Coming into its 2016 campaign, the baseball team had everything going for it on paper: an experienced pitching staff with two seniors at the top of the rotation and a lineup with a lot of potential.
But, to put it plainly, GW’s pitching has been a mess: The team has lost seven games in its bullpen, and its starters have not been as dominant as expected.
There is hope, however, and most of it comes on the other side of the ball. Against some of the toughest competition the Colonials have ever faced, their offense has been spectacular – one of the best in the nation.
“Our offense showed what we can do against some of the better arms in the nation,” head coach Gregg Ritchie said. “We put ourselves in the fire and now our season starts in conference play.”
GW ranks second in the A-10 behind Richmond with a team batting average of .279, but that could rise now that the Colonials are up against less talented arms in the A-10. GW’s offense has the opportunity to lift the team to a second-half surge, and the boys know that the Colonials just need more consistent pitching.
The spark for GW’s offense has been junior shortstop Kevin Mahala, who currently leads the NCAA in doubles at 14. Though not a major factor as a sophomore last season – Mahala hit .244, usually in the six hole – he has taken a huge step forward as an upperclassman.
Through one conference series, Mahala has two more RBIs (28) as he did all of last year (26) and is batting .310, which ranks third on the team. Mahala has given the Colonials the four hitter it so desperately needed and has created flexibility in the middle of the lineup for other players, like Andrew Selby, to step up.
“I worked very hard over the summer with our strength and conditioning coach, and I feel a lot more comfortable and confident swinging the bat,” Mahala said. “Everyone is contributing throughout the lineup, and we are confident heading to conference play.”
Despite this general sense of optimism heading into A-10 play, GW has suffered a setback with sophomore Mark Osis out two weeks with an apparent pulled hamstring. Osis, who won the left-field battle in non-conference play, has been a pleasant surprise for the Colonials, pacing GW’s offense with a .389 batting average. Ritchie has moved Robbie Metz up to the two-hole, which creates a serious drop off in the lineup after Selby, who hits sixth.
“It made my heart drop a little bit – it’s another adversity we have to face,” Ritchie said. “Not only are we losing our number three hitter, but he’s also the only one that is consistently hitting lefties.”
With Osis out, GW is going to need some of its role players to step up in a big way.
Against UMBC, junior Bobby Campbell provided a lift, going 3-5 with two runs scored in the 10–8 extra innings loss. Battling behind Mahala, Campbell provides another power bat in the five hole and ranks second on the team with 18 RBI. Junior Andrew Selby paces the Colonials with hits and on base percentage (.438) while second on the team with a .341 batting average.
In its opening A-10 series this weekend, GW took two of three games against La Salle, combining for nine runs across a three-game span. The Colonials will look to build upon those wins with two non-conference contests this week against UMBC and Virginia.
“Our hitting has been a slow maturation, and our guys are now figuring out what their tools are and are using them to our advantage,” Ritchie said.
