First Round Preview: North Adams vs. Vermont

#2 Vermont Mountaineers (24-20) vs. #3 North Adams (22-22)
Sunday: Recreation Field 
Monday: Joe Wolfe Field 
Tuesday (if needed): Recreation Field 

Series Possibilities (top three pitchers from each team)
Vermont/North Adams
John Miles vs. Scott Squier
David Hickey vs. Michael Murphy
David Rosenberger vs. Casey Brown

Vermont Mountaineers (No. 2 Western seed)

Record: 24-20. Manager: Joe Brown  Home Field: Recreation Field

Season In A Nutshell: The Mountaineers got off to a 13-4 start in June and possessed the best record in the NECBL, but struggled to continue the pace in July. Vermont finished 10-14 while injuries plagued them. They've lost six players over the last couple of weeks and eight over the entire summer.Due to a high frequency of games caused by rain outs, the Mountaineers pitching is decimated and they also have just two position players to use off the bench.

Who’s Hot (Last 10 Games):
• OF Chandler Brock (.471, 16H, 10R in 34 AB)
• OF Mark Podlas (.365, 13H, HR, 5RBI in 36 AB)
• C Kevin Krause (.375, 9H, 5R, 4RBI in 24 AB)
• LHP David Rosenberger (1-0, 11.1IP, 2.45 ERA, 8K)

Hitting

Not necessarily a strength for the Mountaineers, Vermont is in the middle of the pack with a .252 team batting average. Pitching really picks this team up, but the Mountaineers provide solid run support a good percentage of the time. The Mountaineers don't have a good power source on this team like Rob Kelly last summer, but do get on and are excellent base runners.

Power

Playing in the spacious Recreation Field doesn't help, but the power isn't there. The Mountaineers have hit just nine home runs this summer, second to last in the league. 

Speed

The Mountaineers are very fast this summer, with 73 stolen bases under their belt which ties for second in the league. Chandler Brock and Brad Kaczka both have double digit steal numbers (12 and 11), and five others all have five plus steals.

Defense

The Mountaineers started the season with one of the best fielding marks, but key injuries to starters have hurt the defense. Vermont is tied for last in the league in fielding percentage with a .955 mark, and have a league leading 74 errors.

Starting Pitching

The Mountaineers have a  very good pitching staff, holding a 3.13 team ERA. Their starting pitching is very deep from 1-7, led by All-Star Game starter John Miles. Miles, David Hickey, David Rosenberger, Cameron Sorgie, Cody Brown, Trey Oest and John Nasshan are a formidable staff. Three of them have sub-2.70 ERA's, and those three could start this series.

Bullpen

Robert Strader leads a lockdown relief group, as he holds a 0.72 ERA over 12 appearances. Other key components are Pat Delano, Nick Naradowy and Brandon Alphin. The Mountaineer pitchers can go into the sixth inning consistently, and the bullpen is there a majority of the time to hold on to the lead.

Outlook

Injuries have hurt this team, but they are decent hitters and have arguably one of the best pitching staffs in the league. The ability to keep the game close will be crucial in the Mountaineers run, and with certain hitters heating up, they could drive deep into August.

North Adams SteepleCats (No. 3 Western seed)

Record: 22-22. Manager: Bryan Adamski  Home Field: Joe Wolfe Field

Season In A Nutshell: North Adams has hovered in third for the majority of the season, behind Vermont and Saratoga for a while, and now behind Vermont and Keene. A crucial win against Saratoga locked up this spot, and left them to play Holyoke for a spot in the playoffs. The Steeplecats also have solid pitching, but are a little short in the hitting department.

Who’s Hot (Last 10 Games):
• INF Joe Landi (.316, 12H, 7R in 38 AB)
• OF Vinny Zarrillo (.333, 8H, 2R in 24 AB)
• SP Scott Squier (2-1, 23 IP, 1.56 ERA, 20K)

Hitting

Not a bright spot for the SteepleCats, North Adams has the second to last batting average in the league with a .234 mark, only ahead of Saratoga. The .500 record is due to a balance of timely hitting, solid pitching and close wins. However, Landi did take home the NECBL batting crown with a .348 batting average. He is the only above-.300 hitter on the team though.

Power

The power isn't quite there, as the SteepleCats only have ten home runs this summer. Neither are the runs, as they've scored just 156 runs, ahead of two teams.

Speed

North Adams does have some speed, however. Led by Joe Landi and his 21 stolen bases, the SteepleCats have swiped 71 this summer, good for third in the NECBL. Other than Landi, Jose Cuas and Kyle Richardson both have double digit numbers as well, with 11 and 10, respectively.

Defense

North Adams is shutdown on defense. Holding a league leading .974 fielding percentage, the SteepleCats have made just 40 errors and have turned 32 double plays. Pitching and defense are what makes this team .500, as they don't hurt themselves, a trait the Mountaineers don't necessarily share.

Starting Pitching

A 3.42 team ERA, they've given the ball consistently to a talented trio, than mix spot starters in between. Scott Squier, the league leader in strikeouts with 70, has made ten starts and is 4-5 with a 2.74 ERA as well as throwing three complete games and a shutout. The other two are Michael Murphy (5-2, 3.47 ERA, 2 complete games) and Casey Brown (3-0, 3.58 ERA). The group has thrown five complete games and 150 innings, and could possibly be the 1-2-3 pitchers in this series.

Bullpen

All-Star Joeanthony Rivera is the anchor out of the pen, with a 1.02 ERA over 15 appearances and five saves. Rivera, Stephen Fry and Doug Willey are the bullpen trio, much like the starters. They've made 45 appearances and all have ERA's sub-2.70.

Outlook

Sub-par hitting hurts this team, but the pitching is incredible, as well as the best defense in the league. Timely hitting by players like Joe Landi have got them here, and when the pitching is putting zeros on the board, its all they need.