In 2013, Danny Mendick – 19 years old at the time – was playing shortstop for Monroe Community College in upstate New York when fortuitous destiny altered his baseball trajectory. Coming out of high school in nearby Pittsford, Mendick had no scholarship offers to play ball. So off he headed to … [Read more...]
Former UConn pitcher Scott Oberg contemplates uncertain future
With five major league seasons under his belt, Colorado Rockies pitcher Scott Oberg has demonstrated a rare resilience that was built through sustained physical hardship. Oberg’s first taste of that was in 2010 when the Tewksbury, Mass., native was playing for UConn. At age 20, as a sophomore, Oberg … [Read more...]
Sacred Heart alum Jason Foley broke into big leagues with Detroit Tigers
Jason Foley was truly the longest of longshots to make it to the majors. And yet make it he did in 2021 with the Detroit Tigers, and with impressive results to boot. A talented pitcher from Long Island, Foley was nevertheless overlooked by most Division 1 programs before landing at Sacred Heart. “I … [Read more...]
Lynn English, Vandy alum Ben Bowden thriving with Colorado Rockies
For Ben Bowden, the summer of 2015 set everything in motion. Up until that point, the former Lynn English (Mass.) star pitcher was a low-profile reliever for Vanderbilt coming off an unremarkable sophomore season. Then he arrived at the Cape League and announced his presence to the baseball scouting … [Read more...]
Red Sox former first-round pick Tanner Houck ready to fulfill expectations
Had there been fans allowed to watch the players play in the otherwise empty confines of Fenway Park last September the 20th, the atmosphere would have been electric. At the tail end of an otherwise bizarre, lost 2020 baseball season in Boston, here was Tanner Houck – the first-round pick by the Red … [Read more...]
BaseballTown: Westport, Conn., prospers with Staples’ success
When Jack McFarland took over the baseball program at Staples High School in 2005, he prioritized his list of challenges. First, he faced the fact that Staples is located in Westport, square in the middle of lacrosse-obsessed Fairfield County in southwestern Connecticut. “Part of competing on the … [Read more...]
