There's an old saying in baseball: momentum is only as good as the next day's starting pitcher.
Don't tell that to Duke head coach Sean McNally.
The Blue Devils won 29 games in 2007, the team's most since 1998. And McNally, now in his third year at the helm of his alma mater, is looking to carry that momentum into 2008.
"Every year is a new one, but there's carryover in terms of what we did to have the success that we had," McNally said. "It comes from working hard, attacking our workouts, and continuing to strive to be better. Having had that success has given us a lot of momentum, a lot of optimism going into the year."
Some of that optimism is tempered by key departures from last year's roster. Duke saw three of its players drafted in outfielder Jimmy Gallagher, infielder Brett Bartles and pitcher Tony Bajoczky while a fourth, outfielder and pitcher Jonathan Anderson, graduated.
Anderson, Gallagher and Bartles constituted three of the first four hitters in the Blue Devils' lineup, and Bajoczky had a breakout senior year as Duke's most reliable starting pitcher.
"Those guys will certainly be missed...but I feel like we're prepared for it," McNally said. "It changes the dynamic of our lineup a little bit. But it gives an opportunity for some guys to step up and be ready to go."
One player the Blue Devils expect to fill those holes is 6-foot-8 junior first baseman Nate Freiman. Freiman led Duke a season ago with a .369 average and tied for the team lead with seven home runs and 48 runs batted in.
Freiman will be counted on to be a major presence both in the lineup and in the dugout.
"[Freiman] has really evolved as a player, as a premier defender at first, a middle of the order ACC hitter, but also a leader for us," McNally said. "Nate leads by example but also vocally, and his work ethic is really special. He's a critical piece to our lineup in terms of what he brings as a player certainly and what he brings as a person just as much."
Duke may have a more difficult time replacing Bajoczky at the front end of the rotation. Sophomore Alexander Hassan is the Blue Devils' most experienced returning starter, one season after finishing 2-6 with a 5.80 earned run average.
The back end of the bullpen, however, appears to be settled with sophomore Michael Seander. In his freshman campaign, Seander compiled nine saves and a 1.61 ERA in 28 appearances.
The Blue Devils relied heavily on freshmen like Hassan, Seander and infielder Gabriel Saade last season and expect to do much of the same this year.
"There will be guys that really step up and meet or exceed expectations. That's our hope going in," McNally said. "I don't think ever going in with freshmen, you know when the lights come on, exactly who that's going to be. But I'm very excited about the talent level and the commitment of that class and certainly counting on a lot of young guys to play."
While McNally admits this year's team may not have as much talent as last year's squad, he understands it's all a part of building a program at Duke-one that continues Friday with the season-opener against Iona.
"We talk about creating a winning culture, and that entails a lot more than baseball," McNally said. "We're not at our endpoint. We're in the middle of the process, but we're definitely on a great trajectory, and one that makes it really exciting every day.... Friday can't get here soon enough."
The Blue Devils' weekend series with the Gaels at Jack Coombs Field includes a Saturday doubleheader.
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