Jan. 26, 2000
Improvement is a key word in the Fairfield University baseball vocabulary. It's a word that can quickly characterize last season's achievements and sum up the goals for the 2000 edition of Stag baseball. With a total of 20 letterwinners returning, including seven pitchers and seven position starters, 16th year head coach John Slosar can expect his squad to improve on last year's program record-tying 23 wins and improve in the offensive (.296, 30 HR's, 120 stolen bases), defensive (.952 fielding pct.) and pitching (6.45 ERA) categories.
Topping their numbers from last year won't be an easy task though, as once again the Stags will be taking on a highly ambitious schedule including games against three 1999 NCAA Tournament participants. Before embarking on their 27 game MAAC schedule, Fairfield will open up on the west-coast with a four-game series at the University of San Francisco. They'll follow that up with a seven-game trip to South Carolina where they will face the likes of Ohio State, Winthrop, Central Michigan and Davidson. Upon returning north, along with their MAAC opponents, the Stags will also take on non-conference opponents such as intrastate rival UConn and another Big East foe, Seton Hall. Also on tap are games against Army, Yale, URI and several other top-notch programs.
After a few years of building with youthful talent, Slosar will have nine seniors returning, all of which will be integral parts of the Stags' success. Headlining the class is right fielder Tom Lopusznick who could become the Stags' all-time leader in nearly every offensive category before he's through this year. Fraternal twin brother Jim Lopusznick also returns in center field where he batted .331 and stole 14 bases last spring in the lead-off spot. The switch-hitting Paul Macchio rounds out a talented trio of seniors that are dangerous at the plate and on the bases. Macchio cracked a career-high six home runs last season and stole 21 bases. A pair of senior pitchers will also be key on the hill for the Stags. Joe Bruderek and Dave Catelotti have proven to be reliable over their first three seasons and will look to be major parts of this year's rotation.
The junior class is equally as impressive as it contains the Stags' number one and two pitchers from last year's campaign. Steve Colcord and Ryan Holsten combined for 11 wins last season and with two years under their belts should be at the top of the class among the MAAC's best pitchers. Classmates Matt Fratturelli and Matt McGoldrick will battle for time in left field again this year. The speedy McGoldrick had stolen six bases in 12 games before going down for the season with a shoulder injury while Fratturelli made the most of his time, collecting nine extra base hits and a career-best 12 stolen bases. Ed McCrann flashed his leather at the short stop position last year by posting a .945 fielding percentage and upped his batting average to .313.
Last year's rookie class lived up to its hype as well as Ryan Bittner, Sean Easton and Dan Krines all got some valuable experience as freshmen and with that year's experience should be able to contribute more to the 2000 campaign. Bittner saw the most action, starting all 46 games at first base and posting a .280 batting average with a team-leading 12 doubles and a sure-handed .977 fielding percentage. Catcher Sean Easton was also one of the MAAC's top rookies as he batted .297 and threw out close to 40% of attempted base stealers. Krines saw action in 11 games on the hill, earning two wins and one save.
If all this wasn't enough for Slosar to look forward to the spring of 2000, he's also brought in another talented group of recruits that should make their presence felt from the start.
After two years of absence from the MAAC Tournament and building for the future, the Stags' have all the pieces to make the improvements they need for a return trip to the playoffs. Putting those pieces in place this spring should also give Fairfield a shot at the title and a NCAA Tournament berth.
