Consider this: for our first team offense, every single player is a senior. Only three juniors make the first team defense. That doesn’t mean there are not a lot of talented underclassmen in the NESCAC, but talent takes a little longer to reveal itself than in other leagues in large part because of the decreased practice time. Because of the limits on practice time, especially in the spring, where there is none, players take a little bit longer to develop. What that means is that a lot of talented juniors who did pretty well as sophomores, but not enough to jump off the page, could end up on the team by season’s end.
2. Expect scoring to be down
Based on the All-NESCAC teams from 2013, more than half the first team defense and all but two players from the second team defense return. This is especially true on the defensive line where all eight honorees are back. When making up this team we even pushed guys who made first team last season down to the second team. When we talked to coaches so many of them stressed that they felt the strength of their team was in their front seven on defense. With the exception of Wesleyan, every offense has big questions about how it will be able to score consistently.
3. Breakdown by School
Amherst
Bates
Bowdoin
Colby
Hamilton
8
6
6
6
1
Middlebury
Trinity
Tufts
Wesleyan
Williams
4
10
3
10
4
Couple of things to point out here. Of Wesleyan’s ten players, eight of them have made All-NESCAC before with Alex Daversa-Russo ’16 and Josh Hurwitz ’15 the two newcomers. Also related to Wesleyan, seven of them are first team including FIVE on the offensive side of the ball. Williams only having four might seem question given that we have suggested on this blog that they are primed for a rebound year, though we did not include safety Tom Caberle ’15, despite him making the second team last season. Though some could draw issue with that, competition in the secondary was fierce. Final thought here – isn’t it nice how the Maine schools have the same number of honorees? The 6-6-6 message there is an unfortunate coincidence as well.
4. Wanted: star offensive skill players
The first team offense has plenty of known talent on it, but the second team is more of a question mark. Guys like Matt Cannone ’16 and Tyler Grant ’17 have shown they have the talent to be All-NESCAC players, but have not gotten the opportunities yet to prove they will be. Many of the players on that second team in skill positions are who we think is going to take a big step up in production. The exception to the rule is Matt Minno ’16 who falls from the first to second team in large part because of the uncertainty at QB for Middlebury.
5. Wesleyan and Trinity have the most talent
We already knew this, but it bears repeating. The NESCAC championship will be decided by the Connecticut teams this season. Wesleyan has more returning starters, but Trinity has a case for having more sheer talent overall. If the two teams played tomorrow, the edge goes to Wesleyan because of their experience, but come the end of the season it should be a different story.
Returning Starters: 19 (eight offense, 10 defense, one specialist)
Offensive Overview:
You won’t find a more complete team on either side of the ball in the NESCAC. Eight All-NESCAC honorees return to the Cardinal lineup, four on offense. The Cardinals will lean heavily on the run, as they rushed 353 times last year compared to just 174 pass attempts. LaDarius Drew ’15 ran for 94.5 yards per game last year, and his “back-up,” if it’s fair to call it that, Kyle Gibson ’15 earned Second Team honors by rushing for 73.4 yards per game. If miraculously either of those two workhorses stumble, Lou Stevens ’17 averaged 5.9 yards per carry over his 40 touches. Quarterback Jesse Warren ’15 wasn’t an All-NESCAC recipient, but he had the highest completion percentage and yards per attempt in the league and was second to Mac Foote in TD passes. His only three interceptions came in the season finale at Trinity. Josh Hurwitz ’15 and Jay Fabien ’15 are both in their fourth years as starting receivers. Tight end Jonathan Day ’15 is another All-NESCAC honoree. He serves primarily as a run blocker but was fourth on the squad in receptions last year. The offensive line is stacked as well. Pat DiMase ’15 (Second Team) and Blake Cunningham ’16 line up at tackle, while there is some competition for starting time on the interior, although Taylor Bishop ’15, Shane Scannell ’15 and Austin Frank ’15 are the frontrunners and each has game experience.
Defensive Overview:
The returning depth on the defensive side might even be more impressive than that of the offense. Linebacker Myers Beaird graduated, but starters are back everywhere else. Furthermore, the Cardinals like to rotate players on defense and keep legs fresh, so players up and down the roster have in-game experience. Nik Powers ’15 and grad student Jordan Otis line up at defensive end. Ibraheem Khadar ’15 and Mitch Godfrey ’15 will be on the interior. A host of others will rotate through the defensive line, including Alex Sakhno ’15, Greg Blaize ’16 and Jordan Stone ’17. The linebacking corps is a strength, with leading tackler Alex Daversa-Russo ’16 and Gregg Kelley ’15 back. The third spot will be filled by Jake Siciliano ’15, who opened 2013 as the starter but it was then discovered that he had a stomach tumor. Siciliano’s injury made room for Daversa-Russo in the line up, and having both on the field in 2014 will make the Wesleyan defense that much scarier. In the defensive backfield, grad student Jake Bussani will make a run for his fourth straight All-NESCAC First Team award. Vincent Davis ’15 will be the opposite corner. At safety, two-sport stud Donnie Cimino ’15 returns and is joined by Justin Sanchez ’17 who started in 2013. Lastly, Devon Carrillo ’17 will be on the field as a safety-linebacker hybrid. Carrillo was the team’s second-leading tackler, and was awarded All-NESCAC honors as a return man for his 25.7 yard average on kickoffs. In reality, the defense has more than 10 starters returning. Add Siciliano and Carrillo to the tally, and there are 12 players back who could be considered starters.
Clockwise from top left: Donnie Cimino; Jonathan Day; Jay Fabien; Jake Bussani – Courtesy of Wesleyan Athletics
Three Big Questions
1. Can Wesleyan Win the Big One?
After rolling through the first half of the season, outscoring its opponents 163-22, Wesleyan saw some stiffer competition in the final four weeks, and squeaked out victories over its Little Three rivals by a total of eight points. Then disaster struck, Warren failed to take care of the ball as he had all season, the defense imploded, and Trinity closed out its season with a 40-10 beat down of the would-be outright champs. The Cardinals are out to prove that they have become the preeminent program in the NESCAC, and that they can beat big brother down the road in Hartford.
2. Will the Little Three Crown Stay in Middletown?
After a 43-year drought, Wesleyan finally defeated Amherst and Williams in the same season, earning the Little Three championship. Though as mentioned above, the victories were slim. Amherst essentially threw away that matchup with three interceptions and a fumble lost, allowing the Cardinals to get out of Amherst with a 20-14 win, while a late field goal was the difference in Wesleyan’s 16-14 defeat of Williams. Wesleyan will be the favorite in both games but victories will not come easily.
