The Pace baseball team looks to make another run at the playoffs this season, after finishing with a record of 33-17 in 2013, the second most wins in Pace history, while also making the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1985.
Although they were unable to make it past the first round, senior David Pepe still considered it to be an “awesome” year.
“Making it to the regional tournament was an unbelievable experience that we will never forget,” said Pepe, an infielder and outfielder majoring in management. “It was something that we were proud of as a team because it was one of our goals in the beginning of the year and we accomplished it.”
Head Coach Henry Manning saw the team making the playoffs as “a really good thing” but believed that the team “ran out of gas” towards the end.
“Last year we had a very good offensive team, we were able to score a lot of runs. We actually lead the conference in hitting [The Setters finished the season with 514 hits and scored 295 runs]. Our offense carried us throughout the season. Once we got to the playoffs though, we really weren’t able to hit as much. Pitching and defense wins ball games and we just ran out of pitching in the end.”
The pitching situation seems to look brighter this season however, as Manning says he is “comfortable with the pitching depth we have.”
“If everyone stays healthy, then I think we are in pretty good shape,” Manning said.
A gain in pitching is certainly a good thing, especially when the offense seems to be an entirely different situation.
“We lost a good number of guys from last year that really brought a lot to our offense,” said Manning, who enters his 14 season as head coach. “I think we lost about four or five guys. So we need some of those new guys to come in and step up.”
Looking ahead to the new season, the Setters were voted to finish third in the Southwest division in the preseason coaches’ poll.
The team however, chooses not to worry about it. Sophomore outfielder Michael Viegas sees the pre-season rankings as “motivation to do better and to prove to ourselves and everyone that we are a great baseball team.”
Pepe believes that pre-season rankings “don’t mean a lot.”
“We don’t really pay much attention to those rankings because in the end you still have to play all the games. In baseball any team can be beaten any day so we know that while it is nice to be ranked where we are, we still do have to play our best every game.”
Another thing that the team won’t get too concerned over is the amount of wins that they get this season. Of course, they hope to top the 33 win mark that they achieved last season, but ultimately the team understands that each game has to be taken one day at a time.
“33 wins was another huge accomplishment for our team,” said Pepe, who hit .286 last season, along with a five game hitting streak. “Anytime you win 30 or more games in a college season it’s a big accomplishment. We would love to get there again and win more than 33 games. We just stay focused day in and day out and work hard to prepare us to win as many games as possible once the season starts.”
Success is the goal, with Viegas saying that the team “strives to win every game.”
While some teams strive to win the championship, Manning believes that it’s important to focus on the first goal, which is to make the playoffs, before worrying about winning championships.
“Last couple of years it’s been win the division and then lose in the first round,” Manning said. “Our first goal is to try and get in the playoffs, try to win the NE-10 division. After that it’s up to how we play moving forward. If you play well against the other teams in your conference then you will get the chance to make it in to the playoffs. Our conference is stacked, so we just need to go out there and play well and go as far as we can.”
Much like with lacrosse and softball, Nature has not been very cooperative when it comes to preparing for the start of the season, something Manning finds to be a bit of an issue.
“It’s certainly a challenge because having to play indoors you try to replicate that ‘in-game’ feel and it’s not easy,” Manning said. “There are certain things you need to work on that you can’t really do inside. We haven’t been able to go outside and work on fly balls, and that’s a big part of the game. It’s been tough compared to the last two or three years.”
The Setters begin their season on Sat., March 1 as they take on Bloomfield College. After two more road games, the Setters return to Pace for a three-game weekend series against Merrimack College on Sat., March 8 and Sun., March 9.
Check out pacesettersathletics.com for the complete schedule as well as upcoming events and promotions.