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Post by purplehaze on Apr 7, 2021 18:12:37 GMT -5
Dudanakis with a 3 run dinger in the 3rd - tied 4-4 in the fourth
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Post by thecrossisback on Apr 7, 2021 18:18:06 GMT -5
I’m tired of having ESPN plus and not being able to watch Holy Cross! Why is this game not on!
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Post by hchoops on Apr 7, 2021 19:05:57 GMT -5
8-7 Merrimack Top 5 We have committed 3 errors
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Post by hchoops on Apr 7, 2021 19:27:44 GMT -5
HC up, 10-8 Bottom 6
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Post by rgs318 on Apr 7, 2021 19:52:49 GMT -5
HC now up 11-8 in the top of the 8th.
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Post by rgs318 on Apr 7, 2021 20:22:52 GMT -5
HC yields 4 in the top of the 9th and now trails by 1 (11-12) in the bottom of the 9th.
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Post by thecrossisback on Apr 7, 2021 20:26:42 GMT -5
Depressing game. Give up 4 runs in the ninth. Our of conference so whatever but it would have been nice to keep the win streak alive. Bullpen is just ok this year.
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Post by rgs318 on Apr 7, 2021 20:30:24 GMT -5
Oh well...down 1-2-3. Now win the upcoming PL games.
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Post by purplehaze on Apr 7, 2021 20:40:15 GMT -5
Very sloppy game by us. We had only 7 hits (vs 13 by Merrimack) and committed 4 errors - have to tighten up the D against army this weekend
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Post by hcbball on Apr 8, 2021 18:39:05 GMT -5
Weekend series going to kick off Friday 6pm due to rain potential on Sunday.
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Post by HCFC45 on Apr 9, 2021 11:26:41 GMT -5
Why is Worcester area producing so many D1 college baseball players?
Joe McDonald
Telegram & Gazette
WORCESTER — Unlike a magical piece of farmland in Iowa, Central Massachusetts is where real baseball dreams come true. The Heart of the Commonwealth has become a breeding ground for Division 1 baseball players and there are zero signs of it slowing down. Getting college exposure used to be a big issue for New England players. No longer. At this point, a total of 23 players from the local classes of 2020 and 2021 have committed to D1 programs, including UMass Amherst, UMass Lowell, Merrimack, Maine, Fordham, Holy Cross, Boston College, Maryland, Hartford, Farleigh Dickerson, Navy, Duke, Monmouth, New Jersey Institute of Technology and Bryant. These players’ hometowns include Worcester, Shrewsbury, Grafton, Holden, Auburn, Northboro, Leominster, Nashoba, Barre, Sturbridge and Brimfield. It’s a true indication the grassroots programs are developing passionate players. There are more than a few reasons college recruiters are scouting these players, including a boom in indoor baseball facilities, travel teams, showcases, better coaching, specialization and, more importantly, tradition. It has all led to better exposure for Central Mass. kids. The Central Mass. pipeline runs deep. Sure, this area has produced football, basketball, hockey players and even boxers. Traditionally, Central Mass. has baseball in its blood, dating back to the 19th century. “Our area has always been baseball heavy,” said JP Ricciardi, a Worcester native, former GM of the Toronto Blue Jays and current senior adviser to the president of baseball operations for the San Francisco Giants. Gardner native Oliver Drake is pitching out of the bullpen for the Tampa Bay Rays. Many local players have enjoyed professional careers. The biggest impact started in the 1970s, beginning with Marlboro’s Ken Reynolds (Phillies), Shrewsbury’s Pat Bourque (Cubs) and Brian Ryder (Yankees), Worcester’s Paul Mitchell (Mariners), Northbridge’s Glenn Adams (Twins), Northboro’s Mark Fidrych (Tigers) and Rutland’s Bruce Taylor. The tradition continued in the 1980s with Worcester’s Rich Gedman (Red Sox), Mendon’s Tom Grant (Cubs) and Millbury’s Ron Darling (Mets). The 1990s and 2000s had a string of players, including Clinton’s Tim Fortugno (Angels), Worcester’s Tanyon Sturtze (Rays), Mark Johnson (Pirates), Keith Reed (Orioles), Bryan LaHair (Cubs), Tim Collins (Royals), Ryan O’Rourke (Twins) Milford’s Chris Colabello (Blue Jays) and Gardner’s Oliver Drake (Orioles). Currently, Worcester’s Tyler Beede (Giants) and Oliver Drake (Rays) are in the midst of their respective big-league careers. Because of this foundation, there’s been a massive trickle-down effect. Deerfield Academy's Tyler Mudd of Shrewsbury will attend Holy Cross in the fall. Proud to carry on tradition Tyler Mudd, of Shrewsbury, is one of the 23 players committed to play D1 baseball. The outfielder/left-handed pitcher is a two-sport athlete at Deerfield Academy and has always wanted to be a D1 athlete in either hockey or baseball. He’ll realize that goal next season since he’s committed to Holy Cross to play baseball. He credits all the support and resources in Central