3. Who Steps in for Departed Placekicker Sebastian Aguirre?
Aguirre was arguably the best placekicker in the NESCAC last year, and indeed made the All-NESCAC Second Team for his efforts, and as noted above he kicked the game winner that sealed the Little Three title for the Cardinals. Options to replace Aguirre include backup QB Ike Fuchs ’16, who came into camp atop the depth chart, Corey Phillips ’17 and newcomer John Henry-Carey ’18.
Team MVP: LaDarius Drew. You know that the Cardinals are going to pound opponents with the run game, and Drew will be the team’s workhorse. Expect both him and Gibson to be at the top of the leaderboards in every rushing category. Oh by the way, if healthy Drew will easily become the school’s all-time leader in rushes, rushing yards and rushing touchdowns.
Biggest Game of the Year: Nov. 8 against Trinity
Is there any doubt? These are probably the two best teams in the conference, they are a 25-minute drive up 91 apart from one another, and Wesleyan still has a sour taste in its mouth from last year when the Bantams took the Cardinals’ NESCAC title and divided it into three parts. It’s not impossible that both teams could be undefeated heading into this game.
Best Tweet of the Offseason: The Wesleyan Football Twitter account (@Wes_Football) kept its followers up to date on what a lot of the Cardinals were doing this summer. Kyle Gibson interned at JPMorgan and was offered a full-time job upon graduation, Josh Hurwitz worked with the Celtics organization and Mitch Godfrey was with the Chatham Anglers of the Cape Cod League. But our favorite has to be this series of tweets about how LaDarius Drew spent his summer.
While not an internship, our very own Ladarius Drew '15 sent in this picture of him with his cousin, Milan. pic.twitter.com/DXJZCJeHGw
Make no mistake, even though coaches say every game is important, certain ones mean just a little bit more. If the NESCAC had a TV deal, these would be the games that would be on national television.
10. September 20: Hamilton at Tufts
When these two teams meet in Week 1, you can be sure that they will both be hungry for a victory. Tufts of course has the longer losing streak, but Hamilton has endured a tough couple of years as well with all the turnover in the coaching staff. Both teams bring back a wealth of starters (14 for Hamilton and an astounding 21 for Tufts). The edge goes to Tufts because of the long trip Hamilton has to take and that Hamilton is installing a new offensive system.
9. September 27: Trinity at Williams
This is a benchmark game for these two teams. Trinity will have to prove they can replace all the talent they lost on offense while Williams tries to convert their close loses into real wins. Last year Trinity won on a touchdown pass to AJ Jones ’14 with 18 seconds left. How settled each quarterback situation is could be the difference. If Trinity still hasn’t settled on someone to replace Sonny Puzzo then Williams could use this game to jumpstart their season.
8. September 20: Bates at Amherst
Another season opener that offers intrigue all over the place. Expect this one to be very low scoring because of the loss of Ryan Curit ’14 and Shawn Doherty ’14 for Bates. The Bobcats have reason for optimism because of their wealth of seniors and the questions around the Amherst offense. The Jeffs will have the advantage of having multiple weeks to prepare for Bates triple option so Bates coach Mark Harriman might have to throw more often in order to keep Bates unpredictable.
7. September 20: Wesleyan at Middlebury
On paper this is the best week 1 matchup given that both teams went 7-1 last year. While we were robbed of seeing Mac Foote face off against the Wesleyan defense, this game has promise as well. We still don’t know who the starting QB will be week 1 for Middlebury, but we expect them to still throw the ball a lot. The other side of the ball is where the game will be decided. The Middlebury defense has been very young the last couple of years, but players like Tim Patricia ’16, Matt Benedict ’15, and Nate Leedy ’17 are out to prove the defense is now the strength of this team.
6. November 1: Wesleyan at Williams
We already wrote about how last year’s game could effect the showdown in November. Last year Wesleyan might have taken the Ephs somewhat lightly, but this year the game is circled on calendars everywhere. Depth is where Wesleyan really differentiates themselves from other NESCAC teams, and at this point in the season that could be the difference. If James Howe ’16 or Alex Syocurka ’14 gets hurt, Williams doesn’t have the players to replace him, but Wesleyan is much more of a next guy up situation if there are injuries.
5. October 25: Middlebury at Trinity
Trinity gets the chance to avenge their first loss of last season at home. While we do think Middlebury is destined for a slight downturn this season, their talent and scheme makes them a dangerous opponent for anyone. Middlebury will make defenses sweat again even if they are as proficient in the passing game. Trinity only gained 3.3 yards per rush in last years game, and a repeat performance of that type will keep the game close.
4. October 18: Amherst at Wesleyan
Both teams should be 4-0 if they beat Middlebury in their respective early season matchups. Suddenly Wesleyan turns from the upstart into defending Little 3 champion. The top four games on this list are all very close, and an argument could be made for any of them deciding the NESCAC race. Amherst will have to force turnovers in this game to have a chance. They would like a low scoring game where kicker Phillip Nwosu ’15 can have a big impact. The matchup between the Wesleyan running game and Amherst front seven will be a treat as well.
3. November 1: Amherst at Trinity
Trinity felt like they gave this game away in 2013, and Amherst will have a tough time competing on Trinity’s turf. At this point of the season, Trinity should have figured things out and resemble the Trinity teams we are accustomed to. Amherst will have to possess the ball for a good majority of the game in order to slow the game down. If Trinity is going to lose any home game, this is probably the one, but the odds are that the vaunted home winning streak will continue.
2. November 8: Williams at Amherst
The Biggest Little Game is still the most important game on these rivals’ calendar, no matter what their records are. The big change this year is that the game will start at 4 PM and finish under the lights. The normally large crowd should be even louder because of that. And of course in a rivalry game like this one, you can throw most common sense out the window. Current Williams seniors have never won against Amherst so there are sure to be some emotional pregame speeches before the game.
1. November 8: Trinity at Wesleyan
Yes, this game is now the highlight of the NESCAC calendar, and it could become the premier event year in and year out. Williams vs Amherst will always beat this game in terms of sheer pageantry, but these two teams have the most talent. If Williams-Amherst is Ohio State-Michigan, then Trinity-Wesleyan is Florida-Florida State. It’s hard to say exactly how this game will look since it is two months way, but it will be close. The fact everything builds to the final week of the NESCAC schedule is great. It’s like a de facto bowl season and rivalry week rolled into one crazy Saturday.
