Northern Division Finals Preview: North Adams vs. Vermont

Vermont's offense put up 23 runs in two games against
Laconia, easily sweeping the Muskrats.

After winning back-to-back 11-inning elimination games, the third-seeded North Adams SteepleCats advanced to the Northern Division Finals for the first time since 2010 to take on the No. 1 seed Vermont Mountaineers. Vermont advancing wasn't much of a surprise, as they easily dispatched Laconia in two games, but the SteepleCats opponent in Sanford were favored to move on for a rematch of last year's division finals.

Lineups (AVG/OBP/SLG)

SteepleCats
C-R Logan Boyher (.223/.333/.264)
1B-S Joe DeLuca (.263/.322/.388)
2B-L Hunter Lee (.234/.316/.348)
SS-R Michael Osinski (.233/.258/.233)
3B-R Jim Haley (.245/.289/.290)
LF-R Michael Babb (.167/.267/.359)
CF-R Graham McIntire (.206/.331/.280)
RF-L Parker Perez (.296/.354/.348)
DH-R Robert Calabrese (.269/.336/.343)

Mountaineers
C-S Kevin Stypulkowski (.253/.313/.385)
1B-L Joe Dudek (.265/.351/.410)
2B-S Garrett Copeland (.287/.396/.357)
SS-R Isaiah Pasteur (.354/.411/.369)
3B-R Ridge Smith (.289/.353/.407)
LF-R Nick Ruppert (.284/.402/.351)
CF-L Laren Eustace (.314/.392/.430)
RF-R Austin Wilson (.156/.229/.156)
DH-L Jack Parenty (.308/.358/.383)

Vermont's offense put up 23 runs in their two-game sweep of Laconia, despite hitting just .231 as a team. Six stolen bases and patience at the plate (16 walks) boosted them, as did the Muskrats committing multiple errors. Regardless, the Mountaineers lineup has a considerable edge over North Adams for various reasons.

The depth Vermont manager Joe Brown has is unmatched. The lineup above doesn't include first basemen Simon Rosenbaum, who drove in three runs against Laconia, as well as Austin Taylor, Austin Clemons and Riley Jackson. The Mountaineers finished the regular season hitting .264 as a team, 30 points better then the SteepleCats (.235). North Adams was even worst over their three-game set with the Mainers, hitting just .212 and scoring just 11 runs.

Starting Pitchers (IP, ERA, FIP)

SteepleCats
RHP Dakota Edwards (38.2, 1.16, 3.49)
RHP Matthew Kostalos (57, 4.90, 4.49)
RHP John Erhardt (26.2, 3.38, 3.99)
RHP Robby Buffis (34.2, 5.97, 4.15)

Mountaineers
LHP Tom Cosgrove (32, 3.09, 3.04)
RHP Damian Powers (36, 4.25, 4.63)
LHP Casey Brown (43.1, 1.25, 3.30)
RHP Sean Leland (37.1, 4.10, 2.53)

North Adams ace Dakota Edwards struggled in the series-opening loss to Sanford, and the SteepleCats are also without workhorses Dalton Westfall and Josh Garran. However, Kostalos turned in a stellar seven-inning start while Erhardt went 5 2/3 as well. The listed probable for North Adams, Buffis, is among the league's worst pitchers as he has a -3.1 WAR that is worst among qualified starters.

Vermont, meanwhile, has a strong rotation. Brown and Leland combined to throw 11 of the 18 innings against Laconia, keeping the bullpens workload down. Cosgrove returned after going home for a brief stretch, and both him and Powers are viable candidates to start, as well as several relievers.

Bullpen

The Mountaineers have arguably the better bullpen, and are also the beneficiary of the NECBL's playoff schedule. By sweeping Laconia, they secured a day off to rest their arms and will enter this series at full strength. They didn't need to use closer Sam Delaplane, one of the league's best relievers, against the Muskrats, and still have plenty of arms who can take up big chunks of games.

North Adams, meanwhile, needed to use two of their more reliable arms in Jared Habershaw and Tanner Bird twice against Sanford. Vermont has an edge here as well, especially after the day off.

Prediction

The Mountaineers have home-field advantage and also had a day off to rest their arms. North Adams, meanwhile, played 30-plus innings over three days in an exhausting matchup with the Mainers. I see Vermont moving on to the finals for the first time since 2009, snapping a two-year stretch of losing in the second round.

Saturday's Probable Pitchers

Newport starts talented Michigan State southpaw Anthony Misiewicz.
 /MSU Photo

Rainouts have already begun to plague the NECBL as Friday's slate of games was wiped clean due to rain and poor field conditions. Tonight is filled as the entire league plays with six games on the schedule. Here are tonight's probable pitchers- of course they're not set in stone and are subject to change.

Plymouth (3-1) at Ocean State (3-1), Old Mountain Field, 6:05 p.m.

