Hit Parade

In just two seasons, the Washington College baseball team went from 3-24 to 17-14. The Shoremen will look to continue that progress in 2006 as heavy hitters and All-Centennial Conference players Eric Guettermann (left), Mike DeBartolome, and Zachary Huba are among the team's returning players. The Shoremen open their season Thursday at Salisbury University.

Here are some highlights from the Shoremen's home schedule:

3/4 v. Neumann (2) - The Shoremen open their 2006 home schedule against the Knights, a team Washington put up a total of 17 runs on in two wins in last season.

4/7 v. Johns Hopkins - Washington's 15-5 home win over the Blue Jays last season was the Shoremen's first victory over Hopkins in eight years.

4/29 v. Gettysburg (2) - The final two regular season conference games of the season come at home against the Bullets. If Washington is in the hunt for a conference playoff berth, this twin bill could be crucial. The Shoremen and Bullets split their double-header last year.

Hit and Run

After advancing to the Centennial Conference Tournament for the first time ever last season, the Washington College softball team will be looking to build on its success of 2005. The Shorewomen, who welcome back All-Centennial Conference players Diane Green, Amanda Campbell (left), Kim Proctor, and Beth Anne Hartman, get their season underway March 1st as they play host to Trinity (DC).

Here are some highlights from the Shorewomen's home schedule:

4/6 v. Salisbury - The Shorewomen take on national power Salisbury University. The Sea Gulls have made the last nine NCAA Division III Tournaments.

4/8 v. McDaniel - Washington nearly knocked off McDaniel, one of the perennial favorites in the Centennial Conference, in last year's Centennial Conference Tournament, holding a 2-1 lead through six innings before the Green Terror rallied to win in the seventh. The Shorewomen will look to get over the hump against McDaniel this time around.

4/14 v. Muhlenberg - The Shorewomen finished ahead of the Mules in last year's conference standings, but dropped both ends of a double-header in a pair of close games at Allentown last season.

Something Old, Something New

The familiar tune of Dueling Banjos will emanate from a new facility this Sunday as the Washington College men's lacrosse team opens its 2006 season against Widener in the first-ever game on the Field Turf of the new Kibler Field at the Roy Kirby, Jr. Stadium site. Four Preseason All-Americans - Tim Kerr (left), Kevin Thibadeau, Jon Kenney, and Chris Read - are on the Shoremen's roster.

Washington's regular season concludes with the annual "War on the Shore" for the Charles B. Clark Cup against Salisbury University on April 29th. This year's game will be held at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore in conjunction with the ACC Tournament.

In between Sunday's opener and the showdown with Salisbury, the Shoremen will play some big home games. Here are some highlights from the Shoremen's home schedule:

3/1 v. Kean - The Shoremen square off with Kean for the first time as Washington College hosts an outdoor athletic event under lights for the first time ever.

4/8 v. Gettysburg - The only two teams to have ever won the Centennial Conference Championship collide on Kirby Stadium Dedication Day. The Bullets and Shoremen have met 11 times over the past five seasons.

4/15 v. Franklin & Marshall - The Shoremen play host to the Diplomats - Centennial Conference Semifinalists a year ago - in Washington's final regular season home game of the year.

Back on the Water

The only WC varsity sport to complete two full seasons every academic year returns to competition February 25th & 26th as the Washington College sailing team hosts the Washington College Team Race regatta. Washington won its team race regatta last year, claiming first place overall in a team race regatta for the first time ever.

Here are some more highlights from the spring sailing schedule:

3/18&19 - Truxtun Umsted (at Navy): One of the larger intersectional regattas in collegiate sailing features four (rather than the usual two) divisions of racing.

4/8&9 - Washington College Women's Open: Washington will look to defend its regatta championship from a year ago when WC captured a women's regatta for the first time in over five years.

4/22&23 - Kennedy Cup (at Navy): After a successful offshore racing debut in the fall, WC returns to the "big boats" at the Kennedy Cup.

4/29&30 - America Trophy (MAISA Spring Co-Ed Championships): WC finished fifth at the America Trophy last spring, equaling its best-ever finish at the event. Senior skipper Carl Horrocks (left) will look to lead Washington to an equal or better performance this time around.

