Army hires Foster away from BC Baseball

BC Baseball looked hapless as recently as two years ago. The turnaround began last year. In part due to improved and maturing talent, but also due to pitching coach Jim Foster. That success gained notice as Army hired Foster to be their next head coach.

If you listened to the player interviews during BC's run, they gave a lot of credit to Foster. He called very solid games and provided great scouting reports on the other team's hitters. Beyond the NCAA tourney success, Foster also served as a trusted adviser to Gambino. When he joined the staff, Foster brought much needed experience as a head coach from his days at URI. Hopefully Gambino appreciated what Foster brought to the team and finds another great assistant who can handle the pitching staff as well as fill in for some of Gambino's short comings.

Best of luck to Foster at West Point. Coaching and winning there is always a challenge. If he struggles, I would love to see him return to BC as an assistant. If he wins big, maybe he'll be the head man here one day.

Baseball's run comes to an end

Very few (with me at the front of the line) would have predicted that BC Baseball would come within one game of the College World Series. While being firmly on the bubble, they spent the past four weeks winning more than expected, got into the ACC Tourney, the NCAA Tournament and then won their bracket. It came to an end Sunday in Miami. After chipping away at Miami's lead, the game got away on a Canes grand slam. The final score was 9-4.

Both benches emptied after the grand slam, as our guys took exception to the bat flips and taunting from the Hurricanes. Based on social media, many BC fans were angered by Miami's display and proud of the boys for standing up. I am more of the opinion that if you don't want someone showboating or taunting, don't let them score. The whole thing was unfortunate, because it was a great series.

Let's hope BC rides this momentum. This should only help recruiting, fundraising and fan support. If we get the new stadium in a reasonable time, BC Baseball could be a real force. I also hope Gambino has officially turned the corner. There were many times over the past few years where the results on the field raised numerous questions. This year was a breakthrough. Now, let's not fall back.

Congrats to the whole team and organization on a great season. They ended a rough year for BC Sports on a high note. 

BC Baseball makes the ACC Tournament

Congrats the Boston College Baseball team. By beating Georgia Tech twice on Saturday, the team earned a spot in the ACC Tournament. This is the first time the team qualified for the ACC Tourney since 2010. The teams will play again for the ACC Tourney Opener on Tuesday.

Baseball wins Beanpot

Eagles WIN! The Beanpot is coming back to as The Heights!! pic.twitter.com/9DqnZx1W65
— BC Baseball (@BCBirdBall) April 23, 2015

Baseball won the school's 11th Baseball Beanpot Wednesday night beating UMass in the Final. This is the team's sixth win in a row and improves the overall record to 22-18.

Next up is a three-game series against UNC in Chapel Hill. Let's hope the current momentum keeps up.

Why the "Drop Baseball" debate can't be settled by one series or one season

Baseball is playing well and that's great. Over at BCI Dan Rubin led off his recap of the weekend with a reminder how vocal the "drop baseball" crowd was a year ago and how it might have been shortsighted. I never advocated dropping baseball, but the current success doesn't validate anything and doesn't stop Brad Bates from asking the tough questions about which sports BC should support. Those who questioned BC's baseball future weren't trying to kill a program just to kill it or to make room for lacrosse. They were also looking at the big picture and where BC baseball fits.

The challenges with baseball
Some of BC baseball issues are fixable. Some are not.

The lack of depth among local recruits is probably overstated. You can deliver a consistent winner with players from the northeast.

Any coaching issue is fixable. I am not sold on Gambino being the long-term solution. But the uncertainty over BC's baseball future indirectly led to him getting more time. Hats off if he uses the time to prove he's an ACC-caliber coach. But BC is not a deadend job (see Aoki, see Hughes). If Gambino cannot sustain success, other qualified coaches will gladly take the job if there is a program.

You cannot change the New England weather. It will always make early season games a huge scheduling challenge. It will also make recruiting players from warmer regions a challenge. But BC can address this challenge with a permanent baseball facility that minimizes the impact of many of the weather issues (snow removal, drainage, synthetic fields, etc.).

Playing in a deep baseball conference is a challenge that BC cannot change. But the silver lining of ACC Baseball is that if BC competes in this conference, we can compete with any team in the country.

