One of the finest NCAA Division III baseball programs in the nation, the University of Mary Washington continues to strengthen an already impressive array of feats in its short history. Since 1988, when the Mary Washington program was started by head coach Tom Sheridan, the only coach the program has ever known, the Eagles have advanced to ten NCAA Tournaments (including four of the past five years), won nine conference championships while accumulating over 400 victories, and sent numerous players to the professional ranks.
The success was bolstered by another successful 2005 campaign, as the Eagles overcame a sluggish start to finish 27- 10 on the season, climb as high as fifth in the national coaches' poll, and claim a third-place finish at the NCAA regional tournament. Typically, a team that starts strong, the Eagles split season-opening doubleheaders with Villa Julie College and eventual NCAA Tournament competitor Messiah, before falling at Bridgewater College to drop to 2-3 on the season.
What followed was one of the most impressive runs in the nation in 2005, as the Eagles won 23 of their next 25 games. UMW swept a doubleheader from Gettysburg before splitting a pair with SUNY New Paltz, and then ran off ten straight wins, including a pair of victories over Salisbury University, St. Mary's College, and St. John Fisher College. After dropping a nonconference game at Eastern Mennonite, the Eagles finished season series sweeps of Gallaudet, Catholic, and York to finish the Capital Athletic Conference slate with a perfect 10-0 record, becoming the first team since the expansion of the CAC in 1994 to finish with an unbeaten league mark.
The win streak continued through the conference tournament, as UMW easily took care of Gallaudet and Catholic in the preliminary rounds, and then swept a pair of thrilling one-run games from Salisbury in the winner's bracket and championship game for the team's second league title in the last three years. The championship game win was one of the most memorable in school history. The Eagles fell behind, 9-1, but rallied for eight seventh inning runs to knot the score and pushed across the game winning tally in the tenth inning. UMW ace Kevin Foeman garnered the win after two and two-thirds innings of scoreless relief.
Mary Washington entered the NCAA South Regional as the second seed, and, after falling in the opening round, bounced back to eliminate Salisbury, 6-2, thanks to the five-hit pitching of sophomore Dylan White. The Eagles put forth a valiant effort in the semifinal round against Ferrum, overcoming an early 4-0 deficit, but fell just short, 6-5, despite a solid complete game outing on the mound by freshman Nate Hartman.
In addition to finishing the year ranked nationally in winning percentage for the third straight year, the Eagles boasted one of the best team ERAs in the nation. Led by All-America junior Kevin Foeman (10-3, 1.93 ERA, 108 SO) and Dylan White (8-3, 2.88 ERA, 73 SO), the Eagles were as dominant on the mound as they ever have been in their rich pitching history. Hartman (3-2, 3.38 ERA) and fellow freshman Chase Townsend (2- 1, 4.82 ERA) each made ten appearances on the year, with Steve Grodek, Eric Wilkins, and Craig Miles earning quality innings.
Offensively, the Eagles were led by sophomore center fielder Eric Fitzgerald and junior catcher Lee Rubin - who were both named all-region. Fitzgerald added to his outstanding freshman season in 2004 with a team-high .434 average, and led the team with 47 runs scored, 13 doubles, five home runs, 96 total bases, and 15 stolen bases. Rubin hit .4 IO with I 3 doubles, three triples, and four home runs, driving in 42 runs and scoring thirty. He also carried a team-high .516 on base percentage. Rubin also had more walks (16) and was hit by more pitches (15) than times he struck out (11) for the year.
Sophomore outfielders Mike Murphy (.340, six doubles, five triples, 25 RBI) and Mike O' Donnell (.336, nine doubles, 3 HR, 33 runs, 14 SB) emerged in their first year as starters, as did third baseman Chris Anderson (. 298, nine doubles, 18 RBI). Freshman DH Chase Townsend was named as the CAC Co-Rookie of the Year after batting .308 with eleven extra base hits in addition to his timely quality pitching. The right side of the infield was solid, with second baseman Tom McDermott hitting .297 while providing quality defense and first baseman Brandon Cole batting .298 with 36 runs scored and ending the season with twenty-seven straight errorless games. Youngsters Ray Moore, Jeff James, Alex Rossi, and Riley Gorman all contributed to the lineup as we l, with Moore knocking in the tying and winning runs in the 4-3 CAC Tournament win over Salisbury in the ninth inning, and the others combining to bat over .320 as a group when called upon for spot duty.
Despite a large number of underclassmen on the 2005 roster, head coach Tom Sheridan is continually looking to improve the team and will bring in another very highly regarded class of newcomers in 2006, as the Eagles look to remain among the elite programs in the South region. As always, the best players play, regardless of class experience, and the large number of talented players competing for positions will heighten each player's overall level of play, thus making the team more competitive.
Coming off 87 wins in the past three-seasons, with three national rankings and a cadry of talented faces returning, the 2006 season looks to be another in a long line of successful campaigns for the baseball program at the University of Mary Washington. With a challenging schedule that includes Capital Athletic Conference foes Salisbury University and York College, as well as non-conference matchups against some of the top teams in the nation, the Eagles will hone their craft while focusing on the goal of making another run at the NCAA Division Ill World Series.