Uncharted territory

Through 29 games this season, the baseball team has won as many games as the Bulls have in seven of their entire seasons since 2001, when they became a Division I program.

But in a season in which the Bulls have finally been able to play consistently well, not much has gone their way.

Last Thursday, they practiced outdoors for the first time this season - they have already played 29 games. This past weekend, their second straight home series was moved to Monroe Community College. The Bulls will not play a home game until at least the 36th game of the season.

With 27 games remaining on their schedule, the team sits in second place - tied with defending Mid-American Conference champion Kent State - just seven wins shy of the school record. Buffalo also leads the MAC in overall wins.

"I've loved our approach from the first game of the year," said head coach Ron Torgalski. "We come to work every day; we grind it out; we battle."

The main catalyst of change has been a drastic improvement in the pitching staff.

Last season, the Bulls played strong offensively, ranking second in total offense in the conference, but their pitching was ranked second to last. The Bulls also lost their best pitcher, Cameron Copping, to graduation. Copping ranked fourth in the conference with 77 strikeouts in 98 innings.

The Bulls' three top starters, known as the "weekend starters" - sophomore Anthony Magovney, junior Mike Burke and sophomore Mike McGee - have led the resurgence.

All three have shown stretches of brilliance during the season. Magovney's complete game against Toledo Saturday was the most recent stellar outing. He allowed just one run on five hits and totaled six strikeouts while walking none.

Torgalski attributes the pitching staff's surprising success to the athletes' competition with each other this offseason.

"Every guy came in here in September knowing: 'Hey, there are two spots open. I want that spot. I want to be the Friday guy. I want to be the Saturday guy,'" Torgalski said.

The result is a team earned run average (ERA) below four and two pitchers - Magovney and Burke - on pace to finish with over 100 innings. They could each finish with more strikeouts than Copping did last season.

"This year, there is a lot less pressure on the offense to put up big numbers," said senior outfielder Jason Kanzler. "The pitching staff is just doing phenomenal."

The team's leadership, however, still comes from the offense. While the pitching staff is young, the batting order is full of seniors.

Kanzler hits second in the order and leads the team in almost every offensive category. Senior second baseman Jon Mestas is second in runs batted in (RBIs) and senior first baseman Alex Baldock is third.

These three have helped the Bulls maintain strong offensive production, even in the absence of injured senior outfielder Matt Pollock, a preseason first-team All-MAC selection, who is out for the year.

The seniors lead by example and refuse to make excuses, according to Torgalski. Kanzler even prefers the road games.

"I actually don't mind it just because Buffalo is not really known for the best weather," Kanzler said. "I'd rather play in other venues with better weather."

The team has also shown a drastic turnaround in late-inning production. The Bulls had a knack for losing games in the late innings last season. This season, the Bulls have lost just one conference game due to runs scored in the late innings.

"Now we are playing with that confidence so when we get to the seventh, eighth and ninth innings, there is not that scared look in their eyes," Torgalski said. "There is that look of: 'Hey let's finish it off. Let's get that win and move on to the next one.'"

The Bulls have traditionally been a second-half team, according to Torgalski. He thinks the Bulls play better when the weather gets warmer and they are able to get more practice time on the field. He is excited to watch his team, which has already shown it can play with the best in conference, progress.

Kanzler believes this team's mentality is better than it has been in the past. The team is more confident because of its fast start, and the athletes have carried the confidence through the first two months of the season.

"You always want your program to have a winning mentality," Kanzler said. "Winning is expected, but it's not just expected; winning is habitual, and that's what Buffalo baseball does. And finally, it kind of feels like that, and we just do what we are supposed to and we win."

The team will travel to Eastern Michigan (14-16, 4-5 MAC) this weekend, looking to win its fourth-straight series. First pitch on Friday is scheduled for 3 p.m.

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