April 2015 – Page 2 – Nothing But NESCAC

You Come at the King, You Best Not Miss: Weekend Preview 3/3/15

Williams and Wesleyan will play all three of their games at Andrus Field. (Courtesy of Wikipedia)

After the slight miscarriage that was opening weekend in the NESCAC, we actually get a full slate of weekend series, though there are still some more cosmetic changes because of the weather. But still, it’s baseball! For real! Alas, no games in Maine yet. One can only dream.

With Tufts having the weekend off, the remaining four East Division teams are tangling in series that will start the process of figuring out where exactly where each of them stands relative to each other.

The biggest series is out west with Williams taking on Wesleyan. The Ephs swept Middlebury to once again at least appear to have a shot at challenging Amherst or Wesleyan for the second playoff spot. A year ago with the Ephs at 4-2 in league after taking one game from Amherst, the Cardinals put their foot down and swept Williams to take control of the West and end the playoff chances for the Ephs. This year, Williams is hoping for at least one win against the Cardinals. However, beating this Wesleyan team is one tall task.

Three to Watch

1. Shortstop Guy Davidson ’16 (Wesleyan): We love two sport athletes, and Davidson is one of the many at Wesleyan right now. However, not many athletes boast squash and baseball as their two sports. After spending the winter as the number one for the squash team, he has transitioned seamlessly to baseball. In his junior year he has elevated his game to another level at shortstop. A year after hitting only .273 with one homer, Davidson has mashed three home runs on his way to a team high .415 BA. Davidson combines with Andrew Yin ’15 to make one of the best double-play combos in the NESCAC.

2. Starting Pitcher Scott Goldberg ’15 (Colby): Colby fans should not be too concerned at all with his 6.23 ERA. He dominated in his first two starts in Florida before having one very bad start. I put more stock into his 5 inning, 10 strikeout start against Hamilton than his 3 inning, 8 earned runs one against Castleton State. He is striking out a ton of hitters so far too which is good news. Goldberg should get the ball this afternoon in the NESCAC season opener against the Bantams. Last year against Trinity he didn’t make it through five innings, but Colby got the win in his start.

3. Left fielder Yanni Thanopoulos ’17 (Amherst): The sophomore is building on a very productive freshman year that saw him get on-base at .375 clip and steal 13 bases. Now after hitting only one extra base hit in 2014, Thanopoulos has two home runs and six extra-base hits total to date. On Wednesday in Amherst’s tuneup game against Bates, he went 2-4 and stole two bags to confirm that he is still very much a threat on the base paths. Mike Odenwaelder ’16 is going to continue to steal the headlines, but Thanopoulos has proven that there are two very capable outfielders with four syllable last names in the Jeffs outfield.

Predictions

Middlebury (0-9, 0-3) at Amherst (7-6, 0-0). Games played at Auburn High

Friday 7:00 PM: Eric Truss ’15 vs. John Cook ’15. Saturday 3:00 PM: Cooper Byrne ’15 vs. Keenan Szulik ’16. Robert Erickson ’18 vs. Jackson Volle ’17.

Not too much to say here. Hard to pick in favor of the Panthers until we see them win a game. Truss against Cook is a clear mismatch in the first game, but in the other two the Panthers will have a shot. Dylan Sinnickson ’15 is a game decision for this one. Amherst has looked a little shaky so far, and their 10-9 win over Bates wasn’t too reassuring. They committed four errors (three by their middle infielders) to allow five unearned runs to score. They can overcome those types of errors against Middlebury.

Amherst sweeps series.

Colby (9-3, 0-0) at Trinity (8-5, 0-0)

Friday 3:00 PM: Scott Goldberg ’15 vs. Sean Meekins ’15. Saturday 12:00 PM: Greg Ladd ’15 vs. Jed Robinson ’16. Saturday 2:30 PM: TBD vs. Chris Speer ’17

Two teams who we have not heard too much from to this point are certainly feeling that they have a chance at the playoffs in the East. The rotation for the Bantams has been amazing with the four pitchers with the most innings pitched all having an ERA below 1.00. The bullpen has been much more of an adventure which has held the Bantams back a little bit. Meekins and Robinson have matured into a very good duo. For the Mules, Goldberg and Ladd are missing their running mate Soren Hanson ’16 who was injured earlier in the year.

