Baseball – Page 13 – Nothing But NESCAC

Middlebury’s McEathron Puts His Athletic Career on Halt to Run for State Office

There is a long tradition of athletes turning to politics at the end of their playing days. Dave Bing made the transition from Detroit Pistons Hall of Famer to the mayor of Detroit. After a 16-year pitching career in Philadelphia and Detroit, Jim Bunning signed as a free agent in Washington, becoming a Republican senator from Kentucky. The list goes on from there. The list of athletes who chose to take a break from, or even end, their playing career to focus on politics is much shorter. That unorthodox act is what Calvin McEathron, a junior pitcher at Middlebury, is aiming to do with his campaign to be one of Middlebury’s two representatives in the Vermont State Legislature.

McEathron grew up on a farm 10 minutes outside of Montpelier, the state capital, and credits that close proximity to the state’s political center, combined with Vermont’s refreshingly open legislative process, with first sparking his interest in politics. “I spent a lot of time in the State House in high school,” McEathron told me over several manuscripts in his cubicle at Middlebury’s library. “It’s nice to be able to walk right into the state house and hear the debates for yourself.”

During his high school career at U-32 in Montpelier, McEathron was involved in several political issues, most notably the heated debate over nuclear power plant Vermont Yankee. As part of an independent study, McEathron worked with several state legislators to craft a position paper, and ultimately wrote his own plan for how to deal with the controversial plant.

With this experience under his belt, McEathron feels that he’s more than ready to represent the people of Middlebury. According to Mceathron, “the overarching theme of [his] campaign is bringing a new direction to Montpelier.” There is a serious shortage of youth in the Vermont State Legislature, which is among the oldest in the country. He aims to keep the young workforce, which is exiting Vermont as soon as after high school, in the state by focusing on small businesses and young entrepreneurs, and improving the infrastructure of the state to benefit them.

This ideal of a more open, youth-friendly Vermont lends itself very well to discussion, which is another central tenant of McEathron’s campaign. He has spent the entire summer on Middlebury’s campus, doing a combination of research and good old-fashioned canvassing. “As a young candidate I need to be the most prepared, because people look at your age as a detractor most of the time,” McEathron noted. All three of McEathron’s opponents are much older, and incumbent Betty Nuovo has 28 years of experience, also known as eight more years of experience in Montpelier than McEathron has on Earth. If McEathron were to win the race, he would be younger than any state legislator currently in office in the United States.

McEathron believes that he has to be able to speak on any issue that will come up in the next term, so his research has been expansive. But more important to him than the research is the face-to-face aspect of his campaign. He hopes to have knocked on the door of every voter in Middlebury by Election Day, November 4. “Another great thing about Vermont politics,” he notes, “is that it’s not a money-based campaign. Getting out there and talking to the voters is much more important.”

McEathron will be taking the fall semester off from school in order to fully focus on the campaign, and if elected, he will leave Middlebury College until his term ends in order to make the people of Middlebury his absolute priority.

He also credits his high school and college sports experiences for shaping his political ideals. “In sports” he begins, already reaching for another old newspaper article, “leadership is a crucial factor in creating a successful team, and sometimes it takes a leader who is a little unorthodox to really get things done.”

For more information on McEathron and his platform or to donate, visit http://www.calvinformiddlebury.com/home.html, and follow the campaign at @calvinformidd.

NESCAC Summer Baseball Wrap-Up

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

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

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

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

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

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

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 Athletics — Jack Roberts
Courtesy of Williams Athletics

Jack Cloud Courtesy of Williams Athletics — Jack 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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

One-on-one with Bowdoin College’s Joe Gentile ’18

Today I sat down with Bowdoin College outfielder, and a good friend of mine, Joe Gentile ’18, about academics and athletics at Groton School and what’s in store for the Bowdoin program.

Joe MacDonald: Hey, Joe, how you doing today?

Joe Gentile: Good, Joe, how are you?

JM: Great. Thanks for joining us. Let’s get started. First off, how was playing baseball at Groton School?