Nick Berger (Pilgrims): The rising Northeastern senior hopes to replicate his season-opening performance against against New Bedford where he went 4.1 shutout innings while striking out four. The Huskies leader in inning pitched (91.2) this spring, Berger struck out 85- also first on the team- over 15 starts.

Steve Moyers (Waves): Moyers, another New England product, will be making his first start of the season in the Waves blue. His debut follows up a strong spring at Rhode Island where he went 2-5 with a 2.30 ERA in 13 games, all starts. He struck out 60 over 82 innings of work for the Rams.

Newport at Mystic, Fitch High School, 6:05 p.m.

Anthony Misiewicz (Gulls): Misiewicz held the Cape Cod League's Wareham Gatemen to two runs on six hits with nine strikeouts over six innings in an exhibition, and he looks to carry over that success in his first official NECBL start. The top pitching prospect in the Great Lakes League last summer, Misiewicz ranked second in the league with nine saves and gave up just three runs over 19 innings to earn All-League honors. The Michigan State sophomore was used mainly out of the bullpen but appears to be a mainstay in the Gulls rotation.

A.J Turnier (Schooners): Turnier, one of several returning Schooners from the 2013  Mystic squad,  appeared in 11 games last summer with a 2.18 ERA and 14 strikeouts over 16 innings pitched. The rising senior transitioned from the bullpen and became a strong part of the rotation at Southern Connecticut State as he posted a 3.04 ERA and picked up two shutouts. He's made one appearance in relief for Mystic so far and he retired all six batters he faced with two strikeouts.

Vermont at Danbury, Rogers Park, 6:30 p.m.
Westerners probable starter not available.

Jim McDade (Mountaineers): McDade already has a start under his belt and he went five innings against Valley. He picked up the no-decision as he gave up three earned runs but did strike out five batters. The lanky, 6-6 right-hander was the ace of Millersville this spring as he posted a 6-2 record with a 3.25 ERA and held opponents to a .216 batting average in a breakout season. He also ranked in the Top 10 D-II pitchers nationally for the majority of the season in WHIP and hits allowed per nine innings.

North Adams at Laconia, Robbie Mills Park, 6:30 p.m.

Jim Voyles (SteepleCats): A sophomore right-hander out of Florida State, Voyles went 1-0 over five appearances with a 4.05 ERA. He struggled in his season-opening start against Sanford as he gave up three earned runs and walked three while only going four innings in a no-decision.

Jordan Sheffield (Muskrats): The Vanderbilt southpaw turned in a strong start against the Mountaineers, only taking a loss because of defensive blunders. He went six innings without giving up an earned run while striking out five and giving up just four hits. Sheffield underwent Tommy John surgery and had to sit out his freshman year for the Commodores after being drafted in the 13th round out of high school.

Sanford at Keene, Alumni Field, 6:30 p.m.

Christian Lavoie (Mainers): Lavoie turned in one of the better starts by a Mainer this year against North Adams last week as he went six one-run innings (not earned) and gave up just three hits while striking out three in the no-decision. A right-hander from UMass-Lowell, Lavoie had a 4.13 ERA over 61 innings with 28 strikeouts this spring.

Dominic Severino (Swamp Bats): Severino dominated Laconia in his first start of the season, shutting them out over seven innings of work while giving up just two hits and striking out four without allowing a walk. The Central Connecticut State rising senior played in North Adams last summer but appeared in just two games, mainly playing in the infield. He had a 3.96 ERA over 36 innings for CCSU this spring.

Valley at New Bedford, Paul Walsh Field, 6:30 p.m.

Anthony Elia (Blue Sox): Elia allowed three hits, three runs, three walks and seven strikeouts in 4 2/3 innings of work against the Mountaineers. Only two of the runs were earned as he took a no-decision in the Blue Sox win. Elia, a Seton Hall rising senior, is expected to be one of the better pitchers in the league this summer after posting a 2.77 ERA over 74 innings for the Pirates this spring.

Tim Superko (Bay Sox): Superko's last outing in Plymouth was rocky, with seven hits and five walks in 3 2/3 innings of work. Two of the six runs he allowed were unearned but he consistently fell behind in counts and had to serve up hittable pitches, with the Pilgrims happy to take advantage of. He faced 11 batters over how many outs he got and now looks to bounce back against Valley. The Tufts sophomore can pitch well as he had a 2.64 ERA over 58 innings with 51 strikeouts this spring.

Newport Gulls 2014 Preview

Louisville pitcher Kyle McGrath. /UofL photo

NECBL.com has released the first of their team previews for the upcoming season, so I've decided to breakdown the lineups, rotation and bullpens of every teams to accompany their players to watch. Every team will be previewed by the season opener on June 5th.

