Baseball

2004 Conference Player of the Year Pat Ryan

Baseball Schedule

2005 Season

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Baseball Roster

2005

Head Coach: Ray Arra (No. 32), 1st year
Assistant Coaches: Fred Perry (No. 38), 1st year; Dan Brookes, 1st year
Captains: Brett Ford, Shaun Geary, Matt Gurley
Manager: Aaron D'Amario

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Baseball Season Review

2005

The Westfield State baseball team advanced to the Mass. State Conference postseason tournament for the second straight year. The Owls again made a good showing; they fell to MASCAC champ Worcester State, 8-7 in 10 innings, in the tournament’s opening round, then were eliminated by tournament runner-up Fitchburg State, 8-6.

Westfield began the season 4-8 and finished with an overall record of 15-21. Key victories included non-conference wins over Springfield and Williams, and an 8-5 10-inning regular season triumph vs. Worcester State.

Sophomore standout shortstop Troy Ferguson and freshman second baseman Justin Parr were first team all-conference selections in the eight-team MASCAC. Ferguson, a left-handed hitting shortstop, led the Owls in eight statistical categories while batting from the leadoff position: hitting (.375), hits (51), doubles (9), triples (6), slugging percentage (.640), runs scored (33), RBI (27) and stolen bases (10). He ranked second with five home runs.

Parr batted .311 in his first season of intercollegiate baseball. He tied for the team lead in walks (17), and ranked second in on base percentage (.434), runs scored (21) and sacrifice hits (5).

Sophomore outfielder Jay Brown was the Owls’ second leading hitter. He hit .373 in 83 at bats and led the team with nine sacrifice hits.

Sophomore catcher Chris Hebert hammered a team-high seven home runs and was second with 20 RBI.

Completing their fine four-year collegiate careers were third baseman Matt Gurley, outfielder Shaun Geary, and first baseman Brett Ford, who was named the team’s most valuable defensive player for the second consecutive year.

Leading the pitching staff were juniors Joe DelSoldato (3-3 record) and J.P. Murphy (3-2). Junior Joe Tremblay posted a 4-3 record.

2005 Postseason Awards

First Team All Conference
Troy Ferguson
Justin Parr

Most Valuable Player
Troy Ferguson

Rookie of the Year
Justin Parr

Defensive Player of the Year
Brett Ford

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Baseball Coaching Staff

Head Coach: Ray Arra

Ray Arra, a highly successful coach in Western Mass. for nearly 40 years, begins his second season as head coach at Westfield State. As an assistant at Westfield State 2003 and 2004, he worked primarily with the pitching staff.

A resident of Westfield, Arra re-started the Westfield American Legion program in 1966. He coached Legion baseball for 18 years, with stops at Needham, Westfield, Southwick and West Springfield. He also coached high school baseball at Westfield Vocational, East Longmeadow and Minnechaug Regional. In addition, has coached Westfield Babe Ruth All-Star teams to successful runs in postseason play.

Arra, who recently retired after 36 years of teaching middle school, won more than 400 American Legion and high school games. His high school teams qualified for nine postseason tournaments and his Legion teams never finished below second place. In 2002 he was inducted into the Massachusetts Baseball Coaches Hall of Fame.

Prior to Westfield State, Arra coached baseball on the collegiate level for one year, 1991, as an assistant at American International College when the Yellow Jackets won the Northeast 10 title and played in the NCAA Division 2 College World Series.

Arra also has 16 years of coaching experience in high school basketball, and was an assistant coach at Westfield State for four years, from 1990-94, when the Owls qualified for one NCAA tournament and two ECAC tournaments.

A 1965 graduate of Westfield State, Arra was inducted into the college’s Athletics Hall of Fame in 1997. He starred in baseball and basketball at Westfield State, and was the baseball team's Most Valuable Player in 1963 and 1964 and a three-year co-captain. He led the Owls in hitting for three years and pitching for two years. Arra compiled a 14-4 career pitching record and batted .405 in 1963; .384 in 1962; and .357 in 1964.