JG: I’d say playing at Groton has been the biggest learning experience for me overall. Especially in baseball, being on the team since eighth grade, I got to learn the game from a lot of older guys, and as I got older really started to take on a leadership role. When I first got there, in terms of skills, I was a pretty rough player, and then as I got older, being under Coach [DiSarcina] and the older guys, started playing the game a lot smoother, started honing my mechanics in hitting and in the field.

JM: What was it like playing for somebody like Glenn DiSarcina, a former Major Leaguer?

JG: Like I said, great learning experience. He really holds his players to a high standard, which really helped me. Doesn’t let anyone slack off. As a hitting coach, he’s probably the best hitting coach I’ve ever had. He really taught me to have a good approach at the plate. Really turned me into a line drive, gap-to-gap hitter which I really wasn’t before and that’s really transformed my game a lot. The fact that he was in the Major Leagues, he can show you aspects of the game that you wouldn’t otherwise see, little intricacies. He knows the game better than anyone else I’ve ever played under.

JM: At Groton you played three varsity sports, you were captain of two of them, hockey and baseball. What do you think are the merits of playing multiples sports in high school?

JG: Each sport taught me something a little different. Football is definitely a strenuous game, a lot about grit and determination, overcoming adversity. So that was new. I had never played football before going into high school and that was a huge experience for me, growing up and getting bigger and stronger for football. Hockey I’ve been playing my whole life and I couldn’t picture not playing hockey. It just came so naturally. And that, once again, taught me other things about sports; competition, flow of a game, having to stay positive throughout a whole game, momentum and all that, very important parts of sports. Then baseball of course just teaches you the mental side of the game, just having to overcome certain things, stay focused. So I think combining the three really just taught me a lot about competition and what it means to play sports and I wouldn’t have done it any other way.

JM: Do you ever wish that you had given up one or two other sports so that you could have focused on baseball more?

JG: I thought about that during high school, for sure. Either giving up football to work on strength and conditioning in the fall, having some more time to get bigger and stronger, but looking back on it now I don’t think I’d give up any of the experiences. I think being a teammate for all those years has really taught me how to be a leader and to be a good teammate. It taught me how to win, how to lose, and all the things that come along with it, so I wouldn’t change a thing.

JM: At what point did you decide that you wanted to play baseball in college?

JG: I started playing in the summer showcase circuit after sophomore year, and that really just got me into the whole culture of it, and after that I knew that baseball was the route I wanted to take, and I started getting more passionate about the game. Before that I had kinda split my time between hockey and baseball which were my two main sports, I’d say, and playing hockey my whole life it was tough to make that choice, but I think I made the right one.

JM: Groton’s one of the top academic prep schools in the country. Was it tough to balance your academics and your athletics and how do you think that experience will prepare you for your future in college?

JG: Definitely the tough academics and playing sports really taught me how to balance my time effectively. Trying to get into the weight room after practice just for as long as I could and then getting right out and doing my homework and trying to get down early for extra reps and all that. It teaches you to use your time effectively, not to waste any of your time. I know Bowdoin is academically rigorous as well. I think I’m prepared. I think I know how to manage my time well and get everything that needs to be done, done.

JM: A couple questions about your on-the-field game. What would you say are some of the areas that you still need to work on?

JG: I think I still could use some work in the outfield, getting good reads on the ball, getting my breaks on the ball better, coming around it, throwing the ball to the cut off men. At the plate, having a full-field approach, mostly. Hitting line drives to all fields. I really try to focus on hitting the ball gap-to-gap. Just hitting line drives. I’ve been trying to focus on that for a long time now. Baserunning is another thing, I think Coach Connolly wants me to be a threat on the basepaths, so I can always get faster and more explosive on the basepaths, so that’s another aspect of the game that I want to improve on.

JM: And you haven’t always been an outfielder.

JG: No, I made the transition from first base to outfield after my freshman year. It just seemed like a more natural position out there after I shed some baby fat and gained a little more speed. I felt a little bit like my tools were better used in the outfield than at first base.

JM: What do you think some of those tools are?

JG: I think speed’s one of my good tools. I have a pretty strong throwing arm. Overall sense of the game, I don’t really have to think about the flow of the game, it kind of just comes naturally to me. I can hit line drives. Pretty good approach at the plate, rarely strike out, just make good contact, contact hitter, put the ball in play, try to get on base as much as I can.

