BOSTON - The reigning Beanpot champions return to the diamond when the Northeastern baseball team opens its 2014 season at No. 23 Texas A&M for a three-game series beginning Friday, Feb. 14.
Northeastern looks to build off of its unprecedented success from a year ago. The 2013 Huskies became the fourth team in program history to eclipse the 30-win mark when they finished the season with a 31-26 overall record. The Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) coaches' poll pegged last year's Huskies to finish in ninth place, but NU defied the odds and made an incredible run in the CAA Championships before dropping a 12-4 decision to William & Mary in the semifinals.
The 2014 Huskies return four position players who played in all 57 games last year. Senior outfielder
Brad Burcroff tied for the team lead in doubles with 15 last year and placed second with five home runs. Junior first baseman
Rob Fonseca also smacked 15 doubles last year and led the team in hitting (.309) and home runs (six). Second baseman
Michael Foster, a redshirt sophomore, led the 2013 Huskies in doubles (17) and slugging percentage (.469). The Pickering, Ontario native enters this season as the best defensive infielder in the CAA as selected by CollegeBaseballInsider.com. Both Fonesca and Foster were named preseason All-CAA Honorable Mentions. Junior shortstop
Jason Vosler hit .290 last year and led the team with 41 RBI.
Senior captains
Connor Lyons and
Sean Lyons, who are the first brothers in NU history to serve as captains, will round out Northeastern's outfield alongside Burcroff. Connor started 43 games for the Huskies last year and finished third on the team with a .294 batting average. Sean started 20 games in the outfield in 2013 and placed fourth on the team with a .354 on-base percentage. Senior right-handed pitcher
Chris Carmain joins the Lyons brothers as tri-captains for the 2014 Huskies.
While the Huskies welcome back several position players, the NU coaching staff expects healthy competition for catching, third base, and DH responsibilities.
As talented and experienced as Northeastern's bats are, the NU pitching staff made a huge impression by leading the CAA in team ERA (3.89), fewest hits allowed (476) and fewest wild pitches (25).
Nick Berger will anchor the Husky staff after throwing 93.2 innings through 14 starts last year. Berger finished the 2013 season with a 6-6 record and posted a 3.56 ERA. Carmain looks to return to form after he was limited to 22.1 innings last year as he recovered from Tommy John Surgery. Sophomore southpaw
James Mulry finished his freshman campaign with a respectable 4.11 ERA after appearing in 12 games (seven starts).
Isaac Lippert and
Nick Cubarney will also be called upon to start on the mound for Northeastern. The left-handed Lippert appeared in 11 games (seven starts) in 2013 and finished the year with a 4-2 record to go with a 4.20 ERA. Cubarney finished fourth on the team with a 3.86 ERA and started eight of his nine appearances. Â
Senior
Matt Cook's 3.83 ERA last year was the third-best mark on the team as 17 of his 20 appearances came out of the bullpen. Both Burcroff and Foster will factor as two-way players during the season with Burcroff pitching relief late in games and Foster serving as NU's closer.
Northeastern's incredible 2013 season is reflected in its rigorous 2014 schedule. The Huskies' slate includes seven teams that competed in the NCAA Regionals last year, including No. 23 Texas A&M. Northeastern's non-conference schedule also includes Notre Dame, Virginia Tech, Villanova, Connecticut and Massachusetts.
"The 2014 schedule is the strongest schedule we have ever had during my tenure at Northeastern," said Northeastern head coach Neil McPhee, who is retiring at the end of the season after 29 years at the helm of the Huskies' baseball program. Current assistant coach
Mike Glavine will take over as NU's next head coach, Director of Athletics and Recreation
Peter Roby announced in September 2013.
One week after playing at A&M, NU returns to the Lone Star State for a three-game series against Houston Baptist. The Huskies of Houston Baptist won the Great West Conference Championship in 2013, their first conference title since moving to NCAA Division I competition.
One week after the Houston Baptist series, the Northeastern flies south once again, this time to Fort Myers, Fla., where the Huskies open a seven-game slate in the Sunshine State with its annual exhibition game against the reigning World Series champions, the Boston Red Sox, on Thursday, Feb. 27, at Jet Blue Park. This marks the 11th consecutive year that NU plays an exhibition game against the Sox.
Northeastern continues its stay in Florida with games in Port Charlotte against Central Michigan, St. Bonaventure, Maine, Presbyterian (two games), and Western Michigan. The Huskies open their home schedule on March 14 with four consecutive games at Friedman Diamond, three against Niagara and one against Brown on March 19.
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