Obviously the best place to start when prognosticating for 2014 is last season. We don’t really have anything else to go on. Yet remember these games can only tell us so much. A large amount of randomness is at play especially with 18-22 year olds.
Without any further ado, here are the five most important games of last season along with what stories and statistics carry importance into this season.
5. November 2: Williams 14 (2-6) at Wesleyan 16 (7-1)
Wesleyan survived a major scare in this game as their offense had major struggles against Williams. The only Cardinal touchdown of the game came on a one play four yard drive after a freak series of events led to Williams punting from their one yard line. Donnie Cimino ’15 returned the punt all the way to the four yard line, and LaDarius Drew ’14 ran it in the very next play. A late Williams rally fell short when Jake Bussani ’14 intercepted a pass with less than three minutes remaining.
What it means: People point to the improvement Williams made each week when they talk about a possible rebound this year. This game stayed close mostly because Wesleyan could not convert in the red zone settling for three field goals. Still Williams got nothing from their running game and lost the turnover battle by 2. Combine that with the game being at Williams this season, and this could be the hardest game on Wesleyan’s schedule.
4. October 19: Wesleyan 20 (7-1) at Amherst 14 (7-1)
People still didn’t quite believe that Wesleyan was for real when they faced off against Amherst. After this game everyone knew the Cardinals were a threat to run the table. Though Amherst slowed down Drew and Kyle Gibson ’15 a good deal, Jesse Warren ’15 played flawlessly while his Amherst counterparts at QB struggled. Wesleyan was up 20-7 before Amherst scored a touchdown in the fourth, but Max Lippe ’15 threw an interception to seal it for Wesleyan.
What it means: The same reason why Wesleyan should worry about the Williams game should comfort them for the Amherst one: it will be in Middletown. A lot of other factors however, point to Amherst having a better shot in 2014. The 2013 game is a hard one to figure out. Wesleyan won the turnover battle 4-0, time of possession 35:56-24:04, and had three fewer penalties for thirty less yards. Yet Amherst won the first down battle 19-14, third down efficiency (Amherst 7-14, Wesleyan 3-15), and total yardage 355-310.
This was the game where Amherst’s quarterback struggles were most apparent, and it cost them the game. Head Coach EJ Mills has said he hopes and expects one of Lippe or Alex Berluti ’17 to grab the reins this year. If they do that, then the Amherst offense will be able to offset any possible drop in play from what was a fantastic Jeff defense in 2013.
3. October 26: Trinity 24 (6-2) at Middlebury 27 (7-1)
This was another wildly entertaining game that came down to Mac Foote ’14 making all the throws in the final drive before Nate Leedy ’17 sealed the win with an interception as time expired. The game appeared to be over when Middlebury turned the ball over on downs with less than three minutes remaining. The Panther defense stood tall and forced a punt before Foote took over. The two teams combined for eight attempted fourth down conversions. It took Foote 64 attempts to throw for his 310 yards because he only completed 29 throws. Evan Bunker ’14 had one of his worst games as a Bantam rushing for 28 yards on 13 attempts.
What it means: The biggest reason Trinity lost was ten penalties for 115 yards including four that lead to first downs for Middlebury. They controlled the line as 23 of Middlebury’s 100 rushing yards came on a broken play where Middlebury punter Michael Dola ’15 rushed for a first down. Middlebury will have to rely much more on their running game, but they will struggle against the best defenses in the NESCAC.
Another big takeaway was that Puzzo really carried the Trinity offense in this game. He made plays with his arm and legs accounting for 287 yards of offense. With him, the 2014 Trinity offense could have been very good, but now there a lot of questions surrounding that side of the ball for the Bantams.
2. November 2: Trinity 16 (6-2) at Amherst 17 (7-1)
Trinity had just lost a heartbreaker to Middlebury, but this was even more devastating. The Bantams allowed only 56 yards rushing, had seven more first downs, and held the ball for 36:44. Yet this was a close game that, in the words of Lee Corso, came down to special teams. Amherst converted a short field after a poor punt into a 44 yard Phillip Nwosu ’15 field goal. Then after Trinity scored a touchdown to go down one, Ben Rosenblatt ’17 missed the extra point to give Amherst the stunning victory.
What it means: 2013 was a down year for Trinity, but the two games that they lost were by the thinnest of margins. Consider the fact that Trinity only went 3-15 on third down conversions yet still outgained Amherst by 113 yards. Trinity did just about everything you want to do when you are on the road except win the turnover battle.
Amherst relied so heavily on their defense in 2013 to make plays in big moments. Landrus Lewis ’14 and Max Dietz ’14 are both gone after snagging three interceptions apiece, but a lot of talent remains including corner Jaymie Spears ’16 and safety Jimmy Fairfield-Sonn ’16. If Amherst is once again hard to throw on, then their defense should be elite given the amount of returning talent in the front seven.
1. November 9: Wesleyan 10 (7-1) at Trinity 40 (6-2)
Trinity blitzed Wesleyan in what many expected to be a crowning day for the Cardinals as the only undefeated team in the NESCAC. Instead, Trinity dominated in all facets of the game on their way to a blowout. The Trinity defense held Wesleyan to under 100 yards on the ground while intercepting Warren three times. Meanwhile, Trinity ran at ease against the Wesleyan front seven averaging over five yards a carry and 249 in the aggregate.
Warren proved many of his detractors right as he failed to rise to the occasion when Wesleyan needed him. The back-breaking sequence for Wesleyan came late in the second quarter down 16-3. After a Trinity field goal, Wesleyan had the ball on their 37 with 3:07 left. Since Wesleyan would get the ball back to start the second half, a score here would have put them right back in the game. The play sequence went incompletion, completion for loss of a yard, interception on third down. Trinity converted the short field into a touchdown on a trick play pass from Evan Bunker to QB Puzzo. They never looked back after their 23-3 lead at half.
What it means: This game, like most others, was won in the trenches where Trinity just walloped Wesleyan. Drew didn’t have one run of more than ten yards and averaged only 2.9 yards in the game. Both Amherst and Williams got close to beating the Cardinal earlier in the year by completing half of the equation and slowing down Wesleyan’s run game. Trinity was the only team that was also able to run the ball up the gut for consistent gains. A large part of the running success came from the ability of Puzzo to rush for 53 yards, but obviously Puzzo is no longer on the roster. Presumed starter Henry Foye ’15 barely ran in 2013.
