2013 Team Picture

 

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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.