William and Mary baseball (5-13, 0-0 CAA) stayed busy during spring break, playing eight games from Friday, March 7 to Friday, March 15. The Tribe managed to secure just one win over the stretch, suffering sweeps at the hands of Kansas State (12-7, 3-0 Big 12) and East Carolina (12-8, 0-0 American), as well as splitting a two-game series against Princeton (3-14, 0-0 Ivy).
With the beginning of Coastal Athletic Association play looming, first-year head coach Rob McCoy’s squad has lost 12 of its last 13 games and sits second-to-last in the conference in RPI, a metric used by the NCAA to rank its teams.
Friday, March 7, the Tribe traveled to Manhattan, Kans., to begin a three-game series against the Kansas State Wildcats at Tointon Family Stadium. The Green and Gold kept the opener competitive, leaning on the pitching duo of senior Carter Lovasz and junior Owen Pierce. The former started the game on the mound and allowed three runs over his five innings, while the latter took over during the final three frames and allowed just one run.
However, the William and Mary offense could not muster up enough firepower to take advantage of the performances of Lovasz and Pierce. Junior catcher Jerry Barnes III doubled home senior outfielder Christian Rush and junior outfielder Charlie Iriotakis in the top of the fourth inning. Still, the Tribe scored no other runs on the day. A solo home run from junior infielder Maximus Martin and an RBI fielder’s choice from sophomore infielder Dee Kennedy sealed the hosts’ 4-2 victory.
The remainder of the series proved far less competitive, as Kansas State beat William and Mary in consecutive seven-inning games by a combined margin of 37-11. Saturday, March 8, the Wildcats’ Martin opened the scoring with a first-inning grand slam, giving his team a lead it would never relinquish. Rush chipped into the deficit with a solo shot, but Martin, who racked up 12 RBI throughout the series, hit another home run the following inning to put the hosts up 8-1.
The Green and Gold had no response to Kansas State’s offensive onslaught and eventually fell by a final score of 17-5.
Sunday, March 9, the Tribe fell victim to a similar fate as Martin again hit two early home runs to put the Green and Gold in a substantial hole. Although an RBI single from Iriotakis and a two-run home run from graduate student outfielder Ben Parker briefly gave William and Mary its only advantage of the series, the Wildcats used their explosive offense to regain the lead with authority. The fifth inning saw Kansas State record six hits and nine runs as the hosts cruised to a 20-6 win.
Rush led the way for William and Mary during the three-game series, racking up five hits, three extra-base hits and two RBIs. However, the Tribe’s pitchers gave up 37 earned runs, allowing Kansas State to score in 15 of the 21 innings they came to the plate. As a team, the Green and Gold currently sport an ERA of 11.00, with Pierce being the only individual pitcher to boast an ERA below 7.00.
William and Mary returned to the field Tuesday, March 11, hosting a two-game series against Princeton at Plumeri Park in Williamsburg, Va. Before the opener, McCoy made clear that he did not see his first-year status as a viable excuse for the Tribe’s losing efforts.
“We had a rough weekend at Kansas State,” he said. “It was good because it was a kind of come-to-Jesus moment for the team. We really had to take a step back yesterday. We sat down as a team and talked about not just the priorities for them but what direction we’re headed—whether some of them like it or not—what we wanted to see in terms of their attitude and their effort, the support they have as teammates, and basically what we’re all doing here. It was a good sit-down.”
“So the big thing [against Princeton] is I want to see how they respond to that,” he added. “We talked about a lot of stuff, but the overarching thing is that transition is hard, but it’s still expected that everyone gets on the same page and everyone buys into what we’re doing. The biggest thing I want to see today is a continued effort and progress towards the effort and championship-level culture that we want.”
Princeton scored two runs in the first inning, but a solo home run from Parker on Princeton’s third pitch of the game quickly put William and Mary on the board. Later in the same frame, Rush reached base on a fielder’s choice, sophomore outfielder Anthony Greco singled and graduate student utilityman Derek Holmes singled Rush home to even the score.
The second inning was similarly high-octane. William and Mary junior starter Darren Osborne loaded the bases and walked in a run, prompting McCoy to replace him with freshman reliever Tyler Kelly. Kelly retired a batter to end the inning, but not before surrendering a two-run single that gave the visitors a 5-2 lead. Parker’s second RBI of the afternoon instantly brought the Green and Gold within striking distance before a Greco three-run homer catapulted the hosts back in front by one.
