GETTYSBURG, Pa. – The Gettysburg College men's tennis team will head into the spring campaign aiming to put the pieces together for a run at the postseason.
 
Gettysburg closed the 2012 spring with an 8-8 overall record. That included a 3-6 record in the Centennial Conference, landing the Bullets in seventh place. Ten letterwinners will take the court this spring for Head Coach Bill Pfitzinger's 16th year at the helm of the men's program.
 
A number of upperclassmen will help guide the team this season, including senior co-captains Chris Curran (Fairfield, Conn./Fairfield Ludlowe) and Johnny Nelson (Big Prairie, Ohio/West Holmes). Curran has held down the top spot in the singles lineup in each of his three prior seasons, compiling a 27-28 record against some of the top players in the region. Curran has also put together a 32-22 doubles mark, playing each of the last two campaigns at the top flight.
 
Nelson has been a big contributor in doubles action during his career and enters his final semester with a 29-12 record. He will also see time at the bottom of the singles lineup where he has posted an 18-10 mark during his tenure.
 
Juniors Scott Johnson (Fort Salonga, N.Y./King's Park) and Mike Pratt (Wellesley, Mass./Wellesley) will be counted on for major contributions in the middle of the singles lineup. Johnson will miss the first part of the spring recovering from off-season surgery, but Pratt will aim to fill the void and remain in a key position at the third or fourth flight. Pratt has posted a 9-10 singles record in his career.
 
Sophomore John Cronin (Riverside, Conn./Millbrook School) should resume a starting spot in the singles lineup. Cronin went 6-9 at three flights during his debut campaign. Sophomore Will Ives (Thetford Center, Vt./Hanover) could see time in the singles lineup as well.
 
The freshmen class could provide a boost to the singles lineup this season according to the coaching staff. Dave Musser (Lititz, Pa./Manheim Twp.) has emerged as a strong challenger to Curran at the top flight and will give the Bullets a solid 1-2 arrangement. Both Wesley Craft (Easton, Conn./Fairfield Prep) and Kyle Shope (Ellicott City, Md./Howard) will challenge for time at the bottom three singles flights.
 
Curran and Musser will be important pieces in the doubles lineup, either together or paired with other partners. Nelson will once again be a key factor in doubles with expected contributions also coming from senior James Salierno (Chatham, N.J./Chatham) and sophomore Kevin Roveda (Pennington, N.J./Hopewell Valley Central).
 
Gettysburg begins the spring with five non-conference matches during its trip to Hilton Head, S.C., from March 10-14.  Upon returning north, the Bullets jump right into conference play with a trip to Haverford College on Saturday, March 23, at noon. Gettysburg's first home match is scheduled for Friday, March 29, at 3 p.m.