Mountaineers eye mid-season surge

Pitching (Damian Powers) has been a big
part of Vermont's success. /Stefan Hard

Two seasons ago, a 5-foot-10 middle infielder from Dartmouth college named Thomas Roulis arrived in Montpelier to play for the Vermont Mountaineers. Roulis, who has battled injuries during his collegiate career, served up an All-Star season under first-year manager Joe Brown.

Fast forward to today, and the 21-year-old Roulis has come back better than ever with his second NECBL team in three years.

After a second All-Star summer in Plymouth last year, Roulis came back to the Mountaineers just before the season started following a season-ending injury with Dartmouth this spring. It was a move that has paid off in big ways for Brown.

Roulis is putting up monster numbers, hitting the mid-season break with 35 hits (good for a .467 batting average, tops in the league) in the Mountaineers’ first 23 games. That puts him in position to challenge the single-season mark for hits, set in 2007 when Sanford centerfielder Brian Kemp hit 72.

Even if he doesn’t catch Kemp, the Vermont second baseman (who is on pace for 64 hits) can break one of the league’s oldest offensive records. The highest batting average in NECBL history stands at .429, a mark produced 18 years ago by Torrington second baseman Jim Deschaine. Only three other players have hit over .400, the last coming in 2012.

He’s been a pivotal part of the Mountaineers, who meandered through much of June before catching fire lately. This NECBL season has been defined by parity, as Vermont suddenly sits a game out of first place despite alternating wins and losses for much of the past month.

A four-game winning streak before the mathematical midway point of the season vaulted the Mountaineers into first for a day, as the Northern Division playoff picture is as crowded as it has ever been. A mere 2.5 games separate the first team from the fifth, with Vermont simultaneously 1.5 games out of first and a single game out of missing the playoffs.

The level standings leave Vermont sitting in good position entering the second half of the season as potentially the most complete team in the division. The Mountaineers rank second in the league in runs scored while also leading the NECBL in stolen bases (58) by a healthy margin.

Brown has kept Vermont humming in spite of a steady stream of roster turnovers. Twenty-five hitters have seen action for Vermont, and the current top hitters have clearly found their stride. The Mountaineers are batting .282 over their last five games, powered by utility infielder Garrett Copeland (5-for-18 in recent games).

Copeland, who has spent time at second base and shortstop, is hitting .323 with 12 stolen bases. He is in contention for a spot on the Northern Division All-Star Team, as his 12-for-13 success rate stealing bases ranks second in the league.

Defensively, errors have plagued Vermont. However, the Mountaineers possess one of the best pitching staffs in the league — their 3.02 ERA is the best mark in the Northern Division. Mountaineers pitchers set the tone during their recent four-game winning streak, joining forces to record a stretch of 17-plus scoreless innings.

Casey Brown (3-1, 1.01 ERA) has been among the best in the NECBL as a member of a Vermont rotation that has posted an impressive 2.59 ERA. The Mountaineers starters have averaged just about five innings a start, and that’s almost always been enough. Vermont is 11-3 (.786) in games they lead entering the sixth, and a perfect 12-0 when entering the eighth.

Adam Seibert and Sam Delaplane have been two of the league’s best relievers. Entering Monday’s game with Keene, the bullpen had thrown 23 2-3 innings of baseball without allowing an earned run. Seibert, a Hofstra right-hander, has yet to allow an earned run. He’s thrown 14-plus innings in relief, and the lone blip was a four-run outing against North Adams after errors derailed his appearance. Delaplane ranks second in the NECBL with five saves and has fanned 24 over 15-plus innings.

For all the positives, a glaring lack in consistency has caused the Mountaineers to struggle frequently. Whether it centers on errors or the bullpen having a bad night, the reason Vermont sits at .500 has a lot to do with mental mistakes. Sixty-eight of the 103 runs Vermont has given up have been earned, and a lot have come in clumps. In most of Vermont’s defeats, the Mountaineers defense has been plagued by single-inning implosions with opponents piling up five runs or more.

Games like Monday’s disappointing loss to last-place Keene raise questions, as the three most reliable relievers gave up a normallystout five-run lead. But the depth on both sides of the ball still put Vermont in good shape.

The Mountaineers are still finding their stride, but the team is pitching well and backing it up with good offensive performances. If they can continue to do both reliably, another playoff run deep into August will be a real possibility.

And as long as guys like Roulis are on the roster, winning the NECBL crown doesn’t seem like such a stretch.