Tag: Baker Mayfield

One Strong Leader, One Strong Goal: Wesleyan University Season Preview

2017 record: 6-3

Gotta love this atmosphere, and the Cardinals are going to bring it in Middletown.

NBN 2018 projected record: 7-2

Projected offensive starters (*5 returning):

QB: Mark Piccirillo ‘19*

RB: Sean Penney ‘21

WR: Evan Hull ‘19

WR: Hallvard Lundevall ‘20

TE: Ryan Earle ‘19*

OL: Bryce Jenkins ‘21

C: Joe Wilson ’19*

RG: Jacob Edlebeck ‘21

LT: Ryan Schutta ’20*

RT: Terence Norton ‘19*

Projected defensive starters (*6 returning):

DB: Ben Thaw ‘20*

DB: Eli Blair-May ‘20

S: AJ Lanton ’22

S: Pat Leone

LB: Brandon Morris ‘19*

LB: Will Kearney ‘20

LB: Malcolm Fox ’21

DL: Jude Lindberg ‘19*

DL: Taj Gooden ‘21*

DL: Grant Williams ‘19*

DL Bobby Nevin ‘19*

Projected special teams starters (*2 returning):

K: Pat Wolfe ‘21*

P: Sam Han ‘20*

Offensive MVP:

Mark Piccirillo ’19

Mark Piccirillo ‘19

If you study the most successful college quarterbacks from the past decade, who do you have on your list? I have Tim Tebow, Baker Mayfield, Cam Newton, Robert Griffin III, Marcus Mariota, and Lamar Jackson just to name a few. What do all these quarterbacks have in common? They’re all incredible athletes who ran option plays in college. After Eagles coach Doug Pederson introduced the world to the run-pass option (RPO) last season, RPO has established itself as common lingo. Mark Piccirillo, Wesleyan quarterback, has been running one of the most successful offenses in the NESCAC for the past three seasons. Even though he doesn’t amaze spectators with size, he makes up for it will intelligent reads. The offense is run fast, which is predicated on great conditioning and understanding what the defense is giving you. Piccirillo led the league in both yards per game and touchdowns; however, he threw ten interceptions. With a touchdown to interception ratio of two to one, Piccirillo slipped behind the likes of Sonny Puzzo (Trinity) and Jared Lebowitz (Middlebury) in that statistical category. As his offensive counterparts become more comfortable with Piccirillo, the turnovers will likely be cut down. Piccirillo’s meager 8.0 yards per attempt shows that the offense is comfortable taking what the defense gives them. Exploiting linebacker on slot receiver matchups underneath and in the flat is a major reason for all of Piccirillo’s passing yards a season ago. Piccirillo noted the following about his mental state entering his final season at Wesleyan: “I’d say personally to prepare for this season I’ll be watching a lot of film on opponents early into game weeks to really get enough mental reps on what I have to do and go into practices with the mindset that every day is game day. Also just really get a lot of reps with my receivers every day to have the chemistry to make plays on Saturdays. And the number one thing is playing with high confidence every place. This year I see our team going out on game days with a lot of energy flying around and being positive. I love what I see from the younger guys on the team that’ll have a big impact on bettering the team.”

Piccirillo is a front runner for NESCAC POY in 2018

Piccirillo’s mental state is what you want in a quarterback and leader. So much of sports is failing, moving on, and responding in a positive way. Piccirillo’s interceptions last year is a source of losing confidence. As a leader, nevertheless, he seems to have taken charge of the offense. One of the most important pieces of Wesleyan’s offense graduated last year. Wide receiver Mike Breuler invigorated fans with his flying catches in traffic and overall dependability. Breuler had a phenomenal junior campaign, leading the team in catches, yards, and receiving touchdowns, and earning first team all NESCAC honors. The wideout ended his senior year by earning NESCAC offensive player of the year, breaking Wesleyan and NESCAC single season records in yards and catches, and finished second in the country in yards per reception and third in total yards per game. It’s clear that losing Piccirillo’s top target from the past few years will hurt Wesleyan’s offense. The question for Coach DiCenzo and the coaches is who is going to fill Breuler’s void. There won’t be one guy who can possess the chemistry that Breuler and Piccirillo shared. It’s going to take multiple players to fill Breuler’s shoes. Joe Scancarella is a sophomore receiver to watch this year. He doesn’t have the size that Breuler has, but he great hands. He made an impact as a freshman with one touchdown. He’s quick, and is a matchup nightmare for bigger, slower linebackers.

