New England Collegiate Baseball League_legacy
2014 NECBL Preview: Ocean State Waves
Date:06/03/2014 Source:New England Collegiate Baseball League_legacy
After fabulous debut season, Waves looking to make bigger splash in 2014 In the next two-plus weeks leading up to Opening Day, the NECBL will unveil team-by-team previews for the 2014 campaign, one per weekday leading up to June 5. Recapping 2013 Success like Ocean State’s wasn’t supposed to be as easy as the Waves made it appear. Of all of the league’s expansion franchises da...
2014 NECBL Preview: Sanford Mainers
Date:06/03/2014 Source:New England Collegiate Baseball League_legacy
Mainers shoot for 11th playoff berth in 13 seasons this summer In the next two-plus weeks leading up to Opening Day, the NECBL will unveil team-by-team previews for the 2014 campaign, one per weekday leading up to June 5. Recapping 2013 In Sanford’s 12 years of existence, the Mainers have qualified for the NECBL postseason in 10 of them, including the last five. Last year, however, that s...
2014 NECBL Preview: Vermont Mountaineers
Date:06/02/2014 Source:New England Collegiate Baseball League_legacy
Revamped Mountaineers Add Speed, Set Hopes on 2014 NECBL Title In the next two-plus weeks leading up to Opening Day, the NECBL will unveil team-by-team previews for the 2014 campaign, one per weekday leading up to June 5. Recapping 2013 One of the steadiest franchises in terms of just about everything – attendance, atmosphere and on-the-field success – since its inception in 2003, Ve...
NECBL Alum Hassan Makes Major League Debut
Date:06/01/2014 Source:New England Collegiate Baseball League_legacy
OF Alex Hassan made his debut today with the Boston Red Sox. He started in right field, singled and drew a walk in the Red Sox 4-0 win over Tampa Bay. The 2007 Pittsfield Duke and Boston, MA native becomes the 102nd NECBL graduate to reach the Majors. Hassan is the third NECBL graduate to make his Major League debut this year, and he becomes the 40th New England League product ...
Strasburg Used NECBL As Springboard to Greatness
Date:06/01/2014 Source:New England Collegiate Baseball League_legacy
By Don Leypoldt Does the world need another Stephen Strasburg article? Put him into google and you get over 4 million hits. We know he was the Greatest Prospect Ever in Baseball History…(for one year and then Washington National teammate Bryce Harper became the Greatest Prospect Ever in Baseball History.) We not only know Strasburg’s story: we know his mechanics. ...
2014 NECBL Season Preview: North Adams SteepleCats
Date:05/28/2014 Source:New England Collegiate Baseball League_legacy
‘Cats crave consistency in 2014, boast four returners for summer of 2014 In the next two-plus weeks leading up to Opening Day, the NECBL will unveil team-by-team previews for the 2014 campaign, one per weekday leading up to June 5. Recapping 2013 Consistency is a funny term for North Adams. On one hand, the SteepleCats have been as steady as any other franchise in the NECBL since their in...
2014 NECBL Preview: Mystic Schooners
Date:05/28/2014 Source:New England Collegiate Baseball League_legacy
With bar raised last summer, Schooners look to keep climbing in 2014 In the next two-plus weeks leading up to Opening Day, the NECBL will unveil team-by-team previews for the 2014 campaign, one per weekday leading up to June 5. Recapping 2013 The odyssey of the Mystic Schooners certainly features its share of ups and downs, but since the league’s last remaining charter franchise – wh...
Former Mountaineer AJ Pollock (’07) Named Co-NL Player of the Week
Date:05/28/2014 Source:New England Collegiate Baseball League_legacy
Diamondbacks outfielder led NL with .500 average last week Links: Full Release (MLB.com) | NECBL Q&A with Pollock (2007) Former Vermont Mountaineer (’07) AJ Pollock enjoyed one of his best weeks in the Big Leagues ever, as the Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder was named the National League Co-Player of the Week. Sharing the honor with fellow division rival and one of baseball’s mo...
Little Things Lead to Big Leagues for Ex-Blue Sock Lombardozzi
Date:05/24/2014 Source:New England Collegiate Baseball League_legacy
By Don Leypoldt You can take one of two paths when you have a distinguished father. You can ride his coattails. Or you can learn from his experiences to achieve your own success. Baltimore Oriole second baseman Steve Lombardozzi, Jr. has opted for the latter. Steve Senior played six seasons in the Majors. In 1986, he led all American League second basemen in fielding percent...
2014 NECBL Preview: Valley Blue Sox
Date:05/23/2014 Source:New England Collegiate Baseball League_legacy
New name, same identity; Blue Sox aim for new heights in 2014 In the next two-plus weeks leading up to Opening Day, the NECBL will unveil team-by-team previews for the 2014 campaign, one per weekday leading up to June 5. Recapping 2013 The 2013 Blue Sox advanced to the NECBL postseason for the third time in five years, winning a tiebreaker game with the Saratoga Brigade to place fourth in the We...
