On the eve of his first season as head coach of the Duke baseball team, Sean McNally has already sent a clear message to his players-things will be different this year.
After finishing a disappointing 14-39 in 2005, the final year of former head coach Bill Hillier's six-year tenure, Duke enters the 2006 season with a new look and a new mindset, both of which have stemmed from its new coach.
If any of the Blue Devils doubted McNally's intention to cut players he felt were not showing adequate effort during off-season workouts, they were wrong.
McNally commented this past fall that every one of his players had a "clean slate" after Duke's sixth straight losing season and that each would have to earn his spot on this year's squad.
In addition to the four seniors that graduated, 11 players with remaining eligibility after the 2005 season are no longer listed on the Blue Devil roster.
Among these players were J.J. Koterba, Eric Baumann, John Berger and Cody Wheeler-all of whom started at least 20 games last year-as well as former starting pitcher David Torcise.
McNally declined to discuss how many of the players were cut and how many decided not to return, but did indicate that some were not invited to rejoin the team for the 2006 season.
"I think the guys we have really appreciate and have a lot of pride in wearing the jersey and representing Duke-they've worked very hard for that, they don't feel that they're entitled to it," McNally said. "These are the guys that we felt that would best represent our program this year."
The dugout will be noticeably less crowded than last year when the Blue Devils take the field today against High Point at 3 p.m. at Jack Coombs Field for their season opener. Duke's roster, which consisted of 33 players last season, now features only 24-the smallest roster in the ACC by six players.
Junior Jonathan Anderson said with such a small roster, injuries could be a concern. Anderson added that the Blue Devils are short at a number of positions, especially in the outfield where Duke's roster currently lists only four players. McNally, however, said although he would like to have more depth, he feels the team has enough players with experience at multiple positions that he does not expect it to be a concern.
"We've come through the preseason period healthy and feel good about that," McNally said. "We have enough flexibility that we can make some adjustments if we have some injuries."
Anderson, one of just three remaining juniors from a class that was seven deep last year, said McNally's changes have served as a wake-up call for a team that has limped through seven straight losing seasons. He added that the new roster stands as evidence of the coach's determination to make the changes he feels are necessary for Duke to succeed.
"It definitely was a shock to me and sent a very deep message to me because a lot of the guys that aren't here are from my class and I was kind of sad to see them go," Anderson said. "It definitely lights a fire under you and everybody because you see that you have to do well. You have to perform in order to be on this team and to earn the Duke uniform."
Anderson said McNally made the changes in order to mold the Blue Devils into a more cohesive unit that would be more receptive to the hard work ethic and system he has been trying to impress upon his players.
"He just wanted us to be more of a team," Anderson said. "He wanted us to focus on having exactly what we needed. Not to say that there were any bad guys on the team from last year, I think he wanted his guys to play the game the right way and do things in the way he wanted them done-going to class every day, showing up to practice every day, playing as hard as you can."
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