As the snow that once dominated the Pioneer Valley subsides and the bitter Amherst chill gives way to manageable serenity, the sight of veteran UMass baseball coach Mike Stone wrapping fungoes to his infielders and coordinating cutoffs with his outfielders is a familiar one.

An indelible image of hope that offers an assuring level of comfort to those sauntering by Garber Field’s artificial turf on their way to and from class, it serves as a subtle reminder that the light at the end of winter’s long, dark tunnel is indeed approaching.

The high sun, the ping of the aluminum bat, the continuous popping of leather mitts and vocal commands in a language only some can comprehend are nothing new to Stone. They are signs of spring, signs that go-time is approaching for the job he has been doing successfully for 22 seasons and those which preclude Stone’s transformation from caring father of three teenage children to rock-solid patriarch of 30 collegiate hardballers.

However the onus is on Stone this spring, and for the right reasons. A season-ending sweep at the hands of Richmond in last year’s Atlantic 10 Championship Series left him stuck on 499 career victories, and his squad at least two wins short of where it had aspired to be after capturing the Atlantic 10 East Division title in 2003.

Now, the core of the squad that won 12 of its final 16 games in 2003 is primed for another go at A-10 supremacy, as well as UMass’ first trip to the College World Series since 1996. The position that leaves Stone and his 499 career victories in is a curious one: that of the favorite.

The talented, arm-laden 2003-04 Minutemen have as much chance to sneak up on opponents as Stone does of sneaking up on 500 wins after nine months on the cusp. The secret is out: the Maroon and White have the horses to think bigger than they have in eight years, and Stone hopes 500 is merely the beginning.

Catcher

With the graduation of reliable captain Tom Ellerbrook and power hitting Chris Morgan, sophomore Frank Curreri is poised to step in capably behind the dish after a breakthrough 2003 campaign. Curreri saw the majority of his time in the outfield last season, but was a catcher at Boston College High School and proved potent at the plate with a .339 batting average, 13 extra base hits and 27 runs batted in during his freshman campaign.

It remains to be seen whether Curreri can handle the every-day rigors of catching at the college level, but Stone feels comfortable that what Curreri learned as a freshman will help him carry the load both offensively and defensively.

“Frank made the transition from high school pretty well last year,” Stone said. “He works hard and learned what he needed to from Tommy [Ellerbrook], so that I think he’ll be ready to be our primary guy handling the staff.

“Offensively he has good patience at the plate and is a guy we’re counting on to produce.”

Freshmen David Bettencourt and Michael Weiner will compete for backup duties.

Infield

Tri-captain Mike Athas – a temporary player with the Orleans Cardinals in the prestigious Cape Cod League this past summer – returns to his shortstop position as the catalyst of what will be a half-revamped infield in 2004. “Skip” will slide out of the leadoff spot and into the third hole in Stone’s new-look lineup, and is being counted on to reproduce what was a very successful junior season that saw him hit .339 with a .401 on-base percentage and a team-leading 57 hits.

Gone is first baseman and cleanup hitter Jeff Altieri, to be replaced by Senior tri-captain Matt Reynolds who is making the shift across the infield after hitting .259 with 12 doubles as a third baseman last season. Penciled in to replace the South Boston, Mass. native at the hot corner will be senior Adam Stojanowski, who started 15 games at third base, second base and shortstop for UMass but struggled at the plate, hitting just .189 – over 100 points lower than his career average.

Steady Senior Cullan Maumus rounds out the veteran infield, as he will be returning to second base and the two slot in the order after a .294 average and a school-record 14 sacrifices in 2003.

“You look around our infield and it’s all seniors,” Stone said. “You can never have too much experience like that, and it should be a strength for us because we feel like we have some guys who can do some good things there.”

Senior tri-captain and infielder Sean Sarno takes over for Athas at the top of the order, and will do so out of the designated hitter slot rather than in the field. Capable of backing up Maumus at second, Sarno’s blazing speed is evident by his perfect 18-for-18 in career stolen bases.

Bettencourt, as well as fellow freshmen Frank McPhearson and Michael Weiner will back up Reynolds at first, while classmates Anthony Santos and Devin Barnett will add depth up the middle.

Outfield

Fresh off a tour of duty with the Cape League’s Brewster Whitecaps, junior outfielder Jason Twomley is poised for big things in 2004. Stone will move him to right field to take advantage of his strong arm, and will utilize his potent left-handed bat seventh in the order after watching him hit .319 with 37 hits, 21 RBI and a team-high 11 stolen bases last year.

“Jason has the ability to have a big season,” Stone said. “He has a strong arm and showed a lot of punch with the bat, and we’re counting on him to continue to work hard and produce.”

Junior Derek Durepo will be penciled in center field after missing all of 2003 due to injury. As a freshman in 2002, Durepo started 30 games and hit .296 with 22 runs scored, but will have to prove he is fully healthy and can play every day.

Stone will use Curt Szado in left field after the junior started 18 games and hit .259 with 11 RBI last season.

“Our outfield is anything but set at this point,” Stone said. “We know what Jason can do and he’ll be out there, but other than that we have a lot of capable guys who we feel we can put out there and have them contribute.”

Sophomore Bill Rankin could factor into the equation as well after playing four early games last year before bowing out to injury. Stone also believes skilled freshman Travis Munsey could play a large role in the outfield rotation.

Pitching Staff

While the lineup certainly poses some question marks for Stone, the Maroon and White’s pitching staff will do no such thing.

Returning its entire staff from 2003, UMass has dependable veteran arms up and down its roster, thus allowing Stone to be creative yet efficient with his up and coming young hurlers and fill out what will be a very well rounded arsenal.

Leading the way for the starting staff will be Senior All-A-10 right-hander Eric Chown. Returning to Amherst for his final season despite being drafted by the Atlanta Braves, Chown looks to carry over the success that helped him go 7-4 with a 4.25 earned run average and 49 strikeouts as Stone’s ace in 2003.

Following Chown in the rotation will be fellow right-handers Matt Torra and Mike Crane, as well as southpaw Keith Doherty. Torra was 5-4 with a 4.61 ERA last season, while ranking second on the team in innings pitched with 70.1. The sophomore hurled complete games in five of his nine starts last year, and was also named National Pitcher of the Week by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association.

Crane came on strong as a workhorse last year, compiling a 3.08 ERA and perfect 4-0 record in 10 appearances while ranking second on the squad with 48 strikeouts.

Doherty will begin the 2004 season on the shelf with an undisclosed injury, but when healthy will serve as the lone left-handed starter for UMass after a 4-4 campaign that included an impressive effort in a win over Xavier in the A-10 tournament.

The back end of Stone’s rotation will be solid as well, as junior lefthander Scott Ratliff will return as the Minutemen’s closer after leading the conference with seven saves and being named a firs
t team All-A-10 performer. Ratliff, who is also plays football at UMass, posted a 2-2 record with a 3.70 ERA last year in 24.1 innings pitched.

Filling out the bullpen will be junior right-hander Anthony Gallo (2-0 3.60 ERA), along with sophomore right-handers Jeremy Demers, Jason Hickey, David Sullivan, Chris Lloyd and John Toffey.

Freshman hoping to chip in include right-handers Devin Barnett, Tom Cummings, Anthony Santos and Chris Sargoy, as well as lefty Daniel Larrow.

“We think pitching is going to be a real strength for us,” Stone said. “We have a lot of good arms and guys who can win ballgames, and we think front to back our rotation should be able to win us a lot of games.”