Funding
While many of the obstacles related to the baseball field are due to local objections, BC's support for the program is still critical. Not only are funds needed for the permanent field, but paying the players remains a looming budget issue. Football and Basketball are the sports most associated with paying athletes, but baseball will be part of the second wave (if it is not part of the first).

Lacrosse vs Baseball
Despite the ongoing debate over which is more viable at BC, the more likely outcome is neither as a varsity sport. If BC ever kills baseball over competitive and or financial reasons, I don't see them making Men's Lacrosse a funded, varsity sport.

But I don't think even the most diehard BC Baseball fan would argue that a well-funded BC Lacrosse team would be more likely to have national success than BC Baseball.

What does BC want out of Sports
Even with our grandstanding votes against paying athletes, I don't think BC will walk away from college sports. Football and, to a lessor extent basketball, are too valuable as marketing tools. The women's sports are safe as long as Title IX is law. Hockey is safe. So then it comes down to the non-revenue men's sports. Baseball is not untouchable. Bates and Father Leahy will have to decide what is important and what sports best promote and fulfill the school's mission. One hot streak in April is not going to answer that question.

Foster joins Baseball (officially) and other links

After weeks of rumor and speculation, BC finally confirmed that Jim Foster joined the Baseball staff. I will stick by my initial reaction that this was a good hire and a surprising career move for Foster. I hope big things are ahead or he has a deal to take over if they don't. Gambino needs his steady hand, especially now that Chin is gone.

Syracuse.com's preview of BC is very complimentary to Addazio. After going from Spaz to Daz, I think most BC fans agree that coaching matters.

Reports out of Green Bay still predict Rettig will be a Practice Squad guy.

Baseball change rumors and other links

Soaring to Glory and the College Baseball Daily are reporting the URI Head Baseball coach Jim Foster is expected to join Mike Gambino's staff at BC. It is an interesting move on a couple of fronts. Gambino gets a much needed, veteran adviser. However, even coming off a losing season, it is surprising that Foster would leave URI to work with a coach on the hot seat. I am sure BC paid Foster well and will get paid even if Gambino gets fired.

Herzy's fundraiser last week was a success. Thank you to those who supported the event.

BC's win over/under is 4.5.

Assessing Mike Gambino and the 2014 baseball season

BC just finished another disappointing Baseball season and yet there doesn't seem to be much talk about the future of Head Coach Mike Gambino. After four seasons the team remains one of the worst in the ACC and failed to qualify for the ACC Tournament. While the showed signs of improvement this season and there is renewed hope about facilities, we have to continue to ask if we have the right staff in place. I am an outside observer so I asked Brian Foley from College Baseball Daily for his opinion. My questions and his answers follow.

1. BC looked better and was more competitive but still had a terrible record. Was the improvement real? 

Foley: The improvement was far from real. They played several of the have-nots this year with NC State being a complete failure while they still ended up losing a series to old friend Mik Aoki’s Notre Dame squad which finished with a 9-21 record.

2. Who or what was the biggest surprise of the season and biggest disappointment? 

Foley: The biggest surprise to me was the development of Chris Shaw into an upper echelon ACC player. He finished the year with a .329 average and a team high six homers which was the same amount that the rest of the team combined for. Shaw was a disaster as a freshman when he hit .165 with six homers and 19 RBI.

The biggest disappointment continues to be the pitching staff which had a 4.27 ERA which is high seeing as about half BC’s games are against weak northern competition in midweek play and on the Spring Trip.

3. Would you fire Gambino? If no, what are the expectations for next year. If yes, who are potential replacements?

Foley: Would I fire Gambino? I don’t know if the school cares enough to actually fire him. I was attending the America East Tournament this week when one of his former players in Anthony Italiano got a key double to lead the Seawolves to a victory. This was a kid that was not good enough to play at BC but has had a solid little career at the Long Island school.

My first phone call would be to Justin Blood at Hartford. He has made that program into a respectable team which plays hard throughout the game. There were trailing a game by nine runs but wouldn’t give up in the ninth inning when they ended up losing only by four. This is the toughness that is missing right now with the BC program.

My second phone call after Blood would be to Steve Owens at Bryant. He made the NCAA tournament last year for the Smithfield RI school and had a successful run at Lemoyne before heading to the Bulldogs. Lemoyne would be an absolute pain back in the day for schools and Bryant is becoming a new Lemoyne.