If any NECBL fan was asked to pick the best franchise in the league, odds are that they would choose the Newport Gulls. They didn't come away with the league championship last season, despite going 30-14, falling to Keene in the championship. With five Fay Vincent cups under their belt, Newport has accumulated 117 wins since 2010 and have posted a .692 winning percentage.

The key to their success? Last season, it was dominant pitching that led the league with a hard-to-believe 2.18 team ERA. There wasn't a clear star on the staff as the depth the Gulls had was amazing.

This season, the Gulls return with strong pitching and a group of very talented hitters that could combine into one of the most feared lineups in the NECBL this summer. Here's a complete breakdown of the Gulls roster:

Rotation:
Last season, the rotation was headed by Missouri's Brett Graves, a name that has been circulated around the top 250 draft prospects. He doesn't return, but several others do, including Michigan State's Mick Van Vossen. Van Vossen went 3-0 with a 2.46 ERA over six starts in Newport last summer, and he only improved this spring for the Spartans. He started 13 games, going 6-3 with a 3.07 ERA over 85 innings. After Van Vossen, Stanford's Brett Hanewich and Arkansas State's Chandler Hawkins are both viable rotation pieces. After them, a majority of the incoming Gulls haven't started for their college teams so it's hard to tell who will fill out the rotation. Texas Tech's Jonathon Tripp and Boston College's Mike King both could start some games.

Bullpen:
Definitely a strength for this years Gulls team, the bullpen is led by Louisville returnee Kyle McGrath. McGrath had a 1.45 ERA in 10 appearances for the Gulls last year after making a transition into the bullpen from being a starter in the Northwoods league. Michigan State's Anthony Misiewicz (3.61 ERA, 23 APP) and Vanderbilt's John Kilichowski (1.47 ERA, 10 APP) are both solid relievers. The teams closer appears to be Armand Rugel, a Stonehill senior who has 13 saves and a 0.97 WHIP in 24 appearances.

Offense:

Salter /Lansing State Journal

Somehow, Newport managed to bring back two of their better hitters last season and bring in a crop of talented hitters, led by Michigan State power hitter Blaise Salter and Kansas two-way DH Dakota Smith. Breakdown below.

Lineup
C         Will Smith (R)
Hit .239 for Louisville, 12 RBIs in 34 games
1B       Blaise Salter (R)
Stands 6-5, hit .339 with 20 doubles and 46 RBIs, .533 slugging
2B       Shea Donlin (L)
Returning Gull, hit .274 in 33 games with 15 walks
SS       Nick Zammarelli (L)
Hit .273 for Elon, 19 RBIs and 18 runs in 47 games
3B       Reed Gamache (R)
Binghamton junior hit .290 with 19 runs, 13 RBIs and 7 doubles
OF       Jose Vizcaino, Jr. (R)
Hit .317 for Santa Clara, 10 stolen bases, three triples and 30 runs
OF       Ben Roberts (L)
Returning All-NECBL first teamer, hit .308 this spring
OF       Dakota Smith (R)
Hit .335 for Kansas, 35 RBIs, can also pitch w/ 95 mph fastball
DH       Tommy Edman (S)
Stanford second basemen worked 22 walks in 40 games

Rotation
RH        Mick Van Vossen
Went 6-3, 3.07 ERA in 13 starts for Michigan State
RH        Brett Hanewich
2-4 over 12 starts for Stanford, 1.45 WHIP and 3.76 ERA
LH         Chandler Hawkins
Arkansas St lefty averages a strikeout an inning over 55.2
RH         Jonathon Tripp
Texas Tech reliever can start, 3.22 ERA over 22 innings
RH         Mike King
Boston Col sophomore has a 3.18 ERA over 40 innings

Bullpen
RH        Armand Rugel (Closer)
Had 13 saves for Stonehill, 1.16 ERA and 0.97 WHIP over 38 innings
LH         Kyle McGrath
Dominant lefty from Louisville, 0.83 WHIP and 0.93 ERA over 29 innings
LH         Anthony Misiewicz
Michigan St, 3.61 ERA over 23 appearances and 52 innings
LH         John Kilichowski
Vanderbilt reliever has 1.47 ERA, 10 APP/18 innings
LH         Marc Huberman
Southern Cal product averages 13.4 strikeouts per nine

Player to watch:
Blaise Salter if you like offense or Kyle McGrath if you like pitching. Salter crushes doubles in the gaps and has serious power that could be exploited when he visits stadiums like Alumni Field in Keene. McGrath is a dominant pitcher who doesn't make mistakes, as is evidenced by the fact that both his WHIP and ERA are under one after almost 30 innings of work.

Keene Swamp Bats 2014 Preview

NECBL.com has released the first of their team previews for the upcoming season, so I've decided to breakdown the lineups, rotation and bullpens of every teams to accompany their players to watch. Every team will be previewed by the season opener on June 5th.

