2011 Diamond Notes

On Monday, December 19, the Shelter Island school district voted in favor of adding a seventh team to Hamptons Collegiate Baseball (HCB), which makes up a division of the prestigious Atlantic Collegiate Baseball League. The team, which currently is without a nickname, will begin play in June 2012. "In the times we discussed expansion over the years, Shelter Island was always one of the first locales brought up," said HCB President Brett Mauser. "It’s a wonderful community and the setting is picturesque, so we’re thrilled to bring high-level baseball and free family entertainment to the island this summer and for summers to come." Located between the north and south forks of the east end of Long Island, visiting teams will travel by ferry to and from each game. Shelter Island is added less than a month after the Center Moriches Battlecats joined the East End organization. Each will compete for the ACBL Hampton Division crown against the North Fork Ospreys, Riverhead Tomcats, Southampton Breakers, Sag Harbor Whalers and defending champion Westhampton Aviators. Beginning in June, the ACBL season will continue through the first week of August, at which time the league championship will be decided. In addition to playing 20 home games this summer (not including potential playoff games), the Shelter Island team will host free baseball clinics for children in the community. Shelter Island will be managed by Joe Burke, who starred at St. John’s University before playing seven seasons professionally, including two in the New York Yankees farm system. HCB alumni include former UConn shortstop Nick Ahmed, 2011 second-round draft pick of the Atlanta Braves; former Texas State third baseman Kyle Kubitza, 2011 third-round draft pick of the Braves; and former Stony Brook righthanded pitcher Nick Tropeano, 2011 fifth-round draft pick of the Houston Astros. In 2011, twelve HCB alumni played at the professional level, including in the Texas Rangers, Toronto Blue Jays and Los Angeles Dodgers organizations, as well as the independent Can-Am League. Hamptons Collegiate Baseball is supported by major sponsors Emil Norsic & Son, Inc., Hampton Jitney, Bridgehampton National Bank, Prudential Douglas Elliman and Lettieri Construction. All HCB games are free to the public. The Atlantic Collegiate Baseball League (ACBL) was founded in 1967, with 2012 teams stationed in New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. ACBL alumni include 3,000 Hit Club member Craig Biggio, 1988 American League Cy Young Award winner Frank Viola and 250-game winner Jamie Moyer.

On Friday, November 18, the Center Moriches Battlecats officially became the sixth member of Hamptons Collegiate Baseball (HCB), further bolstering one of the country’s premier summer baseball organizations. "Hamptons Collegiate Baseball Is thrilled to bring in the Battlecats for the upcoming summer," said HCB President Brett Mauser. "Center Moriches is a terrific baseball community, and we look forward to showcasing some of the country’s top collegiate talent at Paul Gibson Field." Headed by president Anthony Eaderesto, the Battlecats join the Atlantic Collegiate Baseball League’s Hampton Division after several seasons in the FABL College Wood Bat Division. Ed Morris Sr., executive director of the Suffolk Sports Hall of Fame in Patchogue, has been named the team’s general manager. The Battlecats will be managed by Bellport High head coach Bill Batewell, who had won more than 450 games at Sachem before taking the reins of the Clippers. The Battlecats will begin play in the 2012 season, which is set to begin on or around June 4. They will compete for the ACBL Hampton Division crown against the North Fork Ospreys, Riverhead Tomcats, Southampton Breakers, Sag Harbor Whalers and defending champion Westhampton Aviators. The ACBL season will continue through the first week of August, at which time the league championship will be decided. HCB alumni include former UConn shortstop Nick Ahmed, 2011 second-round draft pick of the Atlanta Braves; former Texas State third baseman Kyle Kubitza, 2011 third-round draft pick of the Braves; and former Stony Brook righthanded pitcher Nick Tropeano, 2011 fifth-round draft pick of the Houston Astros. In 2011, twelve HCB alumni played at the professional level, including in the Texas Rangers, Toronto Blue Jays and Los Angeles Dodgers organizations, as well as the independent Can-Am League. Hamptons Collegiate Baseball is supported by major sponsors Emil Norsic & Son, Inc., Hampton Jitney, Bridgehampton National Bank, Prudential Douglas Elliman and Lettieri Construction. All HCB games are free to the public. The Atlantic Collegiate Baseball League (ACBL) was founded in 1967, with 2012 teams stationed in New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. ACBL alumni include 3,000 Hit Club member Craig Biggio, 1988 American League Cy Young Award winner Frank Viola and 250-game winner Jamie Moyer. For more information on the ACBL, e-mail league president Tom Bonekemper ([email protected]).