What to make of Baseball's upswing?

Baseball swept Maryland this weekend. Following the series win over NC State, it leaves many wondering if there is light at the end of the tunnel. With winnable series against URI and Pitt approaching and players improving, getting to .500 and making the NCAA tournament are not out of reach. Both potential goals would be a welcome change for the program. We all love BC, so this is all good news.

But if the team closes strong and plays well in the ACC Tournament, does that mean we were all wrong about Gambino? I don't necessarily think so. BCI posted a fair take that is a little more optimistic than my opinion. I think that when the season ends, you judge the Coach on the totality of his time at BC and the trends. It looks like things are trending up. And if they keep at this pace, Gambino can claim that he turned the corner. But only once the season ends will we have proper perspective on this hot streak. Writing anything now about Gambino's future is premature.

Seabrooke signs with Baltimore

Tough but not totally unexpected news as BC commit Travis Seabrooke signed with the Baltimore Orioles. The Canadian Lefty was supposed to be one of the guys to help rebuild BC baseball. Others in the incoming class will have to fill the void. Improvement from the guys we have wouldn't hurt either.

Baseball loses finale, no easy answers ahead

Baseball dropped their final game of the season, concluding the worst year BC Baseball has had as a member of a conference (Big East and ACC). They finished 12-40 overall and 4-25 in the ACC. Being competitive in the ACC will always be a challenge, but I think the cause for concern was how much BC struggled outside of the conference. Given all of our advantages just from a talent perspective we should not struggle against other New England and northern teams.

We all know the structural issues around the program. But we won't build a new field overnight. We cannot change the climate. And although the roster under-performed given their stats in high school and AAU, we cannot drastically change much about that in one season. Fair or not, the thing Bates can do is change the coaching. He has two options: fire Gambino or give Gambino more money to address his assistants situation. I don't know which direction he will take. Bates fired Spaz, but that was nearly predetermined for any AD prospect. Gambino was probably not on his radar when Bates interviewed last fall. This will be a tough call. Do you get rid of a young alum or do you give him one more season?

I am not a BC baseball expert. But those who do follow it closely like Brian Foley from College Baseball Daily think Gambino needs to go. Statistically we were a mess. Our record was pitiful and our players did not scratch the surface of their potential.

We will have obstacles in building an elite baseball program. But there are no obstacles to building a competitive one. Bates needs to figure out how to become competitive and then make the tough decisions to get us there.

More Alumni shots and other links

A day after we put a pic up, BC released their own shot of the new field. Hopefully they keep documenting and sharing the progress via social media.

Heights and Lows has the first look at the new SuperFan shirt and an all important ranking of the slogans. Some of us are old enough to remember when the shirt had nothing on the back.

BC offered Ohio TE Kevin Kavalec. He currently has offers from MAC schools, but I don't mind us reaching a bit on a kid from St. Ignatius. At one time it was a mini-pipeline for us. Getting our foot back in the door there may pay off down the road. Virginia prospect Brandon Ravenel had good things to say about BC.

The field of our early Novermber Tournament in Charleston is set. BC won't be favored but that is a winnable tournament. Baylor and St. John's have the most returning talent, but all of those teams will be replacing key contributors. BC -- of course -- will have 90% of the team back.

Here are the bios of Mike Gambino's latest recruiting class.

The Globe published a great feature on Anthony Melchionda.

Q&A with Brian Foley from College Baseball Daily

While I've expressed my disappointment in this season's BC baseball team, my perspective is more emotional and uninformed. To get a better feel for what happened and what expectations should have been, I asked Brian Foley from College Baseball Daily about the team and its future. Because he focuses on college baseball and is a BC grad, I think Brian holds a unique perspective on our team. My questions and his answers are below.

1. BC just completed another losing season. Although expectations weren't high, did you expect the team to be more competitive? Losing to some mediocre northern schools surprised me as did the inconsistency in ACC play.

Brian Foley: I expected Boston College to win eight ACC games this year and finish last in the conference based on the talent level in the lineup and on the mound. The losing to the "Northern" programs is due to the fact that the pitching was still not up to ACC caliber on the weekends which pushed guys that are "midweek" guys into pitching in conference matchups. They need to get stronger on the bump.

