Feb. 23, 2005

Last season, the Duquesne University baseball team qualified for the Atlantic 10 Championship for the second straight year and 12th year head coach Mike Wilson is looking to make it three in a row in 2005 as he returns the majority of his pitching staff, some key offensive contributors and adds an array of highly-touted newcomers.

The strength of the team lies in its weekend starting pitching rotation of senior Bob Reifschneider and juniors Scott Chisholm and Adam Haun. The trio combined for 10 wins in 32 starts with 15 complete games and 199 innings in 2004. Reifschneider is second in career innings pitched (222.1), third in complete games (15) and fourth in career wins (14) and strikeouts (157) while Haun is second all-time at DU in career ERA at 4.16 and is third and fourth in single season strikeouts.

Offensively, the Dukes return just three starters in senior catcher Mike Grecco, junior infielder Steve Maiolo and sophomore infielder Joe Berletic. In 2004, they combined for 123 hits, 75 runs scored, 20 stolen bases, nine home runs and 76 RBI. With similar production from them along with an influx of six new talented players to the starting line-up, the Red and Blue will possibly improve on last year's offensive output.

PITCHERS Five returning pitchers made starts last season as Reifschneider paced DU with four wins in 13 starts with 52 strikeouts in 80.1 innings followed by Haun with three victories in 11 starts with 64 strikeouts in 75.2 innings. Chisholm's season was shortened due to an injury, but he still managed three wins in eights starts with 53 punch-outs in 43 innings. Filling in for Chisholm at the end of the year was junior Travis Rife who made seven starts with one win on the year with 21 strikeouts in 37 innings. Senior Ken Strader toed the rubber twice in the starting line-up and earned a victory versus Cleveland State and one other in relief.

While these five players gobbled the majority of the starts, a few returnees provided quality relief innings in senior Jon Smith, juniors Gavin Church and Bob Hartle and sophomore Matt Melillo. Each has worked hard in the off-season and could see extended innings as well as spot starts. Redshirt freshmen Jeremy Gerger and Joe Kaye will bring additional quality arms to the staff. In fact, Gerger is penciled in to be the Dukes closer this season. Other newcomers include true freshmen Nick Jones, Ryan Juran, Keith Meyer and Matt Urys.

INFIELD Maiolo is the lone returning starting infielder from last year's senior-ridden team and will move from third base to shortstop this season. Maiolo led the Dukes in hitting last year with a .333 average and 38 RBI and was the only player to start all 49 games. A 2004 Atlantic 10 Second Team All-Conference selection, he had three homers, nine doubles and eight stolen bases as well.

Joining him up the middle will be redshirt freshman Nolan Pena, a stellar fielder who hit .422 as a senior at Archbishop Carroll High School in Miami, FL. Securing the corners will be Berletic and Derek Mechling. Berletic was fourth on the team in hitting and is second among returning players with a .304 average last season. He made 35 starts last season at a variety of positions, including five at third base where he will be the starter this year.

Mechling is penciled in to be the starter at first after making nine outfield starts and one at catcher as a freshman. He demonstrated some pop with his bat at the end of last season smashing two doubles, a triple and a home run with his last four hits of the year. Also vying for playing time will be senior Mike Duganich and freshmen Aaron Janusey, Nick Jones, Patrick Kimutis and Bill Torre.

OUTFIELD The Dukes lost four capable outfielders to graduation but return a couple of sophomores and welcome a few freshmen as well to fill the void. Sophomore Corey Bugno has the most collegiate outfield experience on the team having made 17 starts in right and center for the Red and Blue in 2004. Slated to be the starter in right this season, he will look to add to his three homers, five steals and 15 RBI in 63 at bats last year.

Fellow sophomore Alex Sharick is scheduled to make the transition from back-up catcher to starting left fielder this year while freshmen Eric Morrison is likely to be the new DU centerfielder. Others looking to make an impact include Torre and fellow freshman Dante Plassio.

CATCHERS/DESIGNATED HITTERS Wilson has the luxury of having five players with catching experience, including returning starter Grecco. Grecco has held down the plate duties for two plus seasons and will be the starter again this year. With a knack for handling pitchers and a cannon-like arm, he should also be an asset offensively as evidenced by his five round-trippers and 23 walks last season.

Available to help out behind the dish and in other positions as well will be Mechling, Sharick and freshmen Plassio and Mike Carroll. Duganich is the leading candidate to take over the designated hitter duties. He belted two home runs last season in 25 at bats and walked seven times after missing the 2003 campaign with an injury. Fellow first baseman Janusey could also see time here.

SCHEDULE Duquesne will open the 2005 season on Friday, Feb. 25 as the Dukes travel to Alabama to take on the Crimson Tide in Tuscaloosa for a three-game series. A rare scheduling hiccup for the University means no spring break trip to Florida for the Dukes this season, but in addition to Alabama the Red and Blue will make weekend trips to Liberty in Virginia and Charlotte in North Carolina for three-game series before opening Atlantic 10 play

The Dukes will face traditional non-conference rivals from the surrounding area including Pitt, West Virginia, Akron, Cleveland State, Kent, Ohio and Youngstown State as well as hosting first time opponent Le Moyne and traveling to Maryland to face the host Terrapins. The home schedule is slated to begin on March 8 as the Dukes host Youngstown State at 2:00 pm at Duquesne Field and for the third straight year the Red and Blue will play Pitt at PNC Park on Wednesday, April 13 at 1:00 pm.

In Atlantic 10 Conference action, the Red and Blue will have a three-game series versus each of the west division schools including Dayton, George Washington, La Salle, Richmond and Xavier as well as against east foes Saint Joseph's, Massachusetts and Fordham for a total of 24 conference games. The top two teams from each division as well as two wild cards will qualify for the Atlantic 10 Championship. To be played May 25-28 in Dayton, OH.