Lucas Stalman Contributing to Argentina Run at the WBC

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The Boston College Eagles baseball program is in the process of “fall ball.” The team is halfway through their on-field workouts, and for the next two weekends will get a chance to play games before shutting things down until after the first of the year. On Friday night, the Eagles will play Merrimack College then, on the 15th of the month, they will host the UMass Lowell River Hawks in a late afternoon game. While these games and workouts are being done at Harrington Village, one member of the program is playing baseball under a completely different set of circumstances. Graduate student Lucas Stalman is in Panama City playing for the Argentina National Team in the Pool B qualifier of the World Baseball Classic.

Argentina is 2-1 as the tournament enters its final days of double-elimination play in Panama City. On Tuesday afternoon, they will play Nicaragua in an elimination game. Argentina has victories over Pakistan and New Zealand in between a shutout loss to the host country Panama. Tuesday afternoon’s game is big because the winner will be one game away from punching their ticket to the main draw of the World Baseball Classic scheduled for next spring.

Lucas Stalman’s spot on the Argentina roster is based on his dad Pablo Stalman being born in Argentina. All that is needed to be a part of this event is a relative who is a native of the country, and still has a passport to that country. So instead of playing fall games on campus, Stalman is getting a chance to play the game of baseball at a much higher level. At BC, Stalman played several different positions for the Eagles. In four years with the program, Stalman has played second, third, left field, designated hitter, and last year added catching to his resume. Stalman’s ability to play different positions has been key to Boston College.

In Panama City for the Argentina squad, Stalman has appeared in all three games in the tournament. He was a defensive replacement in a Game 1 win over Pakistan. Then, he started the last two games vs Panama and New Zealand. In all three games, Stalman has played left field. In the 7-4 win over Pakistan, Stalman entered the game in the seventh inning and went 0-for-1 at the plate. In the field, he showed off his outfield skills by throwing out a runner trying to stretch a single into a double. In the 11-0 loss to Panama, he batted ninth and went 0-for-2 with one strikeout. Against New Zealand, hitting ninth, he came through both at the plate and in the field. At the plate, he went 2-for-4 with a run scored and RBI. His run batted in tied the game in the seventh and started a four-run rally that helped his team get the win 4-1. In the field, Stalman once again threw out a runner trying to get to second base.

For the tournament, Stalman is hitting .286 (2-for-7) with an OBP of .286, he is slugging .286, and an OPS of .572. He has a run scored and an RBI. He also has two outfield assists in three games. He is the lone American on the Argentina roster. If Argentina can defeat Nicaragua on Tuesday, they will play in the loser’s bracket finals on Wednesday night for a spot in the World Baseball Classic scheduled for next March.