Last season, the Keene Swamp Bats started the season absolutely terrible. Keene came out of the gate with a 4.50 team ERA and a measly .236 average before completely turning it around- hitting .302 in May with a dominant 2.15 ERA. 

Returning reliever Matt Clancy leads a strong bullpen. /Sports NH

3-11 in June. 23-5 in July- it really was the tale of two halves for the champions, who used stellar pitching and clutch hits to fight past a scrappy Mountaineers team in the Western Division finals and to overcome the Newport Gulls in the league finals.

This season, the Swamp Bats have assembled what team president Kevin Watterson is calling "the best team we've ever had on paper."

Rotation

Last years rotation featured one of the best collegiate pitchers in D-I, Virginia's Nathan Kirby. The league's top pro prospect and rookie of the year fanned 60 in 43 innings while posting a 1.67 ERA and led the Bats to a 2.78 ERA, third in the league. He's gone, but several of his talented teammates return. Keene only had two starters with seven starts last year but they've assembled a group of strong starters. Cochise College righty  Darick Hall (6-4, 2.60 ERA), Kent St lefty Eric Lauer (7-3, 3.04 ERA) and Central Connecticut St righty Matt Blandino (3-3, 3.28 ERA) are all strong candidates. Other pitchers who've seen starts this spring and have chances at being a part of the rotation are St Leo's Michael Dunnigan and Winthrop's Zach Cook.

Bullpen

This is a really big strength for the Swamp Bats coming into the 2014 season. Last summer, nobody was arguably better out of the bullpen then St. Johns lefty Matt Clancy. Clancy went 5-0 last season with a 1.95 ERA in 15 appearances and 41 strikeouts over 32 innings. After Clancy, Kent State's John Birkbeck returns after going 2-2 with over 26 innings and 11 appearances. Finally, the Swamp Bats brought in another talented closer to replace James Connell, who led the league in saves last season. Southern New Hampshire's Benjamin Criscuolo will most likely get the ninth inning job after picking up 14 saves and holding a 1.01 ERA in 24 innings and an impressive 0.77 WHIP.

Offense:

Eric Gutierrez leads a strong lineup. /Texas Tech

Last year, Keene had the best offense in the league with a .273 mark and 36 home runs. Numbers like that seem hard to replicate but the Swamp Bats could do it with a talented lineup, led by Texas Tech star Eric Gutierrez. Breakdown below.

Lineup

C       Robbie Coman (R)
Played 35 games for D-I powerhouse Virginia, hit .250 with three doubles
1B     Eric Gutierrez (R)
Rare right-handed power who should thrive in the confines of Alumni Field (23 XBH)
2B     Taylor Perez (R)
Fast infielder, swiped seven bases, 25 walks to 25 strikeouts, .316 average
SS     Jared Mederos (R)
Very talented middle infielder, .363 with 34 RBIs and 24 runs on St. Johns
3B     Zach Lauricella (R)
Played third a little for St. Johns, good bat, hit .288 with 13 doubles
LF      Ro Coleman (R)
Played in left for elite Vanderbilt, hit .170 with 14 runs scored and 14 walks
CF     Stephen Smith (R)
Gutierrez teammate on Texas Tech hit .318 with 46 RBIs and 30 runs
RF     Alex Liquori (L)
Hit .361 for Kennesaw St, 13 doubles, 5 triples, 41 RBIs
DH     Darick Hall (R)
On the roster as a pitcher but hit .318 with 13 doubles for Cochise

Rotation
LH     Chris Sadberry 
Sadberry went 4-2 with a 3.34 ERA for Texas Tech over 12 starts
RH     Darick Hall
Hall, a solid hitter as well, went 6-4 with a 2.60 ERA over 79.2 innings
RH     David Drouin
Made six starts for Hartford, 3.25 ERA over 36 innings
LH      Ryan Lawlor
Went 4-5 with a 3.98 ERA for Georgia, 6.5 K/9
RH     Michael Dunnigan
7-3 over 10 starts and 16 appearances, 5.03 ERA for St Leo

Bullpen
RH      Benjamin Criscuolo (Closer)
Picked up 14 saves for Southern New Hampshire, impressive 1.01 ERA and .77 WHIP
LH      Matthew Clancy
Dominant last season in Keene, player to watch on the Swamp Bats
RH     John Birkbeck
Solid last season for the Swamp Bats, 3.12 ERA over 11 appearances
RH     Sam Triece
Triece was great last year for Keene and was solid this past season for Washington St
RH     Connor Jones
A strong pitcher for Virginia, 2.77 ERA over 48.2 IP (21 appearances)

Player to Watch
This is a tough one on this loaded Swamp Bats team, but Matt Clancy is the bullpen creature that every opposing team should fear. He had a 1.95 ERA last season in Keene with 1.3 strikeouts per inning and should control the middle innings once again.