Unfortunately most teams don’t have the players in order to compete with Wesleyan in a slug ’em out fight. Trinity might not even be able to this year. In fact one of the biggest questions entering the season is just how much we should take away from this game. It’s pretty clear Trinity was ready to play, and they executed their game plan to perfection, but we just don’t know if Wesleyan was over-matched or simply didn’t show up. If it was only an off-game for Wesleyan, then we should expect the Cardinals to run through the NESCAC this season.
The summer baseball season wrapped up a couple of weeks ago so forgive us for our tardiness. Back in mid-June we let you know where some NESCAC stars were playing. We officially close the 2014 baseball season with a look back at how some of those and other NESCAC stars managed this summer. And if you didn’t get out to a summer league game and you live in New England, consider yourself missing out. Between the CCBL, NECBL, and FCBL, New England has the best and most college baseball in the country.
Cape Cod Baseball League
Nick Cooney ’15, Wesleyan, Falmouth Commodores
Courtesy of Wesleyan Athletics
The Cape Cod Baseball League is filled with Division One players and MLB draft picks, so it is hard for a NESCAC player to get consistent playing time, but Cooney managed to carve out a role on the Commodores. He started two games at the beginning of the year including a good six inning, two earned run performance against the Chatham A’s. After that he was converted to reliever and he finished the season with 19 innings pitched. Cooney struggled with his command yielding 11 walks, but he still managed a 4.26 ERA which is impressive given the competition.
Gavin Pittore ’16, Wesleyan, Harwich Mariners
Courtesy of Wesleyan Athletics
The only other player who managed to get a healthy amount of playing time in the Cape League was Cooney’s teammate Pittore. The Harwich Mariners used Pittore in a long reliever role. He often threw multiple innings including on June 19 against the Chatham A’s when Pittore threw two scoreless innings and collected the win. His 6.09 ERA is greatly inflated by a later appearance against the A’s when Pittore allowed eight runs in one inning. Still Pittore had a great summer fulfilling a lifelong dream, including playing with one of his oldest friends.
A few others saw cups of coffee in the Cape League including Wesleyan teammates Guy Davidson ’16 and Donnie Cimino ’15. Bowdoin’s Henry Van Zant ’15 also pitched a few innings for the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox.
New England College Baseball League
Nick Miceli ’17, Wesleyan, Vermont Mountaineers
Courtesy of Wesleyan Athletics
The NESCAC champion Cardinals had the most impressive assortment of players throughout the leagues, and Miceli was one of the few NESCAC players in the NECBL. Miceli caught on with the Mountaineers later in the summer making his first appearance on July 19. After allowing two runs in his first relief appearance, he threw 8.2 scoreless innings in his final three appearances. The Mountaineers had a good season making the NECBL playoffs before losing to Sanford in the semi-finals.
Tim Superko ’17, Tufts, New Bedford Red Sox
Courtesy of Tufts Athletics
Superko had a tough summer as a starter. He started seven games, but averaged less than four innings per start while posting a 7.39 ERA. His biggest problem was that he was incapable of drawing consistent swings and misses garnering only 17 strikeouts. Superko’s control sometimes betrayed him as he let up 20 walks. One bright spot from the summer came in a start against Danbury. Superko threw six scoreless innings before he took the hard luck loss when he allowed a run in the bottom of the seventh. While he did struggle this summer, Superko was also pitching in a very good league at a young age. He will be back even better next year.
Futures League
Mike Odenwaelder ’16, Amherst, Torrington Titans
Courtesy of Amherst Athletics
Nobody in the NESCAC had a better summer than Odenwaelder. He absolutely crushed the ball. He posted a slashline of .370/.422/.586 on his way to winning batting title and MVP honors for the Futures League. He stole 20 bases while being caught only twice. He hit two two homers in one game and had no errors in the outfield all summer. The one thing Odenwaelder didn’t do was pitch for the Titans. Odenwaelder looks like he could somehow improve on his monster 2014 NESCAC season next year.
Nate Pajka ’15, Bates, Worcester Bravehearts
Courtesy of Bates Athletics
Pajka got off to a hot start before posting a line very similar to the one he did during the NESCAC season. Of course his .255 average this summer came against better competition than the average NESCAC pitcher. The most important thing was that Pajka got a ton of at bats (153) which should help him as he gets ready for next season. Most of Pajka’s 12 steals came in the first half of the season as his bat slowed down a little as the summer went along. Still a very successful summer for a player who will have to be a big part of the Bates offense in 2015.
Jack Roberts ’17 and Jack Cloud ’17, Williams, Martha’s Vineyard Sharks
Jack Roberts Courtesy of Williams AthleticsJack Cloud Courtesy of Williams Athletics
Roberts spent the summer playing for his hometown team on the Vineyard and enjoyed a steady summer. He managed to get consistent at-bats, but only managed a .252 average with only five walks. After slumping down to .229, Roberts used three straight muli-hit games to get his average back up into the .250 range. Cloud saw his playing time dwindle as the summer went along making his last appearance on July 17, but he hit .260 for the summer as well as walking 11 times to have an OBP of .387.
Mekae Hyde ’15, Bates, Old Orchard Raging Tide
Courtesy of Bates Athletics
The positives for Hyde this summer is that he was the starting catcher and got a lot of at-bats and had a respectable .346 OBP. The negative is that his batting average was only .232. Still he can live with that because of the five home runs he also hit. Hyde had one of his best games August 3rd against the Dirt Dawgs when he went 3-4 with a homer and three RBIs. Hyde saw his power come in bunches as he hit three homers in seven games and then two in back to back games but none others.
Soren Hanson ’16, Colby, Martha’s Vineyard Sharks
Courtesy of Colby Athletics
It took a little bit of time for Hanson to get going, but once he did this summer, he turned into one of the best pitchers in the Futures League. Hanson started the season as a reliever before starting seven games in the second half of the season. He finished the season with a 2.07 ERA and 59 strikeouts in 52 innings. He also had three scoreless starts of six or more innings. Hanson had some troubles at the beginning of the NESCAC season in 2014 as well but finished the year strong and looks primed for a great 2015.
