Posted: Feb 17, 2012
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SPRINGFIELD, Mass. -- After reaching the finals of the Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) tournament last season, Endicott’s baseball team has been predicted to finish second in the CCC in 2012, as Commissioner Gregg M. Kaye announced this season’s CCC preseason poll.
The Gulls, who are also receiving votes in the national preseason poll, received 74 points, including two first place votes, and finished four points behind defending champion Western New England, who is looking for their fifth consecutive title. Roger Williams University was picked to finish third, while Wentworth Institute of Technology and Salve Regina University were slated to finish fourth and fifth, respectively.
Endicott returns a healthy dose of veteran bats and arms and is poised to make another run at a conference title. Head Coach Bryan Haley will look to lead the Gulls back to the NCAA New England Regional, a trip Endicott hasn’t taken since the 2006 season.
The Gulls are coming off of a season in which they posted a 32-15 record, setting a new school record for wins, but for the second straight year were swept out of the CCC tournament by Western New England University, who has won all four conference titles since joining in 2008. Unseating the Golden Bears is again the top priority for the Gulls.
“Our expectations this year, and every year moving forward, are to win the league, be a top team in the region, and earn ourselves a chance to compete for a national championship,” said Haley, who is entering his fifth season in the Endicott dugout.
The Gulls will return seven position players and the entire starting rotation from last season, while also welcoming in several freshman and transfers they hope will make a big impact this year. Endicott looks for another great year from senior right fielder Colin Sitarz (Southington, Conn.), who hit .356 last year and knocked in 39 runs. Sitarz corked three home runs and eight doubles, slugging .546, and was named All-CCC First Team.
Setting the table at the top of the lineup will be shortstop Danny Mello (Peabody, Mass.) whose speed helps him to find ways on base, steal bags and create runs. Mello hit 14 doubles last year, stole 29 bases and scored 49 runs from the lead-off spot. Mello, Sitarz and center fielder Tad Gold (Martha’s Vineyard, Mass.) combined for 69 stolen bases last year, with Gold batting .308 and hitting three triples.
Second baseman Eric Lemke (Southington, Conn.) joins Mello and Sitarz as returners who played in all 47 games last season. Lemke is a consistent two or three hole hitter who knocked in 34 runs last year and scored 37 himself while batting .307. He and Mello each earned nods to the CCC Second Team.
Senior catcher Robbie Goldstick (Deerfield, Ill.) and senior outfielder Mike Russo (Natick, Mass.) anchor the group of Gulls who will return to the field from last year. Mike Griffin (Arlington, Mass.) is also expected to step up and contribute greatly to the Gulls offense in his junior year.
New additions to the team include transfers Kyle Kromberg (Newtown, Conn.) and Connor Ressel (Rockport, Mass.), who saw limited time in their previous schools but bring speed and athleticism to the Endicott outfield. Also new to the team will be freshmen Harry Oringer (Dartmouth, Mass.), who is expected to compete for the third base spot and Chase Sullivan (Cumberland, R.I.), who will spell Goldstick behind the plate.
On the pitcher’s mound, Endicott will try to attack the strike zone and force contact and ground balls early in the count. They will hand the ball to veterans like Mike Nich (Orange, Conn.), a workhorse who pitched 68.1 innings last year and posted a 7-4 record with a 3.29 ERA. Nich and crafty righty Benjamin Petrides (Belchertown, Mass.) both excel at hitting spots and throwing strikes. Petrides made thirteen appearances last year, going 5-0 and holding a 2.01 ERA. He also made three saves out of the bullpen and earned himself the honor of CCC Pitcher of the Year, as well as a spot on the All-Conference First Team.
Brendan Pittsley (Plympton, Mass.) led the team in strikeouts last year with 41 K’s and will be back for his junior season on the bump. Pittsley also held opponents to a .189 batting average and collected five wins while earning Second Team conference honors. Fellow junior Tyler Hitchcock (Abington, Mass.) also returns for Endicott after a season in which he went 6-2 and fanned 38 batters.
Competing for spots in the rotation will be sophomore Steven Carter (Brunswick, Maine) and junior Kevin Dupras (Belchertown, Mass.), who combined for a 6-3 record last season. Out of the bullpen Endicott will rely on the arms of Rich Yutkins (Billerica, Mass.), John Morrison (Ridgefield, Conn.), Tyler Hill (Plymouth, N.H.) and Connor McLaughlin (Clinton, Mass.).
The Gulls will play one of the most difficult non-conference schedules in the New England region, a fact that will benefit them when regional rankings and at-large bids for the NCAA tournament are handed out. Endicott will open their season in Florida for the fifth straight year, and face difficult regional competition in the sunshine state in the likes of St. Joseph’s of Maine, Bowdoin, Keene State, and Trinity (Conn.), who won the Division 3 World Series in 2008. When they return North, Endicott has dates set up with Wheaton College, ranked 18th in the nation, University of Southern Maine, and MIT, who also went to Harwich last year for the NCAA regional. The most important matchup will come on April 1st, when Endicott plays their conference double-header at Western New England.
While playing strong regional opponents will help both their strength of schedule and their ability as a team, Coach Haley stresses that the focus is always to win the conference and assure themselves a spot in the NCAA’s. “Going back to the NCAA’s would be a reward for all the hard work these guys put into it,” said Haley, who is one win shy of the 100th victory of his Endicott career. “To finally accomplish that, especially for the seniors, gives you that level of confidence that by working hard, good things can happen.”
Endicott will open their post-Florida schedule on March 21st at Salem State University and play their first home game the next day against Wheaton.
Below is the Commonwealth Coast Conference 2012 Preseason baseball Poll. Teams received nine points for every first place vote received, eight points for second place votes, seven points for third place votes, down to one points for a last place vote. First place votes are shown in parenthesis.
TEAM, POINTS(first place votes)
Western New England, 78 (7)
Endicott 74, (2)
Roger Williams, 61
Wentworth, 47
Salve Regina, 43
Curry, 41
Gordon, 23
Nichols, 22
Eastern Nazarene, 16
