Courageous Coyne stirs inconsistent offense

JULIA TIERNAN/YH Catcher Todd Kasper, PC '99, and his teammates are looking for a more consistent offense and defense to turn the season around.

For most baseball players, a torn anterior cruciate ligament means surgery and a premature end to the season, with hopes of returning to form the following year. Not for defending Ivy League Player of the Year and Yale shortstop Tony Coyne, BK '00.

Instead of taking time off to rehabilitate his injured knee, Coyne has stayed in the lineup. Limited to designated hitter, Coyne went 4 for 7 last weekend in two losses to UMass and continued to be one of the most prolific offensive producers for the Bulldogs. Even more impressive, he ran out two of his hits against UMass for infield singles. Then, in his last at-bat, he smacked a
double which just barely missed going out of the park. In Wednesday's 11-6 win
over Quinnipiac, Coyne went 3 for 3
with 2 RBI. Even with the bad knee,
Coyne has displayed speed, power, and a
huge heart.

Is Coyne's dedication to the team's success enough to boost the Yale Nine as they enter the Ivy season? In order for the squad to reach its full potential, many pieces still need to fall into place. Yet with questions still left unanswered for the Bulldogs, one thing is for sure: Coyne's return to the plate has already been a definite morale booster.

"Losing Tony was a real setback for us. Having him back is a huge lift. His presence and leadership really solidify our team," pitcher Craig Breslow, CC '02, said. Center fielder Ben Johnstone, BR '00, who has been the team's offensive leader with a .418 batting average and 11 RBI, agreed. "We need Tony as a player, but also as a person in the clubhouse," he said.

As much as Coyne clearly means to the Bulldogs, the whole team will have to put out a consistently excellent effort in all aspects of the game. Unfortunately, this is something they have been unable to accomplish so far. At 7-15 after Wednesday's 11-6 over Quinnipiac, to say the Bulldogs have been struggling is obvious.

Winning a baseball game demands more than just a star. The Montreal Expos have Vladimir Guerrero but they finished in fourth place last year. Winning requies consistent pitching and a complete offensive attack, something the Bulldogs have not been able to provide.

Pitching may be the biggest question mark. A promising group of young hurlers led by Sudha Reddy, BK '00, has had its difficulties. With a team ERA of 8.83 and a high opponent batting average of .351 before the Quinnipiac game, the Yale staff has been shaky at best. Even against Quinnipiac, the Bulldogs gave up 6 runs--too many to be successful against the more competitive Ivy League teams.

Despite a shaky start by Reddy, whose ERA rose to 6.68, the rest of the staff shut out Quinnipiac over much of the game. The team hopes the win will inject some extra fire into the pitching staff. "Getting a win on Wednesday was huge for our confidence," Breslow said. "That, plus the excitement of starting the conference schedule, should give us an important boost."

The offense has also had its problems. Consistent performances from all nine batters have been rare so far. The only standout has been leadoff hitter Johnstone. Through the Quinnipiac game, he led the team in most offensive categories, posting a .459 on-base percentage and 19 steals in 24 attempts. "Ben has been unbelievable," Breslow said. "Wherever Ben went, we went."

Quinnipiac proved to be the perfect remedy for the struggling, almost one-dimensional offense. Scoring 11 runs, the team put up one of its most productive performances of the season. Even better, they did it without Johnstone's usual excellence. Hitless and reaching base only once, Johnstone was still somewhat encouraged by the end result. "I had a horrible day from the leadoff spot yet the team won easily," he said. "That bodes well for the rest of the season. We need to have complete offensive efforts like this one every game to be successful."

With the return of Coyne and the emergence of Johnstone, things may be looking up. If the pitching staff continues to mature and improve, the Bulldogs should field a competitive team this Ivy season. "We know we have the talent. Now it's just a matter of pitching and hitting well day in and day out," Breslow said. Sounds simple, but clearly easier said than done.

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