NECBL & the College World Series, Part I

The NECBL is regarded as one of the top summer collegiate leagues (not on the Cape), and the amount of talent coming this summer will only further that reputation. 70-plus incoming players are on teams in the D-I baseball tournament, from national seeds to underdogs. Some NECBL teams have more than others, but here's a rundown of each team's players they'll wait for.

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Danbury Westerners

Jesse Lepore (Miami)

Prospects: Nicholas Gallagher (Binghamton), Dylan Stock (Binghamton), Jason Agresti (Binghamton), Justin Snyder (Bryant), Ross Weiner (Bryant), Tyler Panno (Bryant), Randy Polonia (Connecticut), Jesse Lepore (Miami)

The Westerners, a year removed from a league-worst 13-29 record, have eight players competing in the postseason. Three come from Binghamton, the America East champion for the third time in the past four seasons. The top-seeded Bearcats were lifted in the conference tournament by the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player Jason Agresti, who has a .291/.380/.503 slash line and went 3-for-4 in the championship game after hitting a clutch walkoff grand slam. Danbury also pulled in a trio of players from Bryant, the NEC champions for the third time in four years. Southpaw Justin Snyder led the Bulldogs with 25 appearances out of the bullpen, striking out 53 in 45 1/3 innings pitched. Ross Weiner has also been an important piece for Bryant, making 15 appearances and posting a 2.39 ERA over 26 1/3 innings of work. Randy Polonia made 24 appearances out of the bullpen for the AAC champions UCONN and had overpowering stuff. Polonia piled up 38 strikeouts over 28 innings while limiting opponents to a .233 batting average against. Finally, one of the top players coming for Danbury is Miami mid-week starter Jesse Lepore, who produced a sparkling 9-0 record with a 2.17 ERA over 12 starts. Lepore has thrown at least six innings in seven of his starts this season. The Hurricanes won the ACC and will host a regional.

Brandt Stallings (Georgia Tech)

Keene Swamp Bats
Prospects: Carmen Giampetruzzi (Boston College), Brandt Stallings (Georgia Tech), Derek Casey (Virginia), Tommy Doyle (Virginia), Daniel Lynch (Virginia), Bennett Sousa (Virginia)

The Virginia-Keene pipeline is alive and well, as the Swamp Bats reeled in four members from the defending champions. Daniel Lynch made his first appearance since April on Friday during the ACC tournament, retiring all four batters he faced, as he was sidelined with a back injury and untimely food poisoning. Tommy Doyle, who threw a scoreless inning in last years College World Series, made 20 appearances this year, finishing third on the team with 58 1/3 innings. Promising rising sophomore Derek Casey didn't pitch as he recovered from Tommy John surgery, while Bennett Sousa struggled with control out of the bullpen. Sousa struck out 23 in 25 innings, but also walked 19 and had opposing hitters bat .297 against him. Carmen Giampetruzzi only threw four innings this spring, as his Boston College squad made the tournament for the first time since 2009. Brandt Stallings has been a pivotal piece of Georgia Tech's outfield, appearing in 43 games. Over 143 at bats, Stallings posted a slash line of .308/.366/.569 with seven home runs and 33 RBIs.

Mystic Schooners
Prospects: Timothy Cate (Connecticut), Doug Domnarski (Connecticut), Joseph Rivera (Connecticut), Zac Susi (Connecticut), Chase Lunceford (Louisiana Tech), Ryan Connolly (Nebraska), Tyler Buffett (Oklahoma St), Carson Teel (Oklahoma St), Colin Simpson (Oklahoma St), J.R. Davis (Oklahoma St), Martin Figueroa (Rhode Island)

Tim Cate (UCONN)

