Emerson Recruit Recognized at High School Signing Day

May 22, 2013 - Hollywood, FL.  Chaminade-Madonna Prep Shortstop Mitch Moormann was recognized by his school as he declared his commitment to Emerson College.

After a great high school career, Mitch will spend four more years as a Lions baseball player, switching the navy blue and red for purple and gold in Boston, MA.

Click on the picture to read the story at the Chamindae-Madonna website.

James Sullivan Records 100th Hit in Last Game of Season

Sunday April 21, 2013 - Malden, MA.  Junior James Sullivan (Medfield, MA) fittingly recorded his 100th career hit on a bunt down the third base line in the 6th inning of Emerson's final game of the 2013 season.  Sully joins Peter Karl, Geoff Lopes, and Peter Maltzan to become the 4th Emerson baseball player to reach the 100 hit mark.

Sullivan had a great Junior year, leading the team in hits, runs scored, and stolen bases, and only striking out 6 times in 108 plate appearances.

Lions Still in the Playoff Hunt

Although the 1-11 GNAC record puts Emerson in the basement right now, a sweep of their remaining 4 conference games this weekend could vault them three spots and sneak them into the postseason.  After a non-conference Friday night game against Colby-Sawyer, the Lions head into the final weekend of the regular season.  On Saturday evening at 6:00PM, Emerson will square off against Lasell College at Brandeis University in Waltham, MA.  The Lions have had success against Lasell in the past, including a win against the Lasers in the 2009 playoffs -- the only postseason victory in Emerson Baseball history. 

On Sunday, Emerson will host Albertus Magnus at Maplewood Field in Malden, MA in a twin bill starting at noon.  If Albertus loses two to Suffolk University on Saturday, and Emerson can sweep Lasell, then Sunday will determine the last playoff spot.  If the Lions can sweep the Falcons, each team will have 5 conference wins, with Emerson having the head to head tie breaker and getting the 6th and final playoff spot.  The must-wins begin at 6pm on Saturday; hope to see you there.

Back to Back Tough Luck Losses for Lions' Pitchers

Nick Kelly went nine strong innings on Saturday afternoon against Suffolk University (13-2) but would get the no decision in a 10 inning loss.  After allowing just one unearned run through the first 6 innings, Kelly gave up a lead off double in the top of the 7th.  With the tying run on second base, Kelly got the Suffolk DH JC Collette to fly out to center for the first out.  The next batter, third baseman Mike Muse, singled up the middle to tie the game.  Kelly quickly settled back down and retired the next two batters in order to keep the score tied at two. 

In the bottom of the 7th, freshman Jim Cain worked a walk and then stole second base.  Unfortunately, Suffolk reliever Frank Tierney would bear down and strike out the next three Lions hitters.  After 1-2-3 innings in both halves of the 8th, Kelly would allow two singles in the top of the ninth before recording a huge strikeout followed by a pop out to end the threat.  In the bottom of the 9th, Zach Dean would work a two out walk and advance to second on a wild pitch, and then to third on an infield single by Cal Ciarcia, but both runners would be stranded as Tierney came up with another big strike out to end the inning.

Junior Andy Brightman was tasked with replacing Kelly and facing the top of the Suffolk order to start the 10th.  He surrendered two runs on a walk and a couple singles, and Tierney made the 4-2 lead hold up.  Kelly went nine innings, allowing just one earned run on six hits with seven strikeouts and no walks.

On Tuesday, Freshman Jack Capotorto continued his streak of great outings in a complete game 4-1 loss at Massachusetts Maritime Academy.  In eight innings, he allowed just two earned runs on six hits, one walk, and two strikeouts.  Unfortunately, the Emerson bats never came alive, as the Lions were held to one run on five hits.  For the second start in a row, Capotorto was pegged with the tough luck loss in a great performance.  In his last four outings, Jack has thrown 18.2 innings, allowing five earned runs, striking out seven and only walking one batter.

The pitching is certainly coming around; now the offense needs to step it up and back the staff up.  The Lions continue GNAC play this evening in Standish, ME as Emerson takes on St. Josephs College (ranked 21st in the nation) in a double header beginning at 4:15PM.