2. Seven players graduate. Who will be the biggest hole to fill?

Brian Foley: Melchionda is the biggest hole to fill in the lineup. He played a solid shortstop defensively but was extremely limited in his range so they will get better on defense with whoever takes over at short.

3. How do you feel about Gambino's recruiting so far?

Brian Foley: Gambino is known for being a diehard recruiter and next season's incoming freshman class is loaded with impact bats including Lexington MA third baseman/RHP Christopher Shaw and Fullerton, CA catcher Stephen Sauter to name a few.

4. What should our expectations be for next season? When will BC have a winning season again?

Brian Foley: The expectations for next season are to compete for an NCAA Regional spot if they freshman come in and make an impact. BC will have a winning season next year and be a bubble team. I put my word on it. This will be Gambino's first season with HIS recruits.

Baseball sweeps Wake and other links

BC Baseball has struggled in a variety of ways this season. But a sweep of an ACC rival makes everything seem a little better. Over the weekend, BC beat Wake Forest 2-1, 6-1 and 9-5. It was the first sweep of Mike Gambino's tenure and the first since 2010. There hasn't been much to cheer about this year, but maybe the team can finish strong.

Chris Kreider's amazing run continued on Saturday. (Thanks to all for the links.) If the Rangers win the Stanley Cup, this will become a big BC story.

Lacrosse beat Yale 16-5.

The Softball team lost to Maryland to fall to 2-16 in conference play.

For those who missed it last week, the Army football game will be at noon and shown nationally on CBS Sports Network.

Also from last week (but important), O'Neill Plaza will have added green space.

Former Eagle Dominique Davis signed with the Falcons, where he will reunite with Matt Ryan.

A BC student was found dead in Walsh over the weekend. The cause of death remains unknown, although foul play is not suspected. Thoughts and prayers go out to his family.

Quick Taylor update and other links

As promised, here is my Eagle Insider story on Travis Taylor. Basketball wise this is not big deal. Campus politics wise it is huge. Let's hope everyone gets on the same page so this doesn't happen with future recruits.

[WARNING BLATANT SCOUT.COM PIMPING AHEAD] Eagle Insider will have premium recruiting articles of our own soon, but if you like recruiting, you might want to sign up now because you can gain access to the network's content. Right now we have updates on the following BC targets:
-- Richard Rodgers
-- Patrick Flavin
-- Leonte Carroo
-- Chase Hounshell

HD has been putting together "key stretches" for each ACC team. Here is BC's version.

Mike Gambino has eyed the BC baseball job for a long time.

Preston Murphy is back at URI as an assistant.

The Blackhawks traded former Eagle Marty Reasoner to Florida.

More on Gambino and other links

BC made the Gambino announcement official this afternoon. I like his youth and the fact that he is a BC grad, but I think his biggest asset will be his eye for talent. He has been Virginia Tech's recruiting coordinator and over the past few years the Hokies have upgraded their talent.

Baseball America has a rundown of the other candidates that interviewed and speculates that current assistant Steve Englert will stay on.

Soaring to Glory put together a good Q&A with the College Baseball Blog regarding the Mike Gambino hire. What I find interesting is that the close observers of the baseball are not concerned about the Aoki loss and feel he left the program in worse shape than he found it.

Dr. Saturday thinks we will win the division again.

The National Football thinks that Harris is the 2nd best RB in the ACC.

BC just offered Florida WR Tacoi Sumler.

Report: Gambino next BC baseball coach

According to the Herald, this afternoon BC will announce Mike Gambino has been hired as the new BC baseball coach. As I tweeted, this is a safe, sound hire. Gambino brings a nice mix of college and MLB experience. He also played and recruited at BC, so he knows what he is getting into and what sells at the school. I also appreciate that he left BC to join Peter Hughes at Virginia Tech. Sometimes that time spent away makes you appreciate what BC is all about and gives you some exposure to things that BC might need to emulate.

Congrats to Coach Gambino and let's hope when we finally have the new baseball field, we'll have a championship team playing on it.

Report: Aoki to Notre Dame

BC Guy and leading College Baseball Blogger Brian Foley is reporting that Mik Aoki has accepted the Notre Dame opening. I wish him the best of luck. I think we will miss Aoki as a recruiter. (His curious strategic decisions won't be as missed.) Foley thinks another BC grad -- Mike Gambino -- is the favorite to replace Mik at the Heights.