‘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 inception in 2002 when it comes to postseason qualifications; North Adams has missed the playoffs in only one of the team’s 12 seasons, boasts 10 20-win seasons three 25-plus-win campaigns and do so competing in the smallest community in the league.

But on the other hand, the fans in northern Berkshire County have only witnessed two postseason series victories over that span, and zero league crowns and no appearances in the NECBL Championship Series, as well.

Last year was more of the same for the ‘Cats, who started off with three wins in three games, then stumbled to 4-7, entered July a game under .500 before teetering back and forth around that mark until the last two games of the year when, thankfully, North Adams avoided a disastrous finish by winning its final regular season game to limp back into the postseason.

There, they would battle second-seeded Vermont in the Western Division Semifinals valiantly but were swept in the postseason’s opening round for the fifth time since 2002, ending the year short of the franchise’s goal of reaching the NECBL Championship Series for the first time ever.

Despite the early playoff exit, there was plenty to feel good about in North Adams last summer, including Rhode Island’s Joe Landi winning the league’s batting title with a .348 average on the year; Landi finished with 48 hits (T-4/North Adams record book), 22 stolen bases (2nd) and a .423 on-base percentage. Hawaii southpaw Scott Squier was one of the league’s dominant lefties, setting a new franchise record with 70 strikeouts, 69 innings pitched, 10 games started and three complete games, while Rider right-hander Mike Murphy was solid, finishing with five wins and 54 K’s

Landi (First Team) and Squier (Second Team) earned postseason all-league recognition and were one of five SteepleCat All-Stars, as well. North Adams also was the league’s best defensive team last summer, finishing with a league-low 42 errors and a league-best .974 fielding percentage.

Who To Watch
JC Cardenas, Junior, Infielder, Barry – The Barry switch-hitter brings a strong defensive glove to North Adams, key for a team that led the league in fielding percentage last summer. The rising junior hit .271 with 10 stolen bases and 31 runs scored with Barry this spring. He also boasted some pop with four homers and seven doubles.

Trevor Scott, Senior, LHP, UC San Diego – One of the team’s four returners from last year, Scott became a key cog in North Adams’ rotation midway through the year and finished with a 2-1 record with a 2.07 ERA and complete game in 2013. As a junior at UCSD, Scott went 7-2 in 13 starts and struck out 51 over 84 2/3 innings.

Cristian Torres, Senior, RHP, Notre Dame – Another returner from a summer ago, Torres came to North Adams last summer with not much collegiate experience but got better and better as the season progressed. The fire-throwing right-hander struck out 10 over 13 innings last summer while finishing with a 1.97 ERA. Torres made 14 appearances with Notre Dame this spring and picked up two saves while striking out 14.

Trevor Breton, Senior, RHP, Western New England – What the ‘Cats may lack in big-name schools on their roster in the past they always make up for in hidden gems from low-major Division I, as well as some top names from the DII and DIII ranks. Breton is one of those names; in nine starts this past spring, he went 6-1 with a 1.93 ERA and averaged a strikeout per inning. The Enfield, Conn., right-hander could be poised for a breakout summer in the Berkshires.

Coaching Staff
Former SteepleCat and NECBL MVP Chris Cates takes over the reigns in North Adams, replacing two-year head coach Bryan Adamski. Cates was drafted by the Minnesota Twins as a shortstop in the 2007 MLB Draft and was with their organization until 2012, making two All-Star Teams and being named Defensive Player of the Year in 2009. 

Cates joined to the coaching ranks in his hometown state of Florida, where he was named an assistant at Florida State before accepting a coaching job with the University of Tampa, a team that he guided to the 2013 Division II National Championship and has poised to repeat this spring.

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