With the crack of the bat signaling their return to the diamond, the Jacksonville University baseball team is set to embark on the 55^th season in school history searching for its fourth Atlantic Sun Conference Championship in the last seven years.

While returning six starting position players from last season and their pitching staff almost completely intact, experience should be a key to this year’s success.  The team is again picked to be among the league’s best and carries a national ranking #32.

This year’s squad looks to build on an exciting 2011 season which saw the team win 37 games and advance to the Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament.  JU returns an amazing stock of talent to the field this spring, including a pair of junior All-Conference performers who have received numerous accolades and awards based on their previous hard work on and off the field.

“The experience from last season really has helped make the team into a unified group and serves as a motivating factor, because there is too much pride in the clubhouse for us to go out like that again,” says fourth-year senior Jonathan Murphy.

Junior Jimmy Appleby who bats left but throws right gained starting experience at third base in the 2011 season, where he appeared in 21 games and made eight starts while contributing to several Dolphin wins.  He took position on the pitching mound last season twice and left the field as a winner both times.

“We have a lot of new faces, but the same team goals, which are to win the conference and go to the regional tournament,” said Appleby. “We have some good arms on the mound this year.”

Fellow junior leftfielder and pre-law major Tyler Hooten (6-0, 190) gained valuable knowledge last season having played in six games.  The right-handed hitter was a teammate of Appleby’s throughout their youth baseball days and as of most recently when they won the 2009 Blue Grey All American Classic, also are roommates here on campus.

“The team will have a good group of core players that will be around the next few years,” said Hooten. “We are young and talented, but just need to keep working hard and gain some experience.  Our goal is to improve each time out and play consistent baseball.  If we do that, we will get to where we want to be.”

A huge newcomer for the Fins this season is Ethan Loosen (6-3, 215).  The junior transfer excelled at both third base and shortstop during his career at FCCJ. He has a quick release and a sharp arm to go along with his great range, soft hands and quickness on the bag.  Loosen can really sting line drives into the gaps and launch balls over the fence.  He is becoming more relaxed and confident with JU’s system and is developing a good comfort level with his teammates, which naturally will improve their double-play efficiency.

Senior Matt Frank (6-1, 200) is tenacious behind the plate and exudes confidence in his abilities.  He turned in an impressive performance during their annual intra-squad World Series game, leading to some high expectations for the right-handed catcher.  It is evident from watching Long practice that he receives and blocks the ball extremely well.  He also has worked on improving his footwork and throwing accuracy, so fans should see a different type of catching situation this season.

Sophomore flam-thrower Chris Anderson was named a Collegiate Baseball Freshman All-American after recording a team high 11 saves.  Anderson has the pure stuff, including a fastball that has been clocked in the low-90s at times.  He showed great improvement during the fall workouts and was flashing his trademark control with all his pitches.

Senior Steve Eagerton (6-2, 210) will be counted on heavily again this year.  The right-handed pitcher had his best season ever where he started 14 games and logged a perfect 9-0 record.  Given Eagerton’s ability to bring the heat combined with his durability, The Dolphins are in good hands when he steps up to the mound.

Another key pitcher this season for the Fins will be senior Sean Green (6-8, 215).  He controls the running game and fields his position with such a high level of athleticism.  Green also has a great feel for his delivery and aggressively attacks opposing hitters, helping to maximize the good location on his low-90s fastball and a tough changeup.

The spring roster will boast a fine list of hungry first-year players in the likes of seven pitchers; Clayton Levins, Nolan Peterson, RC Williams, Alex McRae, Jeff Tanner, Corben Madden, Wes Torrez and four fielders; Dylan Dillard, Ethan Loosen, Jake Huxtable, and Garret Ruckel.

The returnees will be counted upon for leadership behind players such as P/DH Clay Kollerbaum, C Matt Frank, INF Colin Monagle, INF Kevin Lehane, INF Taylor Ratliff, and INF Chris Moye.

Head Coach Terry Alexander, a Florida State Alumni, has guided the Dolphins to seven Atlantic Sun Conference titles, and will enter his 22^nd season as skipper.  Alexander, who is JU’s all-time leader in wins with 695, is joined by an impressive staff that returns assistant coaches and Brian Snyder (Stetson), pitching coach Tim Montez (Pepperdine) and newcomer Talmadge Nunnari a JU alumni.  All four coaches had standout baseball careers before stepping onto the Bermuda grass that covers the field at John Sessions Stadium.  Once Alexander figures out the lineup, the only task remaining is to go play a very tough schedule while traveling across the country.

