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2001 DELAWARE BASEBALL QUICK FACTS  General Information Location Newark, Delaware 19716 Founded 1743 Enrollment 16,000 Undergraduates Nickname Fightin' Blue Hens Official Mascot YoUDee Colors Royal Blue & Gold Affiliation NCAA Division I Conference America East Joined Conference 1991-92 (10th season) President Dr. David P. Roselle NCAA Faculty Rep Dr. John L. Burmeister  Athletic Information Athletic Director Edgar N. Johnson Athletic Office Phone 302-831-4006 Sr. Assoc. Athletic Director Mary Ann Hitchens Associate AD/Programs & Facilities Kate Pohlig Assistant Atheltic Directors Business Affairs Scott Eatough Compliance Sue Groff Recreation & Intramurals Maryann Rappocelli Marketing Director Curt Krouse Operations Associate Jerry Oravitz Events Supervisor Shane Brey Athletics Development Kathleen Houghton Sports Medicine Physician Dr. Vincent Disabella Head Trainer Keith Handling Assoc. Head Trainer Joan Couch Assistant Trainer Mike Higgins Assistant Trainer Jennifer Grunzweig Strength & Conditioning Coach Russell Barbarino  Sports Information Office Phone 302-831-2186 Sports Information Director Scott Selheimer Selheimer's Home Phone 302-368-8639 Assistant SID Mike Hirschman SID Intern (Baseball Contact) Kevin Tritt Tritt's Home Phone 410-620-4177 Tritt's E-mail Address ktritt@udel.edu SID FAX 302-831-8653 Blue Hen 24-Hour Sports Hotline 302-831-8139 E-Mail Address 36246@udel.edu Internet Address www.udel.edu/sportsinfo  Baseball Information Head Coach Jim Sherman (Delaware '82) Record at Delaware first season Career Record 215-125 (7 seasons) Office Phone 302-831-8596 Asst. Coaches Dan Hammer (Delaware '96) Chris Dillon (Delaware '96) Brian August (Delaware '00) Home Field Bob Hannah Stadium Dimensions LF 330, CF 400, RF 330 Capacity 1,300 Press Box Phone 302-831-4122 2000 Record 37-20, 19-5 America East (1st) Postseason America East Tour. Champions, NCAA Tournament Participant All-Time Record 359-191-39 (30 seasons) 2001 Captains Chris Kolodzey, Vic Sage Letterwinners Ret. / Lost 17/7 Position Players Ret. / Lost 9/0 Pitchers Ret. / Lost 5/3   2001 DELAWARE BASEBALL OUTLOOK When Bob Hannah retired at the end of the 2000 season, he certainly did not leave the cupboard bare for incoming head coach Jim Sherman. The Blue Hens, coming off a 37-20 season in which they won the America East regular season title, the conference tournament, and neary pulled off a stunning upset of No. 1-seeded UCLA in the NCAA Tournament Regionals, return all nine position players who started in Oklahoma and lose only one starting pitcher in Dave Mullin. The 2000 Blue Hens started 11-8 in the early season and finished the conference regular season 19-5, winning the regular season title for the sixth time in seven years. Delaware faced Northeastern on the first day of the conference tournament, and the teams waged an epic battle into the Vince Vukovich night at Frawley Stadium before Vince Vukovich hit a two-out solo home run in the bottom of the 12th inning to give the Hens a 4-3 win. Delaware went on to beat Vermont, 7-2, on Friday, and faced the Huskies again on the championship day. Northeastern took a 2-0 lead, but John Schneider hit a two-run homer in the seventh and Kris Dufner singled in the game-winning runs in the top of the ninth to give Coach Hannah one more conference trophy. The Blue Hens proceeded to give UCLA a major scare in the NCAA Regionals, leading the Bruins 12-10 in the ninth inning before losing a heartbreaker, 13-12. A 4-2 loss the next day to Oral Roberts ended the season and the legendary career of Hannah. The 2001 club will hope to use the experience gained last season to earn yet another conference championship in the storied history of Delaware baseball, and create some more noise in the NCAA Tournament.   The Pitching Staff The Delaware staff, which led the America East last season with a 4.88 ERA, will have to fill the void left by Mullin, who Rich McGuire led the team with 10 wins last season. The staff will be led by junior righthander Rich McGuire, who led the conference in 2000 in winning percentage and innings pitched. McGuire, the America East Pitcher of the Year last season, was selected to the Collegiate Baseball/Louisville Slugger third team pre-season All-American team. The No. 2 starter will be sophomore righthander Jason Vincent, coming off an excellent rookie campaign that saw him go 7-3 with a league-leading 3.15 ERA. The third starter will be righthander Vic Sage, a co-captain who went 4-3 last season with 16 appearances and won the America East championship game with a complete game over Northeastern. "Vic is a seasoned veteran who brings that game-in and game-out consistency of a good college pitcher," Sherman said. The rest of the pitchers will battle for the fourth through sixth starting spots, as well as for positions in the bullpen. Brian Zeigler, who returns from a 2-1, 5.12 ERA season in 2000, is a candidate for a starting role. Nick Spiewak, who went 1-2 in 10 appearances last season, also returns for the Blue Hens. Lefthander Mike Pelcher, a transfer from Briarcliffe Community College, will challenge for the fourth starting position. Also in the mix for the pitching rotation are freshmen Chris Garrick, Mike Mihalik, Rob Ogilvie, and Scott Rambo. Dave Harden will redshirt in 2001.   