The Rams are more than halfway into their season and they have been taking care of business so far. Suffolk University’s baseball team fell short in just two of their last 13 games to Eastern Connecticut State University and Western New England University.
On March 29, the team had a 7-5 win against Salem State University, which was the start of a seven-game win streak. The streak was broken on April 12 after an 11-5 defeat to Eastern Connecticut State University.
Head Coach Anthony Del Prete said in an interview with The Suffolk Journal on Tuesday that in order to keep winning games, he expects his team to give quality starts on the mound and offensively earn at least seven runs.
Suffolk currently has a record of 16-8 and a perfect Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) record of 8-0. This conference record is the second best that Head Coach Anthony Del Prete has accomplished since his first season with the Rams when his team achieved a 9-0 GNAC record.
“I think it’s really just we’ve done a better job of focusing and our attention to detail has been better the last thirteen games compared to the first ten,” said Del Prete. “Each day it’s a different challenge and guys have to be ready to answer those challenges and compete at a high level.”
So far in the month of April, the Rams have scored a total of 163 runs and have won three games in which they have notched more than 20 runs.
In a double header versus Anna Maria College on April 15, the Rams finished the first of their two-game series with a score of 30-8. Suffolk had a total of 27 hits and junior outfielder Seth Coiley went 3-for-3 with a triple and a homerun.
The second match resulted in Suffolk recording 36 runs, the most the team has ever tallied under Del Prete. Sophomore pitcher Kevin Sinatra went seven innings, allowing only two runs in six hits.
“I just went out on the mound and competed,” said Sinatra in an interview with The Suffolk Journal on Tuesday. “It’s a team sport and my team produced.”
The Rams set a program record for 12 doubles in one game and at least one hit was recorded from 12 out of the 16 players. Suffolk also finished the game with 36 hits, the most for a National Collegiate Athletic Association Division III team this season in one game.
“It definitely helps to have a little confidence booster day where everyone has success at the dish,” said senior infielder Sean Cameron in an interview with The Journal on Tuesday. “It was just business as usual.”
In this game, sophomore infielder Kevin Higgins became the first player to hit a grand slam at the Rams home field in East Boston Memorial Park.
“Anytime you have the opportunity to contribute to the team, whether it be hitting or fielding it is always a good feeling,” said Higgins in an interview with The Journal on Tuesday. “I am just happy that I was able to do it for the team.”
Suffolk pitchers have also had an impressive season so far and stand at the top of the league with a combined earned run average (ERA) of 4.09. Junior right hand pitcher Mark Fusco has recorded one of the best stats in the conference with a number one ERA of 0.78.
“I’ve got a bunch of good defensive players behind me so it’s kudos to them for helping me keep [my ERA] where it’s at,” said Fusco in an interview with The Journal on Tuesday.
In the month of April the Rams have a total of 11 games left, six of those being conference matches.
“The goal every year is to win the conference championship,” said Del Prete. “I think with the leadership and experience that we have on roster there’s no reason why we shouldn’t win it. It’s just a matter of going out on the field and taking care of business.”
