Even after Tuesday's heartbreaking set of losses against Big 4 rival Niagara, UB baseball is having its best season since being reinstated in Division I less than ten years ago.
The Bulls (11-16 overall, 1-3 Mid-American Conference) have already matched their win total from four years ago and are well on their way to topping their highest win total since joining the MAC.
The Bulls had 16 wins in each of the 2002 and 2003 seasons. With 24 more games in the season, the team has a pretty good chance to top those totals.
At the end of last season, the Bulls looked like they were on the fast track to MAC obscurity. After their second-straight season of losing over 35 games - their third such season in the past four years - the Bulls' outlook was bleak.
With timely hitting, consistent pitching and seven returning starters, Buffalo has turned those negative perceptions around.
UB is off to a quick start not just in the win column, but many members of the team have been contributing individual performances that are extremely impressive compared to previous years.
Buffalo's top player, senior Joe Mihalics, continues to impress this season and his audience is made up of more than just Bulls fans. Several Major League Baseball teams are reportedly scouting the five-foot-seven-inch shortstop.
Despite a relatively poor start by his standards, Mihalics has been able to notch a .316 batting average through Monday and has topped the 200 hit mark in his career.
"(Mihalics) is in the range to get 250-300 hits and that's outstanding no matter where you are playing," said head coach Bill Breene. "He's someone I hope our younger hitters emulate because he does it well and doesn't try to do too much at the plate."
The Bulls leader had his third hitting streak of 10 or more consecutive games snapped on Sunday. Over the last 10 games, Mihalics went 18-43 from the plate.
"(Mihalics) leads by example and that's very important," said Breene. "When you have a guy like that who consistently performs like he does, he's a great leader."
Other players have stepped up and performed well for the Bulls. Junior first baseman James Kingsley has also made a significant impact at the plate.
Kingsley has recorded five homeruns so far this year, nearing his 2004 mark of only seven homeruns. Kingsley is also batting .323, making him both a deep threat and a threat to get on base.
In addition to UB's dynamic duo of Kingsley and Mihalics, the Bulls' have another pair that has been splitting time at catcher and designated hitter, and performing well.
Sophomore catcher Dan Quinn is batting .354 with four homeruns and has knocked in 13 runs this year while his counterpart David Amaro is also batting over .300. Amaro has 15 RBIs and has hit two home runs.
Last year, the duo batted a combined .193 with two homeruns and 23 RBIs, already surpassing those numbers this season.
Better batting is not the only reason the Bulls have made their turnaround from last year. Buffalo's vastly improved pitching, led by Adam Ruszkowski, has helped them rack up their unprecedented win total.
Ruszkowski has been the ace of the current Bulls' rotation, with a 4-1 record that ties the UB modern-era record for wins in a season. With so many games left in the season, Ruszkowski has the opportunity to set a new UB standard.
Last year, he won two games but had a balloon-like 8.32 ERA. This year, he has cut that number by an impressive three runs, to 5.67 in his 39 and two-thirds innings pitched.
Another member of the team's strong, young pitching staff is this week's UB athlete of the week, freshman right-hander Tony Kurtz. Kurtz has found his niche as a reliable relief pitcher and closed out a game for the Bulls last week, earning his first career save against Bowling Green.
"We're not surprised that they are both playing well," said Breene. "Adam (Ruszkowski) is a sophomore so he's been through it before, so we expected him to give us some successful outings. Tony (Kurtz) is a freshman and he's come out and shown he deserves to play on this level."
The Bulls have only one senior in their normal pitching rotation in Chris McGraw. His 1-1 record is complemented by a 4.71 ERA and 20 strikeouts, both of which are tops among the Bulls' remaining starters.
Overall, Coach Breene is optimistic about the season and feels there is one objective the team has yet to accomplish.
"Our goal is to try and be a 500 club and we've had the opportunities to do that," said Breene. "I would like to see us become more consistent hitting the baseball with men in scoring position. That's the thing that really changes the game.
This weekend, the Bulls will face MAC rival Miami RedHawks in a three-game series. Last year, the Bulls lost their two games against the RedHawks by scores of 13-4 and 7-6.
The first pitch of the series is scheduled for Friday at 3 p.m. in Oxford, Ohio.
