Only one week into the OUA baseball season, the Blues are cementing their position amongst the best in the province. After losing a one-run game to McMaster in the season opener on Sept. 4, the Blues have reeled off three consecutive victories (Laurier, York twice) and remain one game behind defending champion Brock.
The early success of this year’s squad may come as a surprise to fans of OUA baseball. Following a 2002 campaign which saw the Blues finish second in the division, the team lost its entire starting outfield, as well as pitching aces Angus Roy and Brian Dikdan.
Roy, last year’s OUA pitcher of the year, went on to sign a major league contract with the Boston Red Sox. He spent the spring and summer playing for Boston’s farm team, the Augusta Greenjackets, and has since been released by the club. In 2001, Dikdan led U of T to the inaugural OUA championship while also being named pitcher of the year.
Despite losing several key players, head coach Dan Lang maintains that the Blues are no longer in a rebuilding phase. “The team may be rebuilt, but we’re confident we can beat any team in the league. We’ve replaced our star players with a lot more depth on the mound and at the plate. We’ve become an overall better team,” he argued. “Don’t get me wrong; I would love to have Angus or Brian on our team, but I wouldn’t trade this year’s team for last year’s team.”
Though only three players from last year’s starting squad have returned, the Blues remain an experienced team. In the off-season, U of T’s graduate program attracted three veteran players. Third baseman and OUA all-star Scott Hughes joined the team from McMaster, and Marc Sgrignoli will be wearing blue in the outfield after an all-star season with Guelph.
But the most important addition to the team may be behind the plate. Dominic Roppa, a former three-time academic All-American at Northern Illinois University, and a first year U of T dentistry student, will be directing the pitching staff as the Blues’ starting catcher.
“Roppa’s an exceptional young catcher. He brings a lot of experience, which is essential for our young new pitchers,” commented Lang.
A 26 year-old rookie from Chicago, Roppa hopes to raise the bar this year by bringing his NCAA background to the table. “I’ve got a lot of leadership to offer because of my experience,” said Roppa, “and because of the level I played at, it gives me some credibility on the field.”
Roppa and Hughes will be anchoring an impressive infield, which has coach Lang feeling excited for the upcoming season. “Our infield is the best I’ve ever seen. We’re terrific at every position. Our pitchers are confident that our infield will be able to turn double plays and chase down ground balls.”
The pitching staff is anchored by returning players Jesse Fulton, who finished last season with a 1.09 ERA, and Joe Callaghan, who finished tied for the league lead in wins. Three rookie pitchers round out the pitching.
“Our pitching staff is a lot different from last year. We’ve got a lot more depth. We may not have any one dominant pitcher, but we’re very comfortable with six or seven different pitchers,” noted Lang.
Unlike last year, the Blues won’t be relying solely on pitching and defense to win games. In their three victories the Blues have outscored their opponents 25-7.
“Our batting has significantly improved from last year,” said Lang. “From one to seven we’re very confident with our lineup. We plan on letting our guys hit away.”
A handful of dedicated Blues fans came out on Saturday to see the revamped Blues swing the lumber in a doubleheader against Western. U of T took the first game 2-1 in ten innings. The win came with the bases loaded in the bottom of the 10th, when Western surrendered a game winning walk to the Blues. Jesse Fulton pitched a complete game for the win, striking out seven and allowing one run.
“I didn’t get much run support today, but as the game got longer I still felt pretty good,” said Fulton. “My pitches were firing on all cylinders today.”
Western salvaged the day by taking game two 4-2. Joe Callaghan took the loss for the Blues.
In a league where six of the eight teams were separated by only one game last year, the Blues will be looking to improve on last season when they were knocked out in the semi-finals by McMaster.