The weakness of both teams is their offense so expect a low scoring series. In the end, the loss of Hanson for Colby swings things just enough for the Bantams who will win their first NESCAC series since 2013.

Trinity wins two of three

Bates (5-5, 0-0) at Bowdoin (6-10, 1-2): Games played at Franklin Pierce.

Sunday 1:00 PM: TBD vs. Henry Van Zant ’15. Sunday 3:30 PM: TBD vs. Harry Ridge ’16

The final game of this series is being postponed for later which might benefit Bates in the short run but Bowdoin in the long run. The Bates staff is still very unsettled with a bunch of arms still clamoring for innings. Expect a lot of different pitchers to throw multiple innings as manager Mike Leonard will not allow the Bowdoin hitters to see pitchers multiple times. In the long run, Van Zant can now start two of the games in this series for Bowdoin depending on when the final game is rescheduled for.

Winning at least one game is a must for Bowdoin to stay near .500 in conference. Bates must be itching to play this weekend after only playing four games since February 21. These are two very familiar foes who have to travel to an unfamiliar locale in Franklin Pierce.

Teams split the doubleheader

Series of the Weekend: Williams (6-5, 3-0) at Wesleyan (9-4, 0-0)

Friday 4:00 PM: Thomas Murphy ’15 vs. Nick Cooney ’15. Saturday 1:00 PM: Luke Rodino ’17 vs. Gavin Pittore ’16. Saturday 3:30 PM Dan Smith ’16 vs. Sam Elias ’15.

All three games will be played in Middletown because there is still some snow in Williamstown, but the change of venue is not a big one as the Saturday doubleheader was already planned for historic Andrus Field.

A good deal of players for Wesleyan have yet to hit their stride. Neither Cooney nor Pittore boast a spectacular ERA, but some of that is because of the caliber of teams they pitched against earlier in the year. Meanwhile Donnie Cimino ’15 has not looked like his usual self in his first baseball action since breaking his jaw last summer. He should get back on track as he gets more at-bats. That a good deal of Wesleyan stars are not playing great but the team is still playing well is not a surprise given the depth of talent. Remember too that a good deal of this team played some high level baseball this summer in the Cape Cod league and beyond.

Williams feels confident after managing to sweep Middlebury, but they needed a walk-off win in the first game to make it happen. As mentioned in our season preview, the Eph hitters were shut down against Wesleyan in 2014. A repeat of that spells doom for them. While Jack Roberts ’17 is smoking the ball, Jack Cloud ’17 and Luke Pierce ’15 are both mired in slumps that are keeping the Williams offense from working on all cylinders.

Something tells me that Wesleyan is ready to show the NESCAC just how good they are going to be this weekend. The Ephs will play well, but their best chance of winning is Murphy throwing a gem on Friday. Against a lineup as deep as Wesleyan’s that is very difficult.

Wesleyan sweeps series

March Player of the Month: Joe Jensen ’15 (Hamilton)

Joe Jensen '15 is a star on the track and the diamond. (Courtesy of Hamilton Athletics) — Joe Jensen ’15 is a star on the track and the diamond. (Courtesy of Hamilton Athletics)

New feature that we are adding to the arsenal on the website. Every month we are going to pick one athlete to single out for his individual achievements recently. The Player of the Week awards released by the NESCAC are great, and we wanted to put our own spin on it. By making it a month long deal, we can take a larger sample size. First up is Centerfielder Joe Jensen ’15 from Hamilton.

