The 2007 baseball season saw the emergence of an ace-but the development of that star occurred months before.
In 2006, pitcher Tony Bajoczky went 2-8 while logging a 6.09 ERA. Last spring-the Blue Devils' best year since 1998-he became the team's best pitcher, winning nine games with a 3.22 ERA.
The time in between those two seasons, however, was the key to Bajoczky's emergence. The pitcher spent the summer of 2006 playing in the Coastal Plain League, where he logged 64 innings. Bajoczky cites his experience there as one of the primary reasons for his vast improvement.
Although Bajoczky is gone-the Boston Red Sox drafted him in the 34th round of the 2007 Draft-his story demonstrates the importance of playing baseball during the summer.
"Summer is a really important part of the development process," head coach Sean McNally said. "[The players'] challenge is to come back better players than they left at the end of the season, and summer ball's critical to that."
The opportunity to play every day in the summer can translate to very tangible results in the spring-which means Duke has a lot to look forward to in 2008.
Eighteen Blue Devils played baseball this summer, and six of them made the All-Star team in their respective leagues. One of those Duke players, Andrew Wolcott, made the Great Lakes Summer Collegiate League All-Star team and hopes to follow a similar path as Bajoczky.
"It was a lot of fun," Wolcott said of pitching in the All-Star game. "There were a lot of scouts out there just watching everybody play and just getting the nerves back of pitching in a big game."
In his one inning of work, Wolcott struck out a batter while surrendering one run on two hits.
Wolcott was 3-0 with a 2.45 ERA in seven appearances this summer after going 4-3 with a 6.10 ERA last spring---just .01 higher than Bajoczky's ERA the year before his breakout season.
Wolcott improved his changeup and located his fastball more accurately, while also pitching inside more often-an adjustment that is made easier because summer leagues use wood bats, rather than aluminum.
"[We're] really looking forward to his growth and just getting him back on campus," McNally said. "It looks like he's making a leap. A lot of guys will make a leap after their sophomore year, and we're hoping the same happens for Andrew."
Just as Wolcott-a reliever and spot starter in 2007-will be fighting to get more innings next season, senior Jon Nicolla will be looking for more at bats. Nicolla served primarily as the designated hitter last year, hitting .321.
But he was unable to play his natural position at first base because of Nate Freiman's great season. To try to increase his playing time, Nicolla has worked to become a more versatile player. And the ability to get more experience over the summer at various positions could prove to be personally lucrative come spring.
In his time in the New York Collegiate League, Nicolla played outfield, catcher and third base in addition to first base.
"The more positions that I'm able to play and the more versatility I can bring the team, I think, will help me get in the lineup more and more," Nicolla said.
The senior finished with a .257 batting average, 19 RBIs and led his team with eight doubles.
In the Cape Cod League-the most competitve summer league in the country-Freiman had the best season of any Duke player. The Blue Devils' top offensive player in 2007 hit .286 with two home runs and 28 RBIs.
The junior was named the Coca-Cola Player of the Week for the week of Aug. 5. In that span, he was 6-for-11 with a home run, four RBIs and three runs scored. He also won the Manny Robello Award, which recognizes a player for his service both on and off the field.
If this summer is any indication-like last summer was for Bajoczky-Duke can expect good things in 2008.
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