On Campus: Worst-To-First For Binghamton

When America East Conference play began on March 26, Binghamton was 4-17. The Bearcats had endured a seven-game losing streak and had lost their first five series of the season.

But coach Tim Sinicki remained optimistic about his team’s prospects for the season.

“I thought we had a chance to be a really good club this year,” he said. “We faced a pretty good early season schedule and came back, like a lot of northern teams do, with not the greatest record.

“I felt like we had a chance to be pretty solid if we all clicked when conference play started.”

Sinicki, who is in his 24th season as Binghamton’s coach, proved to be right. The Bearcats (25-22) have dominated America East play, winning 17 of their first 20 conference games to win the regular season championship last Saturday. It was their fifth such title in the last 10 years.

Binghamton hosts Maine, which it swept on the road two months ago, in its final conference series left before the America East Tournament begins next week in Lowell, Mass. A 30-win season, which would be the fourth in program history and first since 2013, is within reach.

The Bearcats have already completed a worst-to-first turnaround, the first in conference history. Binghamton made back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances in 2013 and ’14, but slipped to 17-24-2 last season.

Sinicki said the Bearcats were very disappointed with their 2015 season, and have worked hard to ensure it didn’t happen again.

“We have a good foundation of guys that have been with us for a few years now,” he said. “From Day 1, there was an unspoken commitment to getting back to the level of baseball we had gotten used to for last decade or so. Kudos to them for realizing it was not acceptable to finish ‘15 the way we did and be committed to getting back to that level in ‘16.”

Binghamton has been especially hard to beat at home this season, where it is 12-0. It is the last team in the country to be undefeated at home this season.

Binghamton’s strength as a team is its defense, and it ranked fifth in the nation with a .980 fielding percentage entering the weekend. Its 33 errors in 47 games are tied for the third-fewest in the nation.

The Bearcats fielding prowess is especially impressive for a northern team playing on a grass field. Binghamton has no full-time grounds crew, leaving much of the field maintenance to the coaches and players. And because it has played so few home games, it has had to adjust to playing on many different types of fields.

“(Defense) has been something that’s been there all year for us,” Sinicki said. “Guys take pride in defensive practice. We just ask them to make the routine plays and try not to make it too complicated.”

The Bearcats defense has helped its pitching staff, which ranks last in the conference in ERA (5.05). But with a dependable defense and good offense (averaging 6.26 runs per game), there is less pressure on the pitching staff.

“What guy wouldn’t want to pitch for a team capable of putting up some runs for you and making plays behind you?” Sinicki said. “It gives guys confidence when they take the mound whether for starts or coming out of the bullpen.”

Binghamton’s offense is led by its three- and four-hole hitters second baseman Reed Gamache (.364/.439/.540, 6 HR) and first baseman Brendan Skidmore (.323/.402/.565, 9 HR).

Sinicki said Gamache, a senior, and Skidmore, a junior, have done a good job of playing off each other in the middle of the order.

“They’ve been playing since their freshman years, so they’ve got a lot of at bats,” he said. “They’ve developed as hitters over time, not only in the area of batting average, but also run production. I think it’s any coach’s wish to watch their players develop and save their best for their upper class years.”

Much like its offensive leaders, the Bearcats saved their best play for when it really counted. Sinicki said their chemistry has been a key for them, helping them to stay focused throughout the season and finish the season strong.

“We’ve been fortunate just to have been playing really solid baseball since we started conference play back in late March,” Sinicki said. “I’m not sure this is the most talented team that’s ever been wearing Binghamton’s uniform. I’m not sure we do anything exceptionally well in one area, but, collectively, as a group, this team has performed remarkably consistently.”

