“I’m excited about our schedule this season,” said McNamara. “More important than the fact that we finished a very respectable 15-20 during a first season last year was that we were very competitive against some stiff competition despite having a team almost exclusively of freshmen. We didn’t play the typical model of a schedule for a first year team. We challenged ourselves to play against established, experienced programs, and we did very well. I hope we can now build on last year’s success and challenge for the Skyline Conference playoffs, and also begin to make a name for ourselves regionally and nationally against several top teams.”
The Dolphins will open the season on March 4 when they travel to Capital Athletic Conference (CAC) powerhouse Galludet. After that game, they will play games against Division II programs Queens College and Mercy on March 7 and 8 before heading to Fort Pierce, Florida for nine games during their week-long stay. The Mount will square off with teams such as Delaware Valley College, Division II power Clarion, St. Scholastica, and SUNY New Paltz. From there, 18 of Mount Saint Vincent’s final 26 games will be against Conference foes.
“Ideally, you want to be as sharp as possible heading into Conference play, especially in the Skyline Conference where there are probably six or seven teams who have a legitimate chance to win the whole thing. Last year, Centenary finished only a couple of games ahead of us in our division, and ended up winning the Conference championship. It goes to show you how much parity exists in the Skyline. Anybody can win it, and the team who will finish on top will be the one that is the most prepared from the early part of the schedule, and has the depth and talent to sustain a high level of play through 18 Conference games. I think we have the schedule to prepare us for the rigors of Skyline play, and I think our team has the potential to stack up with anybody else in the Conference. With a few breaks, we could be right in the thick of things.”
Last season, the Mount finished 11-11 in Conference play, including wins over Stevens, Centenary, Manhattanville, and doubleheader sweeps of Maritime College and USMMA-Kings Point. The 2006 schedule works even more towards the Mount’s favor as games against Manhattanville, Stevens, and St. Joseph’s (LI) – all considered strong contenders to win the Skyline Conference Championship – will be played at home. McNamara said he considers his team a contender to advance to the Skyline Conference playoffs.
“There is a lot of great baseball in the New York City Metro area, and I think we’ve done an excellent job attracting solid baseball players here. Not only do we have the talent to compete, but we have a mature group who have taken the responsibility of building a program from scratch very seriously. This is going to be a very exciting year for Skyline Conference Baseball, and I think it’s safe to say that we have set a goal to make it to the Conference playoffs. And if we can peak at the right time, anything can happen. I think we have the potential to win the Conference, but there are a ton of teams in the Skyline who can say the same thing and back it up on the field.”