Stick Check

The Washington College women's lacrosse team opens its 2006 season on February 25th at first-year program North Carolina Wesleyan. Senior captains Kelly Gallagher (left) and Beppy Smith will look to lead the Shorewomen to a successful season as the team embarks on its first year on the Field Turf of the new Kibler Field at the Roy Kirby, Jr. Stadium site.

Here are some of the highlights of the Shorewomen's home schedule in 2006:

3/2 v. Marymount - The Shorewomen's first-ever home game on an artificial surface. Washington is 2-0 all-time against the Saints, who have played their home games on turf for several years.

3/6 v. Ursinus - The Shorewomen host the Bears, who went 7-2 in conference play a year ago, in an early season Centennial Conference opener.

4/8 v. Gettysburg - The defending Centennial Conference Champions come to Chestertown on Kirby Stadium Dedication Day for a late afternoon (5:00 p.m.) game. Gettysburg is ranked fifth in the IWLCA Preseason National Division III Poll.

What a Racket!

The Washington College men's tennis team returns to the court on February 25th as the Shoremen play at The College of New Jersey. Junior All-American Arturo Solis, who won the ITA Southeast Regional Singles Championship and finished third at the ITA National Division III Championship in the fall, is joined by fellow top returners Tim Riskie and Mike Edison. The Shoremen should be bolstered by the additions of mid-year transfers Anantha Bhaskar and Rafael Roldan.

Here are some highlights of the Shoremen's home schedule this spring:

3/26 v. Washington and Lee - The Shoremen go head-to-head with perennial powerhouse W&L. The Generals are ranked second in the Atlantic South region, while the Shoremen begin the spring ranked eighth.

4/14 v. Swarthmore - The Garnet compete as an independent for men's tennis, but this match is still a key regional contest as Swarthmore is ranked fourth in the region. The Garnet posted a narrow 4-3 win over the Shoremen in the first round of last year's NCAA Tournament.

4/20 v. Johns Hopkins - The Shoremen will be looking to avenge their only conference loss of the past 20 years as they go up against the Blue Jays (seventh in the region). Hopkins posted a 4-3 win over Washington last season to snap the Shoremen's 122-match conference win streak.

The Playoff Chase

With two games left in the regular season, the Washington College men's basketball team is close to securing a spot in the Centennial Conference Playoffs for the first time in three years. The Shoremen, currently in fourth place in the conference, can clinch a spot in the five-team playoffs with either a) a win over Swarthmore tomorrow night and a Muhlenberg loss to Dickinson the same night or b) a Haverford loss to Ursinus tomorrow. The fourth seed in the Centennial Conference Playoffs will host the fifth seed on February 22nd. The winner of that game advances to the semifinals. The semifinals and Championship Game will be played at the top seed February 25th and 26th.

As with all of our home games, you can follow the action from tomorrow night's game via our Live Stats. Senior forward Jonathan Webb (left) could reach 1,500 career points tomorrow night as well. He currently has 1,491 to his credit.

First Day of Spring

The calendar might not agree, but, according to the Centennial Conference, February 1st marks the beginning of spring. That is to say, February 1st marks the first day that NCAA sponsored spring sports at Centennial Conference schools can begin preseason practice. Men's and women's lacrosse, baseball and softball, and men's and women's tennis open practice at Washington College today. Men's rowing, a non-NCAA sport, has been practicing since last week. Sailing, another non-NCAA sport, and women's rowing will begin practice soon.

For the following seniors, opening spring practice marks their last "first practice" of their collegiate careers. Here's hoping the best for all of our spring sport seniors!

Baseball - Adam Auerback, Mike Parton, Walt Pyzik
Men's Lacrossse - Tim Kerr, Sam Lane, Ryan Morrison, Kevin Thibadeau
Women's Lacrosse - Erin Bollinger, Kelly Gallagher, Beppy Smith
Men's Rowing - Jason Brown, Tom Murray, Mike Philipp
Women's Rowing - Katie Cooper, Betsy Davis, Leslie Meredith, Cassie Ann Slentz, Katherine Wilson
Sailing - Carl Horrocks, Tyler Raven
Softball - Diane Green (pictured), Jess Hoff, Laura Mozzer
Men's Tennis - Mike Edison, Ronen Kashvin, Maciek Prytula, Tim Riskie
Women's Tennis - Lyndsey Beidle, Beth Foster