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Ketteleers Finally Win In 3rd Straight Series Trip…

SOUTH YARMOUTH, MA —- For two straight years, Cotuit field manager Mike Roberts led his Kettleers to the Cape League championship series, only to watch them be swept aside by Harwich in 2008 and Bourne in 2009. But in Game 3 of this year’s best-of-three playoff series, everything went the Kettleers’ way as they beat the Y-D Red Sox 6-0 at Red Wilson Field in front of 5,391 fans.

Cotuit head coach Mike Roberts gets a post game shower. (Courtesy SportsPix)

The victory brought home the Arnold Mycock Trophy, named after long-time league and Cotuit volunteer Arnold Mycock, who presented the award to the Kettleers after a nearly three-hour game. Cotuit last won the championship in 1999.

Jordan Leyland (UC Irvine) was named playoff MVP after hitting .461 with one home run and six RBI in seven games. Michael Yastrzemski (Vanderbilt), grandson of Red Sox Hall of Famer Carl Yastrzemski, had two hits, including a homer, while Joey Hainsfurther (Baylor) collected three hits. Right-hander Nick Tropeano (Stony Brook) earned the win, pitching 6.2 hitless innings after taking over from injured starter Brady Rogers (Arizona State).

“When Rodgers’ back stiffened there was no doubt in my mind that if Nick Tropeano finished that ball game the Cotuit Kettleers would win,” Roberts said. “He is Long Island tough.”

Tropeano dominated the game as though he had something to prove after Roberts pulled him five innings into Monday’s playoff game against the Wareham Gatemen. His combination two-seam fastball and sinker silenced the potent Red Sox offense.

“I think the blessing today was that Nick Tropeano got so mad at me he probably did not like me at all from Monday until today,” Roberts said. “He was really upset.”

“I thought I had more in me,” Tropeano said. “But if he hadn’t pulled me then I wouldn’t have been able to pitch in the championship, so no hard feelings towards that anymore. I feel great, just given the opportunity to go and pitch in the championship is definitely a great feeling.”

Tropeano struck out seven and walked three. His performance culminated with a strikeout of pinch-hitter Matt Watson (Boston College), provoking the Kettleers to leap over the fence of the dugout and dog pile the 6-4 right-hander.

Yastrzemski, who struggled throughout the postseason, hit his solo home run in the fourth.

“I was just trying to put the barrel on the ball,” he said. “I’ve been struggling lately and it felt good to finally score a run. We just got a good group of guys and everyone really put their full effort forward and no one left anything on the field.”

“There’s not a player in this league that has more pressure on him than Mike Yastrzemski,” Roberts said. “He is a wonderful young man and whoever’s taught him to play the game, they taught him to play it the right way. He just will surprise you.”

Deven Marrero (Arizona State) got the game started for Cotuit in the second inning, doubling to centerfield and advancing to third on Yastrzemski’s bunt. Marrero scored the first run on a base hit by Hainsfurther.

“Deven Marrero had as much to do with our winning this game today as any player on this field,” Roberts said. “He took (a pitch) right under the heart, and he could have easily not played the last five innings and come out of the game. We didn’t have another infielder and that young man sucked it up for our entire club, and he was hurting really bad.”

Everything seemed to favor the Kettleers on this day. In the third inning, catcher James McCann (Arkansas) doubled and scored on Leyland’s single. McCann, who was a pillar behind the plate this season, added a run on the board in the fourth with a sacrifice fly that scored Hainsfurther.

The Kettleers continued tacking on runs. Yastrzemski singled home John Hinson (Clemson) in the fifth, and Hinson doubled in Leyland in the sixth to cap scoring.

“I’d say it’s definitely one of the biggest team wins we’ve had,” Tropeano said. “Even the guys on the bench, everyone contributed somehow, and I can’t explain the feeling right now. It’s just a good feeling.”

(Courtesy Capecodbaseball.org-Front page photo by Swilson 2010)

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Binghamton Looks To Defend First Postseason Crown

Matt Duffy

Tennessee Transfer: Former Vermont shortstop Matt Duffy was the 2009 America East Player of the Year, and he has transferred to Tennesseee.  He batted .388 with 13 home runs and 57 RBIs.