Defensive MVP:

Brandon Morris ’19

Brandon Morris ‘19

Wesleyan is returning some core pieces on defense. Senior linebacker Brandon Morris led the NESCAC in tackles per game. Defensive linemen Taj Gooden and Jude Lindberg return as well to an interior presence, which will wreak havoc for opponent offensive linemen. Besides Wesleyan’s loss of Breuler, play on the road has to be another point of concern. A perfect record at home coupled with a sub five hundred record on the road is something the Cards will desperately look to correct. Whether it’s mental or physical, the Cards will travel to play Tufts and Williams on the road, both hostile environments. Wesleyan dominated the time of possession, leading the league. As John Madden would say, without the ball, it’s hard for the team to score points. Wesleyan has to continue to emphasize winning the time of possession this season if they want to succeed. I think that Mark Piccirillo will be the ultimate difference maker for the Cards. He will bring them over the top to bring them a NESCAC championship.

Biggest game: 9/15 vs Middlebury:

The first game of the season is Wesleyan’s biggest. Middlebury beat them last year, so a 1-0 record to start the season is a necessity to win a NESCAC crown. Wesleyan isn’t such a young team anymore with Morris and Piccirillo leading the team. Wesleyan can prove to the league with an opening day win that they’ll here for the long haul.

Best tweet: https://twitter.com/GKessFilms/status/1035619516498288640

A fly messing with Picc! Wow.

Everything else:

Who else is looking forward to seeing this glorious field next Saturday?

As the dog days of training camp come to an end, and the strange combination of jubilation for another year of a college social life and fear of problem sets, exams, and papers churns in our stomachs, we have to remember what we’ve waited for since February: football. NESCAC football fans have waited even longer, however, too see their alma mater on the gridiron. There are many question marks that come to my mind as both a writer and a fan when considering how teams will perform this season: will there be two poles like last year with Trinity, Middlebury, and Amherst at the top, while Colby and Bowdoin rounded out the bottom? Will young teams like Wesleyan, Williams, and Tufts dethrone Trin at the top? Wesleyan, Williams, and Tufts all showed promise last season, but only one team is returning a four year playmaking starter at the quarterback position. Only one team was second in the entire conference, behind Middlebury, in total offense; only one of those teams had a 65% touchdown efficiency in the red zone, ranking second in the league behind Trinity. The team that I keep referring to, and will make the leap from a successful 6-3 2017 season to an outstanding 8-1 2018 (one more win than Colby and Cam gave these boys) is the Wesleyan Cardinals.

Benches Are Clearing; Baseball Weekend Preview?

It’s been a great start to the MLB season. The Red Sox are unbelievable, dominating the Yankees on the field and in a Fenway Park WWE fight. Baseball brawls are essential to the baseball identity. In no other sport do you have an individual with a wooden weapon or people hauling in from the other end of the playing field. In this edition of my weekend update, I’m going to compare two teams, one from the east and another from the west, to see who would hypothetically win in a bench clearing brawl. While we know this isn’t as informative as a normal weekend preview, the weather brought all of the games into question (Midd v. Amherst was moved to May 4th and 5th), so we wanted to mix it up in the wake of some angry behavior in MLB games (Red Sox vs. Yankees; Padres vs. Rockies). 

Let’s start out with the east:

The Colby Mules wouldn’t be your first guess on a team who would be interested to brawl. Mainers are such down to earth, empathetic people. But let’s not forget about the swagger the Mules possess.

2017 Colby Baseball Team

The first attribute that the Mules possess that could give them an edge in any fight is their roster pictures–particularly their facial hair. These guys are scary. Cameron Garfield looks like Billy the Kid on his way to rob a train in the Wild West. Let’s just say the next time I’m on the T, I’m not sitting anywhere near Garfield. He would probably whip out a weapon, and ask me how much gold I have. He’s clearly reached his peak as a freshman in the facial hair department; I don’t see how he could one up his roster picture. In all seriousness, Colby has a big weekend coming up. Their pitching has been solid with a 3.96 ERA in conference. Their hitting, on the other hand, isn’t helping out the pitching staff. A .228 average in conference won’t win any ball games, no matter who’s on the bump.