The ACBL plans to return to Allentown and Trenton for the 2012 season. The Allentown Railers and Trenton Generals were recently added to the Atlantic Collegiate Baseball League. The expansion teams will join the Jersey Pilots, Lehigh Valley Catz, North Jersey Eagles and Quakertown Blazers in the Wolff Division. The Allentown Railers will be managed by Dylan Dando with Jack Gross as General Manager and will play in ECTB Stadium at Bicentennial Park. The Allentown Wings played in Bicentennial Park from 1977 thru 1983 and were ACBL champions in 1978, 1979, 1980 and 1983. The 1983 team featured the outstanding pitching staff of Jamie Moyer, Terry Mulholland, Rich DeLuca, Matt Kinzer and John Green. Moyer (267), Mulholland (124) and Deluca (38) accounted for 429 Major League wins while Kinzer pitched briefly for the Cardinals and Tigers and John Green pitched at AAA for the Yankees. The Trenton Generals will be managed by Jim Maher with Dave Gallagher as General Manager. The Mercer Titans played in the Trenton area from 1973 thru 1976 and won the ACBL title in 1976. Bob Tufts was a top pitcher for the Titans and went on to a MLB career with the Giants and Royals from 1981 to 1983. Gallagher was a number one pick of the Indians in 1980 and was an outfielder for nine MLB seasons and played for the Indians, White Sox, Orioles, Angels, Mets, Braves and Phillies. In 1995 he hit .318 for the Phillies.

Pete Andrelczyk (Quakertown Blazers) was selected to play for Team USA in the upcoming World Cup in Panama scheduled for October 1 thru 15. Andrelczyk was a fifth round selection of the Marlins out of Coastal Carolina. He is one of their top prospects and posted a 9-3 record with a 2.26 ERA this summer while pitching for Jacksonville (AA) and New Orleans (AAA). The 6-2 RHP went 3-1 in 22 innings for the Blazers in 2006.

Click here to read a related article From Coastal Carolina Baseball

A.J. Battisto who also pitched on the 2006 Blazers has returned from rehab and pitched well at Jupiter(High A) in the Marlins system.

By Ian Casselberry, courtesy of the Yahoo Sports Many fathers and sons probably will be having a catch over Labor Day weekend. Howard Johnson just wants to have one with his son during a professional baseball game. The former New York Mets slugger, who retired all the way back in 1995 after 14 MLB seasons, will be suiting up for the Rockland Boulders of the independent Can-Am League this weekend. The Boulders also signed HoJo's son, Glen, to make it a Johnson & Johnson tandem for their games against the Newark Bears on Sunday and Monday.

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Chris Reed (Stanford), the number one prospect in the ACBL for 2010, has officially signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers. The 6-4 LHP was selected 16th overall. Reed posted a 2-2 log with two saves for Torrington during the regular ACBL season. He struck out 26 in 22 innings and pitched a key victory against Long Island in the playoffs. This spring the junior from Encina, California notched nine saves with a 6-2 record and 2.54 ERA thus far. He struck out 48 in 49.2 innings and is a top candidate for the Stopper of the Year Award.

