BUFFALO, NY - After a 13-year absence, baseball is back at the University at Buffalo. On November 3, 1998, the University at Buffalo announced the reinstatement of the baseball program, to be added in the spring of 2000. That time has arrived, and after a full year of planning, recruiting and starting a foundation for success, head coach Bill Breene and his staff are ready for the upcoming season.

UB starts their season with a 10-day trip to Homestead, FL, where the Bulls will play 11 games against eight different teams, including Pittsburgh and Boston College from the Big East Conference. The season will open on Friday, March 3, against Chicago State at 7 pm. The Bulls will make their first appearance in Buffalo when they play at Canisius on March 22.

The first scheduled home date for UB is a doubleheader with Pittsburgh on April 4. That game, along with six other UB home dates, will be played at Dunn Tire Park, home of the Buffalo Bisons, the Triple-A affiliate for the Cleveland Indians. Another home date for the Bulls will be played against Albany University in Rochester, NY, at Frontier Field, home of the Rochester Redwings Triple-A team.

Breene and the coaching staff are looking to build the program around some of the tradition that was established during the glory days of UB baseball, in the late 1970's and early 1980's, when UB was a competitive Division I program that regularly sent players into the professional ranks. To do this, the coaching staff feels they can build around the talent level in the New York area.

"Our goal is that we want to get the best players in the state and keep the New York talent in this area," said Breene. "We want the players who are looking at some of the mid-major schools and try to keep them home. With the quality of talent baseball players in the area have, I think we can do that and be competitive."

"UB baseball has had a lot of good traditions, its just been fragmented. UB baseball was the place in this part of the state where kids went to play baseball," added Breene. "Back in the late 1970s and early '80s there were a lot of UB players getting signed and that's what we're after. We've got some kids who have already been drafted and a handful of others who will be looked at before their careers are done. In that regard, I think we're going in the right direction."

Part of the right direction was the intense recruiting effort put forth by the coaching staff that started the day the program was reinstated. As a result, the Bulls were able to sign some top quality players who were being looked at by schools in the Big East, the Atlantic Ten and other Mid-American Conference schools. In their recruiting, the coaching staff stressed a team philosphy that will be necessary in building the program to a level that it can compete in the Mid-American Conference.

"I've told them all to check their egos at the door. I told these guys that they have to buy into our coaching philosophy and do what we want to try and teach them for us to be successful," said Breene. "Us not being in a conference this year gives us a real crazy schedule and anyone of the people on this roster can be called upon at anytime to step up and help this team win a game."

Overall, the coaching staff is excited about the players that have been brought in and are now ready to get after it and step out on the field and play ball. With a lot of young and inexperienced players, the coaches are just as eager as the players to get out there and see how the Bulls stack up against other teams.

"I think overall we have good talent, it's just untested at the Division I level," said Breene. "The kids are smart and they know who is fitting into what roles for the team and their all continuing to work hard at where they are in that scheme."

"We still have to find our starting lineup and unfortunately you can't do that until you get into some head to head competition," said Breene. "We'll try different combinations and rotations and by the end of the season hopefully have some established starters at certain positions and that's how you start to build a team. Get that foundation then enhance whatever areas you need to improve on each year."

Following is a breakdown of the recruits the coaching staff has brought in to build that foundation, and where they will likely see time to help the Bulls succeed in their first year back in Division I baseball.

Catcher:

The catcher position is one that has a lot of depth for the Bulls with some high priority recruits. There are four players for UB at this position that could each find time behind the plate based on the schedule. With a lot of consecutive midweek games and doubleheaders, there will be a need for some depth.

Mark Vogel is the coaching staff's top choice as the primary catcher, recruiting him from nearby Erie Community College. Scott Mruczek, Brandon DiCesare and Steve O'Keefe are all catchers who will see time behind the plate as well as other positions. Mruczek has been a quiet leader for the Bulls in the classroom, in the weight room and in his work ethic, and was named as one of the team's three captains.

"Brandon and Scott have skills at other positions, and I think all four of these players will have a great chance to see some time catching for us," said head coach Bill Breene. "We can put anyone of these guys behind the plate and feel comfortable with whoever is back there. Brandon and Scott both will have a chance to see some time at other positions for us as well."

First Base:

First base is one of the positions where the Bulls do not have a true first baseman, but have some talented players who will be converted to play the position. With some of the versatile athletes on the team, the coaching staff has worked a lot of players at that spot and feel confident in those players' abilities. One player who could see time there is freshman Bryan Sanchez, a high school honorable mention pick as a senior by Collegiate Basbeall. A shortstop in high school, Sanchez is an all-around athlete who has worked out at first and gives the offense a great left-handed hitter that the coaches want in the lineup.

Junior Rob Golemba joins the team from the UB club team and can play either first base or outfield, and will likely see time at both positions. He gives UB another left-handed hitter and has some good hands on defense at first. Dan Curcione is another player who may see time at first. A member of the UB football team, he gives the Bulls added depth at first and a powerful hitter in the lineup.

