THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, February 9, 1996 TAG: 9602090611
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C7 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY RICH RADFORD, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Medium: 79 lines
Tony Guzzo inherited a wealth of talent when he took over as baseball coach at Old Dominion University last season, replacing Pat McMahon.
But much of the inheritance is now gone and Guzzo is left to build his own fortune.
A year ago, Guzzo was playing with a deck flush with McMahon holdovers - pitcher Brett Wheeler, centerfielder Kevin Gibbs, rightfielder Maika Symmonds, shortstop Dan Almonte. The Monarchs posted a 39-20 record and were two games from advancing to the College World Series.
Now, ODU is a true mixture of McMahon recruits and Guzzo newcomers. Thirteen players return from last year's squad. Thirteen freshmen dot the roster.
The main carryovers are catcher Matt Quatraro (.371, 13 HRs, 62 RBIs), third baseman Ron Walker (.314, 5 HRs, 47 RBIs), centerfielder Brian Fiumara (.305, 6 HRs, 46 RBIs) and rightfielder Mike Henderson (.329), who are expected to lend a big pop to ODU's offense, hitting in the No. 3-6 spots.
Quatraro, a returning first-team All-Colonial pick, is coming off a shoulder injury that knocked him out of the postseason. Walker, the CAA's rookie of the year, also will pitch as the Monarchs' third or fourth starter.
Fiumara is sliding from rightfield into the spot owned by departed Kevin Gibbs for three seasons. And Henderson, who caught in Quatraro's absence during ODU's postseason run, is moving to the outfield for the first time.
``Matt's 100 percent and ready to go,'' Guzzo said. ``We feel really good about the middle of our order. As for Mike, we're borrowing a page out of the old Yankees playbook by playing a backup catcher who can hit in the outfield.''
The leadoff spot will be filled by designated hitter Jason Koch (.145), who also will be a backup in the outfield.
The big questions center around the four freshmen dotting the opening-day lineup: shortstop Tony Gsell, second baseman Eric Folmar, first baseman Anthony Forelli and leftfielder David Winter, a two-time All-Tidewater selection at First Colonial.
``I just hope the difficulty of our early schedule doesn't overwhelm our freshmen,'' said Guzzo. ``I've had freshmen before who've stepped in and hit recovered.''
ODU isn't favored to win the CAA this season. James Madison and George Mason get the nod over the Monarchs. Nor are the Monarchs in the preseason top 25 as they were a year ago.
``We don't need the extra pressure of trying to stay in the top 25 anyway,'' Guzzo said. ``It's not about winning early. This is a marathon, not a sprint. We want to play our best in May.''
Winter, one of three All-Tidewater first-team selections in the Monarchs' freshman class, is starting in place of Quentin Lindsey, out with an eye injury sustained while running the bases in practice.
The other two, David Abbott (Green Run) and Nick Ardagna (Western Branch), are expected to see action as the season progresses. Abbott is making a position switch to first base and will pitch out of the bullpen. Ardagna, impressive in preseason workouts, is backing up Quartraro and could see extensive time if Guzzo sees fit to shake up the lineup.
As for the pitching staff, the Monarchs return three of their end-of-the-season horses in John O'Reilly (5-4, 3.96 ERA), Justin Kreider (6-3, 3.78) and Walker (6-5, 3.15). When Walker pitches, Tommy Staples is expected to play third.
Crafty lefthander Jesse James likely will fit into the starting rotation once he recovers from a leg stress fracture. Marty Plank, another lefthander who missed last season after elbow surgery, is working out again and could surprise.
Of the 13 freshmen, eight are expected to pitch in some capacity.
``There are a lot of innings up for grabs,'' Guzzo said. ``We have some experience we can lean on and we have depth in the freshman class. I'm just not sure who will respond.'' ILLUSTRATION: File photo by MARTIN SMITH-RODDEN, The Virginian-Pilot
Ron Walker, back for another baseball season at Old Dominion, will
perform double duty as a third baseman and pitcher.
by CNB