Two NECBL Alum Tabbed 2014 Dick Howser Trophy Semifinalists
Date:05/22/2014 Source:New England Collegiate Baseball League_legacy
Max Pentecost (left, Holyoke ’12), Nathan Kirby (right, Keene ’13) up for top DI baseball award Links: Full Release DALLAS – Two recent New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL) alumni have been named Semifinalists for the 2014 Dick Howser Trophy, bestowed annually to the student-athlete voted as best all of Division I collegiate baseball. The National Collegiate Bas...
2014 NECBL Preview: Laconia Muskrats
Date:05/22/2014 Source:New England Collegiate Baseball League_legacy
Loaded ‘Skrats pitching staff has Laconia hopeful for fourth playoff berth in five years In the next two-plus weeks leading up to Opening Day, the NECBL will unveil team-by-team previews for the 2014 campaign, one per weekday leading up to June 5. Recapping 2013 One way or another, Laconia has found ways to make the most out of seemingly every playoff berth it played its way into. Since t...
2014 NECBL Preview: Danbury Westerners
Date:05/21/2014 Source:New England Collegiate Baseball League_legacy
Westerners turn to potential-filled youthful roster in 2014 In the next two-plus weeks leading up to Opening Day, the NECBL will unveil team-by-team previews for the 2014 campaign, one per weekday leading up to June 5. Recapping 2013 The oldest active franchise in the league, Danbury reached the NECBL Championship Series for the fourth time since the team’s inception in 1995 two summers ag...
2014 NECBL Preview: New Bedford Bay Sox
Date:05/19/2014 Source:New England Collegiate Baseball League_legacy
Miller, Bay Sox aim for return to postseason with rejuvenated roster In the next two-plus weeks leading up to Opening Day, the NECBL will unveil team-by-team previews for the 2014 campaign, one per weekday leading up to June 5. Recapping 2013 Expectations were higher than ever in The Whaling City after an impressive summer in 2012; that year, the Bay Sox enjoyed their best season yet since reloc...
Francona Honored by NECBL For Winning On; Serving Off The Diamond
Date:05/17/2014 Source:New England Collegiate Baseball League_legacy
By Don Leypoldt It is a little like the emerald hidden among the diamonds. For anyone else, winning the Golden Spikes Award as the best player in all of college baseball might be life’s crowning achievement. But Cleveland Indian manager Terry Francona, the Golden Spikes winner in 1980 when he was a junior at the University of Arizona, is not everybody else. He is a two-time World Ch...
NECBL Hall of Fame: After 50 Yrs Pepe Still Has “Write” Stuff
Date:05/11/2014 Source:New England Collegiate Baseball League_legacy
By Don Leypoldt During its Hall of Fame dinner on November 30th, the NECBL gave Phil Pepe an ironic honor. The man chosen for one of two “Stand Up Guy” awards made his immense contributions to baseball and sports by sitting down. Behind a typewriter. A prolific author and sports writer, Pepe has written or co-written roughly 50 books on baseball. Although retired as news...
April Showers Honors on NECBL Alums
Date:05/05/2014 Source:New England Collegiate Baseball League_legacy
Multiple NECBL graduates received notable honors in the month of April. Here is a summary of those highlights: • On April 7th, Minnesota Twin 1B Chris Colabello won the first American League Player of the Week for 2014, an honor in which he shared with Josh Hamilton. In MLB’s first week, Colabello hit .391 with four doubles, a home run and 11 RBI. He...
Former Gull Garcia Makes Major League Debut
Date:04/29/2014 Source:New England Collegiate Baseball League_legacy
By Don Leypoldt St. Louis Cardinal infielder Greg Garcia made his Major League debut yesterday. He drew a walk in the Cardinals’ 5-3 extra inning loss to Milwaukee. The University of Hawaii and suburban San Diego product had a .349 on base percentage, rapped out nine extra base hits and fielded at a .966 clip during his summer in the NECBL. He also represented Newport in...
By Land or By Sea, Gerber Keeps Mashing
Date:04/25/2014 Source:New England Collegiate Baseball League_legacy
By Don Leypoldt It’s hard to get more inland than Omaha, Nebraska. Omaha is the home of Creighton University, the College World Series…and zero beaches. The Ocean State Waves on the other hand, can’t be accused of false advertising. Their home at Old Mountain Field is barely two miles from Rhode Island Sound. Whether inland or seaside however, one thing remains the sam...
11 NECBL Alumni Named Top Prospects by MLB.com
Date:04/18/2014 Source:New England Collegiate Baseball League_legacy
11 NECBL Alumni Named Top Prospects by MLB.com MLB.com’s Jonathan Mayo recently assembled his list of the top 20 prospects in each Major League Organization. Mayo completed his rankings on March 31st. 11 NECBL graduates were honored by being placed on those lists. Four alumni- pitchers Mark Appel (Houston) and Adam Conley (Florida) and infielders Eric Jagielo (New York Yankees)...
