 "Photo: Josh Colligan")
 "Photo: Josh Colligan")
Making the SUNYAC postseason tournament wasn’t necessarily the hard part for the Plattsburgh State baseball team — it was getting in the win column.
After getting to the playoffs seven consecutive times, the Cards finally earned their first win in the tournament last year, before eventually getting eliminated by Brockport.
But getting the win has set the bar high for the 2010 squad.
“We are the best defensive team in the conference,” senior co-captain Matt Burns said. “If we play our game, there will be one or two moments in the game we have to capitalize on to win. We just have to keep games close and play our game and see what happens from there.”
The 2010 Cards will have a little different look, with more speed on the base paths and less power.
Most notably gone from the lineup are Joe Curcio, Eric Schwind, Matt Kelley, John Campbell and All-SUNYAC Second Team selection Kyle Kowalowski. The five combined for 11 home runs and 147 RBIs a season ago.
This year’s team figures to be a scrappy one, stealing bases, pitching well and playing strong defense to win games, Head Coach Kris Doorey said.
“It’s really important for our guys to understand to compete with the big teams in the region and in the country, that our players need to be strong,” said Doorey, who was named SUNYAC Coach of the Year last year. “The weight room is a good place to build physical strength, but it’s also a good place to build mental toughness. This group’s done that more than others. Will it translate to wins? That’s up to them.”
The Cards return 12 wins to the top of the pitching rotation after losing innings-eaters in Billy Davis and Campbell. Dan Tracy had five wins for the Cards and SUNYAC Rookie of the Year Matt O’Leary finished with seven.
Adding to the pitching depth this year are senior Corey Johnston and last year’s opening-day starter, sophomore Tyler Greene. Freshmen Andrew Price and Marc Plante will also get shots on the mound.
O’Leary said that after a successful freshman season where things fell into place nicely for him, he is looking for the team to get over the hump and beat the top teams in the tournament, including Cortland, winner of five straight SUNYAC championships.
“We have to go in confidently, knowing we can beat them,” O’Leary said. “When we play well, we play smart, play good defense and pitch well, we can beat anyone. That’s the key — just being confident when we play our rivals in the SUNYAC.”
But the Cards don’t see a SUNYAC opponent until April 10.
Until then, the Cards will play 23 non-conference games, including five this weekend as they travel to Myrtle Beach, S.C., for The Ripken Experience tournament.
“We’re going to have a pretty good idea of where we’re at,” Doorey said. “The players should be able figure it out (by April 10). The games will be a lot easier for them at that point in the year. If you can win your six home conference games, then you’ve just got to steal one on the road, and you’re in the playoffs. That’s our goal.”
Having not had the chance to be on the field to practice , this weekend’s games in Myrtle Beach will give the team a chance to warm up to outside baseball activity.
“(These games) help not only the players getting the feel of the game, but it also helps the coaches,” sophomore Pat Shuaghnessy said. “They can mix and match players and see what fits the team best in situations and who’s good under pressure. Preseason games help find the identity of the team.”
In his final season for the Cardinals, Burns, as captain, wants to see last year’s success blossom further this year..
He doesn’t plan on ending his Cardinal career on a disappointing note.
“That’s the first step into getting where we want to go, to winning the whole thing, the whole tournament,” Burns said. “What I obviously would like to do is win the SUNYAC tournament this year — first time in program history would be pretty nice to go out on.”
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