ENC Takes Battle of the Lions

Tuesday March 26, 2013.  In the battle of the Lions, Eastern Nazarene walked off victoriously, sweeping Emerson 6-1 and 5-4.  Game one started well for Emerson, when Johnny Hasney singled to right and stole second base with one out.  Cal Ciarcia lined a single to left and Hasney slid in just ahead of the throw from the left fielder to score the game’s first run.  Unfortunately, that would be the only run the visitors would score all game.  ENC starter Matt Jayne settled down and let up just two more hits, walking only two, and striking out five en route to a complete game, 87 pitch performance. 

 

Emerson starter Nick Kelly was the unlucky losing pitcher in game one, throwing 4.2 innings and allowing just two earned runs.  Freshman Jack Capotorto threw the last 1.1 innings allowing two hits and no earned runs.

In game two, it would be ENC who got on the board first.  After a scoreless top of the first, Emerson starter Sammy Evers walked the first two batters and then gave up 4 consecutive singles.  One of the batters was thrown out at second trying to advance on the throw home.  The inning ended on a bases loaded ground ball to Hasney at second who stepped on the bag and threw to first for the double play, limiting the damage to two runs.

The visiting Lions did not role over though; Jesse Francese led off the second with a walk and promptly stole second.  Kolby Woodfield doubled down the left field line, easily scoring Francese.  Malcolm Kelner laid down a sacrifice bunt that the catcher threw into right field, allowing Woodfield to score and Kelner to reach third.  Conor McDonough knocked Kelner in with a hard hit groundout to first.  With two outs, James Sullivan and Hasney both singled up the middle, and Sullivan scored when Zach Dean reached on an error by the shortstop.  The four run second inning would be all the offense Emerson would provide in game two.  In the bottom half of the second, Jack Capotorto was called upon again, relieving Evers after back to back singles.  Capotorto retired the next three in order to get out of the jam. 

 

Capotorto would pitch brilliantly for the next 4 innings, allowing just one unearned run on four hits while striking out two.  In the bottom of the 7^th, ENC shortstop Jeremy Wagner singled to right center after fouling off a tough  0-2 pitch.  Capotorto struck the next batter out with the runner going, and catcher Zach Dean threw a bullet to second which beat the runner, but the ball was dislodged from Hasney’s glove when the runner slid into the bag.  Wagner moved to third on a groundout.  With two outs, ENC third baseman Anthony Berroa came through with his fourth hit of the day, knocking in Wagner from third.  Junior Andy Brightman was called upon to get the final out of the 7^th, but after Berroa stole second, he moved to third on a wild pitch and then scored when the 2-2 pitch found its way past Dean and went to the backstop. 

Offensively for Emerson, Hasney was 3-6, while Woodfield and McDonough each had 2 hits and an RBI on the day. 

Although Jack Capotorto was pinned with the loss in game two, he had a great day on the mound.  In the two games, he threw 7 innings, allowing 8 hits, just 2 earned runs, struck out 2, and walked no one.  In his last 3 outings, Jack has now gone 10.2 innings while allowing just 3 earned runs, striking out 5, and walking no one. 

Emerson takes on the Newbury College Nighthawks on Thursday night at 8pm at Victory Field in Watertown, MA before opening GNAC conference play against Suffolk University on Saturday.

Class of 2013 Recruiting Update

Thursday March 14, 2013 – More good news on the recruiting front, as Mitch Moormann verbally commits to Emerson College!  Moormann (Chaminade-Madonna Prep, FL) is a switch-hitting shortstop with great hands and incredible footspeed.  Mitch was named 2^nd team All-Broward County after his Junior season last year.  Broward schools contributed ten draft picks to the 2012 MLB draft, including a record three first round picks.  Moorman plans on majoring in Media Production at Emerson, and he joins a very solid group of previously verbally committed recruits: 

Clint Fontanella (Bishop Guertin HS, NH) is a fleet-footed outfielder and right handed pitcher who is expected to pull double duty at Emerson.  He is planning to major in Marketing Communications. 

Josh Kaplan (Glenbrook HS, IL) is a middle infielder with gap to gap power, great hands, and a good arm. He is planning to major in Journalism. 

Cal Laird (Fenwick HS, IL) is a left handed pitcher who works in the high 70s - low 80s and has a tall, wiry frame. He is planning to major in Film. 

Kyle Becker (Jericho HS, NY) is a middle infielder with a very short, quick swing, and runs very well. He is planning to major in Media Production. 

All five verbal commits are going to make a tremendous impact on the team right away in 2014, the Lions' first year in the NEWMAC conference. We are still waiting on verbal commitments from another 4-6 recruits. We will provide updates as we hear from them.

