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 relocating from Torrington in 2009, posting a 25-17 record while finishing second in the Eastern Division en route to the franchise’s sixth appearance in the Division Finals.

Unfortunately, New Bedford stumbled out of the gate and never was able to catch up; the Bay Sox entered July seven games out of .500 and, in a stacked division that featured perennial power Newport, one of the league’s top stories in Ocean State’s remarkable inaugural seasons and strong performances by both Mystic and Laconia, New Bedford missed out on the postseason for the third time in five years.

Offense certainly wasn’t the issue in Bristol Country last summer, as the Bay Sox finished the year ranked fourth in team batting average (.265), runs scored (217), hits (389), second in doubles (69), third in RBI (190) and second in on-base percentage (.340).

Pitching, however, was another story, as the Bay Sox staff posted a league-worst 4.70 team ERA, allowing opponents to hit .261 against them (10th/NECBL) while walking a league-most 242 opposing batters and allowing 197 earned runs, the most in the league.

Still, 2013 brought plenty of individual highlights, including the rise to prominence of Boston College infielder Christopher Shaw, who finished the summer seventh in batting average (.335) and ranked in the top-five in RBI (2nd/39), hits (4th/52) and total bases (3rd/78). Another Christopher, Travers of Roger Williams, led the league in OBP, marking the second year in a row that a catcher led that particular category, while Fairfield outfielder Ryan Plourde ranked third in runs scored (35).

Who To Watch For
Jimmy Davitt Bryant, Junior – Davitt appeared mostly as a reliever in his sophomore season with the NEC Regular Season champion Bulldogs. In 10 appearances, he went 1-1 with a 3.86 ERA and limited opponents to a .221 average against. He struck out over twice as many batters as he walked and has the potential to be a huge stopper for the Bay Sox in 2014.

Michael Hearne, Notre Dame, Junior - Hearne strung together an impressive sophomore season with Notre Dame, which was in its first season competing in arguably the country’s toughest conference (ACC). In over 86 innings pitched, Hearne held a 2.51 ERA with a record of 5-6, while keeping opponents’ average at .248. Most impressive was his strikeout to walk ratio, a very healthy 3.7 K/BB.

Dan Wertz, Sacred Heart, Senior - Wertz is the definition of a stopper. Out of the bullpen in 2014 at Sacred Heart, Wertz had 27 appearances, throwing 35 innings while keeping a sub-2 ERA. Wertz allowed only two extra-base hits, none of which were greater than a double.

Brad Johnson, West Virginia, Senior - Johnson, in over 20 starts for the Mountaineers this spring, hit .324, got on base at a clip of .390 and slugged .405, giving him an OPS of .795 despite hitting no homeruns.

Robert Wayman, St. Johns, Senior - Wayman batted .280 this spring in a team-leading 207 at bats. As versatile as they come, Wayman was one of the toughest outs in the Red Storm lineup, sporting a .384 OBP while also stealing 10 bases in 11 attempts.

Josh Smith, William and Mary, Senior - In 119 at-bats, Smith batted .286 and scored 17 runs. The William and Mary product also posted a .368 on-base percentage. He has started 28 games for William & Mary but has contributed in plenty others, coming off the bat late in games as a pinch runner-defensive replacement option.

The Coaching Staff
Rick Miller returns for the 2014 season as manager of the Bay Sox, his third at the helm of the franchise. In his inaugural season he led the Bay Sox to a mark of 25-17, sending the Bay Sox to the postseason for only the second time since the franchise relocated in 2009. In two seasons he holds a managerial record of 45-41. Miller added Kyle Fernandes to the staff, who will serve as the pitching coach, and will also have Rick Avila as a staff coach this summer.

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