Closer or Starter, Ex-Westerner Stinnett Still Dominates
Date:04/12/2014 Source:New England Collegiate Baseball League_legacy
Closer or Starter, Ex-Westerner Stinnett Still Dominates By Don Leypoldt Maryland senior righty Jake Stinnett is a smart guy. Smart enough to graduate from high school with a 4.5 GPA. And smart enough to be an Academic All-ACC selection. And when the Pittsburgh Pirates selected Stinnett in the 29th round of last year’s Major League Draft, he was smart enough to return to Maryla...
100! Ranger Martinez is 100th NECBL Alum to Reach Bigs
Date:04/06/2014 Source:New England Collegiate Baseball League_legacy
He did it in the Nick of time. On Saturday night, Texas Ranger righty Nick Martinez became the 100th NECBL alumnus to reach the Major Leagues. The Fordham product debuted at Tampa Bay, arguably outpitching 2012 Cy Young Award winner David Price. Martinez allowed three runs and four hits in six innings, fanning three in the Rays’ 5-4 win. The rookie got a no decision but ...
Nearly 30 NECBL Alumni On Opening Day Rosters
Date:03/31/2014 Source:New England Collegiate Baseball League_legacy
28 NECBL alumni, representing 18 different teams, made 2014 Opening Day Major League rosters. No team had three alumni on their Opening Day roster but 10 did have two. Every division in Major League baseball is represented by at least three alumni. The National League West has the largest representation, with eight alumni and at least one graduate playing on all five teams. 99 NECBL gradu...
Bryant, Franklin Pierce, USM Honored by NECBL
Date:03/25/2014 Source:New England Collegiate Baseball League_legacy
Bryant, Franklin Pierce, USM Honored by NECBL By Tristan Hobbs, Matt Janek and Don Leypoldt The NECBL was pleased to honor three New England colleges at the New England League’s Hall of Fame Dinner on November 30th. Representing each Division in NCAA baseball, Bryant, Franklin Pierce and Southern Maine were recognized as the Most Valuable Program in New England. + ...
Ex-Mainer Wilson Named Louisville Slugger Player of the Week
Date:03/20/2014 Source:New England Collegiate Baseball League_legacy
Yet again, an NECBL alumnus has been named a Louisville Slugger National Player of the Week. This time, the honor goes to former Sanford Mainer Nic Wilson. Wilson, a first baseman for Georgia State, hit five homers and 15 RBI during the Panthers’ five games in the week of March 10th to 16th. He batted 11-for-19, slugged 1.421 and had an on base percentage of .625. A 6’6&r...
Alums Appel, Pentecost Recognized by MLB.com
Date:03/17/2014 Source:New England Collegiate Baseball League_legacy
Alums Appel, Pentecost Recognized by MLB.com MLB.com’s Jonathan Mayo revealed his Top 100 Major League Prospects on January 23rd. Right handed pitcher and Houston Astro prospect Mark Appel (2010 Newport) weighed in at #17. Appel was also ranked as the sixth best right handed prospect in the Minor Leagues. Selected by the Astros with the first pick of the 2013 Draft, the Stanf...
A's Burns hoping to outrun his weaknesses
Date:03/10/2014 Source:New England Collegiate Baseball League_legacy
MiLB.com recently profiled former Danbury Westerner Billy Burns. Arguably the fastest prospect in the Minors, the Georgia speedster played for Danbury in 2009 hitting .254 but stealing 16 bases in 17 attempts. ******** No power. Below-average arm. Those two succinct scouting notes can all but destroy a prospect's career before it gets going. Can a player drafted 967th overall -- and a...
Familiar NECBL Faces in New Places for 2014
Date:03/07/2014 Source:New England Collegiate Baseball League_legacy
Several NECBL alumni who saw action in the Major Leagues last year changed teams during a busy offseason. Here is a quick guide to the alumni who will be donning different uniforms in 2014. Name-Position-Old Team-New Team-Deal Andrew Bailey (Pictured)-RHP-Boston- New York Yankees- Minor League deal Bailey had a 3-1 record, eight saves and a 3.77 ERA with the World Champions last season.&n...
Ex-Westerner Named National Player of the Week For No-No
Date:03/07/2014 Source:New England Collegiate Baseball League_legacy
Ex-Westerner Named National Player of the Week For No-No RHP Jake Stinnett was named one of Louisville Slugger/Collegiate Baseball News’ National Player of the Week on March 3rd. As Collegiate Baseball News reported: “Stinnett fired the first no-hitter since 2008 for Maryland during a 4-0 win over Massachusetts on March 1st. He faced only two batters over the minimum during the nine-...
Nearly 20 NECBL Alumni Earn MiLB.com All-Star Recognition
Date:02/27/2014 Source:New England Collegiate Baseball League_legacy
Nearly 20 NECBL Alumni Earn MiLB.com All-Star Recognition By MiLB.com MiLB.com announced their 2013 Organizational All-Stars in November and December. The award is given to the best player in a Major League Organization’s system, regardless of their level. 18 NECBL alumni from 14 different organizations- nearly half of Major League Baseball- were recognized during the announcements. ...
