The baseball team did what no one expected this season - winning 19 conference games and clinching the second seed in the Mid-American Conference - but could not fulfill its own expectations of winning a MAC championship.
The Bulls (33-24, 19-7 MAC) took a surprising early exit last weekend at the MAC Tournament, taking their second loss of the tournament Friday to Toledo (25-33, 13-14 MAC), 4-1.
After Buffalo lost its first game and won its second in the double-elimination tournament, the offense fell silent on day three.
"The one thing I told them was: 'When we walk out of the park, we are going to walk out with our heads up high and be proud of what we accomplished this year,'" said head coach Ron Torgalski. "We did some great things for the program, things this program has never seen before, and they had nothing to be ashamed of."
The Bulls carried an attitude into this season that started at the end of last year, according to Torgalski. The Bulls played very well down the stretch last season, sneaking into the MAC Tournament on the final day of the regular season after a slow start.
Once there, Buffalo eliminated two teams before finally bowing out as one of the final four teams standing.
This season, the Bulls played like a contender all year. The result was a school-record 19 conference wins, 33 overall wins, the program's first-ever back-to-back playoff appearances and the highest seeding in school history.
"We went out and played one game at a time, but when we took the field, we took it knowing that we could go out and win," Torgalski said. "And we played like we were better than other teams, and we played with confidence."
The Bulls will graduate their most successful senior class in program history, including MAC Player of the Year Jason Kanzler, starting second baseman Jon Mestas, starting first baseman and designated hitter Alex Baldock, closer River McWilliams and reserve first baseman Ryan Tulloch.
Despite the disappointing end to the season, Torgalski said the seniors are satisfied with what they accomplished in their final season. After their last game, Torgalski thanked the seniors for their on- and off-the-field efforts. He had nothing but praise for their work ethic as baseball players and students and their character as people.
"Every one of those seniors was a great team guy," Torgalski said. "That's why I felt we had success and did as much as we did this year: because none of those guys were worried about those stats or what they accomplished as an individual. Their sights were on what we could do as a team."
Despite those losses, the future appears bright.
The pitching staff returns the most players. Of the six pitchers who threw more than 40 innings for the Bulls this season, McWilliams is the only one not returning.
Torgalski thinks the pitching staff has the potential to be even better next season with the return of senior Kevin Hughes, junior Mark Gampietro and freshman Mike Kaelin - who were all out with injuries this year. Torgalski said the competition with the returning players will only make the leaders better.
The offense takes a much bigger hit, but there is still hope. Kanzler's bat will be replaced with that of senior Matt Pollock, who sat out the season with a broken wrist. Pollock was a preseason first-team All-MAC selection this year.
Torgalski knows some young guys will have to stay up, but he is confident if they can stick to what made them successful this season - pitching and defense - they will be successful next year.
"I've got a group of kids that are finally believing they can compete at this level," Torgalski said. "And not only compete at this level, but win games against anybody in the conference."
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Photo: Courtesy of UB Athletics
