 pitcher is another story. Former All-MAAC First Teamer Seitter left an imprint on the mound that will be difficult to replace. Seitter threw 88 innings in 2023, ending his senior year with a 1.96 ERA in the MAAC.
The Bobcats had their work cut out for them in the offseason, but they’ve also managed to snag multiple strong players through the transfer portal. Add in Quinnipiac’s returning roster, and it has a competitive squad to build off of in 2024.
THE BATTER’S BOX
Besides O’Connor’s bat, Mueller, Swenson, Zimbardo and Seaburg are set to continue their hot streaks from 2023.
Swenson hit .315, racking in 38 RBIs and nine home runs while Zimbardo led the Bobcats in at-bats (237) and runs (60), capping off his junior year with a .278 average. Seaburg batted .256 with 34 hits in 133 at-bats. Quinnipiac gained another strong bat through the transfer portal in junior shortstop Dominick Proctor. During his time at Bryant and Stratton College in Virginia, Proctor had a .315 average.
To carry the offensive momentum from 2023, the Bobcats have to be disciplined at the plate.
O’Connor echoed Quinnipiac’s mantra in the batter’s box: “two-strike fight.” The Bobcats look to take more pitches and prolong at-bats.
“That’s our senior leader,” Stover said of O’Connor. “It goes to show when a guy like that trusts and does what the coaching staff is doing, the rest should just follow suit.”
THE ROTATION
Two sure starters are returning to the mound in 2024: Hagan and junior righty Mason Ulsh. Hagan went 1-3 with a 4.76 ERA in 2023, while Ulsh recorded a 5.31 ERA in 20 appearances.
“We have six guys built up to be starters,” Stover said. “When you have that much talent on the same level and no one’s taking the step forward yet, why not build them all up to be ‘that guy’ and wait for someone to take the role?”
Graduate student righty Sam Favieri, sophomore rightys Aaron Zenus and Andrew Rubayo along with freshman righty Raymond McNaught are expected to battle to fill the rotation.
Harnessing the talents of an experienced pitcher like Favieri, combined with young blood from Zenus, Rubayo and McNaught, may give Quinnipiac’s pitching staff the depth it has been searching for.
The Bobcats have the opportunity to test their rotation against Liberty on Feb. 16 with a season-opening three-game series.
THE BOTTOM LINE
With mostly veterans commanding the field and experienced hitters in the box, Quinnipiac surely has another shot at a postseason run. As Mueller said, “The standard is higher now.”
And with a brand new field, the standards have jumped even higher.