The 2012 Fins are planning to continue their recent success.  This year’s group has the potential to be one of the better teams in JU history.  The depth on the hill, returning offense, and new contributors should prove to be a winning combination.  As with any team, there are obstacles to hurdle in order to reach the ultimate dream of playing in a NCAA World Series; a tough Atlantic Sun Conference schedule, a stern non-conference schedule, and a region chockfull of top 50 talents.  For the Dolphins to make their mark with a College World Series berth, they must stay focused, remain injury free, and continue to build on the foundation that has been laid.

Photo courtesy of JU Athletics

Senior Crystal Bell led the Lady Fins with 17 points and 12 rebounds while junior Maggie Wilson scored 11 in part by going 3-of-5 from behind the arc.

Despite a combined 38 points from Bell (17), Wilson (11) and sophomore Abril Peebles (10), the Jacksonville University women’s basketball team dropped a 68-62 road decision to Belmont on Saturday at Curb Event Center. The Dolphins move to 5-6 in Atlantic Sun play this the year with the loss.

JU finished the game with a 31.4 field goal percentage (22-of-70) while the Belmont converted on 43.4 percent of their shots (23-of-53). The Dolphins out-rebounded the Bruins, 47-38. Belmont also forced JU into 19 turnovers which were turned into 16 points.

Belmont took a 28-27 lead into the half and led by five (36-31) with just under 17 minutes left. The Bruins were plagued by a 4-for-18 effort from 3-point range.

The Bruins established the largest lead for either team at 60-45 with just over three minutes in regulation. From that point, JU reeled off six straight points – three by Peebles and two by Faulhaber – over the next two minutes to get within nine at 60-51.

The remaining minutes were soaked up from the free throw line where the Lady Bruins came up big with a final score of 68-62.

Photo by Brett Durda

The JU Baseball Team-Alumni Weekend came to an end with the annual Alumni game. Former players from different states and different decades showed up to take part in the event.

Fans and players of all ages braved the cold to be there for what was a great afternoon of baseball.

“Its always great to be back,” said former catcher/outfielder Chad Oliva (98-02). “I’ve been coming for the past 3 years or so and its always a blast. Its good to see these young guys and help them with anything they need.”

A lot of the guys loved seeing how much the team and program had grown, but also how the facilities have been improved over the years.

“The program has grown tremendously. The facilities are much better, the coaching is great and top-notch players are being recruited. All of this is rewarded by trips to regionals,” said former outfielder Chad Hauseman (99-03).

The Alumni started the scoring in the top of the 2nd with an RBI double from 1st baseman Alex Martinez (06-09). They held their own for a while only trailing 3-1 after 3 innings. The Dolphins then broke out against the Alumni scoring 10 runs in the final 4 innings. JU topped the Alumni 13-4.

Among the Alumni to show up was current New York Mets infielder Daniel Murphy who was at JU from 2004-2006. Murphy was selected 394th overall in the 13th round of the 2006 MLB draft by the Mets. Murphy was accompanied by a plethora of other alumni who flocked to Jacksonville for yet another successful Alumni weekend.

“We are thankful for all the people who came out,” JU head coach Terry Alexander said. “The weather was not great, but I’m pretty sure everyone ignored it and had a good time. We hope to have the former players come back more often throughout the season.”

JU will soon wrap up fall workout,s concluding with their inter-squad world series starting Nov. 17th.

Photo by Grace Singer

The Jacksonville University baseball team (20-12, 10-5 A-sun) found themselves on the good side of three extremely close victories this past weekend in Macon, Georgia.

Friday, April 8 the first game between JU and Atlantic Sun opponent Mercer University (22-13, 8-9 A-sun) was played. The contest started very slow for the Fins, as they found themselves down 6-1, four innings into the game.

Then the tides turned for JU, as they took advantage of a Mercer fielding mistake and capitalized with a Grand Slam by sophomore CF Daniel Gulbransen. This lead to six unanswered runs scored by JU, and lead to the 7-6 victory in game one for the Dolphins.

In game two of the series, the bats took off for JU, notching 15 hits and scoring 9 runs. That being said the story was the durability of senior Matthew Tomshaw who tossed another eight innings for the Dolphins. JU head coach Terry Alexander was very pleased by his lefty pitchers efforts.