Second Base:

Kevin Brown came to UB from Alfred State and the coaching staff will look upon him for some defense and a smart player on offense. He emerged as a leader during the team's fall workouts and was named one of the team's captains for this season. "We wanted to make sure we were secure in our defense up the middle so we went and recruited some guys heavily," said Breene. "At second, I don't think there is any question that Kevin Brown will be the starter there." Behind Brown will be Aaron Coonick, a freshman who has good range and quickness on defense. The coaches feel he was a lucky find and will spell Brown at second at various times during the season.

Shortstop:

Freshman Adrian Daniels, one of the Bulls top recruits, will get the start at shortstop. "We thought Adrian was as good as any of the top recruits in Western New York. He has great defensive skills, he's fast and has a good arm," said Breene. "Like the rest of the freshman, he'll have to adjust to Division I pitching but from a defensive standpoint we're very happy to have him. He and Brown have really meshed up the middle during the fall workouts so we're excited about that combination up the middle."

A couple of guys who have played shortstop and could be used as a backup include freshman Brian Zelasko from Orchard Park High School. He played shortstop in high school and can play there or in the outfield depending on the team's needs. Kevin Nesterick is a walk-on from West Seneca, NY and could also see time at shortstop in a backup role as well as possible time at first base.

Third Base:

The coaching staff has two players who could fight out time at this position in Mike Flaherty and Rick Mariano.

Flaherty is a transfer from Monroe Community College. He is a tough left-handed hitter with solid defensive skills. Mariano transferred to UB from Charleston College and brings with him some college experience.

"These are two guys that are both good defensive players and with Rick batting from right side and Mike hitting from the left side, I think it gives us a chance to platoon them at third," said Breene.

Outfield:

Eric Huber is a likely starter in left field. He came to UB from Alfred State where he was a junior college first team All-American last season. "Eric is a solid defensive player and a tough out at the plate hitting from the left side," said Breene.

David Zona, from nearby Niagara Falls, and Jon Dolinar from Angola, are both freshman who could step into the lineup and help backup in left field. Charlie Smilinich is penciled in as the starter in centerfield. A transfer from Niagara University, Smilinich gives the team added strength up the middle defensively. Offensively he gives the team a possible leadoff hitter or a two or three-hole hitter with the ability to put the ball in play. "Charlie has good range in center and gets a good jump on the ball," said Breene. "He fits into our theory of good defensive strength up the middle."

The team has worked a lot of different players in right field, in Scott Mruczek, Rob Golemba and Brandon DiCesare. This position gives the coaching staff options on how to stack the lineup based on the opposing teams' pitching. Golemba has a strong arm and good jump on the ball and is the likely starter if he is not used at first base.

Pitching:

The Bulls will look to their junior college transfers to carry a lot of the load on the field because of the experience factor. Tom Janakowski is the lone senior on the team after transferring from Charleston Southern. He has good poise and stability on the mound and will be looked at to help show the younger players how to maintain their composure on the mound.

Pete Selden was selected as the third captain for the team for his leadership not only on the field but in his efforts to get involved with off the field leadership activities. He is a strong pitcher with great composure on the mound. Matt Rogan transferred to UB from Alfred State, and has experience pitching against some quality teams and in some tough situations. Bryan Ayrault is an addition from the football team. He's a big strong player who is a tough competitor and wants the ball on the mound. He comes from a tradition-rich high school, having played for Bob Barrows at nearby Orchard Park.

Jeff Robertson is another transfer from Erie Community College and has experience in big games as that team advanced to the Junior College World Series. Anthony Puccia is another junior college transfer who will help give experience to a young staff. Frank Ochiogrosso is an addition off the UB club team. He throws extremely hard and has been working on mechanics with the coaching staff to improve his delivery. All of these upperclassmen will be counted on to contribute to the team and help some of the younger pitchers learn and mature while on the mound.

The coaching staff has been impressed with the hard work and improvement shown by some of the freshman pitchers during the fall workouts. Tyler Balantine has looked good to the coaches in the scrimmages and game conditions that he has seen so far, and Jon Sullivan has looked equally as good. The coaches hope to get a lot of innings out of these two young pitchers over the course of the season.

Some other young arms that will be asked to contribute thoughout the season include Mark Esposito, Matt Franklin, Mark McMahon and Kyle Swiatocha. McMahon was an All-Western New York selection in high school and Swiatocha was a member of the Empire State Games team. All these freshman bring in impressive credentials and will be called upon at various times in the year.

"We've told the pitchers, there's no number one through ten spots on this staff, we'll have to call on anyone at anytime to come in and perform," said Breene. "With the amount of back-to-back and double headers we have, everyone will have to be ready to jump in and contribute, and I think we have a lot of guys who will respond to those calls and do well."