Summer 2002
Colonials Squash Spiders in A-10s
GW Baseball’s Defeat of Nationally Ranked Richmond
in A-10 Championships Gives Colonials NCAA Berth
By Greg
Licamele
“If you’re not going to be here, you better win.”
Those were Kirsten Walter’s words from her hospital bed shortly
after giving birth to a daughter while her husband, Tom, was with his
GW baseball team at the Atlantic 10 tournament awards banquet. Walter
did try to get back to Washington, but he was turned away at the Hartford
airport because the doors to the last flight were shut. He called his
wife and asked if he should rent a car and drive home. She said that
wasn’t necessary and everybody was doing great.
So he took his wife’s declaration to heart, and he and his Colonials
went out and won. They beat Dayton and St. Bonaventure to qualify for
the championship round of the A-10 tournament against national powerhouse
Richmond. With a surprise visit from Kirsten, their son Chase, and newborn
daughter Casey, they watched Tom and their extended family of baseball
players win two-out-of-three games over the Spiders. Those victories
propelled GW to the NCAA tournament for the first time in 10 years and
for only the seventh time in school history.
Though the Colonials lost both of their contests in the regionals to
Wake Forest and Navy, Walter’s team has made great strides since
he took over the program six years ago.
“I’m excited and proud of our players,” Walter says.
“When we recruited the seniors, GW hadn’t won very much up
until then. They believed in us as a coaching staff and they believed
in themselves. That says a lot about a group of guys who went on to
kind of blaze their own trail. It’s easy for players to go to the
top 10 schools that have always won, but to go somewhere and turn that
program into a winning one is something special.”
The 2002 Colonials reflect the hard work of the last six seasons by
Walter, his assistant coaches, and the players. This year’s squad
set the school record for most wins (42) for the fourth time in five
years (GW has won 176 games in the last five years). The team also set
new single season records for runs (499), hits (681), doubles (139),
home runs (91), runs batted in (454), and total bases (1,105). Walter,
who himself broke the 36-year-old record of 193 career wins by a GW
coach, chalks up this success to more than just his baseball acumen.
“You don’t set the school record for wins four out of five
years and win a conference championship without having a talented personnel,”
Walter says. “I’m no great coach. I just play the hand I’ve
been dealt and it’s a pretty good hand.”
His right hands this year include three assistant coaches — Dennis
Healy, Jeff Waggoner, and Mark Coleman — who Walter calls the backbone
of the program. He’s been dealt great players like third baseman
Matt Krimmel, outfielder Tony Brown, and pitchers Jason Baker and Mike
O’Connor.
And then there’s Mike Bassett — the most prolific hitter in
GW history. Bassett put the team on his back against Richmond and helped
carry it to the conference championship by hitting three home runs in
as many games. He finished the season batting .382, with 19 home runs
and 77 RBI. Besides the seven GW records he holds (see
sidebar), Walter says Bassett’s championship performance against
Richmond makes him truly extraordinary.
“It puts a new depth to him,” Walter says. “You always
talk about big time players in professional sports, but they are not
really considered in the elite category until they win a championship
(such as baseball’s Barry Bonds or football’s Jim Kelly).
Mike took that step for us this year.”
Walter says he’s also been handed a great deal of support from
the University, including vice presidents, the athletics department
staff, and alumni.
“Tom Walter and his staff have done an outstanding job, especially
considering all the sacrifices they make with practices and games off
campus,” says Robert Chernak, vice president for student and academic
support services, who made the trips to Richmond and Winston-Salem.
“The record speaks for itself. This team has the right kind of
balance of pitching, defense, and players who can hit the long ball.”
GW’s baseball tradition reaches back for decades. Many of these
former coaches and players have called Walter to offer their congratulations.
Walter appreciates the alumni support and recognizes the special program
that has been built. He also knows recruiting future Colonials might
be easier with all of this success in hand.
“Winning the conference championship and winning 42 baseball games
gives us another sell to recruits,” Walter says. “Come here
and you’re going to get to experience some of these same things.
Winning helps our players that are in the program, too. Once they’ve
experienced it, they want to do it again and work harder to achieve
it.”
Swept Up in the Draft
Three Colonials were selected on the first day of the 2002 Major League
Baseball player draft. Michael O’Connor, a left-handed pitcher
from Ellicott City, MD, was selected with the 197th pick (seventh round)
by the Montreal Expos; Bassett, from Paramus, NJ, was taken in the 11th
round by the Cincinnati Reds; and Jake Wald, from Alexandria, VA, was
selected by the San Francisco Giants in the 11th round.
Bassett’s
Record-Breaking Bat
Mike Bassett, the left-handed hitting powerhouse from Paramus, NJ, finishes
his GW career as the greatest offensive player in school history. Here’s
a look at the GW records Bassett holds (and those who previously set
the marks):
Games Played: 229
(211, Greg Orlosky, 1988–91)
At Bats: 836
(792, Ryan Dacey, 1997–00)
Runs: 197 (186, Dacey)
Hits: 284 (267, Dacey)
RBI: 253
(194, Dan Rouhier, 1998–01)
Home Runs: 62
(50, Joe Beichert, 1996–99)
Total Bases: 528
(417, Mike Welch, 1989–92)
Send feedback to: bygeorge@gwu.edu
