Wentworth Institute of Technology: Athletics > Varsity Sports

Baseball, along with rifle, is one of Wentworth’s longest-played sports. Since its 1986 debut as an NCAA Division III sport, the team has had its ups and downs. Former coach and present director of athletics, Lee Conrad, brought baseball into the NCAA fold. Under his guidance, the program captured Commonwealth Coast Conference championships in 1989 and 1990. Those two championships served to gain the attention of more established and respected baseball programs throughout New England and set the tone for the future of Wentworth’s program.

During the early 1990s, the program continued to flourish and gain respect. In 1995, the Leopards were selected to the ECAC Division III Tournament as the eighth seed. In arguably the greatest win in the program’s history, Wentworth upset top-seeded Amherst in the quarterfinals before losing to Southern Maine in the semifinals. The 1996 team captured Wentworth’s third CCC baseball title.

The program endured its ups and downs from 1997-2006, including three coaching changes and reaching double digits in wins just two times. The 2007 team was the third season of a new coaching staff, the Leopards have appeared to have turned the corner and are beginning their climb toward the top of The Commonwealth Coast Conference. Wentworth won 13 games in 2007—the most since 1999—and advanced to the third round of the conference playoffs. Youth was the theme of that team and would set the stage for the best season the prgram has ever had one year later.

Beginning with a program-best 7-3 record on its annual spring trip to Florida, the Leopards returned north to continue playing well, rolling off 11 wins in their first 15 games in New England. A doubleheader sweep of Goron gave Wentworth 20 wins for the season, which would tie the school record which was set in 1995. That also began a streak of nine wins in 11 games heading into the playoffs where the Leopards advanced to the conference championship game for the first time since 1996 and knocking off top-seeded Roger Williams twice in three games by a combined 25-6 score. Despite falling in the title game, Wentworth's accomplishments were noticed, earning the second seed in the ECAC Tournament. A 6-4 loss to Mass. Maritime in the semifinals ended a 30-14 season where the team set or tied 22 program records and won more games in one year than the previous three combined.

The Leopard baseball team's 2009 season was definitely a tale of two halves. Wentworth began the season with a 6-4 record in Florida, including defeating NCAA participant WPI, and won six straight games up north to stand at 12-4. After a stretch of playing 8-2-1 ball to improve to 20-6-1 - including defeating defending conference champion Western New England and being ranked in the New England Coaches Poll - the Leopards dropped seven straight games and were 20-13-1. Five of those losses were by a combined 12 runs.

After splitting the final four games of the regular season, Wentworth fell to Roger Williams in the first round of TCCC Tournament before being ousted by Nichols in a 5-4 game. A 22-17-1 record was good enough to qualify for the ECAC Tournament for the second consecutive season, but Fitchburg State ended Wentworth's season with a 13-7 triumph.

Junior Chris Sandini (Upton, Mass.) was named TCCC Pitcher of the Year and was a first team all-league selection. He was 6-3 with a 3.41 earned run average and in 66 innings of work he struck out a school record 91 batters. The school's all-time leader in numerous categories such as strikeouts and earned run average also pitched three shutouts. Offensively, sophomore Jake McManus (Hopkinton, N.H.) hit .343 (36-for-105), junior Doug Papuga (Branford, Conn.) hit .333 (38-for-114) with six doubles, five triples, and five home runs, while freshman Conner Flisnik (Marcy, N.Y.) batted .304 and set a new program mark with nine sacrifice hits.

Seniors Nick Cunningham (Pembroke, Mass.) and Mike Roberts (Chelmsford, Mass.) each departed the program having etched their names into the record books. Cunningham for most hits (137) and home runs (12) and Roberts for games played (142).

Four seniors graduate from the 2009 squad, leaving open positions in the outfield and the bullpen. With the majority of the team returning, including players who were freshmen during the 2007 season that began the turnaround, Wentworth should be among one of the teams fighting for the 2010 TCCC Championship.

Distinguished Players

Outfielder Matt Bouchard ’97, a four-year letter winner and member of the 1995 ECAC squad, earned many honors during his final season. In addition to being named CCC Player of the Year, he was named to the All-ECAC and All-New England first teams, and was named the Institute’s first-ever Academic All-American. As an All-New England selection, Matt was invited to play in the annual New England All-Star game, which was held in historic Fenway Park.

Chris Sandini '10 pitched briefly in the Cape Cod League in 2007 and spent the 2009 summer playing in the Hawaii Collegiate Baseball League. That selection came on the heels of teammate Matt Chymbor '08, who became the first Leopard to play in that league.

George Wing ’47, who played for Wentworth and then went on to play in the New York Yankees system, was a charter member of Wentworth’s Athletic Hall of Fame (2001), while Coach Bob Whittemore was enshrined in 2002 along with Bouchard. Bouchards’s former teammate, Ken Bliss ’97, was enshrined in the Hall in 2004. In 2009, Glenn Gussis '03 became the fifth baseball player inducted into Wentworth's Athletic Hall of Fame in 2009.

Schedule

The baseball team plays a 40-game spring schedule, which includes a 10-game trip to Florida during Spring Break. Included in TCCC play are games against Curry, Colby-Sawyer, Endicott, Salve Regina and Roger Williams. The non-league schedule is highlighted with games against Mass. Maritime, Babson, and MIT. In addition, a non-traditional segment is played during the fall.

Steve Studley (Castleton State '94) is entering his sixtth season as the Leopards' baseball coach. Prior to being named Wentworth's head coach, the program's all-time leader in wins (81; 81-98-1) he had served for four seasons as an assistant coach at Stonehill College. He is assisted by Billy Sittig (Stonehill '06), Matt Moyen '06, and Brian Nelson (Stonehill '06).