Mass. as one reason for his accomplishment. “Massachusetts hasn’t really gotten as much credit as much as it deserves, especially Central Mass. Obviously, there are a lot of great players that come out of Eastern Mass., and the Boston area as well, but Central Mass. is right there with them,” Mudd said. “I’m proud and honored to carry on the tradition of good baseball players from Central Mass.” Thanks to modern, indoor facilities, Mudd is able to spend five to six times each week working out, hitting and throwing. In fact, the boom in D1 players is fostered by local baseball academies, including Evolution Baseball, Hitquarters, Northeast Baseball and the New England Baseball Complex. At one time there was a stigma against players from the Northeast that they weren’t as polished and prepared as Southern players, who could play year-round. The playing field is even thanks to these indoor facilities. “When the bell rings, (New England players) are not behind the Southern schools anymore,” Ricciardi said. “The only thing they’re behind on is the weather. Think about it - probably the only thing they can’t do is take pop-ups. They can take ground balls, they can throw, they can hit, their arms are in shape, their legs are in shape, they’ve had enough swings, so they really don’t fall behind the Southern kids. By May, they’re all the same player.” Riley Landry, who plays at St. John's High, throws a pitch at Evolution Baseball last month. Members-only academy Phil Price is the owner and operator of Evolution Baseball, an 8,000-square-foot indoor facility with four cages, including an outside field. It’s a members-only academy and Price caps the number of players at 200 in order to provide more hands-on training. He opened the facility in 2017. A total of 40 players from the Evolution program have committed to D1 schools to play baseball, including 16 current players. Price, a Worcester native, believes the talent has always been here - it was only the lack of exposure. So the mission, across the board, became to make Central Mass. the crown jewel of New England baseball. Alex Dion, of Westboro, is the manager of the Worcester Bravehearts. He’s also a teacher and varsity baseball coach at Milford High School. He’s coached many local players from an early age and he’s witnessed firsthand how indoor facilities, better coaching, travel programs and showcases have helped these players gain exposure. “Give players opportunities to really do anything that they want to do in this game. Now, we’re really seeing players taking advantage of all those opportunities,” he said. “It’s nice to see local guys having success and being able to play at big schools.” This summer, he’s going to get the chance to coach many of the players he first coached at the 9- and 10-year-old levels. “I take a lot of pride and I’m very fortunate for the opportunity I have to coach summer baseball in Worcester,” Dion said. “I love seeing our local guys have success. The Bravehearts organization just wants to continue to promote and grow the game of baseball in this area. We’re really fortunate to have so many good baseball players and good people playing the game right now.” Former Leominster ace Pat Gallagher is thriving at the University of Connecticut. Play more than one sport Fortunately, organizations, coaches, parents and players have come to realize that specialization in one sport will have a negative effect on kids’ development. The elite athletes in the world preach the importance of being a multisport athlete. That wasn’t always the case. “We’re looking for athletes to add to our program,” Price said. “I’m finding that our best baseball players are multisport athletes. I want the football kid. I want the hockey kid. I want the basketball kid. Heck, I’ll take a swimmer. I can get a kid recruited if he’s playing multiple sports far easy than I can just a baseball kid.” It’s fine to specialize when a player reaches his or her junior year in high school, but until then it’s important to be a versatile athlete. “Hockey’s been huge in my baseball development,” Mudd said. “It is really important to play different sports, so the biggest edge hockey has given me is my scrappiness and toughness. I definitely wouldn’t be the same baseball player if it wasn’t for playing hockey growing up.” John West of Shrewsbury is pitching for Boston College. Not that these local players needed any more motivation, but watching the Worcester Red Sox play its inaugural season at the brand-new, state-of-the-art Polar Park will only help. In fact, this winter the WooSox partnered with Double Play Sports & Fitness, a Worcester-based AAU baseball and softball program, and officially changed its name from the Invaders to the Junior WooSox. O’Rourke, a St. John’s graduate and later played in the big leagues for the Twins, Orioles and Mets, helps run the program and understands its potential to help these kids play in college and maybe beyond. “If we could ever have a kid come from the Junior WooSox make it, go to college and then end up here playing for the WooSox, that would put a tear in your eye,” he said.