“Matthew did another great job for us tonight and it gave us the series,” Alexander said.

The quality balance of play from the dolphins allowed the fins to take game two of the series 9-6 in somewhat of a comfortable fashion.

In the third and final matchup of the series on April 10 JU and Mercer battled to the end. During the first three innings of the game both teams posted zeroes on the scoreboard until the Bears went up 1-0 in the fourth. In the following inning Mercer extended their lead to four after they hit two doubles and a sac fly in the inning that plated three.

The Dolphins sticks came alive in the seventh inning when senior Alex Swenson hit a two-run single. Then fellow senior Esterlin Perozo added an RBI single of his own. The score was evened after the efficient inning by JU.

The Bears then broke that tie in the eighth making the score 5-4. In the ninth, though, DH Jimmy Howick’s clutch hitting knotted the game up once again sending the game into extras. JU spent little time making moves in extra innings, because Gulbransen scored on a wild pitch to take the lead 6-5. This was enough to book the three game sweep over Mercer leaving coach Alexander proud and positive.

“I’m not sure how we pulled it out but I’m proud of how we fought today,” Alexander said. “This was a big weekend for us and hopefully we have turned a corner.”

JU plans to ride the momentum wave into their next matchup Tuesday, April 12, against Georgia Southern University.

Photo by Grace Singer

Jacksonville University baseball team hit the road this weekend to Tennessee where they faced Atlantic Sun Conference opponent Belmont University.

In the first game of the series on Friday, April 2, JU jumped out to a 5-0 lead, and held on tight. Senior Steve Eagerton logged his sixth straight win, and fellow senior Esterlin Perozo’s bat provided three RBI for JU.  The Bruins fought back gradually but it wasn’t enough as JU won 8-6.

In the second game of the series JU completely disrespected Belmont on their field with a 13-2 beating of the Bruins. Offensively JU was guided by junior 2B Jonathan Murphy who went 5-for-6, and sophomore Adam Brett Walker who was a triple away from a cycle.

Pitcher Matt Tomshaw absolutely dominated the competition, throwing eight shutout innings. The Dolphins scored two runs in the first and the third inning and then exploded for five in the fourth inning. JU accounted for 17 hits overall, this outburst pleased head coach Terry Alexander.

“Offensively, everything went right for us in every situation. Hopefully, we can carry some more runs over for tomorrow,” Alexander said.

Coach Alexander’s wish did not come true though. The Fins were held to only one run in the third game of the series. JU failed to capitalize most of the game leaving seven runners stranded on base. Freshman Tony Molica received the loss, but pitched a pretty solid game over the course of 4.2 innings.

The sophomore Walker was strong with his bat once again hitting two doubles, and senior Chris Connelly had multiple hits as well.  The game was 2-1 in the sixth, and then the Bruins opened it up to 5-1 in the bottom of the inning. The game remained 5-1 due to a lack of offensive firepower from the Fins.

The Dolphins plan to win another series though come Tuesday, April 5 when they face USF at John Sessions Stadium.

Photo by Grace Singer

After exhibiting some early season dominance, the Jacksonville University Baseball team fell victim to Lipscomb University in a weekend series from March 25-27. Both teams split the first two games with JU winning the first game and LU winning the second. In the third game on Sunday, JU gave up a lead to lose the rubber match 11-8.

The Dolphins took a 6-0 lead into the fifth inning but Lipscomb pounded away and climbed right back in the game. Sophomore Daniel Gulbransen started the early scoring spree in the third inning with an RBI double. Junior DH Kevin Lehane joined in the mix with a two run single of his own. Lehane led the offensive charge for JU going 3-for-5 with a double and three RBI’s.

Lipscomb finally joined in the action during the sixth inning when they cut the lead in half, 6-3. They then took a 7-6 lead in the seventh inning after an RBI double by Lipscomb’s Tennyson. Bennett Smith and Josh Chism led this furious comeback by the Bisons of LU. Smith went 3-for-4 with a homer and 4 RBI’s, while Chism went 2-for-3 with a grand slam that gave them an 11-6 lead.

JU tried to make a late run in the ninth inning, scoring two runs, but it fell short in the Atlantic Sun Conference loss.

JU head coach Terry Alexander discussed the strange loss.

“There is no one way to point your finger in this loss, we have a lot of self reflecting to do before we face a tough ball club on Tuesday,” Alexander said.

