2016 NECBL Preview: Danbury Westerners

Danbury enters the 2016 season searching for their first postseason appearances since 2012. The last few years, simply put, haven’t been pretty. In 2012, they went 23-18 and lost in the league finals, but they’ve gone a league-worst 43-84 since then, good for a .339 winning percentage. What doomed them last year was their pitching, as they finished last in the league in ERA (5.42), almost a point-and-a-half worse then the next-worst team. The bullpen will be a strength this season, but several incoming pitchers have struggled with control, so the Westerners could lead the league in walks and hits batsmen. Offensively, there are several standouts, so it’ll be interesting to see if they can provide enough run support. A .500 season would be a good place to start, as they’ve gone 13-29 and finished last each of the past two seasons.

Notable

Lafayette's Steven Cohen provides some pop in the Westerners order. /Lafayette Athletics

Starter/reliever Bryce Conley (Georgia State) either has overpowering stuff or shaky command. He finished third in D-I baseball with 23 hit batsmen in 59 innings, and 37th in strikeouts-per-nine with 10.68. It’ll be interesting to see what stuff he brings to Danbury....The Westerners lineup could struggle with putting the ball in play, as multiple players had very high strikeout rates...Junior infielder Steven Cohen (Lafayette) was a Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American and followed it up with an excellent sophomore season, hitting .327 and earning All-Patriot League Second Team honors...Redshirt sophomore outfielder Frank Maldonado (Pitt) drastically improved on a rough freshman season. He raised his batting average 142 points to .330, showcased his speed with seven triples (good for seventh in D-I0, was hit 13 times, and didn’t commit an error in 96 chances...College teammates Justin Snyder (Bryant) and Ross Weiner (Bryant) will be a formidable duo in the back of the Westerners bullpen. Snyder will be a contender for reliever of the year, coming off a stellar spring where he led the Bulldogs with 10 saves and averaged 10.4 strikeouts-per-nine, while Weiner had a reliable 2.39 ERA over 15 appearances.

Pitchers
Jake Collins - SR - Mercyhurst - Held opponents to a .226 average over eight appearances out of the bullpen
Bryce Conley - SR - Georgia St - Finished third in D-I with 23 hit batters, but 70 strikeouts in 59 innings
Billy Devito- SO - Hartford - Compiled a 3.86 ERA over 23 innings out of the bullpen
Nick Gallagher - SO - Binghamton - Struggled with 6.53 ERA and and 1.63 WHIP in swing role
Will Jahn - JR - Northeastern - 7.16 ERA over 28 innings out of the Huskies pen
Randy Polonia - SO - UConn - Overpowering with 38 strikeouts in 25 innings
Justin Synder - JR - Bryant - Saved 10 games with a 2.35 ERA in a team-high 26 appearances
Dylan Stock - JR - Binghamton - Saved three games, but coughed up 12 earned runs in 18 innings
Ryan Testani - SR - Seton Hall - Had a strong freshman season but only threw nine innings as a junior
Alex Vargas - SR - Quinnipiac - Serious command issues with 43 walks in 29 innings
Ross Weiner - JR - Bryant - Two saves and a 2.39 ERA out of the bullpen
Tyler Zombro - SR - George Mason - 16th in BB/9 with 3.75 ERA over 14 starts

Catchers
Jason Agresti - JR - Binghamton - Slugged seven home runs and boasted a .484 slugging pct
Tyler Dietrich - SO - South Fla. - Second-leading hitter on S. Florida with .287 average
Nick Gatewood - SO - Georgia St. - Had limited at bats as a freshman and hit .171

Infielders
Shawn Blake - JR - Elon - Sat out this spring after transferring to Albany
Steven Cohen - JR - Lafayette- Had a tremendous spring, hitting .327 with 14 doubles
Coco Montes - SO - South Fla. - Struck out 25% of the time with a .218 average
Ryan Nelson - SR - Quinnipiac - Hit .291 in 100 at-bats for the Bobcats
Tyler Panno - SO - Bryant - Had four hits in 19 at bats as a freshman
Sebastiano Santorelli - SO - Seton Hall - Managed just two hits in 26 at bats as a freshman
Eddie Silva - JR - FIU - Hit 18 doubles and drove in 29 runs with a .293 average
Michael Van Degna - SO - Campbell - Struggled in limited at bats, hitting .152
David Villar - SO - South Fla. - Struck out 62 times in 55 games, hitting .239

Outfielders
Giovanni Dingcong - JR - St. Thomas Aquinas - Led team with a .356 average and six home runs
Kolby Follis - SR - FIU - Swiped 15 bases and hit .284 atop the order
Frank Maldonado - SR - Pitt - Finished seventh in country in triples (7), second on team with .330 mark
Jesse Uttendorfer - JR - NJIT - Third on team with .274 mark, 12 doubles, 13 stolen bases