Baseball team makes the preseason top 25

Although it is still January, the promise of spring brings the sights and sounds that everyone on the campus of Georgia College & State University can look forward to, especially Bobcats head baseball coach Chris Calciano.

The Bobcats have been ranked 23 by Collegiate Baseball Magazine’s preseason Division II poll. Along with three other teams, it seems that the road to a National Championship may have to come through the Peach Belt Conference. While other teams might quiver at the sight of top ranked opponents, Calciano sees them as just another step in the right direction. In his second year as head coach of the bobcats Calciano believes that last year’s run of 16-5 of 21 games at the end of the season may be a key carry-over in the Bobcats’ season this year.

“At that point forward it seems like things were starting to click,” Calciano referred to the 3 game sweep of GC&SU by USC Aiken. “But I was pleased with how the team started to understand the philosophy and understand the things we’re looking for.”

Although if the team hopes to bounce back, it will have to fill in those spaces made by the loss of three pitchers: Matt Goyen (drafted 3rd round Florida Marlins), Travis Spell (graduation), and Brandon Durden (drafted 4th round Colorado Rockies). It is no secret that the team is lacking in the pitching staff, but Calciano is confident that the team will be able to replace their starters and begin anew. With the off season came another transformation for the team, it was Calciano’s first full fall with the Bobcats after transferring from West Chester University in Pennsylvania in the fall of 2004.

“Our coaching staff is certainly all on the same page here, the atmosphere around here is great, there is team enthusiasm, we are pretty tight as a group,” Calciano said. “And those things show the maturation of your program.”

With two promising transfers from Gloucester County Junior College in New Jersey, Rich Janofsky (INF) and Brandon Anderson (OF), and a couple other off season acquisitions, Calciano among others on the coaching staff, sees huge potential for the upcoming season. The Bobcats will begin the season with a three game series against fifth ranked University of Tampa
Feb. 3 and 4.

Posted by Colonnade Archives on Jan 20 2006. Filed under Sports. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry