Temple University Athletics
2006 BASEBALL OUTLOOK
2.1.06 | Baseball
PHILADELPHIA - Temple's first-year head coach Rob Valli is no stranger to winning. Five straight NJCAA World Series appearances, including the 2005 NJCAA National Championship, at Gloucester County College (N.J.) and two NCAA Tournament trips as an assistant at Rutgers will make you accustomed to success.
Valli's fresh approach has instilled new energy to a program looking to return to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2001. The skipper hit the ground running following his hire in late-October, bringing in four mid-year transfers and upgrading the schedule to include preseason #15 LSU and regional power St. John's.
Taking over for Hall of Famer Skip Wilson, who led the Owls to 1,034 wins and two College World Series appearances during his 46-year tenure, won't be easy. But Valli, a tireless recruiter, is looking to return Temple to being the pre-eminent team in the city and region, as it was in the 1970s and early-1980s when it made nine NCAA trips in 13 years.
"We've already made great strides in identifying the top talent in the northeast region and we look forward to bringing that caliber of player back to Temple University," Valli said.
Temple returns plenty of experience on the hill, including projected staff ace Tim Foulkrod. The senior workhorse led the team with six victories and a 3.46 ERA last season and pitched a career-high 91 innings.
Mid-year transfer Arshwin Asjes is slated as a weekend starter after going 8-2 for Valli at Gloucester County College. The sophomore was selected in the 34th round of the 2005 MLB Draft and was named the Atlantic 10's Top Newcomer in Baseball America's college preview.
Senior Justin Mendek, junior Chris McCafferty and sophomore Tom Dolan will fight for the coveted third starting spot on the weekend. Mendek, a crafty southpaw, gained a fifth-year of eligibility after missing most of last season with a shoulder injury.
McCafferty led the team in strikeouts and was second in wins in his first year in Owl Country after transferring from Maryland. Dolan, who also patrols centerfield, showed flashes of brilliance, including nine innings without allowing an earned run against La Salle.
Senior Tim Andrel and a slew of underclassmen are in the mix for mid-week starts and for innings out of the bullpen. Four sophomores (Eric Fritz, Eric Lovelace, Rob Licata, and Carl Taylor) are looking to prove that they deserve the ball in tight situations. Two freshmen, Joe McGilligan and Marc Tankel, provide depth out of the bullpen.
Senior Marc Wagner figures to be penciled in behind the plate after starting 49 games over the past two seasons. He batted .250 with a homerun before being sidelined with a shoulder injury. A pair of young catchers will vie for the primary backup spot, including freshmen transfer Steve Mury (Siena) and sophomore Robbie DeRafelo.
Temple sports a young, but promising, outfield headlined by sophomore Frank Nunan. Stepping in mid-season, Nunan batted a team-high .397 in 21 starts in leftfield. His batting average would have been second in the Atlantic 10 if he had enough at-bats to qualify.
Dolan and sophomore Devon Swope also return in the outfield. Dolan batted .240 while starting 43 games in centerfield as a freshman, while Swope hit .246 with two homers before being sidelined by injury.
Two freshmen, Jamie Abercrombie and transfer Lenny DelGrippo (Wingate), will provide depth in the outfield. DelGrippo was the 2005 Times Herald Player of the year at nearby Kennedy-Kenrick High School and Abercrombie redshirted last season.
In the infield, junior Dan Brady played every inning last spring at the hot-corner, batting .257 with a team-high 31 RBI. He was also third in the A-10 in doubles with 16. Redshirt freshman Pat Riley will be the backup at third.
Up the middle, the Owls return only six collegiate at-bats, all from junior 2B Josh Wernick. He will vie with two freshmen, Mike Sweet and Carmen Del Mastro, for playing time. Another freshman, Casey Sellen, looks to be the starting shortstop after earning all-league honors all four years at William Tennent High School.
Junior Nick Fasano, who bashed two homeruns in limited action as a freshman, and sophomore transfer Lucio Rainelli (Savannah State) will hold down first base. Redshirt freshman John Coyle spent last season with the Owls but did not see any action.
The Owls open the season at #15 LSU on Feb. 24, before heading to Hawaii-Hilo for seven games during spring break. The conference schedule opens up on Mar. 24 with a three-game set against city rival Saint Joseph's at Ambler Field. This season will feature a different look in the conference, as each series will be comprised of three nine-inning games rather than a doubleheader (seven innings each) and a nine-inning game on Sunday.
"If we can develop our young players as quickly as we would like to, we feel we can make a run at the Atlantic 10 Tournament," Valli said.