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With stellar pitching throughout, sound defense and a huge five-run seventh inning, the Staten Island Tide claimed the 2011 Atlantic Collegiate Baseball League championship on Sunday with a 7-1 triumph over the Westhampton Aviators, the champion of the Hampton Division. Ahead 2-1, Staten Island's patience at the plate allowed it to put up a crooked number against the Westhampton bullpen in the seventh. After an inning-opening strikeout, the Tide drew four consecutive walks, pushing their lead to 3-1. After another K, Tony Negrin (La Salle) singled through the right side to bring in a pair of runs, and when the next batter, Eddie Brown (Wagner) singled, suddenly Staten Island enjoyed a 7-1 advantage. The bottom of the Tide order terrorized Westhampton pitching. The six through nine hitters – Taiki Kasuga (Amherst), Zach Tax (Columbia), Negrin and Brown went a combined 8 for 14 and drove in all seven runs for Staten Island. It was more than enough for Tide reliever Sean Hille (Montclair State), who threw three innings of no-hit ball in relief of starter Kevin Herget (Kean), who gave up a run over six innings. Herget got in some early trouble against Westhampton, but turned a double play in the first and then, after giving what was thought to be a sacrifice fly to right, Staten Island appealed at third, where it was determined that base runner Ray Ortega (Manhattan) left too early. He left two runners on in both the fifth and sixth innings before departing. Staten Island had endured a difficult test in the Kaiser Division championship series, holding off the New York Atlantics in three games with a 4-3 victory in the finale. It compiled a 21-14 record during the regular season, good for second-best behind Jersey in the 11-team field. The Hampton Division had claimed the past two ACBL championships; in 2009, the Aviators knocked off Jersey, and last summer, North Fork defeated Quakertown for the title. Westhampton's lone run Sunday came when Mike Rosenfeld (Duke) chopped a single over the third baseman to give his squad a momentary 1-0 lead. The next inning, however, Negrin lashed a single to center to even the score, and the Tide went ahead for good on Brown's bases-loaded single in the sixth, which put Staten Island up 2-1.

The Westhampton Aviators, the Hampton Division champion will travel to Easton, PA today to face off against the Lehigh Valley Catz, the Wolff Division champion in a 1pm tilt at Hackett's Park. The Lehigh Valley Catz, beat the Jersey Pilots 3-2 on Friday to sweep that series. The winner of this game will travel to the Richmond County Youth Complex in Staten Island to decide the 2011 ACBL Champion. The Staten Island Tide won the Kaiser Division playoffs Friday, eliminating the New York Atlantics 3-2 in a decisive third game. Both the Semifinal game today and the championship game will be available via Live stats courtesy of the Aviators Andrew Jordan.

Click Here to follow the ACBL Playoffs all weekend long on the internet

Nick Ahmed (UConn) and Kyle Kubitza (Texas State) spent the summer of 2009 in the Hamptons. Both high-end draft picks last month for the Atlanta Braves, the two, as detailed in a story on MiLB.com, have reunited on the left side of the infield with Single-A Danville. Ahmed helped lift the Westhampton Aviators to the 2009 ACBL title, a feat his brother Mike (Holy Cross) is hoping to duplicate this summer. He was also named the top prospect in the ACBL after exhibiting a low-90s fastball on the mound and plus glove and speed. Kubitza, a sweet-swinging lefty bat, was named an All-Star with Southampton and earned back-to-back All-Southland Conference First Team honors before being picked up by the Braves. Ahmed and Kubitza were the second and third highest ACBL alumni taken in the draft. Former Torrington LHP Chris Reed (Stanford) went 16th overall to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

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Ryan Vogelsong (Quakertown Blazers) followed up on his National League All-Star selection by tossing 6 2/3 scoreless innings as the Giants defeated the Dodgers 5-0 on Monday evening. The 6-4 RHP lowered his National League best ERA to 2.02 and improved his record to 7-1. Fellow Kutztown University product Darin Gorski (Quakertown Blazers, Kutztown Rockies), also an All-Star selection in the Florida State League, boosted his record to 10-0 as the St. Lucie Mets clobbered Clearwater 19-4. The 6-4 LHP tops the FSL with a 2.03 ERA.

Ryan Vogelsong (Quakertown Blazers, 1996-1997) was named to the National League All-Star Team on Sunday. The 82nd All-Star game will be held July 12 at Phoenix's Chase Field. Vogelsong is 6-1 with a 2.13 ERA in 84 innings for the Giants. Opponents are hitting .222 against him and he has 68 strikeouts.