Albany

2009 Record: (26-31-1)

Head Coach: Jon Mueller

Key Losses: Gary Pitcheralle led the Danes with a .335 avg. and scored 50 runs.  Ryan Gugel hit .303 with a team-high 9 HR and 49 RBIs.

Fast Fact: Albany stole 80 bases last season.

Binghamton

Head Coach: Tim Sinicki has been named America East Coach of the Year three in of the last five seasons.

Key Losses: Staff ace Murphy Smith was drafted in the 13th round of the MLB draft by the Oakland A’s.  Smith was 7-3 with a 3.12 ERA in 2009.  Closer Jeff

Corey Taylor

Dennis had 7 saves.

Top Returners: 1B Dave Ciocchi earned freshman All-American honors and was named America East Rookie of the Year after batting a team-high .381.  Jr. OF Corey Taylor hit .340 with team-highs of 16 HR and 56 RBIs.  He hit .418 as a freshman in ’08.

Tough Test: Binghamton faces defending national champion LSU in a single game in Baton Rouge on March 31.  It’s the first time in program history the Bearcats will play the defending NCAA champ.

The Bearcats have won three straight America East regular season titles, but they won their first conference tournament and earned the program’s first-ever NCAA Tournament bid in 2009.

Hartford

2009 Record: (15-32, 7-15)

Head Coach: Dave Calcaterra

Top Returners:  Andy Drexel had the team triple crown with a .363 avg., 7 HR and 49 RBIs.  He also topped the Hawks with 13 doubles and 4 triples.  Senior catcher Mike Amendola hit .362.

Pack A Parka: Hartford opens its season on March 10 in New Britain, CT vs. Central Connecticut State.

Maine

2009 Record: (32-23, 13-11)

Head Coach: Steve Trimper

Youth Movement: Ian Leisenheimer earned Freshman All-American honors

Ian Leisenheimer

after batting .356 with 5 HR and a team-high 41 RBIs.  He was joined on the ’09 America East All-Rookie Team by Kevin Scanlan (6-3, 3.96 ERA), and A.J. Bazdanes (3-1, 4.30 ERA, 2 SVs).

Line-up Loss: Kevin McAvoy led Maine with a .379 avg. & 10 HR.  He had an OPS of 1.118.

Strength Of Schedule: The Black bears play a 3-game series at North Carolina Feb. 26-28 and play a 4-game set at Oregon State in mid March.

The Road To Omaha: Maine has made 7 College World Series appearances.

Stony Brook

2009 Record: (29-23, 14-10)

Head Coach: Matt Senk

Power Outage: The Seawolves lose a combined 25 home runs and 76 RBIs after the graduations of Michael Tansey (.343, 13 HR, 40 RBIs) and Brian Witkowski (.341, 12 HR, 36 RBIs).

Corner Power: Senior first baseman Rob Dyer (.285, 15 HR, 50 RBIs) returns to lead the Stony Brook offense.  He had a .959 OPS in 2009.

Nick Tropeano

Ace In The Hole: Sophomore righthander Nick Tropeano (5-1, 5.12 ERA) was named the Atlantic Collegiate Summer League’s Pitcher of the Year over the summer.  Baseball America named him the league’s #1 prospect.

Road Challenges: Stony Brook plays a 4-game series at Alabama and then plays three games at Pepperdine and two at San Diego State in March.

UMBC

2009 Record: (9-36, 4-18)

Head Coach: John Jancuska

Big Shoes To Fill:  Shawn Retz led the Retrievers with a .383 avg. and 10 HR in 2009.  He also had a team-best 1.093 OPS while grounding into just 4 double plays.  Tom Meaney (.294, 9 HR, 15 doubles, 40 RBIs) is also gone.

Who’ll Provide The Pop?: While Retz and Meaney combined for 19 home runs last season, the rest of the Retrievers totaled just 15 long balls.

The America East Conference schedule is now a six-team format with two divisions.  Teams will play a pair of three-game series’ against divisional mates and play one four-game series against each of the other three teams. The four teams with the best overall win percentage (in either division) will advance to the America East Championship, played May 26-28 at the highest seed’s home field.

Southern Division: Binghamton, Stony Brook & UMBC

Northern Division: Albany, Hartford & Maine

Predictions

2010 Champion: Binghamton, but look for Maine to challenge

2010 Player of the Year: Binghamton’s Corey Taylor

2010 Pitcher of the Year: Stony Brook’s Nick Tropeano