2018 Baseball Season Outlook

2018 Baseball Season Outlook

MILTON, Mass. – The 2018 Curry Baseball team enters the season under new leadership as Paul Bortolotti begins his first as the new Head Coach of the Colonels after seven years as the pitching coach/lead assistant. The fall season brought a new energy and culture within the program.  Curry returns 17 players in addition to 12 newcomers for the 2018 season.

The Colonels will rely upon their senior leadership, led by their captains David Griffin (Hanover, Mass.), John Cave (Tewksbury, Mass.), Matt Hailey (Weymouth, Mass.) and Justin Cage (Glendora, Calif.).The coaching staff believes the senior leadership is instrumental to the success of the program.  They all possess leadership skills on and off the field. In addition to the captains, seniors Kevin Jones (Pembroke, Mass.), Zachary Bowden (Taunton, Mass.), and Robert Reedy (Cumberland, R.I.) will be depended upon to lead and mentor the underclassmen. Coach Bortolotti expects major contributions from them on the field as well.

Griffin will lead the pitching staff as one of the top talents in New England. He will be depended on to go deep into every game he pitches. James Mello (Fall River, Mass.) and Jones will be relied on to step up after having successful seasons in both the spring and the fall.  Reedy will be brought upon for a variety of roles. Hailey and Tyler Nadeau (Somerset, Mass.) will be key figures out of the bullpen. Freshmen Zachary Wensley (Raynham, Mass.), Philip Ledwith (Old Saybrook, Mass.), and Daniel Coughlin (Marlborough, Mass.) will all see innings. Transfers John Sapia (Atkinson, N.H.) and Matt Dunn (Dedham, Mass.) will also add depth to the pitching ranks.

Cage will handle the majority of the innings behind the plate, while expecting to be a main stay in the middle of the batting order. Bowden will back up Cage along with Dylan Ketterer (Plymouth, Mass.) giving the Colonels solid defense from the catching position. Bowden will also share time in the DH spot. Ketterer will look to grow after a great fall from the senior tutelage.

Cave, who will be a mainstay in center field, will anchor the outfield and provide spark at the top of the lineup. With his strong arm and quickness in the outfield, Jack Kallinich (Madison, Conn.) will start his third season for the Colonels.  Spencer Cookson (Sheffield, Mass.) brings an energy to the team every time he steps on the field and will be competing along with speedy outfielder Mitch Carvalho (Cranston, R.I.) for innings in the outfield as both are solid defenders. Bortolotti believes with the addition of Jhonathan Oliveira (Peabody, Mass.), Garrett Fosher (Exeter, N.H.), Michael Strizzi (Williamstown, Mass.), and Kyle Ortiz (Dorchester, Mass.), there is a huge versatility in speed and defensive ability.

 Adam Duarte (East Providence, R.I.) will command the infield. Duarte has the potential to be one the best shortstops in the conference. Bortolotti's expectations are high for Jared Keller (Oxford, Conn.), who will be a versatile piece defensively, offensively and on the mound.  Tyler Jenkins (Bridgewater, Mass.) will anchor the batting order and provide power from the clean-up spot. At the second base position, Michael Moreau (Marshfield, Mass.) will begin his second year as Duarte's partner in the middle infield. As a freshman, Moreau opened a lot of eyes with his smooth swing and timely hitting. Michael Couhig (Falmouth, Mass.) and Riley Cronin (East Providence, Mass.) will add to the infield mix along with Jose Martinez (Fall River, Mass.) and Sapia.

This season we expect to compete in every game both conference and non-conference games. We have a good group of senior leadership and a young, hungry group of underclassmen that are putting in a lot of hard work. Expectations are that we make it to the playoffs and once there, make a strong run.  

 Conference foes Salve Regina, Endicott, Western New England, and Nichols are expected to be strong again. Eastern Nazarene, Roger Williams, Wentworth, and Gordon will also provide tough competition in a very challenging conference schedule.

The Colonels will open the 2018 campaign at the RussMatt Central Florida Invitational in Winter Haven, Fla. with a doubleheader against McDaniel (Md.) starting at 5:00 p.m.