Four players from the AAC champions UCONN are coming to Mystic, including reliable starter Tim Cate. Second on the Huskies in innings pitched (76.1), Cate posted a 2.71 ERA and struck out 95 while limiting opponents to a .190 batting average against. Joseph Rivera only made nine appearances for the Huskies, but was dominant, holding opponents to a .178 clip with a 1.93 ERA over 14 innings. Zac Susi is the Huskies everyday catcher, so Cate and Rivera will be familiar with him this summer. Susi's thrown out 11 of 43 runners stealing on him while hitting .257 at the plate over 45 games. Chase Lunceford has been a force at the plate for at-large bid Louisiana Tech, posting a .325/.400/.581 with a team-high 11 home runs, 49 RBIs, and 40 runs. Four more players come to Connecticut from Oklahoma State, a two-seed in the Clemson regional. Reliever Carson Teel has 16 strikeouts in 15 innings for the Cowboys, good for a 2.93 ERA. Right-hander Tyler Buffett leads the team with 33 appearances out of the bullpen, with 60 strikeouts over 60 1/3 innings. Buffett is 6-3 with a team-best nine saves, and has been a reliable option in the Oklahoma State pen. Finally, J.R. Davis has been one of the Cowboys best hitters this year. Boasting a .352/.439/.456 slash line, Davis has a 1.3:1 BB/K ratio to go with eight stolen bases. Finally, with the Atlantic 10 champions, Martin Figueroa of Rhode Island has enjoyed a strong spring. Figueroa hit .329 in 53 games, piling up 20 doubles while driving in a team-high 41 runs.

New Bedford Bay Sox
Prospect: P.J. Poulin (Connecticut, yet to register an at-bat this season)

Newport Gulls
Prospects: Denny Brady (East Carolina), Dwanya Williams-Sutton (East Carolina), Adam Wolf (Louisville), Devin Mann (Louisville), Remey Reed (Oklahoma St), Matthew McGarry (Vanderbilt), Connor Kaiser (Vanderbilt), Stephen Scott (Vanderbilt), Ben Breazeale (Wake Forest), Nate Mondou (Wake Forest)

Connor Kaiser (Vanderbilt)

It's no surprise that Newport, the winningest franchise in NECBL history, has quite a few players. First-team All-AAC selection Dwanya Williams-Sutton put together an excellent season for East Carolina, hitting .368/.465/.587 over 50 games. Williams-Sutton had 20 extra-base hits, swiped seven bases, and drove in five runs. Left-handed reliever Adam Wolf is the first of the two Louisville products. Wolf has a 3.5 K/BB ratio over 14 innings with a 1.38 ERA. Teammate Devin Mann hit .307 over 88 at bats in a utility role with nine doubles. Opposing batters are hitting just .202 against Oklahoma State's Remey Reed, a reliever with 23 appearances under his belt. Reed has 44 strikeouts over 35 1/3 innings pitched. Three more players come from Vanderbilt, a regional host who lost in the finals last year. Connor Kaiser has been a key part of the Commodores lineup on the left side of the infield, playing in 34 games while hitting at a .279 clip. Ben Breazeale has been the everyday catcher for Wake Forest for three years now, and is a career .244 hitter. He drove in 31 runs for the Demon Deacon's this spring, and had a 1:1 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Teammate Nate Mondou followed up his First Team All-ACC sophomore season with a similar campaign this spring, hitting .303/.385/.410 with 18 extra-base hits. Mondou has 20 home runs over three years with Wake Forest, driving in 113 runs. He's played at least 50 games in each of the past three seasons.

North Adams SteepleCats
Prospects: Daniel Holst (Southeast Missouri St U), Edward Haus (St. Marys Col)

Daniel Holst hit .322/.474/.507 for the Redhawks in the regular season, slugging 11 doubles and seven home runs. Holst also swiped 22 bases (out of 26 attempts), drew 53 walks to 48 strikeouts, and scored 59 runs. Edward Haus, the MVP of the Hamptons League last summer, hit .268 in 53 games for the Gaels. Haus legged out 13 doubles and drove in 26 runs.