JM: And how has your summer ball experience been different from your school experience?

JG: I’d say at school I was more responsible for the bulk of the run production and the leadership, especially as an older player, but now, on my summer teams, I’m surrounded by such good players, playing for Northeast Baseball, I feel like my role has kind of changed to more of a role player, like I started batting leadoff in the summer as opposed to batting third for high school, so I kind of have a different approach from the leadoff position, just trying to get base hits, get on base rather than driving in a lot of runs. And as far as being a teammate goes it’s kind of more laid back in the summer, people kind of coach themselves. But I feel like in school I was kind of more responsible for my teammates, trying to watch out for them, mentor them as much as I could.

JM: Can you take us through the recruiting process and how you decided that Bowdoin was the place for you?

JG: I knew starting off the process that I didn’t want to sacrifice the academics for the baseball experience, so I started looking at Ivies and NESCACs early on. Talked to a few Ivy schools, that didn’t really work out, then Bates and Bowdoin were the top two NESCAC schools on my radar. I talked to both coaches and talked to Coach Connolly. I think Coach Connolly got a connection from my 16u summer coach, Matt Petherick, who told him back in 16u that he had a kid for him to watch and Connolly kind of knew about me going into the 17u summer season, and he saw at a tournament early on in Worcester, and he liked what he saw, and he emailed me after I came back from my summer trip to Georgia [to the Perfect Game World Wood Bat Association Championships]. We got talking on the phone and I came up to campus and I instantly fell in love with the place. I could tell that he ran a great program and I loved the school right away, the campus, the academics, it just seemed like a great fit right off the bat. It was kind of an easy choice as soon as I got up there.

JM: Are you excited to play for Coach Connolly next season?

JG: He seems like a great coach, very disciplined. Lots of knowledge of the game. He’s been around baseball for a long time now so I know he’s knowledgeable about the game, and everything I’ve heard from current players, they say Connolly is a great coach, that they’d rather play for no one else, and he really holds his players accountable which I like. He runs a tight ship up there.

JM: How do you feel about the opportunity to play fall ball and prepare all year for baseball season?

JG: It’s definitely going to be an advantage now, going from the spring to the summer to fall ball without any gaps. I can work on more, focus on my game more, just keep hitting. You tend to lose some of your hitting mechanics in that gap between the summer season and the spring starting up again in high school so I feel like this extra time for practice is going to be great, especially for the strength and condition aspect.

JM: Where do you expect you’ll be playing in the field?

JG: Really anywhere in the outfield. Centerfield was my natural position in high school the last two years, but I’m pretty comfortable in the corners. Anywhere that I fit in out there would be great. I know that they lost a couple of outfielders this year.

JM: How do you feel about your chances at playing time this season?

JG: Coach Connolly did mention that he was graduating two senior outfielders, but I know there are other kids up there and I know that I’ll be competing for a spot right away, I won’t just be walking into a job and I know that it won’t come easy but I’m ready to prove myself up there and earn a spot in the starting lineup right away.

JM: How have your interactions been with your future teammates thus far?

JG: When I went for my visit in the fall they were very accepting. I’d already committed by then so they said it was more of a celebration than them trying to wine and dine me, but I love the guys up there, they seem like a great bunch of guys. Even outside of baseball they seem like they’re all best friends on the team, they all hang out with each other, so it seems like a great culture that I’m walking into up there and very welcoming and a tight-knit group.

JM: What do you expect will be the biggest difference between high school and NESCAC baseball?

JG: Definitely the pitching that I see day in and day out will be much stronger than I saw in high school, so that will be an adjustment. The speed of the game, just having a good player at every single position, as far as your opponents go, always gotta be on your toes. There’s never going to be an easy out up there, which is an exciting thing, I’m looking forward to the quality of play up there.

JM: One more question, Joe, what Major League player would you say your game is most like?

JG: Well I would say that I try to model my game after Mike Trout. Obviously, those are huge shoes to fill, but watching him play, he gives his all on every play. He utilizes his speed and his power and runs the bases well, plays a great outfield, so if I can one day be a fraction of how good he is, I’d say that’s who I want to model my game after.

JM: Thanks a lot for sitting down with me.

JG: Any time.