Steven Melchiorre of the Jersey Pilots hurled a seven inning no-hitter to give the Pilots a 10-0 win in the nightcap of a Sunday doubleheader with the Quakertown Blazers. The 6'1" righthander struck out eight and walked only one as he lowered his ERA to 2.25. This spring Melchiorre was named to the NJCBA All-State second team and ABCA All-Region third team as a sophomore at Rowan. Brian Black (Millersville) tossed a four hit shutout in the opener as the Blazers won 3-0.

The North Jersey Eagles (0-2) at Lehigh Valley Catz (3-2) double header scheduled for today has been postponed due to weather conditions. The Jersey Pilots (4-1) at Long Island Collegians (1-2) double header scheduled for today has also been postponed due to field conditions. The Staten Island Tide (2-1) at Quakertown Blazers (2-2) double header scheduled for today has also been postponed due to field conditions. We will post additional postponements as information becomes available.

Three 2009 Hampton Division players closely followed first rounder Chris Reed (Stanford University, Torrington Titans) in the 2011 MLB Draft. The Atlanta Braves selected shortstop Nick Ahmed (UConn, Westhampton Aviators) and third baseman Kyle Kubitza (Texas State, Southampton Breakers) in the second and third rounds respectively. Junior right-handed pitcher Nick Tropeano (Stony Brook, Riverhead Tomcats) went in the 5th round to the Houston Astros. The Braves also selected second baseman Tom LaStella (Coastal Carolina, Long Island Collegians) in the eighth round. This could set up an ACBL infield somewhere down the line in the Braves system.

Ryan Vogelsong (Quakertown Blazers, 96-97) added another chapter to his stunning comeback on Sunday when he pitched the Giants back into first place in the National League West. Vogelsong allowed only one run in eight innings as the Giants defeated the Rockies 2-1. The 6-4 right-hander scattered four hits while striking out seven and walking one. He is now 4-1 and lowered his ERA to 1.68, the second lowest in the Major Leagues. In 53.2 innings he has 42 strikeouts with 14 base-on-balls.

Two ACBL top prospects, Ryan Buch (Blazers) and Darin Gorski (Rockies, Blazers) have been outstanding so far this spring. Buch, the top prospect in 2007, took a no-hitter into the seventh inning as Winston Salem (White Sox) defeated Potomac (Nationals) 7-1 on Monday. The 6-foot-3 right-hander got two outs in the seventh when he was pulled after 103 pitches in 94 degree weather. This was the fifth win of the year for Buch who was recently promoted from Kannapolis of the South Atlantic League. Gorski, the top prospect in 2008, is second in the Florida State League with a 2.16 ERA in 41.2 innings. The 6-foot-4 left-hander has 63 strikeouts and 13 walks with a 2-0 record and one save for the St. Lucie Mets. Nick Tropeano (Stony Brook, Tomcats) and Chris Reed (Stanford, Titans), top prospects in 2009 and 2010 respectively, have also had excellent springs and expect to be high draft selections next week in the MLB draft.

Former Jersey Pilots, Mike Russo and Ken Gregory, had outstanding regular seasons and will lead Kean into the Mid-Atlantic Regional D3 playoffs in Lakewood this weekend. Russo, who was named the Top D3 Prospect in the Draft by Baseball America, posted a 9-1 record with a 1.36 ERA. Opposing batters only hit .185 against him in 73 innings. Gregory, last year's ACBL leading hitter and MVP, topped Kean with a .429 average with eleven home runs and 47 RBIs. Both were named to the New Jersey Athletic Conference first team along with two other former Pilots and Kean stars, Lee Cavico and Nick Nolan. Cavico was NJAC Player of the Year after hitting .346 while Nolan hit .319. Nolan played for the Staten Island Tide last year while Cavico is on the 2011 Tide roster.

Nick Tropeano (Stony Brook, Riverhead Tomcats) is one of 25 quarterfinalists for the 2011 National Pitcher of the Year Award according to the College Baseball Hall of Fame. The 2009 Top ACBL Prospect was also one of sixty players named to the 60-man watch list for the Golden Spikes Award which is presented annually to the top amateur baseball player in the country. Tropeano allowed ony one run and four hits on Saturday as Stony Brook defeated Hartford 5-1in a seven inning game.The junior RHP is now 9-1 with a 1.37 ERA in 72.2 innings. He has allowed only 46 hits and struck out 93 batters.