Senior starter Chris Kaminski earned a no-decision after pitching 5.2 innings. Freshman Adam Maxon got the loss in 0.1 inning of relief.

JU is now (5-4) in conference and (14-10) overall, but they hope to bounce back this week at home. They will host Georgia Southern University Tuesday, March 29. Then they will hit the road to Tennessee where they will face Belmont University in a three game series starting April 1.

Photo by Grace Singer

A loss on Tuesday 8-4, against the College of Charleston, started the Jacksonville University Baseball Team’s Spring Break road trip.

After a disappointing start, they traveled to Tennessee to play East Tennessee State University. The weekend started with two wins for JU, but ended with a 2-1 loss. The Dolphins finished the week with a (4-2) Atlantic Sun Conference record and (13-7) overall. Ranked fifth in the conference, JU displayed impressive defense against conference opponent ETSU.

Only one fielding error in the final game of the series held the team in good standing. Outfielders sophomore Dan Gulbransen, junior Jonathan Murphy, and senior Chris Connelly caught over fourteen fly balls from ETSU’s batting line-up.

In the first game of the weekend, JU started the game off by scoring seven runs in the first inning leaving ETSU with a big hole to climb out of. ETSU was unsuccessful in answering such a dominating offense spurt led by Daniel Gulbransen who led the team in runs with four homeruns. JU’s defense gave up only ten hits and had no fielding errors.

The next afternoon, JU let ETSU get ahead with two runs on the board in the second inning. However, JU quickly showcased their excellent batting line-up and by the fourth inning gained the lead. By the sixth inning JU gathered ten runs. Senior Matthew Tomshaw struck out six ETSU batters and held the team to only two runs. ETSU attempted a rally in the ninth inning, but Freshman Chris Anderson shut the Bucs down.

“We played the closet to our potential in this series, our offense and defense were phenomenal,” Tomshaw said.

Unfortunately, ETSU held it together during the final game of the series and came out on top. Scoring early, ETSU dominated the board for all but one inning.  After a quick lead of two runs in the first inning, JU scored two runs in the second inning while Senior Chris Kaminski held the team with no runs. However, after scoring another four runs in the third inning, a few wild pitches helped ETSU. They scored off the mistakes and stayed on top for the rest of the game, despite JU’s defensive and offensive attempts to sweep the series.

The Dolphins hope to continue their dominance of this weekend series while improving their performance of weekday games. JU travels to Bethune-Cookman, for a non-conference game, and then hosts conference opponent No. 11 Lipscomb for a 3-day weekend series at John Sessions Stadium.

Photo by Grace Singer

The Weekend of Friday, March 4 the Jacksonville University baseball team produced another victim of a good old fashion sweep in Wagner College. In the first game of the series JU exploded for a 20-4 rout over WC. The scoring outburst was lead by junior Shortstop Jimmy Howick who went 3-for-5 with a double, a triple and six RBI’s. The Fins were up 6-0 most of the game until the bottom of the seventh when WC showed some life and cut the deficit to 6-4. JU proceeded to score eight runs in the seventh and six in the eighth.

Freshman Pitcher Tony Mollica (2-0) had a very solid outing and was awarded the win for his performance. He allowed only two runs on three hits in 5 2-3 innings. Due to the constant scoring the game lasted a lot longer than usual.

“This was a long game to start a series but it was good to see our bats get going,” said JU head coach Terry Alexander.

The two teams matched up Saturday, March 5 in a double header to complete the two-day series. In the first game junior Steve Eagerton pitched seven innings and allowed three hits to record his second win of the season. Sophomore 1B Adam Brett Walker went 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBI’s. The Dolphins scattered they’re runs throughout the game after taking a 2-1 lead in the third inning. This was the last time the Seahawks scored until the ninth when they added 2 more runs in their loss 7-3.

In game two of the double header Jacksonville earned a shutout victory by committee. The pitching staff was led by senior Pitcher Chris Kaminski who he recorded the win. Three other pitchers followed in relief to log the 9-0 win. The bats came in loud and clear thanks to junior LF Jonathan Murphy who went 3-for-5 in the game, SS Howick and freshman 2B Chris Moye joined with multiple hits each. The fins went up 3-0 in the third, then 6-0 in the seventh inning thanks to good offense. In the eighth inning JU went up 9-0 to ice the game.

This was the second straight weekend in which JU swept a non-conference opponent. The Fins hope to continue their success Tuesday March 8, against Evansville at home in John Sessions Stadium.