June 17, 2011
College notebook: Memorable run for UConn
by Ed Flaherty/
Junior pitcher Matt Barnes (Bethel, Conn.) and the UConn baseball team had a memorable run in 2011, advancing to the NCAA Super Regionals. (photo: UConn Athletic Communications)
It would be hard to argue that the 2011 season wasn’t the most successful campaign in University of Connecticut baseball history.
No, the Huskies didn’t advance to the College World Series like five other UConn teams have done, most recently in 1979.
However, the Huskies put together a 45-20-1 record for their second straight 45-plus win season, advancing to the NCAA Super Regionals where UConn was dispatched by defending national champion South Carolina in two games.
The Huskies had two consensus All-Americans in homegrown talents George Springer (New Britain, Conn.) and Matt Barnes (Bethel, Conn.). Springer was named Big East Player of the Year, while Barnes was the league Pitcher of the Year.
The Huskies captured the Big East title, led by Jim Penders, who was named Big East Coach of the Year.
In addition, UConn’s Kevin Vance, a junior reliever from Solana Beach, Calif., was a second team All-America selection.
An even greater measure of UConn’s talents came earlier this month when Major League Baseball teams came calling and selected 10 Huskies in the 2011 First-Year Player Draft.
Springer and Barnes went in the first round and were soon followed by Nick Ahmed (East Longmeadow, Mass.), John Andreoli (Shrewsbury, Mass.), Greg Nappo (Madison, Conn.), Vance, Mike Nemeth (Washington, N.J.), David Fischer (Scotia, N.Y.), Doug Elliot (Rocky Hill, Conn.) and Elliot Glynn (Long Beach, Calif.).
The Huskies advanced to the NCAA Super Regional round for the first time in school history after capturing the Clemson Regional.
Division 1
All-America honors continue
Four players with New England connections have been named to the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association’s All-America first, second and third teams, as announced on Wednesday.
Named to the first team were UConn juniors George Springer and Matt Barnes.
Springer (New Britain, Conn.), a junior outfielder, hit .343 with 12 home runs and 77 RBI for the Huskies in 2011.
Barnes (Bethel, Conn.), a junior pitcher, was 11-5 with a 1.93 ERA.
UConn’s Kevin Vance, a junior reliever from Solana Beach, Calif., was named to the second team. Vance was 1-0 with a 2.12 ERA and 13 saves for UConn.
Vanderbilt junior third baseman Jason Esposito (Bethany, Conn.) was a third team selection. Esposito has helped Vanderbilt advance to the College World Series with a .357 average, nine home runs and 59 RBI.
Springer, Barnes and Esposito were also named to Baseball America's All-America second team for 2011.
CWS has New England connections
The College World Series opens on Saturday and New England players will be focal points for two of the eight teams involved.
Defending national champion South Carolina will have Evan Marzilli (Cranston, R.I.) patrolling the outfield as the Gamecocks try for a repeat performance.
Marzilli was a key figure in South Carolina’s run to the 2010 national title.
Vanderbilt has a number of New Englanders on its roster and is led by head coach Tim Corbin, a Wolfeboro, N.H. native.
New Englanders play major roles for the Commodores, including leading hitter Jason Esposito (Bethany, Conn.), starting catcher Curt Casali (New Canaan, Conn.), starting outfielder Mike Yastrzemski (Andover, Mass.) and relief pitcher Kevin Ziomek (Amherst, Mass.).
Division 2
Pitchers take center stage
The 2011 season will go down as the Year of the Pitcher as far as New England’s Division 2 teams are concerned.
New England had some of the finest pitching staffs and individual performers in the nation this past season.
Three of Division 2’s top four teams in terms of ERA hailed from New England, led by UMass Lowell, which boasted the lowest ERA in the nation at 1.83.
Coming in at No. 3 was Southern Connecticut, which rode its 2.12 team ERA all the way to the Division 2 College World Series.
Franklin Pierce, meanwhile, was fourth overall with a 2.45 ERA.
New England also had three of the top six individual ERAs in the country.
Once again it was UMass Lowell at the top, with sophomore Garrett Cole (Bedford, N.H.) leading the nation with a 0.82 ERA. Cole allowed just six earned runs over 65.7 innings for the River Hawks.
Franklin Pierce’s Ryan Thompson (Calgary, Alberta) was fifth in the nation with a 1.23 ERA, while Southern Connecticut’s Chris Zbin (Colchester, Conn.) was sixth with a 1.25 ERA.
Other top individual performances in 2011 included Cole finishing fourth in hits allowed per nine innings (4.93), Southern Connecticut’s Michael Johnston (Thomaston, Conn.) tying for the national lead for saves (16) and UMass Lowell’s Jack Leathersich (Beverly, Mass.) finishing second in strikeouts per nine innings with 12.74.
Division 3
New Englanders among nation's best
New Englanders found themselves at or near the top of the national leaderboards in several Division 3 hitting and pitching statistics in 2011.
Husson College’s Nathan Adams (Frankfort, Maine) led the nation with nine complete games and was followed closely by teammate Ryan Arsenault (Portland, Maine) and Bridgewater State’s Corey Batista (Fall River, Mass.) with eight apiece.
Matt Rogers (Portsmouth, R.I.) was fourth in the nation in wins with 11 as he went 11-2 in helping to lead Western New England to the Div. 3 College World Series.
Babson’s Michael Bortolotti (Milton, Mass.) was sixth in the nation with a 1.13 ERA while teammate Dave Ahern (Bedford, Mass.) was seventh with a 1.19 ERA.
Offensively, Worcester State’s Corey MacDonald (Hudson, Mass.) was second in the nation with a .473 batting average, while Mitchell College’s John Apostolo (Queens, N.Y.) was sixth at .463 and Endicott College’s Jake Northrup (Boxborough, Mass.) was seventh at .461.
Eastern Connecticut State’s Jim Schult (Wappingers Falls, N.Y.) was third in Div. 3 with 64 RBI.