Andrew David ’16, Tufts, Brockton Rox
Courtesy of Tufts Athletics
David threw the fifth most amount of innings in the Futures League, but he finished with a somewhat average 3.92 ERA. His success came from barely walking anyone as he allowed only four walks over the entire season. Teams did hit him pretty hard however as he allowed seven or more hits in each of his final five starts. David was somewhat of an afterthought for Tufts in 2014 because of all the talent in their staff. His summer performance shows a capable pitcher, but one who relies heavily on the defense behind him because he doesn’t strike too many batters out.
Rob DiFranco ’16, Bates, North Shore Navigators
Courtesy of Bates Athletics
This was an exceptional summer for the Bates reliever. He put up a miniscule 0.82 ERA over 32.2 innings of relief. His K:BB ratio of 8.3:1 was exceptional, and DiFranco finished with eight saves for the Navigators. DiFranco was the best pitcher for the North Shore squad and flashed the ability to go more than one inning several times. With the loss of several starters, DiFranco might be pushed into starting duty next spring for Bates. If he is not a starter, then he will be a lethal weapon out of the bullpen.
Kyle Slinger ’15, Tufts, Worcester Bravehearts
Courtesy of Tufts Athletics
This summer was pretty much a continuation of Slinger’s impressive NESCAC season but with a few more hiccups. Despite those, he finished the season with a 2.55 ERA over eight starts and had a good 6.2:1 K:BB ratio. His best start of the summer was an eight inning outing against the Torrington Titans when Slinger allowed only one run on two hits. The run came in the first inning and after that Slinger fired seven innings of perfect ball. His 0.92 WHIP shows his ERA was no lie, and the southpaw should have another great season in 2014.
Atlantic College Baseball League
Joe Jensen ’15, Hamilton, Trenton Generals
Courtesy of Hamilton Athletics
One of the few NESCAC players to play on a team outside of New England, Jensen spent the summer in New Jersey. He could not match the gaudy stats he put up in the NESCAC, but still hit for a .269 average and made the ACBL all-star game. His play also fell off somewhat as the season went along as he had .380 OBP at points of the summer before a late season slide. His 13 steals for the season were also below the ludicrous rate he puts up in the NESCAC, but was still the fifth best amount in the league.
A few more NESCAC players saw a little bit of time in the Futures League and beyond but we ran out of space to feature those guys. If we missed anyone important please leave it in the comments and we will make sure to remedy our mistakes.
That does it for us in 2014 for baseball coverage. Stay warm this fall and winter and be ready for when the NESCAC returns in the spring.
The announcement was made official on Twitter Wednesday afternoon. Duncan Robinson is leaving Williams to take a scholarship at Michigan. NESCAC fans everywhere, except for a certain corner of Massachusetts, had a little more pep in their step knowing their teams wouldn’t fall victim to Robinson’s devastating shooting over the next three years.
This was really an unprecedented offseason in NESCAC basketball because the two top underclassmen, Robinson and Matt Hart formerly of Hamilton, both transferred to Division 1 programs. Hart received a preferred walk-on spot at George Washington in the A-10 conference where he will have a chance to win a scholarship while sitting out a year because of NCAA transfer rules. Robinson’s transfer has received a lot more press nationally (SI.com and YahooSports.com have run stories) because he is receiving a guaranteed scholarship and Michigan is a much more high profile program. Writer Peter Lindholm covered some of the potential impact on the NESCAC 2014-2015 season, and we will have much more about the effect of those two leaving as we get closer to the winter.
How Robinson went from a lightly regarded high school senior to the NESCAC Rookie of the Year and subsequently a Big 10 recruit is a story of hard work and a different developmental curve. At this point it is pretty well documented how coming out of high school Robinson had offers from other schools but choose Williams early and stuck to that because none of those offers gave him nearly the combination of athletics and academics. His game, already underrated, kept getting better and better while playing for the Middlesex Magic and Phillips Exeter.He submitted one of the finest NESCAC freshman seasons ever last year. After Mike Maker left to take the head coaching job at Marist, Division 1 coaches knew they had one last chance to make right on their mistake of missing Robinson before.
We gave our take on how we see Robinson’s game as he leaves Williams over at UMHoops.com so feel free to check it out here. Robinson himself has said that he is still growing and definitely has a lot of muscle that can still be put on his lean frame. When news broke on Robinson possibly transferring we reached out to a couple of NESCAC players and coaches to get an idea on how they felt Robinson projected and the general level of play in the NESCAC. The responses we got back were remarkably similar in their assessment of Robinson. Both Bowdoin guard Lucas Hausman ’16 and assistant coach Brandon Linton noted Robinson’s high basketball IQ. Hausman added that “He was also a very smart player and he made very few mistakes. He knows how to space himself and use screens to get open shots even if the defense is focusing on him.” Everyone I talked to obviously touched on Robinson’s greatest strength as a player, his shooting ability. Linton put it simply after noting Robinson’s basketball IQ and shooting that “there is always room for players on any team with that skill set.”
Their opinions of the jump that Robinson would face in moving from the NESCAC to the Big 10 centered primarily around the athleticism gap. Colby point guard Luke Westman ’16 told us that “Division I players, for the most part are quicker, faster and stronger. Division III players may be just as skilled, but could lack the explosiveness of a Division I athlete.” When we asked him exactly how the NESCAC level of play compares Westman said, “I think there are a few other NESCAC players that could play Division I basketball (primarily upperclassmen). I do not think any of them have the potential to be as good as Duncan though and achieve at a high level.” Hausman echoed this sentiment saying, “I think there are definitely some other players in the NESCAC that could be scholarship players at the D1 level (mostly Ivy or Patriot League), but have already used two or three years of eligibility”
At this point it is hard to project how Robinson will do at Michigan given the jump in competition, but merely the scholarship is a huge endorsement of the overall level of play in the NESCAC. Remember that Robinson was not even the best player on Williams at points last year. That would have been senior center Michael Mayer ’14 who caused NESCAC defense fits over the last few years. This isn’t an indictment of Robinson especially given the three year gap in college experience, but it shows how good some NESCAC players are.