Thanks again to Joe Gentile for giving us his time, and best of luck at Bowdoin in 2015 and beyond.

NESCAC Summer Star Watch: Where Is Your Favorite Player this Summer?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

Play ball!

The Case for the ‘Cac: Students-and-Athletes

A few weeks ago, the NESCAC released its list of 2014 Spring All-Academic selections. Not surprising a whole bunch of people made it (999 to be exact), and not just the guys who sit on the end of the bench. While in Division 1 having a star that is also a stellar student is unusual, in the NESCAC it is almost the norm. Of course, this is exactly how it should be, given the ethos and goals of all the NESCAC schools in placing more emphasis on academics than athletics. To show just how outstanding the caliber of talent is that made the All-Academic team, we compiled two “All-Star” teams, if you will, one with the academic qualifications to make the All-Academic squad and the other chosen from everyone else remaining. Freshmen are not eligible because they have not completed a whole academic year so players like Tim Superko ’17 are not included in this exercise.

All-Academic Lineup	The Rest Lineup
1. Andrew Yin (Second Base)	1. Donnie Cimino (Center Field)
2. Taiki Kasuga (Shortstop)	2. Aaron Rosen (Second Base)
3. Alex Hero (Center Field)	3. Mike Odenwaelder (Right Field)
4. Chad Martin (Designated Hitter)	4. Jason Buco (Left Field)
5. Kevin Galvin (Third Base)	5. Griff Tewksbury (Designated Hitter)
6. Bryan Wolfe (First Base)	6. Sam Goodwin-Boyd (First Base)
7. Nick Cutsumpas (Catcher)	7. Guy Davidson (Shortstop)
8. Matt Moser (Right Field)	8. Kevin Davis (Third Base)
9. Luke Pierce (Left Field)	9. Mekae Hyde (Catcher)

All-Academic Rotation	The Rest Rotation
John Cook	Kyle Slinger
Brad Reynolds	Nick Cooney
Dylan Driscoll	Christian Sbily
Scott Goldberg	Gavin Pittore

Both teams are obviously stacked, but have different strengths. The All-Academic team lacks the mashers in the middle of the lineup that The Rest has in Jason Buco ’15 and Mike Odenwaelder ’16. The pitching staff for the All-Academic team is stronger, however. The difference is minimal especially given the presence of Kyle Slinger ’15 on The Rest. Though I don’t go in depth with the pitchers, it should be noted that other very good pitchers like Tom Ryan ’15 made the All-Academic team as well. Another roster note is that Matt Moser ’16 plays shortstop and not right field, but there was a significant logjam in the middle infield and nobody in the outfield for the All-Academic team so I made the executive decision to keep him on the field in that way.

If these two teams were to meet I would have to give a slight edge to The Rest team, but my guess is that if the teams played ten times, the All-Academic team wins four games. Their pitching is good enough and the talent level throughout the lineup is only a smidgeon worse than the Rest. The purpose of this exercise is of course simply to show the amount of talent that made the All-Academic team and not to really compare the teams.

One last note is that many of the athletes who did not make the All-Academic team still work incredibly hard in the classroom. Keep in mind that the difficulty of achieving the requisite 3.35 GPA fluctuates between departments, majors and professors. This isn’t to disparage anyone who did make the All-Academic team because a 3.35 isn’t easy no matter what classes you take. I want to make clear that I’m not putting down The Rest roster for their performance in the classroom. A lot of factors besides a student’s intelligence and work ethic go into what a final GPA looks like. With that being said, a huge congratulations to all of the students for their great work both on the diamond and in the classroom this spring..

Wesleyan: NESCAC Champs

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

— wescores (@wescores) May 9, 2014

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 Recap

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.

The Predictions Are In

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.

Power Rankings Part 3- The West Playoff Teams

We wrap up the Power Ranks with the two West playoff teams. Same format as the East, and the numbers coincide to their overall ranking this week. We will have our predictions for the weekend up tomorrow morning so make sure to check back in.

