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Men's Baseball

2008 RECAP

AMCATS HAVE MOST SUCCESSFUL SEASON IN 8 YEARS

The Anna Maria Baseball Program has drastically changed under Head Coach Dave McNamara (Clark University, 2004). The 2008 AMCAT Baseball Team won 12 games this past season, the second most in program history, relying primarily on underclassmen with a roster that included 14 freshmen (many of whom were everyday starters). The AMCATS went 7-8 at home this past season and were only one win away from a playoff spot in the The Commonwealth Coast Conference Tournament. This was a dramatic turnaround considering McNamara inherited a winless team (0-28) in 2007. The future is very bright for the AMCATS and 2009 expects to be a breakout year for the Anna Maria Baseball Program!

HIGHLIGHTS

The 2008 Season had some outstanding performances. Freshman Jim McNamara was named the Team MVP after his excellent freshman season. As a pitcher, Jim led the team in wins (5), complete games (4), and innings (50.1), while also tossing a complete game shutout. At the plate, he led the team in both hits (39) and doubles (13) while batting .322 with 20 RBI. Jim was also named the TCCC Player of the Week and Rookie of the Week during the first week of March after hitting .423 in Florida.

Freshman OF Jeff Lander also had a tremendous season as he was the Triple Crown winner for the AMCATS, leading the team in batting average (.373) home runs (4) and RBI (23). Lander also led the team in runs scored (27), total bases (62), and slugging percentage (.608), collecting 38 hits and compiling an on-base percentage of .405!

Other notable performances during the 2008 Season include that of freshman outfielder Matt Touhey who batted .300 with 31 hits and an on-base percentage of .407. Freshman second baseman Andy Fallon led the team in on-base percentage at .408 while freshman shortstop Mike Galvin collected 31 hits and scored 24 runs as the leadoff hitter. Freshman Alex Roycewicz smacked three home runs and and had 21 RBI while sophomore first baseman JK Vaughn hit two home runs with 19 RBI. Freshman Ryan Brown was also a key contributer hitting .302 with one home run on the year.

Freshman Brian Richard led the AMCATS to their first win of the season while in Florida and went on to record a team-high 14 appearances including two complete games. Sophomore pitcher Mike Allard posted two wins as a reliever while freshman Nick O’Keefe won two games as a starter, including a complete game shutout. Junior Matt Fournier pitched 25.2 innings with one complete game, while junior Mike Auciello pitched 25.1 innings during 12 appearances.Sophomore Kyle Green also had a fine year going 1-0 in 14.2 innings of work.

McNamara Sets Single Season Doubles Record

During his fantastic freshman year as a member of the Anna Maria College baseball team, James McNamara (Worcester, Mass.) set a school record for the most doubles hit in a single season. McNamara smacked 13 doubles during the 2008 season, surpassing the previous record of 10 held by Andy Mathieu (’04) and Steve Maloney (’02).

Along with his 13 doubles, McNamara also led the AMCATS in hits with 39 and in triples with two. In addition, he finished second on the team in batting average (.322), slugging percentage (.463), total bases (56), and runs batted in (20). As if that wasn’t enough, McNamara also excelled on the mound, leading the team with five wins, four complete games, 50 1/3 innings pitched, and 30 strikeouts. His total of nine games started were the most in school history, while his five wins rank second to only Tom Heindl (Worcester, Mass.) who won six times back in 2001.

Along with being selected as the The Commonwealth Coast Conference “Player of the Week” and “Rookie of the Week” during the season, McNamara was also named AMC baseball’s “Team MVP”. "Jim's freshman year was outstanding,” says Head Coach Dave McNamara, who is also James’ older brother. “He was a major factor in the team's turnaround, leading the team as a pitcher and a hitter!"

James combined with fellow freshman and team “Triple Crown” winner Jeff Lander (Gloucester, Mass.) to lead the AMCATS to their most successful season in eight years. Considering that the team included 14 freshmen, the future looks bright for AMC baseball. "Our goals are set high for 2009 and we expect to perform at our highest-level yet this spring,” says Coach McNamara. “Our team will be bringing back a core of starters and welcoming another great class coming in." It’s shaping up to be a very entertaining season of AMCAT baseball in 2009.