The baseball team was perhaps the busiest Lord Jeff team competing during Spring Recess. Playing in Florida to take advantage of warmer weather, the Jeffs played 10 non-conference games in eight days. Amherst, which finished the 2008 season with a 24-12-2 record, used the trip to pave the way for a successful 2009 season. Returning to campus after the trip with a 7-3 record, the Jeffs gave up their only three losses by a single run.

After a narrow 11-10 loss to Ramapo in their first game of the season, the Jeffs rebounded with a string of four wins against Salem State College, Worcester State College, Clarkson University and Endicott College. On Thursday, Amherst faced Bowdoin College, the only NESCAC opponent of the week, for a double-header. After a 6-5 loss to the Polar Bears, the Amherst team dominated the second game, winning 15-8 to give Head Coach Bill Thurston his 800th career win. Thurston now ranks 12th in career wins among Div. III coaches (especially impressive given the limited NESCAC schedule) and is more than 300 wins ahead of any NESCAC coach, past or present.

After the landmark win, the Jeffs notched two more wins against the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts and Denison University before losing their Sunday game to the University of St. Thomas 8-7.

After the successful first week of the 2009 season, first-year Kevin Heller was honored as the NESCAC Baseball Player of the Week and the ECAC New England Baseball Player of the Week. The team’s right-fielder and leading hitter batted .622 in his first week as a Jeff with a .652 on-base percentage, .946 slugging percentage, 22 RBIs, 15 runs, six walks and eight stolen bases.

The Jeffs will travel to Westfield State College today before playing their first NESCAC West game on Friday at Wesleyan College and their first home game on Saturday against Wesleyan.