The following innings saw RBI singles from sophomore infielder Kevin Francella and Greco pad the Tribe’s advantage as strong frames from Kelly and freshman reliever Jack Weight kept Princeton at bay.
However, the Tigers got to Weight in the top of the fifth. With his team down 8-6 and two men on base, Princeton junior infielder Jake Koonin deposited a pitch over the left field fence to reclaim the lead.
William and Mary sophomore reliever Daniel Lingle shut down the Tigers until an Iriotakis single evened the score at 9-9 in the bottom of the eighth, but the final frame would go Princeton’s way. With sophomore reliever Tom Bourque on the mound, the visitors capitalized on several Tribe miscues, parlaying a fielding error, a hit by pitch and a passed ball into three runs.
With the Tribe down to its final out, Rush smashed a two-run homer down the left field line, but it proved to be too little, too late. Junior catcher Witt Scafidi grounded out to first base, and the Tigers took the first game of the series by a score of 12-11.
William and Mary outhit Princeton 16-12, hit three home runs to Princeton’s one, recorded six extra base hits to Princeton’s one, struck out three times to Princeton’s 11 and batted .450 with runners in scoring position to Princeton’s .313. Greco finished 3-3 at the plate, and Parker racked up a career-high four hits.
However, the hosts were haunted by self-inflicted errors, committing four to Princeton’s zero. Kelly and Bourque’s statlines were both marred by unearned runs.
“I think this game was a microcosm of what we’ve seen from the Tribe this year,” William and Mary sports information director Shelton Moss said. “They did some good things, particularly on offense, and they did some not-so-good things, particularly on the pitching side and on defense, giving too many free bases to Princeton. That’s been the story of the year so far. They just have to find a way to make those routine plays.”
The Tribe has now committed 50 errors on the season, a number that ranks higher than every Division I team other than Prairie View A&M.
“[Today was] more of the same,” said McCoy. “Obviously, the offense is there, but we’re still sort of out of position defensively. We didn’t pitch great, but we pitched well enough to win if you go by earned runs. So we need to play cleaner defense, which—we’re asking a lot, we’ve got two players who are significantly out of position, which handcuffs us. On the pitching side of things, we’re not deep, so we’re searching for those extra arms, and we’re trying to put guys in situations where we think they’ll be most successful. The truth of it is, in some cases they’re just not getting it done. We’re going to keep searching for those guys.”
Wednesday, March 12, William and Mary and Princeton met again at Plumeri Park in a contest far less dramatic than the one before it. The Tigers struck first, scoring on a fielder’s choice in the first inning, but the visitors failed to record another run for the remainder of the game. Tribe sophomore starter Chad Yates pitched four innings and gave up only one run before senior reliever Nick Lottchea and freshman reliever Zach Boyd combined to throw five scoreless frames.
Iriotakis and graduate student infielder Owen Wilson each recorded RBI singles in the third inning, giving the Green and Gold a lead it would preserve until the game’s end. En route to a five-RBI day, Iriotakis smacked another RBI single during the fifth inning before hitting his first career home run during the eighth inning.
The Tribe turned the tables on its opponents and took advantage of a multitude of mistakes by Princeton pitching, which racked up nine walks, four wild pitches and four hit by pitches on the afternoon. Conversely, William and Mary pitchers threw no wild pitches, hit no batters and walked just three batters. The Green and Gold committed no errors during the game and coasted to an 18-1 victory.
Parker, Iriotakis and freshman infielder Jamie Laskofski led the way for the Tribe with three hits each, while Holmes drew three walks and hit an RBI single. Rush and Carmichael each contributed an RBI. Greco recorded a single and a walk, extending his on-base streak to 12 consecutive plate appearances.
Friday, March 14, William and Mary hit the road for the first leg of a three-game weekend series against East Carolina at Lewis Field at Clark-LeClair Stadium in Greenville, N.C. The Pirates dominated in all aspects of the seven-inning opener, racking up 12 hits and three home runs. ECU sophomore starter Ethan Norby hurled a complete game shutout, and junior infielder Dixon Williams and graduate student catcher John Collins combined to drive in eight runs.
William and Mary’s Lovasz was rocked for ten earned runs over 3.2 frames, and the Tribe’s offense was held to just five singles on the day. A third-inning bases-loaded situation marked the only time the Green and Gold advanced a runner past first base. William and Mary fell by a final score of 12-0.