The Catchers John Schneider, who started all but one game last season in his freshman year, returns and will start behind the plate in 2001. Schneider batted .320 in 2000 with nine home runs and 38 runs batted in, and gave the Hens some power near the bottom of the batting order. "John is the prototype collegiate catcher, and I am looking for him to do the bulk of the catching this season and produce more on the offensive end," Sherman said. Backing up Schneider will be Frank Fresconi, a graduate student transfer from Bucknell. Fresconi, the 2000 Patriot League Player of the Year, gives the Hens another excellent catcher and a designated hitter who can provide the team with some added power. Also available behind the plate are reliable sophomore Matt Wimer, who improved steadily over the off-season, as well as freshman Mike DeCarlo. The Infield The Hens return all four starters in the infield. Steve Harden will be the opening day starter at first base after a stellar freshman season. Harden batted .303 while starting 54 games in 2000, and committed just six errors at first base all season. Andrew Salvo At second base, 2000 America East Player of the Year Andrew Salvo returns for the Hens. Salvo led the team and the conference with a .419 batting average last season, and was the Blue Hens' leader in hits with 91, in doubles with 26, and in stolen bases with 31. Salvo committed only five errors last season and led the team in assists, giving Delaware a solid defensive right side of the infield. "Andrew is probably the premier player in the America East, both offensively and defensively," Sherman said. "He brings the whole package, and I am looking for another outstanding season out of him." Starting at shortstop will be Kris Dufner, who gives the Hens stability on the left side of the infield. Dufner made an immediate impact last season, starting 39 games and hitting .311with 38 hits. "I am excited about Kris," Sherman said. "He made the biggest jump of any of the players offensively last season, and he and Salvo make a very good double play combination." Peter Maestrales returns to play third base after an excellent junior season. Maestrales started every game for the Blue Hens, leding the team in runs (70) and home runs (13). George Mason transfer Teddy Puitz will be used as a backup at first and third base, and can also be used as a designated hitter. Puitz, who batted .324 in 38 games with a team-high .532 slugging percentage last season for the Patriots, gives the Delaware infield depth and flexibility. Another infielder who can back up multiple positions is senior Bobby Fry, who can play second base, shortstop, or third base. Fry, who batted .206 with 21 hits and 17 runs batted in last season, brings experience off the bench. Lefty first baseman and outfielder Doug Eitelman, who appeared in 19 games last year and hit .319, and Nick DeCarlo, a sophomore transfer from George Mason, also will provide depth in the infield.   The Outfield Chris Kolodzey Delaware returns all four outfielders who started last season, including senior co-captain Chris Kolodzey, who started all 57 games in 2000 and hit .347 with a team-high eight triples and 70 runs batted in. "Chris has developed into our best outfielder, and he is a consistent offensive player who is capable of putting up some good power statistics," Sherman said. Vince Vukovich and Reid Gorecki will share the starting center field and designated hitter positions for the Hens. Vukovich started 53 games in 2000, hitting .335 with 61 hits and 49 runs scored. Gorecki had a solid rookie campaign, hitting .361 on the season, and has all the tools of being an outstanding player. The starting left fielder on opening day will be leadoff hitter Casey Fahy, who started all but two games last season and hit .320 with 66 hits and 34 walks while committing just one error in the field. Joe Kolodzey, a transfer from Drexel, and freshman Andy Lynn will provide depth in the outfield. America East Outlook With another regular season and conference tournament championship last season and almost everybody back, the Blue Hens figure to be a major force again in the America East. "Obviously the goal is to win the conference regular season, as well as to prepare ourselves to be competitive in postseason play," Sherman said. Delaware begins the 2001 campaign on February 22 at Coastal Carolina. The season also features an appearance in the Liberty Bell Classic and a weekend visit from Penn State, which advanced to the Super Regionals in 2000. The Blue Hens will again host the conference tournament at Frawley Stadium in Wilmington on May 17-19.