In March, Jensen has elevated his already exceptional play to yet another level. He was in the top three in the NESCAC in batting average, on-base percentage, and slugging percentage at the end of the month. His OPS (on-base percentage + slugging percentage) was 1.362. Probably his most impressive statistic was his .525 batting average. Of course, a slugging percentage of .775 and on-base percentage of .587 aren’t bad either. He has been held hitless in only one game so far this season. Jensen was at his hottest during a five-game stretch to open the season from March 16-19 when he had multiple hits in all six games.

For comparison’s sake, Barry Bonds had the finest hitting season we could ever see in 2004 for the Major Leagues. He finished the year with a .609 OBP and .812 SLG percentage. Those are unfreaking real numbers for the Majors, steroids or no steroids. They aren’t as impressive in the NESCAC, but still pretty damn good. Also just to make it clear, I’m not accusing Jensen of being on steroids by comparing him to Bonds.

Still, he is a lot stronger than he was a year ago. Jensen is hitting for power with six extra base hits so far after hitting only three all of 2014. He also hit his first career home run in the opening game of the year for the Continentals.

All of those hitting statistics do not take into account Jensen’s All-American track speed. He has nine stolen bases and has been caught only once so far, despite everybody this side of the Mississippi knowing he is likely to steal as soon as he gets on first base. Jensen has been on first base with the opportunity to swipe second (i.e. nobody in front of him) 17 times this season and has attempted 10 steals in those situations, taking nine bags. That’s a ridiculous 58.8 percent attempt rate and 90 percent success rate. Jensen actually has three errors and no assists so his fielding has not been flawless, but we are sure he is tracking down plenty of balls in the gap that don’t show up in the box score.

The Top Ranked Division-III draft prospect according to Baseball America, Jensen is unlikely to hit above .500 for the year, and he is actually already below that mark after going 1-5 on Wednesday, April 1. Still, he is putting a spectacular exclamation on a career that has seen him go from a freshmen year where he hit .170 to now. His story is an unusual one, and it is far from over. Congrats Joe!

Sinnickson Out in Arizona

In a shocking development that puts a seriously damp impression on Middlebury’s already soggy start, star outfielder Dylan Sinnickson ’15 pulled a hamstring during the Panthers sweep at the hands of Williams. The injury will hamper him for a few games, but it revealed a problem that dwarfs any petty muscle strain.

When examining Sinnickson’s injury in Tucson, trainers at the facility noticed a filmy white mist escape from the senior’s mouth.

“The substance left [Dylan’s] body roughly 25 minutes after the injury occurred, once we had looked him over behind the dugout,” said a trainer who declined to be identified due mostly to, if I’m permitted to paraphrase, paralyzing fear. “Upon exiting the body, the mist appeared to gather into a solid mass about 10 feet over our heads, taking the shape of a skull and crossbones, which may have in fact been baseball bats, we can’t be sure. I’ve certainly never seen anything like it.”

Some observers have said that the spirit possessing Sinnickson is visible in this picture.

NESCAC officials have joined with various experts in occult forces to try to explain the phenomenon. Scientists who study undead forces at work in Arizona have been able to track many of the spirits that lurk around the state, which has long been a hotbed of ghostly activity. Executive Director of the NESCAC Andrea Savage reported that the joint task force “believes the young man to have been possessed by one of the many lingering spirits that roam the deserts of Arizona. This particular apparition, according to the scientist in charge of its tracking, appears to have been a Major League baseball player who was abandoned in the desert during spring training in the early 1900’s. He has since been searching for a way to get back into the game he loved so dearly, and Dylan Sinnickson offered him a more than worthy host.”

This stunning development obviously throws shadows upon much of Sinnickson, and Middlebury’s, season thus far. Sinnickson had been a bright spot for the Panthers in 2015, batting .484 with four home runs and 11 RBI before the injury (and the departure of the undead spirit from his soul). With this new knowledge, Sinnickson’s statistics have to be given an asterisk, as the unnamed spirit deserves just as much credit for his remarkable start to the season. When asked if he felt that Sinnickson’s possession should call into question the validity of his statistics, and whether the team knew and withheld the information, Coach Bob Smith declined to comment, but was clearly offended. However, an unnamed source from inside the Panthers locker room was able to shed some light on the matter.