Ocean State Waves

Brian Rapp (BC)

Prospects: Brian Rapp (Boston College), John Witkowski (Boston College), Gian Martellini (Boston College), Logan Lessard (Bryant), Nick Angelini (Bryant), Daniel Keating (Southern Miss), Tyler Keller (Stetson), Ben Onyshko (Stetson), Jack Perkins (Stetson), Dom Grillo (Rhode Island), Chris Hess (Rhode Island)

Reliever Brian Rapp got the win in Boston College's ACC championship game win over Georgia Tech, punching their ticket to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2009. Rapp piled up 39 strikeouts over 26.1 innings of work, holding opposing hitters to a .235 average. Teammate Gian Martellini hit .233 with 14 RBIs over 26 games, while John Witkowski had 16 strikeouts in 14 innings of relief. Bryant freshman outfielder Nick Angelini has excelled, hitting .356 over 51 games, earning the NEC Rookie of the Year honor. Angelini played in the Futures Collegiate Baseball League last summer with Nashua, and the experience gained paid off. He has an almost-.500 on-base percentage along with nine stolen bases. Daniel Keating hit almost .300 for the C-USA champions Southern Miss, homering five times and stealing seven bases. Three more players come from Stetson, headlined by reliever Ben Onyshko, who's fanned 42 over 38 innings of work. Onyshko has split time between the bullpen and rotation for the Hatters, who are a .500 team that went on a run through the Atlantic Sun tournament. Dom Grillo, a reliable reliever, and Chris Hess, a talented hitter, both will come from the Atlantic 10 champions Rhode Island.

Plymouth Pilgrims
Prospects: Thomas Lane (Boston College), Blake Workman (Cal State Fullerton), CJ Dandeneau (Connecticut), Cole Gordon (Mississippi St)

Freshman Thomas Lane immediately had a place with the Eagles, making 11 appearances with seven starts- but he had a 6.83 ERA and gave up quite a few hits. C.J. Dandeneau, a redshirt freshman for the Huskies, made 20 appearances out of the bullpen. He posted a 21:5 K/BB ratio over 21 innings. Dandeneau was an All-Star last summer in the Futures Collegiate Baseball League with the Brockton Rox.

Sanford Mainers
Prospects: CJ Krowiak (Binghamton), Brendan Skidkmore (Binghamton), Joseph Orlando (Binghamton), Brandon Bingel (Bryant), Ryan O'Connor (Fairfield), Ben Wessel (Rhode Island), Jordan Powell (Rhode Island), Michael Landestoy (TCU), Dalton Brown (TCU), Tristan Chari (Vanderbilt)

Jordan Powell (Rhode Island)

The Mainers have an impressive 10 players in the tournament, starting with two key pieces of the Atlantic 10 champions Rhode Island. Jordan Powell led the Rams with a .348/.405/.429 slash line, as the starting centerfielder drove in 25 runs and swiped 13 bases. Starter Ben Wessel made 12 starts and continued his improvement, lowering his ERA by two points while striking out 54 over 76 innings. Binghamton's CJ Krowiak was on the America East Rookie Team and followed it up with a strong campaign, hitting .322 with 10 doubles and 16 RBIs. Teammate Brendan Skidmore also had a good spring, hitting .315 with a team-high nine home runs and 42 RBIs. Ryan O'Connor was Fairfield's go-to starter/reliever combo this spring, but struggled as opposing batters hit at a .312 clip. TCU's Michael Landestoy was used primarily off the bench, but made the most of his 48 at bats. He hit .313 with 11 RBIs and 11 runs scored.

Upper Valley Nighthawks
Prospects: Grayson Byrd (Clemson), Walker Grisanti (Vanderbilt), Brian Mims (UNCW), Zack Canada (UNCW)

Walker Grisanti (Vanderbilt)

Clemson's Grayson Byrd had to sit out this spring after transferring from LSU, but baseball is in his blood. The son of a former major leaguer Paul, Byrd is a slick-fielding infielder who emerged as a prep star in suburban Atlanta. Vanderbilt's Walker Grisanti has only had 42 at bats this year as a utility player, but he hit .357 with 10 RBIs and 15 runs scored. Grisanti hit his first career home run, a go-ahead solo shot in the ninth, to lead the Commodores over No. 1 Texas A&M in the SEC tournament. Two more players come from at-large bid UNC-Wilmington, both crucial pieces of the Seahawks lineup. Brian Mims, an All-CAA Conference selection, is hitting .367 with 13 home runs, 15 doubles, and 56 RBIs. Teammate Zack Canada has a .301/.376/.434 slash line with 25 RBIs and 30 runs scored as a member of UNCW's strong offense.