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News and Notes

Atlantic Coast Conference: One of the conference’s premier series on the final weekend of the regular season is a matchup between in-state rivals Miami and Florida State. It is the first time they have met to close the regular season since 1976. The fourth-ranked Hurricanes defeated the No. 14 Seminoles, 4-2, Thursday, just their fourth win in the last 10 games of the series, dating back to 2013. … In conjunction with the Josh Gibson Foundation, Pittsburgh will honor the Negro Leagues during its game Friday against Duke. Pitt will wear Homestead Grays hats and Duke will wear Pittsburgh Crawfords hats. Families of former Grays Gibson and Clarence Bruce will also attend the celebratory event.

Big 12 Conference: Baylor, coming off a series win against Texas Christian last weekend, opened its series at Texas on Thursday with a 2-1 victory. The win, combined with Kansas’ loss to Oklahoma State, clinched a spot in the Big 12 Tournament for the Bears (23-26). The Bears have played well since their finals break at the start of May, and have matched their win total from last year in coach Steve Rodriguez’s first season at Baylor.

Big Ten Conference: Going into the weekend, Ohio State third baseman Nick Sergakis ranked in the top 10 in the conference in 10 offensive categories. He led the Big Ten in doubles (18), ranked third in total bases (111), slugging percentage (.600), on-base percentage (.481), hit by pitches (14) and RBIs (44), sixth in batting average (.362) and home runs (eight) and eighth in walks (31) and hits (67). Coach Greg Beals said Sergakis, a redshirt senior co-captain, brings a mature approach to the Buckeyes’ offense. “Some hitters out there are considered to be professional hitters, well, Nick’s a collegiate hitter,” Beals said. “He’s just a good polished hitter. He’s a tough competitor.”

Pac-12 Conference: Arizona State got off to a slow start in Pac-12 play, losing three of its first four series. But over the last month, the Sun Devils have gotten on a roll, winning four straight conference series and sweeping New Mexico. With two weekends left in the season, Arizona State is two-game behind first-place Utah and, with an RPI of 38, in position for an at-large spot in the NCAA Tournament. Coach Tracy Smith said the Sun Devils are playing selfless baseball. “The prima donna attitude is not existent with this group,” Smith said. “Maybe we had that early in the year, but we’ve flushed all that out. They’re just going out and trying to help the team win. That’s really what changed the fortunes of this team.” Arizona State will look to keep rolling this weekend at UCLA.

Southeastern Conference: With a 10-8 win against Tennessee on Thursday, Georgia (27-27) clinched a spot in the SEC Tournament. The Bulldogs missed the conference tournament last year, when they went 10-19 in the SEC and finished in last place in their division. While Georgia is just .500 overall this season, it remains in the mix for an NCAA Tournament bid, thanks to its RPI of 25 and No. 1 strength of schedule. The Bulldogs will have to finish with a winning record, so a series win this weekend could put them in position to make regionals for the first times since 2011.

Other conferences: Connecticut lefthander Anthony Kay broke the program record for career strikeouts Thursday, as he struck out seven batters in an 11-2 win at South Florida. The junior now has 249 strikeouts, two more than former Huskies righthander Matt Barnes. … Sacramento State played on Tuesday the first night game in the history of John Smith Stadium, which opened in 1953. The stadium is named for Sacramento State’s former coach, who is now a Special Assistant to the Athletics Director and oversaw the installation of the lights. “I’m sure there’s going to be a tear in my eye and I will feel a sense of completion,” Smith said in a press release. “I would have loved the opportunity to coach under the lights here on campus but time goes on and the program goes on. Reggie (Christiansen) has done a great job taking the program to higher levels and the lights will help us continue to move in a positive direction.” Pacific spoiled the first night game, defeating Sacramento State, 9-6. … Bowling Green introduced on Tuesday Bob Moosbrugger as its new athletic director. Moosbrugger, who had been deputy director of athletics at San Diego State, played baseball at Bowling Green and was named the team’s freshman of the year in 1991. Longtime Falcons coach Danny Schmitz told WNWO that he was pleased to have his former player back at Bowling Green. “He has a great passion for the game, a great passion for the university,” Schmitz said. “We’re extremely excited he’s back home.”