Salisbury Baseball Eyeing Fifth Straight NCAA Berth
Sea Gulls Boast Strong Infield, Experienced Lineup in 2004

2004 Roster  |  2004 Schedule
Salisbury, MD – Over the past four seasons the Salisbury University baseball squad has experienced its share of success, recording at least 30 wins in each season, with three straight Capital Athletic Conference championships, four trips to the NCAA Division III playoffs and a trip to the Division III World Series.

The 2004 season has every indication of being more of the same as the Sea Gulls return seven of their top eight hitters, including the entire infield, from a squad that posted a 31-13-1 season record and a 9-1 CAC mark. Salisbury has received votes in the American Baseball Coaches Association/Collegiate Baseball (ABCA) Division III preseason poll and will face four of the top six teams in the poll (No. 1 Eastern Connecticut State, No. 3 Christopher Newport, No. 5 Trinity, No. 6 Johns Hopkins) this season.

Three-time CAC Coach of the Year Doug Fleetwood, who has a 94-39-6 record in his first three years as head coach after serving the prior two as an SU assistant, has confidence in this year’s squad as preparations begin for the 2004 campaign.

“I think we’ve had some really fine players over the past several years,” Fleetwood stated. “In fact, our recruiting here has been real good the past five or six years. We’ve gotten some real good players and I think they’re good enough to compete with anybody in the country.

“We’ve also got a great coaching staff. I said on the first day when I came here that this program is not about me. We not only get good players, but I think our coaches do a great job.

“We’re really young overall,” Fleetwood said. “We’re going to put some young players out on the field. We did that last year and those young kids, who are now sophomores, responded very well. We’re hoping that the other young players that we put on the field this year will respond as well.”

A look at the 2004 squad by position:

Infield
Salisbury’s infield last year featured four of the top hitters on the squad. Two sophomores and three juniors return to lead the unit this year.

Sophomore second baseman Greg Lemon (Wilmington, DE) finished second on the team in batting a year ago, boasting a .383 average. He was also second on the team in runs scored (41), hits (49), doubles (9), slugging percentage (.539) and on-base percentage (.434). He was named the CAC’s 2003 Rookie of the Year.

Sophomore Nick Pegelow (Seaford, DE) performed equally as well, finishing with the team’s third-best batting average (.352) while taking over as the starter at first base. He was tops on the team in fielding percentage (1.000), tied for the team lead in triples (2), tied for third in RBIs (29), tied for fourth in hits (43) and was fourth in total bases (55) and on-base percentage (.426).

The left side of the infield features returning shortstop Brandon Mason (Boyertown, PA). The junior was first on the team in runs scored (42) and walks (28) a year ago. He finished third in hits (45), sixth in total bases (49) and fifth in on-base percentage (.411) in 42 starts. 

Senior Trey Cobb (Hagerstown, MD), perhaps the team's most versatile player who hit .318 while seeing action in both the infield and outfield last year, also returns. Cobb is most likely to help at shortstop and third base this season.

“Greg (Lemon) just works himself to death,” Fleetwood said. “He’s a great example of how you get better. Nick (Pegelow) and Greg really played some outstanding baseball, so I think having those two players next to a great cast of incoming players will really help us.”

Junior third baseman/pitcher David Sutton (St. Michael’s, MD) was fifth on the team with a .328 batting average. Sutton finished second in home runs (4), RBIs (30), total bases (62), walks (20) and was third in on-base percentage (.429).

Salisbury used a couple of players at catcher last season, but Fleetwood expects junior catcher Matt Johnson  (St. Michael’s, MD) to emerge as the starter after posting a .343 batting average last year. Junior B.J. Kittle (Waldorf, MD), who missed much of the 2003 season with a broken hand, also returns. Freshman Pete Callahan (Newark, DE) should also contribute.

Outfield
Salisbury will have some new faces in the outfield, but Fleetwood is looking for great things from freshman Andrew Jensen (Millersville, MD) who has been tabbed as the starter in center field. Jensen, who graduated from Severna Park High School last season, is one of three players off that state championship team that have joined the Sea Gull program.

Other players that will likely fill roles in the outfield include returning juniors Mike Williams (Baltimore, MD) and Galen Morres (Salisbury, MD), and sophomore transfer Jason Lively (Gambrills, MD). Williams hit .304 last season with three home runs and 21 RBI. Morres finished with a .264 average with two home runs and 13 RBI.

Pitching
The Sea Gulls will have some holes to fill in their pitching staff this season with the graduation of Cory Willey and Star Kriger. The top returning starter is junior righthander Brian Shipe (Salisbury, MD), who was second on the squad with a 3.32 earned run average. He posted a 5-3 record while working 59.2 innings, with just 12 walks and 43 strikeouts.

Sophomore Nick Dunk (Seaford, DE), who posted a 3.55 ERA while seeing duty mainly as a reliever last season, will likely move into the starting rotation. Junior righthander Scott Byers (Oakton, VA), who posted a 5-1 record, and senior lefthander Mac Mollet (Gaithersburg, MD), 3-1 last season, also return.

Others who should contribute on the mound include transfer Kyle Muller (Newark, DE) and Mike Williams.

“We feel the pitching staff has the ability to go deeper than ones in the past,” Fleetwood said. “We feel very good about our staff as a whole and feel we can match up with some people.”

Designated Hitter
Senior designated hitter Rob Kassekert (Riverton, NJ) led SU in hitting with a .417 batting average in 2003. He also led the Sea Gulls in runs scored (31), hits (68), doubles (15), home runs (6), runs batted in, (48), total bases (101), slugging percentage (.620) and on-base percentage (.462). Kassekert earned first team CAC and second team all-South Region honors in 2003.

“Rob is one of the better hitters that we’ve had here in a long time,” Fleetwood said. “He does a lot of things really well and has a great mental approach to the game.”

Summary
“The CAC will be as competitive as always,” Fleetwood said. “Mary Washington will be good, they have their top two pitchers back. York will be good. Catholic lost a few of its players, but they’re always tough and every game with them is a dogfight; as it is with St. Mary’s. Our conference games are usually close games.”

1-28-04