Another guy’s facial hair that has evolved over the years is junior pitcher Will Cohen. I’m not giving him airtime because he’s a former teammate and friend, but I actually respect his facial hair. It’s well trimmed, which is a major improvement from his freshman year photo. Unlike Garfield’s roster picture, Cohen’s freshman year picture makes me slightly nauseous (the picture can’t be found, the college took it down due to complaints). Cohen came into Colby as a freshman, and contributed to the cause. He pitched five scoreless innings in 2015 against the potent Tufts Jumbo offense. He hasn’t really been the same since. As a pitcher who relies on masterful control, he hasn’t been able to locate quite the same as before.

The Mules dropped two out of three against Bates last weekend, which is concerning because the Mules clearly have the talent advantage. Trinity won’t be an easier opponent to face this weekend, but if the Mules can right the ship by taking two out of three, they’ll find themselves in the playoff hunt. Right now, they just need to figure it out at the plate.

If not, I definitely think they can intimidate opponents in a bench clearing brawl. Cohen and Garfield will lead the charge in the fight.

The West:

Wesleyan 2017 Baseball Team

I have to pick Wesleyan. I’ve only seen Wesleyan’s games live, so I don’t pretend to have a feel for the entire NESCAC’s character. However, the Birds definitely have the swagger right now with a 3-0 conference record that could help them win a fight. Let’s see why:

We have to start off with Ryan Earle and Chase Pratt. These guys are thick and bulky. I’m sure they could put up thirty plus reps of two plates on the bench, and be pictured chopping wood on the cover of a Carhartt magazine with husky jackets and their yellow labs. These guys are also mashing at the plate. As big guys, they’re incredibly short to the ball which allows them to barrel up inside fastballs. They use the whole field, which shows how well they’re seeing and timing up the baseball. Both are hitting well in the .300’s with low strikeout numbers. That says a lot for big, powerful guys. These bash bros are like Chad and JT advocating for southern California house parties: they have swagger, confidence, and are the power of the Wesleyan lineup. But of course, two guys can’t beat twenty other guys in the fight. Kevin Walek, Wesleyan’s shortstop, is their version of Baker Mayfield on the diamond. He wears a red bandanna, and blares Straight Outta Compton as his walkup song. He hits towards the bottom of the lineup, but has been an important piece towards Wesleyan’s success. He hit .600 last weekend against Middlebury, and plays stellar defense shortstop.

Wesleyan dominated Middlebury last weekend in all aspects of the game; it was quite obvious as a spectator that Wesleyan had the emotional edge. Any foul ball to the backstop was corralled by Nick ‘Val’ Valicenti. Obviously, there’s no stat in the book that illustrates hustle. Val’s not an everyday player, but his hustle on each foul ball is indicative and is a microcosm of the Wesleyan baseball team: they’re gritty.

This grit is apparent in close games. In game one against Middlebury, they edged out a win by scoring their only run on a walk. They fought and clawed for that win, which gave them the momentum for the rest of the series.

In a non-league game on Wednesday, freshman pitcher and #4 on NBN best roster pictures took a line drive straight to the dome. The play stopped, and the whole squad was genuinely concerned for Reddy. Taking line drives to the head builds character that helps in a bench clearing brawl.

Kidding aside, Wesleyan needs to bring that same character, energy, and swag into their games against Hamilton this weekend. If they keep an emotional edge, given their superior talent, the Continentals will be on their heels all weekend.

Wesleyan’s temper getting tested in 2015

In conclusion, if Cameron Garfield and Will Cohen came toe to toe with Ryan Earle and Chase Pratt in a bar, I would be intimidated by the rocking facial hair of the Mules. However, the Mules would run away when the clean version of Straight Outta Compton came on, and 160 pound Kevin Walek from Minnesota walked out with his bandana on. Yeah, sportsmanship is cool and all, but who doesn’t love watching a good fight?