The offense, despite getting off to a cold start, has turned up the thermostat, with UMass (9-14, 3-3 Atlantic 10) posting just shy of over six runs per contest scored in its last 11games, scoring five runs or more in seven of those matchups.
Although the usual lineup has increased its performance statistically in the batter’s box over the last dozen games, a couple of teammates in the top-half of the order have combined to take over the conference leader boards when it comes to hitter’s stats.
Seniors Peter Copa and Matt Gedman have held down the responsibilities for getting on base and driving runners home for the Minutemen, combining for 39 RBIs between the two of them.
Gedman, who leads the conference in hitting with a .444 batting average, also ranks fourth in the country in the same statistic, as he is 10 points behind Tanner Waite of New Mexico State. The Framingham native also has blistered A-10 pitching with his .474 on-base percentage, good for fourth in the conference. When it comes to runners on base, Gedman has delivered a .500 average (22-for-44) and stands at.459 (17-for-37) with two outs.
Copa admitted that he typically struggles in the opening part of the season, but his game will pick up soon and that he has been more cautious at the plate.
Copa is currently batting .359 on the season, with a team-leading 19 walks. His .519 on-base percentage ranks best in the conference, which attributes to his plate discipline that he’s shown over the past four years. This discipline was evident in the Minutemen’s recent loss against Dayton.
“I was getting a lot breaking balls in the first couple of at-bats in the series, so I decided to lay off of them until I could get something different,” said Copa. “In my third at-bat, I waited for a fastball and when I saw it, I decided to jump on it.”
Copa’s 692 slugging percentage puts him at the top of the team, as he has also helped drive in 22 RBIs.
Both Copa and Gedman will be called on for help on the offensive front against a defensive Eagles side that recently downed Bryant, 16-5, and defeated SIU-Edwardsville, 15-0 earlier this season.
At this point last April, the Massachusetts baseball team was sitting on four wins out of 21 games played, including a streak of nine-consecutive losses to start the season.
The Maroon and White posted some alarming statistics, including an average of 4.8 runs scored through those 21 games (with a handful of high-scoring but unusual situations that inflate that number).
Additionally, the Minutemen were held to one run or less in six of those opening contests, and four runs or less in 12 games. The pitching didn’t keep the team in the ball game either, averaging over eight runs allowed in the same time frame, including double-digit affairs by the opposition on eight different occasions.
Scott Cournoyer can be reached at [email protected].
