Baseball Opens Sunday
Broncs at MD Eastern Shore

The Rider baseball team will begin the 2010 season Sunday, February 28, with a 12 noon doubleheader at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore. The Broncs will also play a 12 noon doubleheader on Monday.

Rider returns 20 letter winners, including seven players with 56 or more career starts.

"I think we have a chance to be all right," said sixth-year head coach Barry Davis, who led Rider to the 2008 NCAA Tournament. "This group has good chemistry. I think it will be a good year. We anticipate making the conference tournament.  If we did not get in it would be a real disappointment."

The Rider pitching staff returns its top three earned run pitchers from last season and a combined record of 16-5.  The pitching corps is led by junior Mike Thomas (Forest Hill, Md./Fallston), third-year sophomore Patrick Devlin (Richboro, Pa./Council Rock North) and senior Ryan Miller (Montoursville, Pa./Montoursville).

Thomas led Rider in wins last year after being second on the 2008 team in victories, and also led Rider in strikeouts last year.  Devlin started five games last season and was the staff ace before suffering a shoulder injury that required surgery and was granted a medical red-shirt.  With three years remaining, he already has 11 career starts. Miller also has 11 starts entering his senior year, and owns an 8-5 career record.

At third base for the last two years has been junior Mason Heyne (Shrewsbury, Pa./Susquehannock), who has collected 120 hits in 101 games, including 17 home runs and 23 doubles. Heyne could also see action at first base or even behind the plate this year.

The middle infield will consist of junior John Ralston (Annandale, Va./Paul VI) at shortstop, junior A.J. Albee (Ashley, Pa./Hanover Area) at second and senior Garrett Rugg (Langhorne, Pa./Neshaminy) at either. The three have a combined 274 games of experience.

Albee earned Second Team All-MAAC and Second Team All-NJCBA last year, batting .333 to earn the Most Improved Player Award.

"I think the middle infield is one of our strengths," Davis said, "with Ralston at shortstop, Albee at second base and Rugg playing both. There is a lot of experience in those three. We have as good a middle infield as most teams.  Albee had a pretty good offensive year last season and we expect him to pick up where he left off. I think Albee is one of the best players in the MAAC."

Rider plays two on Saturday and two on Sunday. The Broncs hits the road again March 5-7 for a four-game series at Appalachian State.

The home opener is March 27 when the Broncs host Niagara in the first MAAC games of the season.

-ru-