Saturday, March 15, the Tribe was swept in a doubleheader to conclude the series. The early game was even more lopsided than Friday’s game, as East Carolina tagged William and Mary senior starter Reed Interdonato for nine runs in the first inning before piling four more on his replacement, junior reliever Connor Kolarov. Home runs in the subsequent frame by freshman outfielder Alex Peltier and junior outfielder Jack Herring put the Pirates up 17-0.
Sparked by an Iriotakis single, the Tribe fired back in the top of the third. After a Barnes groundout and a Wilson single advanced Iriotakis to third base, the latter scampered home after a wild pitch from ECU freshman reliever Sean Jenkins. Subsequent hits from Parker and Carmichael drove in two more runs, and William and Mary cashed in on a Rush double after Greco shot a two-RBI single through the right side of the infield. By the end of the inning, the Green and Gold trailed 17-5.
After three scoreless frames, the Tribe threatened again as Carmichael and Rush got on base to start the fifth inning. A Greco lineout advanced Carmichael to third base, from where he was brought home by a Holmes single. Iriotakis scrapped out an infield single to load the bases, but sophomore catcher Charlie Felmlee hit into a double play to end the inning with the scoreboard reading 17-6.
A sixth-inning Williams home run brought the Pirates’ 18th and 19th runs across the plate, killing any chance of a Tribe rally. Carmichael, Holmes and Rush each enjoyed multi-hit games, and Boyd hurled four innings in relief and gave up only two runs, but the Green and Gold ultimately couldn’t overcome the hosts’ offensive onslaught and fell 19-6 in seven innings.
East Carolina opened the second leg of the doubleheader in similarly explosive fashion, stringing together six first-inning runs against graduate student starter Ryan Feczko, who managed to record just one out. Pierce replaced him and retired the side, but the Tribe found itself in an early hole for the fifth consecutive game.
However, the Green and Gold immediately mounted a frantic rally that erased its deficit. Although Iriotakis and Francella came up empty-handed during the Tribe’s first two at-bats of the inning, ECU freshman starter Lance Williams hit Barnes with a pitch to give the visitors some breathing room. Wilson and Laskofski singled and walked, loading the bases and Parker cashed in the Tribe’s chips with an RBI single that made the score 6-1.
Carmichael proceeded to drive home two more runs with an RBI double before Rush shot a bases-clearing single through the left side of the infield. The scoreboard now reading 6-5, Williams hit Holmes with another errant pitch, prompting the pitcher’s removal. Iriotakis capitalized on Williams’ mistake, tying the game with a single.
Pierce remained on the mound for the next 5.2 innings, holding East Carolina to three runs and one extra-base hit. The hosts rebuilt their lead with RBI sacrifices in the second and third innings, but a fourth-inning Carmichael RBI single kept William and Mary within striking distance.
A sixth-inning RBI single from freshman infielder Braden Burress was canceled out by an eighth-inning Parker RBI double, and Pierce’s replacement Lottchea escaped a no-outs, bases-loaded jam in the eighth by striking out Williams and prompting a groundout from Collins. The Tribe entered the final frame down 9-8.
Iriotakis and Greco both drew walks to begin the ninth inning, causing ECU to remove senior reliever Jake Hunter in favor of sophomore reliever Colby Wallace. Attempting to move the runners into scoring position, Barnes laid down a sacrifice bunt, but Wallace fired the ball to third base and picked off the lead runner Iriotakis, invalidating the Tribe’s strategy. Wilson proceeded to strike out swinging before Laskofski flew out to left field, allowing East Carolina to escape with a hotly-contested victory.
Parker racked up four hits, bringing his team-leading batting average to .410, while Carmichael recorded three. Although Feczko gave up six earned runs in the first inning, Pierce and Lottchea held ECU to three runs over the remainder of the game. At 20.0, Pierce has hurled the second-most innings on the team behind Lovasz, and his ERA now sits at a sparkling 1.80.
Over the course of the series, the Tribe scored 14 runs and recorded 28 hits. The defense was much improved from earlier in the week, committing just one error in each ECU game; however, the pitching still struggled mightily, allowing 40 runs in 20 innings.
The Tribe returns to the field on Wednesday for a game against Old Dominion (5-12, 1-2 SBC) at the Bud Metheny Baseball Complex in Norfolk, Va.