Valley Blue Sox
Prospects: Trent Astle (Xavier), Greg Jacknewitz (Xavier)- pair of relievers for the Musketeers

Vermont Mountaineers
Prospects: Jeremy McCuin (Arizona St), Christian Isbell (Arizona St), Fitzpatrick Stadler (Arizona St), Trevor Holmes (Connecticut), Troy Scocca (Fairfield), Daniel Little (Louisville), Sam Bordner (Louisville), Zeke Pinkham (Louisville)

The Mountaineers have several players coming from Arizona State, headed up by reliever Christian Isbell. The Sun Devil right-hander posted a 2.84 ERA over 15 appearances, striking out 10 over 19 innings. Teammate Jeremy McCuin struggled this spring, hitting just .161 over 26 games. Fairfield, making their first appearance in the tournament, is led by Troy Scocca, who hit .277/.373/.435 with five home runs, 34 RBIs, and five stolen bases. Louisville righthander Sam Bordner has been reliable in the bullpen, striking out 21 in 20 2/3 innings of work and even picking up a save.

Winnipesaukee Muskrats
Prospects: Anthony Maselli (Boston Col), Paul Campbell (Clemson)

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It's pretty cool to see all of these players on top teams will be coming to New England this summer, and if you took the time to read through all of the teams above, you'll know what to watch over the ensuing weeks. Some players might be quick outs, but other's will be with their teams through Omaha. 

An interesting study worth pursuing is how teams form connections with college programs, at least over the last few years. There's definitely players from Vanderbilt who routinely end up with the Gulls, and Keene has had a Virginia connection as I briefly talked about earlier. Overall, the teams sending players here are some of the best in the league. 

Brown, Cortland return to CWS

Friday morning, Vermont Mountaineer manager Joe Brown will guide his full-time team in their D-III College World Series opener. The head coach at SUNY-Cortland, Brown is attempting to win his second straight D-III title in what is his third consecutive World Series berth.

Brown has had plenty of success in the summer as well. Just a few months after his Cortland team won their first D-III title, he guided the Mountaineers through an injury-plagued season to their first NECBL Championship since 2007. With almost 50 different players suiting up over the course of the summer, Brown made all the right moves and his team responded, coming back from a 1-0 deficit in the best-of-three championship series to win.

He'll return this spring for his fourth season with Vermont, and he's had unprecedented success. Brown is vying for a fourth straight appearance in the divisional finals, having gone 1-2 in them. He won a title with the Sanford Mainers in 2008, but his stretch with the Mountaineers has been even better. He has a regular season record of 76-51, an almost .600-winning percentage. Vermont's been even stronger in the postseason, going 11-6, a .647-clip.

This season, Cortland entered with a target on their backs- something Brown has embraced, as he told Ithaca.com in an April interview.

“I think this team, in the fall, had a little bit of championship hangover,” Brown explained. “They were thinking we were pretty good and didn’t have to get much better, when in reality, you have to get way better [to repeat a national championship]. Everyone knows you now. Everyone knows your weaknesses. It’s been tough for guys. Every little mistake we’ve made has been blown up. Any team that’s beat us this year—go to their website five minutes after the game, it’s already up. But you relish that. Embrace being good and hunted. That’s where you want to be. So we’ll see.

After finally capturing that elusive first championship in school history, the Red Dragons (41-6) went 3-1 in the New York Regional to enter the CWS as the No. 1 team in the country. They beat Castleton^[1] , Ramapo, and Susquehanna to advance.

They play at 11 a.m. Friday morning against No. 6 Emory (34-10).

[1] Cortland rolled over Castleton, 14-4, in the regional opener. The sixth-seeded Spartans sent right-hander Sam Spencer to the mound, who went five innings and gave up eight runs on 12 hits. Ironically, Spencer played for Brown over the summer in 2014, throwing 34 innings for the Mountaineers.