Perhaps no player has seen Duncan Robinson grow quite like Wesleyan point guard Harry Rafferty ’17 has. They first played together way back in seventh grade, but they really became close friends when they played first together on Middlesex Magic and then at Exeter. Rafferty is very excited to see his friend take his game to a new higher level. Before he heard Robinson’s decision Rafferty told us, “if he leaves I think he will be great. He will continue to work hard and prove the doubters wrong. That’s just who he is. He loves being the underdog because he has been one his whole life.” He still thinks Duncan has a lot of room to grow as a player, and more importantly the desire and work ethic to achieve that level of play. “He is one of the hardest working guys I’ve ever met. He lives in the gym and takes a professionals approach to the game. Most importantly though, he is an absolutely GREAT person.” For Rafferty and others that have known Robinson for a while, there couldn’t have been a better person to have such a confluence of events happen to them.
Duncan Robinson and Harry Rafferty while at Exeter
We leave you with one final story from Rafferty about Robinson’s final game at Exeter in the NEPSAC Class A championship game. We wish Duncan Robinson the best of luck over the next four years at Michigan.
“We were playing Choate in the championship game. It was a pretty anticipated match-up. Both teams were good. A lot of scholarship talent. We had guys going to Wisconsin, Stony Brook, and San Francisco. They had guys going to Columbia, Yale, St. Mikes so there were a lot of guys who were theoretically suppose to be better than this D3 guy going to Williams. On top of that Duncan had his worse shooting game of the season the first time we played Choate. So he had a lot of motivation. I’ll never forget, we got off the bus at Endicott, and as we walked into the gym he told me he was ready. You could tell he was locked in. He went out and dropped 24 points and 11 rebounds on 9-9 from the field and 5-5 from three. He dominated and did it in the most efficient way I had ever seen. A lot of high level college coaches were at Endicott that day and I think that’s when a lot of people started to realize how good he actually is.“
Thankfully, baseball doesn’t end when the kids leave campus in May. The majority of NESCAC ballplayers continue to lace up the cleats through the sweltering heat of June and July and, if they’re lucky enough to be on a championship contender, into the dog days of August. A handful of NESCAC stars are taking the field in some of New England’s premier intercollegiate summer baseball leagues. To save you the trouble of pouring over rosters to find out who’s playing where, we’ve done that deed for you, and combed through the rosters of every team in the Cape Cod League, New England Collegiate Baseball League and Futures Collegiate Baseball League.
Cape Cod Report:
Donnie Cimino ’15, Wesleyan, Chatham A’s
Courtesy of Wesleyan Athletics
After two years atop the NESCAC batting average leaderboard in 2012 and 2013 when Cimino, a two-sport stud at Wesleyan, batted .400 and .399, earning him a profile in the New England Baseball Journal before this season began, the righty slugger slumped to a measly .329 this season, good for 15th in the league (read the sarcasm here). Cimino didn’t hit for as much power as in years past, slugging .376, but still posted an impressive 16:15 K:BB ratio and swiped 15 bags in 44 games and his team made a deep postseason run after claiming a NESCAC title. Cimino landed a temporary contract with the Chatham A’s for the summer, and has played in three of the team’s first four games, but gone hitless in six at bats.
Hopefully, Cimino can start hitting enough that they’ll decide to keep him around in Chatham, but even if he’s only there for a brief stint the experience against some of the country’s elite amateur talent will help him next season.
Guy Davidson ’16, Wesleyan, Harwich Mariners
Courtesy of Wesleyan Athletics
Cimino’s teammate, shortstop Guy Davidson, is also playing in the Cape League this summer, but for Chatham opponent Harwich. Davidson is from South Harwich himself, so the chance to play for the Mariners must be a thrill. Davidson was a .273/.359/.364 hitter this year for Wesleyan, his on base percentage bolstered by 17 walks.
The Mariners are 4-0 and have the best hitting team in the Cape League to-date. Davidson has only seen one plate appearance so far, in which he struck out.
NECBL Report:
Tim Superko ’17, Tufts, New Bedford Bay Sox
Courtesy of Tufts Athletics
Superko was dominant in his first year in the league, registering a 2.64 ERA in 58.0 innings while striking out 51 hitters.
The hurler has already taken the mound in two starts for the New Bedford Bay Sox, but neither start has gone as expected. Superko surrendered eight runs (five earned) to the Valley Blue Sox on Saturday, walking four, striking out four and allowing seven hits. That outing was better than his first back on June 6, when Plymouth roughed up the lefty for six runs (four earned) in 3.1 innings. Hopefully Superko can return to the level of dominance he displayed during NESCAC play.
Futures Report:
Rob DiFranco’16, Bates, North Shore Navigators
Courtesy of Bates Athletics
DiFranco was a valuable reliever for a surprising Bates squad in 2014, leading the team in appearances (15) and K/9 (12.15). DiFranco has already gotten a good deal of work for the 3-8 North Shore Navigators. The 6’1″ righty is 1-0 over 7.0 IP in four games with a 1.28 ERA and eight K’s to go along with zero walks. DiFranco’s improved control is a good sign and an improvement over his school season when he walked 10 hitters in 20.0 innings.
Soren Hanson ’16, Colby, Martha’s Vineyard Sharks
Courtesy of Colby Athletics
Hanson is one of three NESCAC players on the roster for the Martha’s Vineyard Sharks. Hanson was part of a talented Colby rotation this year that will be returning in full for 2015. He, Scott Goldberg ’15 and Greg Ladd ’15 all had ERAs under 3.00 for the Mules. Hanson has only pitched in relief so far for the Sharks, and has garnered a 7.71 ERA in 4.2 innings over three appearances, although his 8:1 K:BB ratio inspires hope for a turnaround soon.
Jack Roberts ’17 and Jack Cloud ’17, Williams, Martha’s Vineyard Sharks
Jack Cloud Courtesy of Williams AthleticsJack Roberts Courtesy of Williams Athletics
Roberts burst onto the scene this year, and was near the top of the league in hitting through the first couple weeks. The lefty ended the year with a .302 average, and along with his classmate Cloud, who ended the 2014 season with a league-best .402 average, is playing for the Sharks this summer, as well. Roberts has gotten more at bats in the early going and has taken advantage of the opportunity, going 8-24 with three extra-base hits. Meanwhile, Cloud is just 2-10, and with three starting outfielders currently hitting .350 or better for Martha’s Vineyard, he will need to hit in the at bats he’s given if he hopes to earn more playing time.
