2005 Rhode Island Rams baseball team

The 2005 Rhode Island Rams baseball team represented the University of Rhode Island during the 2005 NCAA Division I baseball season. The Rams played their home games at Bill Beck Field as a member of the Atlantic 10 Conference. They were led by head coach Frank Leoni in his thirteenth and final year as manager.

The Rams won the East Division championship, notching a 34-21 (18-6) record. In the 2005 Atlantic 10 Conference baseball tournament, the Rams clinched the top seed, and the bye-round, and defeated sixth-seeded Richmond and second-seeded George Washington in the championship game en route to their first-ever NCAA Division I baseball tournament as a four seed, where they were knocked out in the first round by top seeded Long Beach State and third-seeded Pepperdine. After the conclusion of the tournament, Leoni accepted the job at fellow Atlantic 10 Conference member William & Mary to be the head coach of the Tribe. The Rams would not make another appearance in the NCAA Division I baseball tournament until 2016.

Background Information
The University of Rhode Island opened in 1889, following the Second Morrill Act, an amendment to the pre-existing Land Grant Act. The baseball team was founded in 1898 and began to play on and off throughout the years before finding consistency in 1907. Rhode Island had rarely featured successful teams throughout the years prior to Frank Leoni's hiring as manager in 1993. Leoni was a starter on Rhode Island's baseball team from 1988-1990, playing shortstop for the Rams. When hired in 1993, he was the youngest head coach in modern history of NCAA Division I baseball. He immediately began a winning culture in Rhode Island.

Previous Season
The 2004 team finished 35-20-1 (20-4) overall, becoming just the second Atlantic 10 Conference member to win 20 conference games in a season. The top seed overall in the 2004 Atlantic 10 Conference baseball tournament, the Rams lost to fourth-seeded St. Bonaventure in the first round before defeating second-seed St. Bonaventure and third-seeded Richmond in the losers’ bracket before falling to the Bonnies again in the championship game. The Rams failed to clinch an at-large bid into the 2004 NCAA Division I baseball tournament.

Preseason
Rhode Island starting pitcher Zach Zuercher was named to Collegiate Baseball Newspaper's Second-Team All-American list.

Rhode Island was predicted to win the Atlantic-10 Conference and make their first ever NCAA Tournament appearance.

Regular Season
Rhode Island began their season on a rough patch, losing eight out of their first ten games to No. 12 Florida, Maryland, Central Michigan, IPFW, Sacred Heart, Kentucky and Miami (Ohio). The Rams did not capture their first win until March 13, upsetting SEC member Kentucky 7-5. Rhode Island kept their losing skid going throughout the month of March. Once April hit, however, and conference play began, Rhode Island began a tear throughout their schedule. After going 6-11 throughout February and March, Rhode Island went 15-4 throughout the entirety of April, with highlight wins against division rivals Richmond, St. Bonaventure and Temple. They continued their surge, with a commanding 12-game winning streak heading into the month of May. Rhode Island clinched the Atlantic-10 Regular Season title on May 14 with an 8-0 at Massachusetts.

Atlantic 10 Tournament
After finishing 34-21 (and 18-6 in conference), Rhode Island would clinch the number one overall seed in the 2005 Atlantic 10 Conference baseball tournament. The Rams would not look back, defeating #4 seed Dayton 7-4 in the quarterfinals and #6 seeded Richmond 8-3. In a rematch of the Atlantic 10 Championship game from the previous year, Rhode Island would defeat #2 seeded George Washington 9-7 to clinch Rhode Island's first ever NCAA tournament berth in college history. Second-baseman Wayne Russo would win the tournament's Most Outstanding Player, after going 7-11 hitting with a .636 batting average, two doubles and three RBIs, and catcher Josh Nestor and outfielders Daryl Holcomb and David Savard would join Russo in the All-Tournament Team, with Nestor making his second straight All-Tournament Team.

NCAA Tournament
The Rams clinched the number four seed in the Long Beach Regional, joining number one seeded Long Beach State (hosts of the regional), second-seeded USC and third-seeded Pepperdine in Long Beach.The Rams' first taste of the tournament would be cut short, however, as an 11-2 defeat to Long Beach State in the first round, and a 2-1 walk-off defeat in the sudden death loser's bracket to Pepperdine would eliminate the Rams in the first two days of the tournament. USC would wind up defeating Long Beach State to advance to the Corvallis Super Regional, where they were promptly knocked out by Oregon State, whom clinched a berth to the College World Series. Following the tournament, Frank Leoni accepted the job at conference-rival William & Mary. Jim Foster would promptly be hired by Rhode Island to succeed Leoni.

Batting
Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; R = Runs; H = Hits; 2B = Doubles; 3B = Triples; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in; SB = Stolen bases; BB = Walks; AVG = Batting average; SLG = Slugging average Source:

Pitching
Note: W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; G = Games pitched; GS = Games started; SV = Saves; IP = Innings pitched; H = Hits allowed; R = Runs allowed; ER = Earned runs allowed; BB = Walks allowed; SO = Strikeouts Source:

2005 MLB Draft
Third baseman Mike Rainville and right-handed pitcher Mick Lefort were both signed as undrafted free-agents after the draft, by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays and the Chicago Cubs respectively