“We had been noticing some…changes in Dylan lately,” the source told me. “He’d started asking us all to wear high socks for each game, and his pregame meal was just whiskey and a massive cigar. Honestly we knew something had to be up when he started off so hot. No one can miss a year of a sport and come back as the best player in the league. No one human, I should say.”

NESCAC officials certainly have a difficult task ahead of them in determining how to sanction Sinnickson and the Panthers, but there is precedent in the league. It is widely known that Amherst basketball coach David Hixon sold his soul to Satan in the early 90’s, but the league has never been able to fully determine how much of his success to attribute to that, so punishment has never been meted out. According to Director Savage, Sinnickson will be given time to recuperate from his injury and the psychological damage that possession can incur, and the league will discuss the matter during that period. Savage also warned other NESCAC players to be wary of the various “black magic” forces that roam Arizona, and as always, to “play hard and live up to NESCAC’s standards of sportsmanship.”

Editor’s Note: Sinnickson actually did injure his hamstring in Arizona. Everything else…

Mike Trout Swimming for the CAC

Despite the noble efforts of the merry band of writers here at Nothing But NESCAC, the league certainly lacks national exposure. However, that is about to change with the news leaking out of the MLB’s offices early this morning. According to one of our (many, many) sources in the MLB, Mike Trout will soon be taking a leave of absence from the Angels to attend an as-of-yet undecided NESCAC school.

Trout, who was taken out of Millville High School in New Jersey in the 2009 MLB draft, has established himself as the best player in the MLB during his first three seasons, winning the American League’s Most Valuable Player award last year at just 23. However, he had recently been feeling unsatisfied with his lack of college education, and the dearth of one on one attention he was receiving from his coaches with the Angels. His teammates had reported walking into the lockerroom to see him poring over a ragged, dog-eared copy of Henry David Thoreau’s Walden, only to have him throw it into his locker and hurriedly pick up Albert Pujol’s issue of Maxim.

“Mike has always had a very inquisitive mind, and he simply isn’t feeling intellectually fulfilled in the Major Leagues anymore,” said a source close to the organization. “He feels that the small college experience will open him to a multitude of new opportunities to grow as a man, and learn more about this crazy ride we call life.”

Mike Trout could transfer to Wesleyan in order to take the class "Museum Chronotopes: Temporality and Exhibition from the Late 18th Century to the Present." — Mike Trout could transfer to Wesleyan in order to take the class “Museum Chronotopes: Temporality and Exhibition from the Late 18th Century to the Present.”

The obvious question that people are now asking is which school Trout will attend. We caught up with the star outfielder in a hotel room in Williamstown, having just finished a tour of Williams. He was sitting on the bed with his father, poring over several ethnically diverse brochures from Amherst, Middlebury and Bowdoin.

“I just don’t know, man,” the natural successor to Mickey Mantle said with a sigh. “Middlebury’s language studies can’t be beat, and it’s crucial to be bilingual in our rapidly globalizing society. But Williams has this incredible science and math department AND a museum with Picasso in it. Picasso! Shouldn’t I be at a place that can combine sciences and humanities like that?”

“But what about the girls at Middlebury, huh Mike,” his father interjected with a wink. The unanimous 2012 Rookie of the Year award winner blushed and returned to his brochures. When asked whether he would play baseball in NESCAC, he expressed some desire to, but that he really would like to try Quidditch at some point, and worried that Quidditch, studying for finals AND baseball would be too much to take on in his freshman year. “They have intramurals though,” he reasoned.

Wherever Trout ends up, his celebrity presence is sure to turn NESCAC on its head. We will have further updates on this exciting story as more details come out, but last we heard, Trout and his father were planning a drive down to Amherst to catch an information session.