There is only one word to describe the 2005 University at Buffalo baseball team: anxious.
The Bulls are anxious on the field to make up for a 15-39 finish in the 2004 campaign - dead last in the Mid-American Conference.
Anxious to get the team's first win after a 0-6 start, UB has hope for a lucky seventh game of the season.
Even after a rocky start, coaches and players alike are maintaining a positive attitude that there is plenty to be excited about with this team, and that the only direction to go is up.
"We're going to come out and win more than we did last year - we feel that we have our best team yet in the five years we've been in the program," said Bulls' head coach Bill Breene. "We have some veteran leadership for the first time, and hopefully that'll translate into wins. Our goal is to play like we know we're capable of playing."
The Bulls' veteran leadership includes hitters such as senior shortstop Joe Mihalics, junior first baseman James Kingsley, senior outfielder Andy Wengert and junior catcher David Amaro.
"As (those guys) go, our team goes. They're the veteran leaders out there," said Breene. "We need our leaders to have good, solid years because it'll become infectious. But also by having good years, they'll instill a winning attitude."
Kingsley, fresh off a two-homer performance in UB's loss at Georgia Southern on March 6, had a stellar 2004 campaign. He set the UB single-season doubles record with 20, while leading the team in home runs with seven, RBIs with 40, slugging percentage with .545 and total bases with 115. He said the Bulls need more than just decent hitting to win.
"From the first inning to the ninth inning, we need to be focused and aggressive," said Kingsley. "Using Coach Breene's terminology, we need to 'make them feel like they're in a dogfight from beginning to end.'"
Mihalics, the team's two-time MVP and senior leader returns ready for a three-peat performance. A natural contact hitter, Mihalics broke the Buffalo record for hits in a season with 76, and led the team with his second straight season with a .340 batting average.
Following the season, Mihalics is looking to be the first Bull since 1986 to enter the professional ranks, but for now, his focus is on helping younger players and winning at Buffalo.
"As an older player, I realize that baseball is a funny game. You really can't get down on yourself after a bad game," said Mihalics. "In baseball, you can beat the best team and lose to the worst team, but we have to go out every day and have a positive mindset if we want to win consistently."
It is a baseball axiom that pitching wins championships. As much as the Bulls light up the scoreboard, establishing a trend of solid pitching will take them through the long season and give them a chance to win games.
Many of Buffalo's young arms are just that: young. With a pitching roster that sports only three upperclassmen, Breene hopes that some of the growth that takes place over the course of a season is accelerated.
"I'm encouraged by a lot of our new guys - they've had their moments in the first two weekends, and if they keep doing that, we're going to have an opportunity to keep our opponents in check," said Breene.
Though sophomore right-hander Mark Tourangeau suffered a rough outing in UB's last game, he led the Bulls with four wins in 2004, and was third on the team in strikeouts, tossing 40 strikeouts in 49 and one-third innings. He said UB's youth is not necessarily a detriment.
"We have freshmen with a lot of talent. It wouldn't surprise me if any one of them stepped up and had a good year," he said. "There's also enough talent in the older guys to guide them along and get them through the season."
Buffalo is looking to heat up with the weather as the season progresses. Unfortunately, they won't play a game on the friendly grass and dirt of Amherst Audubon Field until March 29, when they face LeMoyne in a non-conference game.
UB opens up their MAC schedule at Akron on April 1.
