Baseball Sets Sights On NECC Championship

The Elms College baseball team will rely on its experience as it embarks on its quest for the 2011 New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) championship and the league's automatic qualifier for the NCAA Division III Championship.

Under the guidance of first-year head coach Nathan Bashaw, the Blazers take to the field with a corps of five seniors and six juniors who comprise a team that has 14 total returners and 10 newcomers.

Looking to build off last season, Elms returns 2010 Honorable Mention All-NECC selection Brendan Cordeiro (Berkley, Mass.) to the shortstop position. Cordeiro's clip of .368 led five Blazers who hit above .300 last season including left fielder Donald Morse (Alfred, Maine) who batted .313, center fielder Stephen Fisher (West Boylston, Mass.) hit at a .310 clip and infielder Nicolino Iavicoli (Hamden, Mass.) who registered a .300 batting average. All four return to the diamond this season and will provide invaluable leadership and experience.

Elms also returns veteran right-handed pitcher Matt Wood (Feeding Hills, Mass.) to the mound for the 2011 campaign. Wood was named NECC Pitcher of the Week when he picked up two wins in 12 innings of work in Fort Myers, Fla. including a 7-4 victory over Coast Guard and a 16-2 win in game one of a doubleheader against Finlandia. Wood set a program single-game record for strikeouts, fanning 11 batters against Finlandia to highlight a complete-game seven-inning outing. He finished the week with a 2.25 earned run average (ERA) and 17 punch-outs. For his efforts, Wood was also recognized as the Eastern College Athletic Conference's (ECAC) Pitcher of the Week.   

With important pieces of the puzzle in place, Elms' quest for the 2011 NECC championship begins on March 5 when the team makes its annual trip to compete in the Gene Cusic Classic in Fort Myers, Fla. The Blazers will complete a 10-game schedule down south before returning to Chicopee, Mass. with its home-opener set for Saturday, March 19 against Lesley University who begins its first-year of baseball.

Here is a glance at the 2011 Elms baseball team:

INFIELDERS

Brendan Cordeiro leads an infield unit that features four returners including Iavicoli, junior Andrew Kravontka (Manchester, Conn.) and senior Hector Roche (Bronx, N.Y.).

Freshman Zachary Dreher (Naugatuck, Conn.) will see action at first base and behind the plate, while classmate Anthony Pagano (Cranston, R.I.) will hone his skills at second base.

OUTFIELDERS

Morse and Fisher are the Blazers' two returning outfielders and both made tremendous strides during the 2010 season.

They will be joined by four first-year players, including Christopher Peloso (Milford, Conn.), Brendon Jennings (Warwick, R.I.), Alex King (Lebanon, Conn.) and Derek Leal (Charlton, Mass.). Leal, a right-hander, will also see action on the mound this season.

PITCHERS

The Blazers have a staff of 10 pitchers, including seven right-handers and three lefties; and Wood and senior reliever Nick Cordeiro (Berkley, Mass.) are the two seniors of the group.

Wood registered a 3.20 ERA and fired 46 strikeouts in eight appearances on the hill en route to a 4-2 record in 2010, while Nick Cordeiro struck out 12 batters in 13.0 innings of work last season.

Junior righty Andrew Bunger (Southington, Conn.) and sophomores John Russell (Springfield, Mass.) – a southpaw - and right-hander Ryan Burnette (Chicopee, Mass.) will help provide experience and depth to the pitching rotation.

Leal will join fellow freshmen right-handers Curtis LeBeau (Auburn, Mass.), Juan Tavares (Springfield, Mass.) and Carlos Camacho (Springfield, Mass.), as well as left-handed pitcher Evan Donermeyer (East Longmeadow, Mass.) who will all vie for time on the bump this season.

CATCHERS

Elms has solid depth and experience at the plate as senior Carm Bonavita (Springfield, Mass.) leads a unit of catchers that is comprised of three upperclassmen and a freshman.

Bonavita hit .284 as a junior and will be accompanied by juniors Sean Shanley (Bristol, Conn.) and Reynaldo Rivera (San Juan, Puerto Rico). Dreher will also see action at catcher when he is not at first base.

Question and Answer with head coach Nathan Bashaw
Q.) Talk about the depth of this squad heading into the 2011 season?
A.) We have some older players returning in key positions which is nice. We have an all-conference shortstop coming back, an established centerfielder, a senior established catcher, and a senior right-hander on the mound. Left fielder Donald Morse is also coming back after 32 games last season. We also have some good depth in the middle of the infield with some freshmen that can fill in different areas. The two positions that are up for grabs right now are right field and second base. As for the pitching staff, the nice thing about a trip to Florida is everyone is going to get a shot and get a look. So far the preseason has gone real smooth with the pitchers and Florida will provide a lot of the younger guys the opportunity to compete.

Q.) Which newcomers will play an immediate role in the success of the team?
A.) From an offensive and defensive standpoint, whoever starts in right field is going to be a freshman. Derek Leal and Alex King are the two guys at the front for that position. Zach Dreher has had a great fall and he has been swinging the bat very well. He is a versatile player in that he can work the corners and he can catch so we have worked him in at all three positions and his bat is one that we're going to have to try and get into the lineup whether it be as a designated hitter or as a corner guy. Either way he is going to make an immediate impact. From the pitching standpoint, two guys that have very lively arms and who I think will contribute very quickly are Curtis LeBeau and Juan Tavares. These two don't have the playing experience yet but have everything you could want in the way of raw talent.

Q.) Heading into the season, what phase of the game are you looking to improve upon from last season?
A.) Pitching and defense are the two phases of the game that you have to be solid in regardless of how good your team may or may not be. In college baseball it's all about minimizing mistakes. Offensively it's still a metal-bat game and runs are still going to be scored so we definitely have put in our time swinging the sticks. The pitching last year was solid and the transition into this season has been good so far so I have been happy with that. Defensively we just need to cut down on not only errors that show up in a score book, but the errors that don't show up in a scorebook like missing cut-offs and mental errors – all things that can still hurt you in a game.

Q.) With 14 returners and 10 newcomers comprising a squad of 24, speak to the balance of veterans and youth on this team and how that might affect the outcome of the season.
A.) It's a great balance in that we're not relying on newcomers in key positions and those positions are locked up by some older players which is critical for success. The freshmen still have the opportunity to compete as role players and will definitely fill some starting positions but they will not be asked to fill in major spots on day one so that will be a huge benefit for us and will make for a nice balance and be effective.  

Q.) What is one accomplishment you'd like to see during the spring break trip to Fort Myers, Fla.?
A.) Establishing firm roles is one thing for me, but also for the players to compete and be competitive in every game. Florida's great in that you get to see a lot of different people and in some different positions. It's a great way to test your depth because you have a lot of games in a short period of time. Anytime you can be .500 down in Florida it sets a nice benchmark because you're using everybody.

Q.) What will this team bring to the table in 2011 that other teams have not in the past? What makes this team unique?
A.) This is a group of guys that gets along very well. They are hard-working, show up for practice every day ready to play despite the fact that we're a bit thin on our roster size. It's something I think we can hang our hat on this season is that this group likes each other and likes to work hard and is ready to grind-out a 35-game schedule.

Q.) What is one challenge that the team needs to overcome this year in order to be productive?
A.) One challenge will be to have those younger players step up on the pitching staff. We're only going to go as far as the pitching. We have one established front-line pitcher in Matt Wood and the biggest challenge is going to be to find those two-through-five spots that we'll need to compete for a conference championship.