Andrew David ’16, Tufts, Brockton Rox
Courtesy of Tufts Athletics
Tufts had such an incredible pitching staff this year that David almost always went overlooked, but the sophomore was pretty good, posting a 3.60 ERA in 10 games (four starts). He’ll be pitching for the Brockton Rox in the summer of 2014, and has dealt so far. After four shutout innings in his first relief appearance, David earned a start on June 12 in which he threw six innings of one run ball and got the win. David has 10 K’s in 10 IP and no walks.
Mekae Hyde ’15, Bates, Old Orchard Beach Raging Tide
Courtesy of Bates Athletics
The 5’10” catcher was a .312 hitter for Bates this spring, but has slumped to a 4-29 start for the Old Orchard Beach Raging Tide. Phenomenal name aside, Old Orchard has the league’s worst record so far, and the other two catchers on the roster are younger than Hyde and haven’t hit yet this summer either, so Hyde should get plenty of chances to get his bat going.
Sam Warren ’16, Bates, Torrington Titans
Courtesy of Bates Athletics
Hyde’s battery mate, Warren was a dominant reliever for the Bobcats this season with a 1.93 ERA in 18.2 innings. What’s more, Warren posted a .302/.388/.442 triple-slash line in 86 at bats while playing the outfield. Warren has hit just .226 so far for the Titans (with a worrisome 11 strikeouts in 31 at bats), but has been great as the Titans’ closer, allowing no hits and two walks while ringing up two batters and earning two saves.
Mike Odenwaelder ’15, Amherst, Torrington Titans
Courtesy of Amherst Athletics
The NESCAC’s Player of the Year joins Warren with the Titans this summer. The Amherst slugger is off to a hot start. In 42 at bats over 11 games, the righty has 15 hits (.357 average), three doubles, one triple, one homer and six stolen bases. Don’t forget that Odenwaelder would likely be just as successful as Warren if Torrington decided to use him out of the pen. He had a 1.74 ERA in 20.2 innings for Amherst.
Kyle Slinger ’15, Tufts, Worcester Bravehearts
Courtesy of Tufts Athletics
Slinger won the NESCAC Pitcher of the Year award after leading the conference in innings pitched (76.0) and ERA (1.18). Slinger’s dominance has continued with the Worcester Bravehearts, as he has a 1.68 ERA in two starts. Slinger started on Worcester’s opening day, tossing just four innings, but getting Odenwaelder to fly out and hit into a fielder’s choice in two at bats.
Nate Pajka ’15, Bates, Worcester Bravehearts
Courtesy of Bates Athletics
Pajka, the Bates outfielder, joins Slinger on the Bravehearts this summer. Pajka was a .261 hitter at school this spring, but has exploded for eights in 19 at bats so far for Worcester, tallying three doubles and two triples already.
That sums up our early season look-in to some of New England’s most competitive summer leagues. There are some other great leagues out there, of course, and plenty of NESCAC ballplayers are in leagues around the country. If we missed anyone in these leagues, or you want to let us know about a player we should keep an eye on elsewhere around the nation, please do so in the comments section.
A whirlwind 2014 NESCAC baseball season came to an end on a groundball to second with Wesleyan clinging to a two run lead. Tufts mounted a valiant comeback down six entering the eighth inning, but they had dug too much of a hole for themselves. The Jumbos had looked like the best team in the NESCAC for most of the season, but they came up short in the end. The real story was a Wesleyan team that completed a somewhat improbable run through the NESCAC regular season and tournament.
This was a Wesleyan team that never matched the gaudy stats of Amherst or Tufts, but proved for the millionth time that college baseball isn’t a game played on paper. The knack of winning close games is still one of the more less understood aspects of baseball, a sport that at times seems to be continually moving towards some type of statistical singularity. Wesleyan won games by never backing down in big spots. Yes I could talk all about the timely pitching from the entire pitching staff or the offense that featured talent from top to bottom, but that doesn’t really explain how Wesleyan won.
Baseball gets 3rd winning squeeze bunt of year as Will O’Sullivan plates Guy Davidson in bottom of 9th to beat Bates, 4-3, in NESCAC tourney
Winning just one game off of a squeeze in a season would be a notable feat, but having three is borderline absurd. Wesleyan is more than talented enough to win comfortably against lesser teams going 8-1 against the bottom three of the NESCAC West. When the talent level evens out, the Cardinals are able to do what many others teams can’t: be flexible. They aren’t tied to one particular way of playing baseball in order to win. They are just as comfortable hitting a couple three run homers to win a slugfest as playing small ball.
Wesleyan’s run differential last weekend was -6. -6! They won three very close baseball games, got blown out in another, and ended up champions. They didn’t win pretty, but they won. Since their 8-5 trip to Arizona, the Cardinals have gone 19-6. Of course that includes one stretch in the middle of the season when they went 13-1 meaning in their last 11 games they are only 6-5. They defy expectations and definition. We have been underselling Wesleyan all year, putting them a notch below Tufts and Amherst. Even after Wesleyan clinched the NESCAC West over Amherst, we predicted the Jeffs would get revenge in the NESCAC tournament by bouncing Wesleyan in the de facto semi-final game. That disrespect has been proven wrong time and time again. Their slow start clouded our minds from what is a very complete baseball team.
On Twitter Wesleyan players express this attitude in hashtags, retweets, and favorites. If you look at a Wesleyan player’s Twitter bio it will most likely include the phrase Tech baseball. Their favorite hashtag is the affectionate #dirtybirds. Wesleyan has followed the #dirtybirds mantra all season. They win games in any manner of ways by mashing, finessing, or clawing their way to victory. They bear a slight resemblance to the 1960 Pittsburgh Pirates. That team played an epic seven game World Series against the Yankees that ended with a walk-off homer by Bill Mazeroski. Every game Pittsburgh won was a close fought game while the Yankees won their three games in dominant fashion. Didn’t matter, Pirates won the series. When Tufts forced a final winner take all game by routing the Cardinals Sunday morning, nobody panicked. Wesleyan didn’t take the game as a sign that Tufts was a more talented or better team. They turned to Chris Law ’14 on the mound and jumped out to a 6-0 lead that ended holding up.
The disrespect still hasn’t stopped. Despite winning head to head match-ups against both Tufts and Amherst recently, the May 12 NEIBA (New England InterCollegiate Baseball Association) poll ranked Wesleyan eighth, Tufts third, and Amherst fourth in New England. Wesleyan is the seventh seed in their regional. Amherst and Tufts were both awarded three seeds in their respective regionals. People don’t know what to make of a team that doesn’t seem to be THAT good, but keeps coming out on top.