Spring Trip Recap

Well an 0-9 start to the season was certainly unexpected, but we learned a lot about the young squad this week.  The Lions looked like a different ball club on Friday and Saturday, losing close games to quality opponents Virginia Wesleyan and Gallaudet.  Senior Brandon Topp threw a gutsy and much needed complete game on Friday against a very good Virigina Wesleyan team who opened up their season against four top 25 teams.  The Lions and Marlins traded leads four times through the first five innings, with Virginia Wesleyan pulling away to a 6-3 lead after the sixth.  Emerson did not roll over though, as they scored one more in the 9^th and got the tying run up to bat before the last out. Topp finished with just 5 earned on 8 hits with 1 walk and 2 strikeouts.

 

Looking to get the first win of the season on Saturday, the Lions traveled north to Washington DC to take on the Gallaudet Bison.  The field and weather that day were beautiful, and things looked good early.  Freshman Johnny Hasney singled up the middle in the top of the first, advanced to second on a wild pitch, and then moved to third on an infield single by Cal Ciarcia.  With two outs, the Lions successfully completed a double steal as Ciarcia beat the throw to second and Hasney scored easily without a play.  The 1-0 lead was short-lived though, as Gallaudet took a 4-1 lead into the fifth inning.  Junior James Sullivan started the inning off with a rocket to the shortstop that he could not handle, and he was moved over by a sac bunt by Hasney.  Zach Dean tripled, scoring Sullivan, and then scored two pitches later on a sac fly by Ciarcia.  Brightman would take over for Sammy Evers after another solid start, going 4 innings, walking no one and striking out one.  Evers was removed from the game after a would be base hit found his ankle and bounced directly to Dean at first base for the out.  

The score remained 4-3 until the top of the 8^th, when Zach Dean led off with a double to left center.  Cal Ciarcia hit a groundball to second to move the tying run to third, and Jesse Francese knocked Dean in with a single.   Woodfield was hit by a pitch and Jim Cain pinch ran for him.  With two outs, Senior Conor McDonough hit a sky high pop up that was misplayed by the second baseman.  Francese scored easily, and Cain never stopped hustling and scored from first to give Emerson the 6-4 lead.

Brightman threw 3.1 innings of scoreless baseball on one day’s rest before running into trouble in the bottom of the 8^th.  After retiring the leadoff man, he gave up a single and a double before issuing an intentional walk to load the bases.  Junior Nick Kelly was called upon to get out of the jam, and he did just that, inducing a popup and a groundout to strand all three runners.  After a scoreless top half of the 9^th, with Emerson still leading by two, Kelly walked the first hitter of the inning, but settled down and got two fly ball outs.  With two strikes Gallaudet first baseman Jeremy Adams fouled off three pitches and then hooked a low fast ball down the line for the game tying home run.   

McDonough showed off the wheels in the top of the 10^th, legging out a two-out infield hit and then stealing second, where he was unfortunately stranded.  Gallaudet pinch hitter Tyler Crace walked to lead off the bottom half of the inning, and after he advanced to second on a wild pitch, the next hitter was intentionally walked to set up the force.  The Bison gave Emerson a little hope when they ran into an out on the next pitch when Crace got too big of a secondary lead on a wild pitch and was gunned down by catcher Steve Cameron.  The next batter was retired on a lazy fly ball to right field, but centerfielder Will Bissell was able to get a ball through the left side of the infield with two outs, scoring the run just ahead of a great throw by Sullivan from left. 

Although the Lions went winless, a lot of necessary experience was gained that will be valuable in our last year of the GNAC. 

A statistical summary of the week:  

Junior James Sullivan scored 7 runs and stole 4 bases without being caught, hitting .308.

Freshman Steve Cameron is 3 for his last 6 and finished with a .370 OBP for the week, walking 6 times and being hit by a pitch.

Ciarcia, Dean, and Woodfield are pacing the run production, combining for 13 RBI on the young season. 

Freshman Johnny Hasney has had a good start to his collegiate career, averaging a hit a game, while knocking in 3 runs, scoring 3, and stealing 2 bags. 

Sophomore Sammy Evers had the most impressive week on the mound, throwing 13 innings, allowing just 7 earned runs, walking only 3, and striking out 4. 

Sophomore Zach Dean is currently on an 8-11 tear, including 3 doubles and a triple, contributing to his .467 average, .568 on base percentage, and .700 slugging percentage!

