Feb. 25, 2005

The Duquesne University baseball team opens its 2005 campaign tonight as it travels south to face the University of Alabama at 7:30 pm (EST) in the first of three games with the Crimson Tide (5-3). Senior Bob Reifschneider will get the nod on the mound tonight for the Red and Blue while junior Scott Chisholm is scheduled to start tomorrow.

Last season the Dukes 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 Reifschneider, Chisholm and junior 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 could improve on last year's offensive output.