HAVERFORD, Pa. – The 2016 Haverford College baseball season is set to begin over the week of Spring Break. This season, the Fords are seeking their ninth straight appearance in the Centennial Conference playoffs and third Centennial Conference Championship in the last five years.
In its 2015 campaign, the team finished with a 15-20 overall record and 9-9 clip in the conference. The Fords picked up one victory in the Centennial Conference Tournament, an 11-4 win over Johns Hopkins.
The 2016 squad returns seven of its top eight hitters from 2015, highlighted by second-team All-Centennial Conference player, junior Ben Verducci. The Haverford middle infielder figures to be the team's top offensive threat, fresh off a season in which he hit with a .376 average. Verducci enjoyed a multi-hit day on 10 occasions.
Spencer Sohmer batted .310 and led the team with 10 doubles. The sophomore infielder exhibits a great eye for the strike zone as he was punched out just six times in 104 at bats and tied for second on the team in walks (13). Sohmer's offense really came to fruition towards the end of the season as he batted .565 during a six game stretch in April and proved to be one of Haverford's top run-producing threats in the conference tournament.
Lead off hitter Matt Goss returns from a season in which he had the team high in runs scored (28), walks (15), hit-by-pitch (13) and on-base percentage (.466). Other position players expected to make an impact include senior shortstop Zack Taylor, senior catcher Nick Ott, and junior outfielder Yannick Villanueva.
Sophomore Justin Herring will be the top starting pitcher returning as he tallied a 4.54 ERA and 30 strikeouts in 41.2 innings. He'll fill the big shoes of graduated staff ace Tommy Bergjans, a three-time Centennial Conference Pitcher of the Year.
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.
The annual Spring Break trip starts the 2016 season as the team travels to Fort Myers, Fla. From March 6-12. The Fords are set to take on Dominican (Ill.) University in a double header at 9 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. Kannsterstein Field sees its first action on March 15 as Immaculata comes to town. 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).