Birdball: Q&A With BC Captains

BCI: How has it been from your perspective to work with the younger guys where there are only five seniors on this roster?

Tom Bourdon: We've really taken it upon ourselves to integrate the younger guys into what BC baseball is all about. We want to win games first, but we want them to know what kind of character is needed to play for this team. We are really trying to get them up to the speed of the game. From high school to college and from college to the pros, the speed of the game gets so much faster. So we really want to slow things down for them so they can get adjusted to the college game. They'll speed up as they get more experience playing at this level.

BCI: One of the things Coach Gambino mentioned was how the team really accepts and uses adversity as something to thrive on. What are your thoughts on that?

John Hennessy: We really want to thrive off of adversity. We open up the year with trips to California and Florida, and that type of grind is something that'll really help define us. The coaching staff really stresses character, toughness, and class. We know the road trip to start the season is a grind; a month (of road games) is a long time (BC opens up with 18 consecutive road games and the annual exhibition against the Boston Red Sox), but we know that we can set the tone for the season early.

BCI: What are some of the challenges that you experience playing within the ACC, and how will you help the younger guys get acclimated to those challenge?

Eric Stevens: We know that we can't get caught up with who we're playing because every opponent is going to be tough. We really want to drill home to continue working at the little things. Those little things can decide a weekend, especially when it comes down to one-run ballgames. Even if it's early in a game or if it's later in a game, we all really need to grind through it and concentrate on our game and doing the little things to win games.

BCI: When your time is done with Boston College, how do you want to look back and see what you've done for this program as it moves forward?

Tom Bourdon: The ultimate motto for the seniors is to leave it better than when we got here. We want to have had a role in building this program to be the best in the northeast. We want to see wins in the northeast, in the ACC, in a regional, and in a super regional. I think that has to be the ultimate goal for our team (year in and year out).

John Hennessy: We want to make sure we keep getting better every day. That's what our goal has to be if we want to be successful. If we are able to do that, then at the end of the day our record will reflect the improvements that we want to make.

Eric Stevens: We want to leave guys with a strong sense of knowing what it takes (to be successful). I think alumni want to look at the program and see wins and success, and that's something we want to see, too. So we want to be a building block so that we can look back and see the program reach some great success.