3. Amherst (28-7, 9-3)

Why They’ll Win: Amherst might be the only team who could give Tufts a running in the “most sheer talent” category. Their lineup is filled with dangerous hitters, most notably ace leadoff hitter and shortstop Taiki Kasuga ‘14, who comes into the playoffs batting .366, and Mike Odenwaelder ‘16, the Miguel Cabrera of this NESCAC season. Odenwaelder comes into the playoffs at least in the top three of every major offensive category known to man, and leading in batting average and slugging percentage, at .417 and .658 respectively. As if that wasn’t enough, Odenwaelder also sports a 1.74 ERA out of the bullpen. When you combine these offensive threats with the three-headed beast in the rotation of Dylan Driscoll ‘14, John Cook ‘15 and Quinn Saunders-Kolburg ‘14, Amherst looks as deep as any team except maybe Tufts.

Why They’ll Lose: The blueprint for beating Amherst was shown two weekends back when Wesleyan took two out of three from the Jeffs. In that series, Wesleyan was able to get to Driscoll early in game one, making the other matchups more even. Each game in the series was close, decided by 2 runs or less, and Wesleyan’s propensity for clutch hitting helped them in the first two games, one of which went 9 innings. The final game of the series was a classic, going 11 innings, with Odenwaelder hitting a two run homer to end it. If teams follow this formula, and scrape out a win against Driscoll, than either of the other matchups in the double-elimination weekend could come out against Amherst’s favor. By the way, Driscoll has been another pitcher in NESCAC play, with a below average 4.10 ERA.

Sleeper-Catcher Connor Gunn ‘16: As his last name implies, Gunn is a superb defensive catcher, who certainly deserves some credit for the success of Amherst’s pitching this season. While his overall offensive statistics are not eye-popping, he has shifted into another gear in NESCAC play, batting at .349 with a .899 OPS. This success has firmly planted him in the fifth spot in the lineup, behind season-long sluggers Odenwaelder and outfielder Alex Hero ’14. This middle of the order probably constitutes the best in NESCAC, and if Gunn can continue to constitute the back end of that threat, Amherst is probably pretty well set to repeat their tournament success from last year.

2. Wesleyan (24-10, 10-2)

Why They’ll Win: Wesleyan’s confidence is at an all-time high right now after posting a league best 10-2 record in NESCAC play, including taking two out of three from Amherst on the weekend of April 25. While Wesleyan certainly has the all around balance of any great NESCAC team, it’s their offense that carries them. Sam Goodwin-Boyd ‘15 has been solid all season, but in league play he has been unbelievable, batting .422 with a ridiculous .711 slugging percentage. Jonathon Dennett ‘15 and Guy Davidson ‘15, both of whom also rank in the top ten in NESCAC for RBI, flank him in the lineup. When you pair these sluggers with table setters like Andrew Yin ’15 and Donnie Cimino ’15, it makes for a potent lineup that any pitching staff would struggle to contain.

Why They’ll Lose: Wesleyan certainly has chinks in their armor that could cost them in this weekend. Although their pitching has stepped up to the plate (pardon the pun) in NESCAC play, posting a 2.10 ERA, for the season they come in with a mediocre 3.72, pointing to early inconsistencies in the rotation. Their main starting pitchers, Nick Cooney ‘15, Jeff Blout ’14 and Gavin Pittore ‘16, have all been solid, but can struggle with their control at times, leading to extra base runners. And against a well-oiled machine like Amherst or Tufts this weekend, mistakes like that are not often forgiven.

Sleeper- Relief pitcher Peter Rantz ‘16: If Wesleyan does have shaky performances from any of those three key starters, Rantz will be crucial in righting the ship, and giving the offense a chance to slug their way back into the game. Rantz was putting together a nice year out of the pen, with a 3.06 ERA, but has struggled mightily in NESCAC play. At his best, he is a guy who can relieve a struggling starter in the third inning and keep them in the game. It is likely this weekend Wesleyan will need to have that option.

Power Rankings Part 2- The East Playoff Teams

We ranked every team that team that is already done for the season, and now it is time to move our attention to those still playing. Since it is too early to wrap up their seasons, we will look towards the weekend. We cover why each team will win, each team will lose, and the player no one is talking about right now who we will be on Monday. And no, we don’t miss that irony. The NESCAC website championship weekend preview is also worth a look with a good overview of the four teams. Finally, we are breaking up the East and West. Note the rankings for each team are only relevant in our power rankings Just because we are putting Tufts first in the final power rankings doesn’t mean we think they will necessarily win. Our predictions will be out Friday morning.