Before coming to Westfield State, Arra was a standout in baseball, football and basketball at Needham High School, where he graduated from in 1959. He played professional baseball for the Pittsburgh Pirates' Class D team in Hobbs, New Mexico, from 1960-61. Arra then served as a Western Mass. scout for the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1966-73.

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Baseball School Records

Hitting - Season

Games Played
43 - Dave Tabin, '77

At Bats
153 - Mike Ciampa, '79

Runs Scored
48 - Mike Ciampa, '79

Hits
61 - Dave Tabin, '77; Mike Ciampa, '78

Singles
43 - Mike Ciampa, '78

Doubles
18 - Greg Roy, '88

Triples
10 - Pat Ryan, 2004

Home Runs
12 - Dave Bevan, 1979

Total Bases
98 - Dave Bevan, 1979

Stolen Bases
46 - Mike Ciampa, 1979

Sacrifices
8 - Fisk Bacon, 1974

Hit By Pitch
10 - Brian Reilly, 1993

Walks
40- Jack Dougherty 1976

RBI
48 - Greg Fulton, 1984

Batting Avg.
.468 - Pat Ryan, 2003

Slugging Pct.
.785 - Jack Dougherty, 1976

Hitting - Career

Games Played
154 - Mike Ciampa, '77-80

At Bats
478 - Mike Ciampa, '77-80

Runs Scored
141 - Mike Ciampa, '77-80

Hits
162 - Mike Ciampa, '77-80

Singles
123 - Mike Ciampa, '77-80

Doubles
37 - Greg Roy, '86-88

Triples
16 - Pat Ryan, 2003-2004

Home Runs
24 - Dave Carlucci, '82-84

Total Bases
245 - Mike Conville, '82-85

Stolen Bases
106 - Mike Ciampa, '77-80

Sacrifices
16 - Fisk Bacon, '74-76; Mike Sanson, '75-78

Hit By Pitch
21 - Cory Dion, '94-97

Walks
98- Mike Ciampa, '77-80

RBI
113 - Bob Kallstrom, '72-75

Batting Avg.
.447 - Pat Ryan, 2003-2004

Slugging Pct.
.668 - Jack Dougherty, '74-76

Pitching - Season

Starts
12 - Bill Weber, '75

Relief App.
18 - Jared Seltzer, 2003

Comp. Games
8 - Bob Moniz, '77

Innings Pitched
83.2 - Bill Weber, '75

Wins
9 - Bill Weber, '75

Saves
7 - Steve Pereira, '78

Strikeouts
71 - Mark Pananos, '77

Fewest Runs
12 - John Pananos, '74

Fewest Walks
4 - Ryan Salvador, 2003

Fewest ER
7 - John Pananos, '74

Fewest Hits
18 - John Pananos, '72

Shutouts
4 - Fred Simm, '77

Best Record
6-0 - Ben Wall, '70

Lowest ERA
0.63 - Ben Wall, '70; 1.08 - Bill Weber, '74; 1.14 - Fred Simm, '77

Pitching - Career

Starts
33 - Mark Pananos, '74-77

Relief App.
52 - Jared Seltzer, 2002-2004

Comp. Games
27 - Bob Moniz, '75-78

Innings Pitched
258.1 - Bob Moniz, '75-78

Wins
31 - Bob Moniz, '75-78

Saves
8 - Steve Pereira, '75-78

Strikeouts
234 - - Bob Moniz, '75-78

Fewest Hits
48 - John Pananos, '72-74

Shutouts
6 - Fred Simm, '75-78

Best Record
31-6 - - Bob Moniz, '75-78

Lowest ERA
1.87 - Robert Parent, '68-71; 2.41 - Mark Pananos, '74-77

Westfield State No-Hitters

Bill Babinski vs. Eastern Connecticut State, 1965
Ed "Butch"" LaMagdelaine vs. Campbell, NC, College, 1978
Jeff Turok vs. Salem State, April 12, 1980
Joe Hevey vs. Mass. Maritime, April 10, 1988

WSC .400 Club

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