HAVERFORD, Pa. – The 2016 Haverford College baseball team's schedule has been released as the Fords look to win their third Centennial Conference Championship in the last five years.
The 2016 squad returns seven of its top eight hitters from 2015, highlighted by All-Centennial Conference second team player, junior Ben Verducci. Sophomore Spencer Sohmer (.310 batting average) led the team with 10 doubles and was tied for second in walks (13). Sophomore Matt Goss had the team high in runs scored (28), walks (15), hit-by-pitch (13) and on-base percentage (.466). Sophomore Justin Herring will be the top starting pitcher returning as he tallied a 4.54 ERA in 41 2/3 innings while sophomore Patrick O'Shea had a 3.27 ERA in 13 outings out of the bullpen.
The annual Spring Break trip starts the 2016 season as the team travels to Fort Myers, Fla. From March 6-12. A schedule for the trip will be available later.
Kannsterstein Field sees its first action as Immaculata heads to Haverford (Mar. 15). After a quick trip to DeSales the next day (Mar. 16), the Fords have a three-game homestand with a doubleheader vs. St. John Fisher (Mar. 19) and Rowan (Mar. 23).
Treks to NYU (Mar. 26), Eastern (Mar. 29) and TCNJ (Mar. 31) conclude the month of March. April features 12 home games for Haverford including a stretch of six of seven at Kannerstein Field. Centennial Conference play begins at Johns Hopkins (Apr. 2). Alvernia, a 2015 NCAA Tournament qualifier, heads to Haverford (Apr. 6). A home and home series with Swarthmore takes place in the first week of April (Apr. 5, 8). There are four straight home games follow including a doubleheader vs. Dickinson (Apr. 9), and contests vs. Muhlenberg (Apr. 12) and Gwynedd Mercy (Apr. 13).
Following a road matchup at Muhlenberg (Apr. 15), the baseball team has two at home vs. McDaniel (Apr. 16) and another conference home and home series, this time vs. Ursinus (Apr. 19, 21). The Fords travel to Washington College for two (Apr. 23) along with conference matchups vs. Franklin and Marshall (Apr. 26, 29). Widener (Apr. 27) is the final non-conference battle of the season.
Haverford welcomes Gettysburg for the final regular games of the year. In what was one of the wildest weekends in program history, Haverford qualified for the Centennial Conference playoffs for the eighth straight season last season with a doubleheader sweep of the Gettysburg, coupled with two Washington College's losses to Dickinson.
Head coach Dave Beccaria is entering his 16th season at the helm of the Haverford College baseball team. Beccaria has guided the Fords to Centennial Conference Tournament Championships during both the 2012 and 2014 seasons. In each of those seasons, Haverford has gone on to win a game at the NCAA Division III Mid-Atlantic Regional.
Beccaria has established a tradition of winning during his tenure, compiling an overall record of 323-237-3. Those 323 victories rank as the most by a single manager in program history. His squad has made 10 appearances in the Centennial Conference Tournament during his last 11 years as head coach. Including his two Centennial Conference Championships, the Fords have played for the conference title six times during his tenure. Five of those conference championship appearances have come in the past six seasons.