Teams: Baseball: Team Overview

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The Tufts University Baseball program is one of the most competitive in New England each spring. Under the guidance of Coach John Casey, the Jumbos annually compete for the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) title and are ranked among the best in the region. The 2010 team looks to continue this tradition of success.

The Jumbos return most of their roster this spring. The top five hitters from last year return, including All-NESCAC SS David LeResche. Senior Alex Perry is one of the best catchers in the region, and he will guide a pitching staff that returns 14 of last year's 19 wins. Chris DeGoti, 4-0 with a 3.43 earned run average in '09, was an All-New England selection.

Located right outside of Boston, Tufts offers a well-rounded collegiate experience to student-athletes. Within its picturesque small-college campus, Tufts is a major university with "an unprecedented diversity of programs, exceptional faculty and staff, and bright and talented students", according to President Lawrence S. Bacow. The Athletics Department sponsors a varsity program of 28 sports that is among the most competitive in the NCAA's Division III. Tufts finished 10th in the 2009 Learfield Sports Directors' Cup, which awards points based on NCAA performances. The University's proximity to a world-class city renowned for its academic institutions is also a major draw.

The Tufts baseball program aims to develop players into future leaders on and off the field. Located right outside of Boston, Tufts offers a well-rounded collegiate experience to student-athletes. Within its picturesque small-college campus, Tufts is a major university with "an unprecedented diversity of programs, exceptional faculty and staff, and bright and talented students", according to President Lawrence S. Bacow. The Athletics Department sponsors a varsity program of 28 sports that is among the most competitive in the NCAA's Division III. Tufts finished 10th in the 2009 Learfield Sports Directors' Cup, which awards points based on NCAA performances. The University's proximity to a world-class city renowned for its academic institutions is also a major draw.

On the baseball team, the drive and guidance of senior players is crucial to success each year. This approach builds a team that cares about baseball and being competitive, but more importantly one that cares about each other. The annual Grimshaw/Baseball Alumni Golf Tournament run by the team welcomes back more than 100 former players every May. Many former players have donated enhancements to Huskins Field.

Casey's teams have featured five players who signed professionally. Randy Newsom, a 2004 Tufts graduate, signed with the Boston Red Sox in June 2004. He was traded to Cleveland as part of a deal for Coco Crisp, and he advanced to the Indians' Triple A affiliate in Buffalo. Pitcher Jeff Taglienti and outfielder Dan Callahan are also Jumbos coached by Casey who were drafted by Major League organizations.

A 1980 Tufts graduate, Casey enters his 27th season as the coach at his alma mater. He has amassed a 469-317-3 record, a victory total that places him among the top 50 on the NCAA Division III active coaches list. As an undergraduate, he helped pitch the Jumbos to consecutive ECAC Division II-III Tournament appearances. Also a tight end on 1979's undefeated football team, he returned to Tufts a year later as a baseball and football assistant. He replaced Lee Sargent as head baseball coach in 1984. The 2009 Jumbos recorded the program's 17th consecutive winning season under Casey.

A native of nearby Jamaica Plain, Casey is a respected leader in the Division III baseball ranks. He is a member of the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) Executive Committee and is the ABCA Division III chairman. He recently ended a term as chair of the NCAA Division III National and New England baseball committees. As secretary-treasurer of the New England Intercollegiate Baseball Association (NEIBA), he plays a leading role organizing the New England College Baseball All-Star Game. Casey and his staff run RBI Baseball Academy's Summer Clinic on campus, and annually host the TPX Top 96 clinic, one of the biggest in the Northeast.

In November 1999, Coach Casey was inducted into the Hall of Fame of the Boston Park League, the oldest amateur baseball league in the country. In 2000, the NEIBA presented him the Jack Butterfield Award, its most prestigious honor. Casey was promoted to Assistant Athletics Director at Tufts in 2001, with responsibilities in the department's daily operations.

As members of the NESCAC, Tufts plays in one of the most competitive conferences athletically and academically. The NESCAC is a group of highly selective liberal arts colleges and universities that share an academics-first philosophy for intercollegiate athletics. Tufts has reached the finals of the NESCAC Championship in three of the last four seasons. Last season, senior infielder Ari David earned NESCAC All-Academic honors.

Bob Clarke, Bill Samko, Bob Kenny and Brian Casey will assist Casey again in 2009. Clarke received the NEIBA's Kevin Burr Assistant Coach of the Year Award (named for the former Tufts assistant) in 2008. Samko, the head baseball coach at Tufts from 1979-82, returned in 1994 as head football coach. Kenny is a 2005 Tufts graduate who caught for four years and was the team's captain. Brian Casey, the coach's son, was an All-New England shortstop and pitcher at Tufts.

Several former assistant coaches under Casey are now head coaches at the college or high school level. Jamie Pinzino, a 1997 graduate, has coached Bryant College to back-to-back NCAA Div. II Tournament berths. Paul Svagdis, a 1993 graduate, has guided Azusa Pacific University to two straight NAIA College World Series berths.

The host site of several conference and regional post-season tournaments, Tufts University's Huskins Field is one of the finest in New England. The team is also fortunate to use one of the best indoor facilities for baseball. Carzo Cage includes a regulation-size infield, a dirt pitcher's mound and several batting cages, perfect for winter practice before the team's annual spring trip.