Rough Start for Young Lions

The 2013 season is certainly not off to the start that Emerson had hoped for.  The lack of experience and some scattered injuries have led to an 0-6 start for the Lions.  Despite the poor record, there have been some bright spots during the week.  Junior James Sullivan is hitting .435 with 10 hits and 4 runs scored. Sophomore Zach Dean and Junior Cal Ciarcia are hitting .316 and .304 respectively.  Through his first six college games, Freshman Johnny Hasney is sitting at .368 and playing great defense at second base.  On the mound, Sophomore Sammy Evers has thrown 9 innings over two games, allowing just three earned runs while recording three strikeouts.

Tuesday night, the coaches went to dinner with baseball alumnus Pete Hall (2010).  We went to the site of Emerson Baseball's first team dinner in 2007 -- the Giant Crab.  It was nice to recall the last six seasons and all of the characters that have come through the program.  Drew Sumner will be happy to hear that we did not see Kent Anderson going back for more crab legs.

Opening Day 2013

The 2013 Lions' first game is in less than 5 hours.  Emerson College takes on Mount Aloysius at 6:30 PM at The Ripken Experience's Ebbets Field.  The game will be the Mounties' fourth game this season, as they are currently 0-2 and play Catholic University this afternoon at 3:00 PM.

Emerson will start four Freshmen -- Cameron, Francese, Hasney, Cain-- and a transfer Junior -- Johnson-- in their first collegiate games tonight alongside returners Sullivan, Ciarcia, Dean, Woodfield and Kelly.

Tonight's game is the first of 11 that the Lions will play in the next eight days.

The lineup card is pictured to the left.  Click on the image to open in larger window. 

2013 Team Picture

 

Click on picture to view in larger window.

Class of 2013 Recruiting Update

Thursday February 21, 2013 -- After an overnight recruiting visit last night, Clint Fontanella has committed to Emerson College this morning.  This is great news for the Lions, as Fontanella will be joining previously committed Kyle Becker, Cal Laird, and Josh Kaplan further cementing the foundation for a great 2013 recruiting class:

Fontanella (Bishop Guertin HS, NH) is a fleet-footed outfielder and right handed pitcher.  Clint is the younger brother of Austin Fontanella, a 2012 graduate of Emerson who roamed the outfield from all three positions in his four years as a Lion.  He is planning to major in Marketing Communications.

Kaplan (Glenbrook HS, IL) is a middle infielder with gap to gap power, great hands, and a good arm. He is planning to major in Journalism.

Laird (Fenwick HS, IL) is a left handed pitcher who works in the high 70s - low 80s and has a tall wiry frame. He is planning to major in Film.

Becker (Jericho HS, NY) is a middle infielder with a very short, quick swing, and runs very well. He is planning to major in Media Production.

All four commits are going to make a tremendous impact on the team right away in 2014, the Lions' first year in the NEWMAC conference. We are still waiting on commitments from another 6-10 recruits. We will provide updates as we hear from them.

No Love for the Lions

February 19, 2013

Despite reaching the conference tournament in each of the six seasons Emerson College has played in the GNAC, the nine head coaches have collectively pegged the Lions to finish 7th this season, missing the postseason by one spot.  To read the article on the GNAC website click on the screen shot to the left.  We hope to exceed the opposing coaches' expectations and advance to the conference playoffs in our final year as a member of the GNAC.  

Inside Two Weeks...

Two weeks from now, the Emerson Lions will either be 1-0 or 0-1.  Myrtle Beach seems a long way away, as snow and ice coat most of the ground in Boston where the wind chill has been in the single digits recently.  Because mother nature has not cooperated, we've been forced to stay indoors for practice.  While it can get monotonous playing baseball inside, we've been working hard and getting a lot done. 

 

 

Here are some shots from indoor practices.  The first shows Julian Rifkind and Nick Kelly throwing bullpens.  The second shot is Kolby Woodfield receiving a pick off throw as Cal Ciarcia is diving back into first.  The blur in the foreground of photo three is Andy Brightman mid-pitch. 



 



Baseball Alumni Update

From time to time on this blog we will check in on the baseball alumni, because without them we would not have been able to grow the program to this point.  From 2007-2012, these six graduating classes have already compiled quite an impressive collective resume.

