Saturday, March 26, 2005
BLAKE BASEBALL STARTS SEASON WITH VETERAN LINEUP
Blake High School will open the season on Monday night against Whitman with it's most veteran team since the 2001 team which played in the Maryland 2A Championship Game.
Eight players return to a team that was 8-10 last year with five losses in the opposing team's last at bat.
"Our starting players have a lot of playing experience at Blake. We hope this experience will allow us to get off to a good start. If the team can start the year like we finished last year, we should have an excellent season and go deep in the playoffs," said 2nd year coach Steve Murfin,
"Our schedule is favorable with 5 of the last 7 games at home so a good start could lead to a great season," added Murfin.
Last year's team, got off to a 1-4 start, but didn't cause Murfin to worry.
"We were playing well for 6 2/3 innings," he said. "Finally, we learned to close and finished the regular season strong."
While last year's team was very inexperienced, the Bengals improved in several categories that helped them stay competitive until the second half run. The Bengals cut down their errors from the previous year from 68 to 32 and dropped the team ERA by .78 per game. But they were batting just .201 after the first 5 games and stood 1-4 at the Spring Break. The Bengals finished the last 12 games batting .285 and ended the regular season on a 7-4 run.
But their lone playoff game was microcosm for the season. They lost the playoff opener to Richard Montgomery 1-0 when the only RM run scored on the only hit of the game in the bottom of the 7th inning off of hard-luck pitcher Kevin Casady (2-5 record but with a 1/16 ERA and 64 strikeouts in 45 innings). Despite the record, Casady was a Washington Post All-Met Honorable Mention
If the Bengals get off to a great start, things could be in their favor for a strong finish. They play 5 of their last 7 games at home.
"We have high hopes for this team with all the experience we have. We are even going to bring back the 2001 State Finalist team for a special ceremony to use that as motivation for our team this year. That team is still a special team to this school and is a team we look up to. That team's achievements are our motivation for a good season at Blake."
Bengal Facts:
Coach's name and years as head coach: Steve Murfin, 2nd Year
Career record, record at school: 8-10
Last year's record: 8-10
How far Bengals reached in playoffs: Blake: 2001 2A State Final; Last year: Lost first round game 1-0 to RM. Kevin Casady pitched one-hitter and lost to Brendan Clarke who had the only hit and was the winning pitcher with an RBI in the 7th.
Top returning players (name, position, year, any stats): Sophomore Matt Schrader, BA .385 will move from C to 3b; Sophomore Zack Tarner: .333 with team leading 14 runs scored will return at OF and be the #2 Pitcher (3-1 with 2.52 ERA and 26 Ks); The Bengals also have 4 other returning players who started last year: Seniors Eric Knorr (.350 last eight games) at SS and #3 pitcher, Greg Piskapas at CF, Kyle Wannen in RF and Junior TJ Dean who will split time at 2B and OF.
Top newcomers (name, position, year): Two players who started two years ago, but didn't play in 2004 are back. Adam Rohrer, a starting IF and P in 2003 will start at 2b and will be the #1 pitcher. Rohrer was Blake's #2 pitcher in 2003 with a 2.58 ERA. Also returning is C Jose Flores after a year's absence. Flores was the starting catcher in 2003 before he was injured at mid-season.
The only position without any varsity playing experience is 1B. Rich DiPietro and Clayton Campbell have had strong training camps. Both have good defensive skills and can hit for power.
Freshman Ryan Rehman, LHP and OF, will be the #4 starter, but will also get some serious playing time as he possesses a strong bat and has a strong arm from the outfield.
The team will also have speed on the bases with courtesy runners Ben Holgash, John Kimble and Kyle Elie all of whom can be used as defensive replacements, too.
Blake High School will open the season on Monday night against Whitman with it's most veteran team since the 2001 team which played in the Maryland 2A Championship Game.
Eight players return to a team that was 8-10 last year with five losses in the opposing team's last at bat.
"Our starting players have a lot of playing experience at Blake. We hope this experience will allow us to get off to a good start. If the team can start the year like we finished last year, we should have an excellent season and go deep in the playoffs," said 2nd year coach Steve Murfin,
"Our schedule is favorable with 5 of the last 7 games at home so a good start could lead to a great season," added Murfin.
Last year's team, got off to a 1-4 start, but didn't cause Murfin to worry.
"We were playing well for 6 2/3 innings," he said. "Finally, we learned to close and finished the regular season strong."
While last year's team was very inexperienced, the Bengals improved in several categories that helped them stay competitive until the second half run. The Bengals cut down their errors from the previous year from 68 to 32 and dropped the team ERA by .78 per game. But they were batting just .201 after the first 5 games and stood 1-4 at the Spring Break. The Bengals finished the last 12 games batting .285 and ended the regular season on a 7-4 run.
But their lone playoff game was microcosm for the season. They lost the playoff opener to Richard Montgomery 1-0 when the only RM run scored on the only hit of the game in the bottom of the 7th inning off of hard-luck pitcher Kevin Casady (2-5 record but with a 1/16 ERA and 64 strikeouts in 45 innings). Despite the record, Casady was a Washington Post All-Met Honorable Mention
If the Bengals get off to a great start, things could be in their favor for a strong finish. They play 5 of their last 7 games at home.
"We have high hopes for this team with all the experience we have. We are even going to bring back the 2001 State Finalist team for a special ceremony to use that as motivation for our team this year. That team is still a special team to this school and is a team we look up to. That team's achievements are our motivation for a good season at Blake."
Bengal Facts:
Coach's name and years as head coach: Steve Murfin, 2nd Year
Career record, record at school: 8-10
Last year's record: 8-10
How far Bengals reached in playoffs: Blake: 2001 2A State Final; Last year: Lost first round game 1-0 to RM. Kevin Casady pitched one-hitter and lost to Brendan Clarke who had the only hit and was the winning pitcher with an RBI in the 7th.
Top returning players (name, position, year, any stats): Sophomore Matt Schrader, BA .385 will move from C to 3b; Sophomore Zack Tarner: .333 with team leading 14 runs scored will return at OF and be the #2 Pitcher (3-1 with 2.52 ERA and 26 Ks); The Bengals also have 4 other returning players who started last year: Seniors Eric Knorr (.350 last eight games) at SS and #3 pitcher, Greg Piskapas at CF, Kyle Wannen in RF and Junior TJ Dean who will split time at 2B and OF.
Top newcomers (name, position, year): Two players who started two years ago, but didn't play in 2004 are back. Adam Rohrer, a starting IF and P in 2003 will start at 2b and will be the #1 pitcher. Rohrer was Blake's #2 pitcher in 2003 with a 2.58 ERA. Also returning is C Jose Flores after a year's absence. Flores was the starting catcher in 2003 before he was injured at mid-season.
The only position without any varsity playing experience is 1B. Rich DiPietro and Clayton Campbell have had strong training camps. Both have good defensive skills and can hit for power.
Freshman Ryan Rehman, LHP and OF, will be the #4 starter, but will also get some serious playing time as he possesses a strong bat and has a strong arm from the outfield.
The team will also have speed on the bases with courtesy runners Ben Holgash, John Kimble and Kyle Elie all of whom can be used as defensive replacements, too.