Wesleyan manager Mark Woodworth is happy to be back in the NCAA tournament. The last time Wesleyan made the tournament was in 1994 when Woodworth was a senior captain. That season saw the Cardinals make a magical run all the way to the National Title game before losing in the final. Wesleyan’s style of having no particular style will work well in the double-elimination format of the NCAA’s. Woodworth has crafted a team capable of making a run similar to that one by continuing to surprise teams that don’t understand what makes these Dirty Birds go.
Saturday brought more excitement and intrigue with two teams going home in the NESCAC tournament’s version of moving day.
Wesleyan jumped into the driver’s seat with a scintillating 3-2 victory over Tufts. Both starters shut down the offenses early with the game scoreless through four innings. Tufts struck first in the top of the fifth on a Max Freccia ’14 double to score Wade Hauser ’15. Wesleyan battled back when they played some small ball. Andrew Yin ’15 plated Nick Miceli ’17 on a bunt single. After a Donnie Cimino ’15 single, both runners moved up on a double steal, and scored on a Sam Goodwin-Boyd ’15 single. Gavin Pittore ’16 made sure the lead held up with 4.2 innings of one run ball in relief. He jumped all over Tufts’ hitters with nine strikeouts and moves to 6-1 on the season. A more complete recap can be found here. Also a thanks to Wescores for providing pictures of the game here.
Now the Cardinals head into tomorrow in complete control. Manager Mark Woodworth made clear how much he wanted to win when he brought in Pittore so quickly in relief. The move made perfect sense since a loss would have made Wesleyan need three more wins to take the championship. It is unclear who will get the start tomorrow for the Cardinals, but Woodworth will probably be ready to use any of his pitchers including Pittore and Nick Cooney ’15.
In the loser’s bracket Bates beat Amherst in what was the most surprising result of the day. Bates rallied from down 2-1 to score three runs in the eighth to win 4-2 and bounce Amherst from the tournament. No doubt a disappointing finish for Amherst, but all the credit should be given to a Bates team that proved they are right there with the best teams in the NESCAC this weekend. Dean Bonneau ’14 was spectacular in relief allowing only one hit in 3.2 scoreless innnings. A complete recap can be found here.
The last game of the day was another elimination game between East Division foes Tufts and Bates. Tufts used a five run third inning to take much of the suspense out of the game. Christian Sbily ’14 and Tom Ryan ’15 made sure the lead had no problem holding up for Tufts as they cruised to a 7-1 victory. Recap is here. Bates finishes the season at 20-21, but that record vastly undersells the quality of team they were. Tufts moves onto the championship where they will have to win two games tomorrow against Wesleyan.
It will be a tall task for Tufts to beat Wesleyan twice especially given that their three top pitchers have already started this weekend. The potential ability for pitchers to quickly turn around and pitch even one or two innings will be a huge difference maker. Right now a Wesleyan team that started only 5-4 looks primed to finish off a dominant run through the NESCAC regular season and playoffs.
We promised predictions so here they are. One thing to keep in mind here is that we have no info about what the pitching matchups are going to look like this weekend. For instance, last year’s NESCAC Pitcher of the Year John Cook from Amherst pitched the second game while Bowdoin opted to pitch their ace Oliver Van Zant in the first game. We will tell you who we think will be pitching each game, but the variability is high here. Yes, we are already making hedging our predictions before we even make them.
First Round
East 1. Tufts (30-5,9-3) vs. West 2. Amherst (28-7, 9-3)
The Prediction: Tufts 4- Amherst 2
Why: Expect Tufts to start Kyle Slinger ’15 here in order to get Tufts off to a fast start. Projecting Amherst’s starter is a little harder, but we think John Cook ’15 to get the call. This pick comes down to Slinger being too good for even the powerful Amherst lineup. Cook has been pitching almost as well, but Tufts’ depth will challenge him.
West 1. Wesleyan (24-10, 10-2) vs East 2. Bates (19-19, 7-5)
The Prediction: Wesleyan 6- Bates 3
Why: Both teams should go with their lefty aces: Nick Cooney ’15 for Wesleyan and Brad Reynolds ’14 for Bates. Wesleyan knows their conference best record means nothing if Reynolds shuts them down and sends them to an elimination game against Amherst. They will make Reynolds work and try to get him out of the game early before scoring late to advance.
Winner’s Bracket
West 1. Wesleyan vs East 1. Tufts
The Prediction: Tufts 7- Wesleyan 5
Why: This is where things start to get tricky in projecting pitchers, but expect Wesleyan to go with Jeff Blout ’14 and Tufts to start freshman phenom Tim Superko ’17. The winner of this game is in the drivers seat needing only one more game to win while the loser needs to win three more games to win the championship. Tufts roughs up Blout enough to hold off a late Wesleyan rally after Superko leaves a short but successful outing.
Loser’s Bracket
West 2. Amherst vs East 2. Bates
The Prediction: Amherst 9- Bates 1
Why: Bates turns to Chris Fusco ’14 on the mound who can’t contain the Amherst offense led by Mike Odenwaelder ’16. Facing elimination Dylan Driscoll ’14 rebounds from recent tough outings to go the distance and save the other Amherst pitchers for later in the weekend.
West 1. Wesleyan vs. West 2. Amherst
The Prediction: Amherst 8- Wesleyan 7
Why: The weekend’s most intense and exciting game will end with a late inning Amherst rally downing their rival. Gavin Pittore ’16 gets the call for the Cardinals while Amherst counters with Quinn Saunders-Kolberg ’14. Neither pitcher is able to last more than six innings, but the difference is the Amherst bullpen holds up when the Wesleyan one can’t.
The Championship
East 1. Tufts vs West 2. Amherst
The Prediction: Tufts 6- Amherst 4
Why: The advantage of the winner’s bracket is that Tufts can use their final weekend starter Christian Sbily ’14 while Amherst has to go with Keenan Szulik ’16 who only entered the rotation near the end of the season. Tufts won’t let this go to a winner take all championship game by jumping on Szulik early. A potential wild card for Amherst is Fred Shepard ’14 who pitched a complete game for Amherst to clinch the championship last year but has only one appearance since April 14.
Sorry if you think our predictions light on game analysis, but predictions are inherently tricky tasks. Predicting specific games is even more of a toss-up. Enjoy the games this weekend if you can make watch live in Massachusetts or watching online with Northeast Sports Network.