4. Bates (19-19, 7-5)

Why They Will Win: Bates is playing with more and more confidence every week. That confidence isn’t shaken by losing four games in a row this week to Suffolk and St. Joseph’s (Maine). Their senior trio of Brad Reynolds ’14, Kevin Davis ’14, and Griff Tewksbury ’14 have to play extraordinary to give them a chance. If Reynolds pitches in the first game against Wesleyan, he will benefit from their lack of familiarity against him. Expect Reynolds to make relief appearances as well in his final college weekend. Davis and Tewksbury will have to carry an offense that lacked depth at the beginning of the year. Guys like Rockwell Jackson ’15, Brendan Fox ’17, and Sam Warren ’16 have done a great job stepping up and making sure it isn’t just a two man rodeo. Those guys need to continue to produce in order to score enough runs. The formula for success is a great start by Reynolds, a clean weekend fielding, and contributions up and down the lineup.

Why They Will Lose: If Bates loses the game Reynolds starts, then it’s chances of winning the whole tournament will all but disappear. There is no doubt that Bates is the least talented team in the whole tournament so it needs it’s strengths to be especially strong. The defensive problems we saw earlier in the year flared up this week in a four error game against St. Joseph’s. The real weakness for Bates is their pitching behind Reynolds. Chris Fusco is a senior who has pitched a lot of games, but his 5.35 ERA belies the fact that relying on him is a risky proposition. Will Levangie ’15 has a miniscule ERA (1.65), but has made only one relief appearance in the last four weeks so his status for this weekend is unclear. A host of relievers have pitched well in more limited roles, and it is possible Bates shuffles pitchers in and out to keep hitters from seeing anybody multiple times.

Sleeper- Dean Bonneau ’14 Relief Pitcher: One of the overlooked Bates seniors has quietly put together a nice season out of the bullpen. In 22 innings Bonneau has a 1.64 ERA and 9.00 K/9. He could be called on if one of the Bates starters falters early on. Bates will stretch whatever is working as much as possible, and Bonneau could be a magic balm for any pitching shortcomings that crop up.

1. Tufts (30-5, 9-3)

Why They Will Win: Over the course of the season, Tufts has proven themselves to be the most complete team in the NESCAC. They have scored more runs, gotten on base more often, allowed less runs, and committed less errors than every team in the NESCAC. Kyle Slinger ’15 is the best pitcher in the NESCAC, and Christian Sbily ’14 and Tim Superko ’17 are no slouches either. The three starters are also the top three in ERA for the NESCAC. On the other side of the ball we wrote about how Connor McDavitt has exploded at the top of the lineup, and Tufts deep lineup gets on base nearly four times out of ten (.398 team OBP). Their 30 wins in the regular season is an impressive accomplishment that shows the quality of player on the roster from the first to last player. Tufts will win if their starting pitching steps up once again like they have every time they have been called on this year.

Why They Will Lose: In a double elimination setting, games aren’t won on paper. Every team has weaknesses, and Tufts is no different with a bullpen that blew leads in three NESCAC games. Tom Ryan ’15 is the main reliever out of the pen, and he was involved in two of those games. Behind him the bullpen looks to be mainly Matt Moser ’16 and Spero Varinos ’17. The more games Tufts plays this weekend, the more and more their bullpen could be exposed. While we talked about how balanced Tufts’ hitting is, the flip side of that is they don’t have a go to thumper in the middle of the lineup. Put another way, Tufts relies on wearing down pitchers more than hitting the ball out of the park. The Jumbos have hit the least amount of homers of any team in the playoffs, though really only Amherst has a significant amount more. With the pitching improving in the playoffs, it’s possible Tufts will struggle to score runs.

Sleeper- Nick Cutsumpas ’14 Catcher: Ok, so it isn’t like Cutsumpas hasn’t performed all year with his .432 OBP and steady defense behind the plate, but others have hogged the headlines for the most part. The senior is somewhat of a streaky hitter. His last seven games with a hit have all been multi-hit games. If he gets hot this weekend, forget about it, Tufts will be too good to be beat.