Darin Gorski (Kutztown Rockies / Quakertown Blazers), the top ACBL prospect in 2008, struck out a career high 10 batters over four innings in his first start as the St. Lucie Mets defeated Bradenton 9-4 on Wednesday in the Advanced A Florida State League. Gorski, a seventh round pick of the Mets, finished at 80 pitches with only four balls leaving the infield. Previously the 6-4 LHP had whiffed 14 and walked two in five games out of the bullpen. He now has a 24-3 SO:BB ratio in 15 innings with a 3.60 ERA. LHP Frank Gailey (Quakertown Blazers) is also pitching in the Florida State League and has posted a 1.64 ERA in seven relief appearances for the Dunedin Blue Jays. Click here to view the complete article

Nick Tropeano (Stony Brook, Jr.) and Chris Reed ( Stanford,Jr.) were selected as ACBL Top Prospects in 2009 and 2010 respectively. Tropeano pitched six perfect innings as Stony Brook no-hit Army in a 1-0 win on Sunday. Tropeano is now 4-1 with a 1.38 ERA and 38 strikeouts in 32.2 innings. Reed picked up his third save when he retired all eight batters that he faced as Stanford defeated Long Beach State 6-5. The 6' 3" LHP has a 2.60 ERA with 18 strikeouts in 17.1 innings. Pitchers Darin Gorski, 2008 top prospect, and Ryan Buch, 2007 top prospect, are looking to move up in the Mets and White Sox farm systems. Gorski went 6-8 at Savannah (Mets, Low A) with 109 K's in 114 innings while Buch posted a 7-4 log and 2.96 ERA in 94 innings for Bristol (Rookie) and Kannapolis (Low A).

Dick Vining was recently honored by his baseball collegues for his outstanding service to baseball at a dinner in Douglaston. Vining will be formally recognized in January when he is inducted in the the America Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame at the ABCA convention in Anaheim. Vining coached the Long Island Flying "A" in the inaugural 1967 season of the ACBL. Two members of that team, Fred Cambria and Alfred "Skip" Jutze made it to the Major Leagues. Cambria pitched for the Pirates in 1970 and Jutze caught in the "bigs" from 1972 to 1977 with St. Louis, Houston and Seattle. Vining currently serves as a member of the ACBL advisory board. Vining was the first collegiate coach in New York State to reach the 600-win plateau and posted a 825-657-14 overall record with 574 of the wins earned at LIU,C.W. Post where he was the head coach for 28 years. He has also coached at Orange County Community College, State University of New York Farmingdale, LIU, Brooklyn.Since 2006 he has served as an assistant coach at C.W. Post.

Five ACBL players have been named to the initial watch list for the Tino Martinez Award which will be given to the most outstanding player in NCAA D2 college baseball after the D2 World Series. Blake Amaral (Breakers, Hawaii Pacific), Dave Bartuska (Lumberjacks, Dominican), Gabriel Duran (Cadets, Dowling), Chuck Fontana (Ospreys, Molloy) and Shayne Houck (Rockies, Kutztown) are among the initial ninety-one selectees. The list will be updated with a mid-season release in mid April.

Tom Bonekemper, President of the ACBL, received the American Baseball Coaches Association's Meritorious Service Award at the recent convention in Nashville. Bonekemper has been involved with the ACBL since 1981 and was a principal in the transfer of the Allentown Wings franchise to Quakertown in 1983. In 1991 he assumed the Vice-President position in the ACBL and became President in 1998. The ACBL has produced at least one new Major League player every year going back to 1980. The 2011 season will be the 45th of ACBL baseball. Jim Tracy, manager of the Colorado Rockies, received the Honor Award at the Honors Luncheon while John Cole (Blazers,84),head coach at the University of Pennsylvania, was recognized for a 25-Year Coach Award. Peter Caliendo (Caliendo Sports International,Inc.), Jim Paronto (NCAA Baseball Rules Editor) and Giorgio Moretti (President, Italian National Committee of Coaches) also accepted Service Awards.