Three of these young men were awarded Emmy Awards for "Best Studio Show Daily" in 2012 for their work at MLB Network.

 

Ken Gold, Bryan Fennessey, and Nick Hesketh were nice enough to bring their awards to the alumni game this fall. 

Juniors Ciarcia and Kelly Mentioned on D3Baseball.com

2/9/13 - D3baseball.com has released its New England season preview, covering all of the conferences throughout the Northeast.  In the GNAC section, author Tristan Hobbes (former D3 standout at Eastern Connecticutt State University) mentions Ciarcia as a returning hitter, and correctly predicts that Junior Nick Kelly will be the ace of the staff.  This should come as no surprise, as Nick has assumed this role in his first two years at Emerson.  No mention for any other returning Lions should serve as some additional inspiration for the young squad to come out and prove something in Emerson's final year in the GNAC.  To read the entire New England region preview at D3baseball.com, click on the screen shot.

2013 Begins... Back to Myrtle Beach

Six years ago, the Emerson College Baseball program began anew, with a Spring trip to Myrtle Beach.  Although many memories were made (including a team photo on the steps of the historic Appomattox Court House in Virginia) and crab legs were enjoyed, the first Varsity win proved elusive and was not attained until the team traveled to Lehman College in the Bronx, NY.


At 4:30 AM on March 2nd, the Emerson Lions will begin the trip back to Myrtle Beach, SC for the first time since 2007.  This year's barnstorming trip is comprised of 7 games at The Ripken Experience, followed by 4 games on the return trip to Boston, with stops in Virginia, DC, and New York.  The squad has been preparing for the March 3rd season opener since the Fall Season where the Varsity team narrowly edged the Alumni. There is some healthy competition amongst the teammates vying for starting roles left open by some of the 12 seniors that graduated last year.  Our starting catcher, shortstop, second baseman, first baseman, and both corner outfielders from the 2012 season have moved on in addition to pitchers who threw a combined 111.2 innings.

Junior Nick Kelly will look to build on his team leading 52 innings from last season, while Seniors Brandon Topp and Conor McDonough plan to up their combined 39 innings from 2012.  Junior Andy Brightman and Sophomore Julian Rifkind will both be key in making up some of the 100+ innings we graduated, as they transition from bullpen roles to the starting rotation.  Sophomore Sammy Evers and Freshmen Jack Capotorto and Jesse Francese are all fighting for starting roles, while Cal Ciarcia, Xavier Garcia, and Kyle Muhlfriedel will all see innings in relief.  During the spring trip we will be playing 11 games, and we will need to throw at least 90 innings, so all pitchers will get some significant chances early in the season.

Freshman Steve Cameron has earned the starting role behind the plate and has made it known he's ready to make everyone forget the Geoff Lopes name.  For four years, Lopes was a stalwart behind the dish, leading the conference in thrown out base-stealers 3 of his 4 seasons.  Steve worked incredibly hard over the summer and fall, and he looks poised to control the pitching staff immediately in his first year at Emerson.  Returners Zach Dean and Kolby Woodfield will be splitting time at DH and 1B and look to provide some power in the middle of the Lions' lineup.  Cal Ciarcia returns to the hot corner where he has enjoyed a successful first half of his collegiate careeer.  James Sullivan will continue to patrol CF as he has since Freshman year.  Some other spots are close to solidified, but nothing is set in stone.  We will follow up with some more previews before the season starts as we continue to work hard during indoor practices.

Class of 2013 Recruting Update

Wednesday February 6, 2013 -- On National Signing Day, while top football recruits were committing to Alabama, Auburn, LSU, and Notre Dame, the Emerson College Lions received some great news.  Cal Laird and Kyle Becker both committed to Emerson College Baseball, joining previously committed Josh Kaplan and creating a foundation for a great 2013 recruiting class.

Kaplan (Glenbrook HS, IL) is a middle infielder with gap to gap power, great hands, and a good arm.  He is planning to major in Journalism.

Laird (Fenwick HS, IL) is a left handed pitcher who works in the high 70s - low 80s and has a tall wiry frame.  He is planning to major in Film.

Becker (Jericho HS, NY) is a middle infielder with a very short, quick swing, and runs very well.  He is planning to major in Media Production.

All three commits are going to make a tremendous impact on the team right away in 2014, the Lions' first year in the NEWMAC conference.  We are still waiting on commitments from another 6-10 recruits.  We will provide updates as we hear from them.