Now that would be the version of Worcester’s baseball heaven.Contact Joe McDonald at JMcDonald2@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @joeymachockey.
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Post by hcbball on Apr 9, 2021 17:01:59 GMT -5
Baseball canceled for the weekend, despite no cases in the team. High number of cases on campus as they let kids go home for Easter break and bring it back. Team did everything they were asked, yet pay the price. Yet another failure by school administrators.
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Post by hcross22 on Apr 9, 2021 17:13:47 GMT -5
Baseball canceled for the weekend, despite no cases in the team. High number of cases on campus as they let kids go home for Easter break and bring it back. Team did everything they were asked, yet pay the price. Yet another failure by school administrators. So incredibly idiotic. Amazing a year into this they’re still treating positive PCR tests as “cases” and those infected like lepers. www.holycross.edu/2019-novel-coronavirus-covid-19-information/covid-19-dashboard0 positive tests yesterday. 27 active cases. .4% positive test rate.
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Post by purplehaze on Apr 9, 2021 18:11:03 GMT -5
And Army’s team was likely already in town to play tonight’s game - now they get back in their bus and return to WP. Why not play this single game ?
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Post by hcross22 on Apr 9, 2021 18:41:16 GMT -5
And Army’s team was likely already in town to play tonight’s game - now they get back in their bus and return to WP. Why not play this single game ? Why not play all the games? Has there been a case of a baseball player infecting someone in the other team? Of the 27 cases at HC, is anyone even sick?
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Post by purplehaze on Apr 14, 2021 12:02:34 GMT -5
This covid year stinks - today's game at URI has been cancelled because of covid protocols at URI On to Lafayette this weekend, I hope
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Post by thecrossisback on Apr 14, 2021 13:17:43 GMT -5
This covid year stinks - today's game at URI has been cancelled because of covid protocols at URI On to Lafayette this weekend, I hope Especially when they played 15 games last year!
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Post by purplehaze on Apr 16, 2021 12:07:38 GMT -5
The 'pards are much improved and stand 6-9 in league play after 3-2 win over Lehigh on Wednesday - with Army the likely north division winner we're fighting for the 2nd (last) playoff spot with Lafayette. They swept 3 games from us back in March so these are critical games if we have hopes for post-season play. I wonder if the field will be playable by 3 pm tmro after this snow today
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Post by hcbball on Apr 16, 2021 14:15:29 GMT -5
The 'pards are much improved and stand 6-9 in league play after 3-2 win over Lehigh on Wednesday - with Army the likely north division winner we're fighting for the 2nd (last) playoff spot with Lafayette. They swept 3 games from us back in March so these are critical games if we have hopes for post-season play. I wonder if the field will be playable by 3 pm tmro after this snow today THey moved the series to PA, no fans allowed.
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Post by bfoley82 on Apr 16, 2021 16:01:03 GMT -5
The 'pards are much improved and stand 6-9 in league play after 3-2 win over Lehigh on Wednesday - with Army the likely north division winner we're fighting for the 2nd (last) playoff spot with Lafayette. They swept 3 games from us back in March so these are critical games if we have hopes for post-season play. I wonder if the field will be playable by 3 pm tmro after this snow today THey moved the series to PA, no fans allowed. That is what you get with a grass field in New England.
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Post by purplehaze on Apr 16, 2021 16:19:31 GMT -5
The final HC- Laf series in May has been moved to Worcester in light of this weekend’s change of venue
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Post by thecrossisback on Apr 16, 2021 16:32:11 GMT -5
The final HC- Laf series in May has been moved to Worcester in light of this weekend’s change of venue Good lets allow some fans.
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Post by Crucis#1 on Apr 16, 2021 17:22:48 GMT -5
THey moved the series to PA, no fans allowed. That is what you get with a grass field in New England. How about the BoSox, WooSox and Yard Goats...... They play on grass fields. “If a horse won’t eat it, ......I don’t want to play on it”. “Dick Allen”
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Post by bfoley82 on Apr 16, 2021 18:17:22 GMT -5
That is what you get with a grass field in New England. How about the BoSox, WooSox and Yard Goats...... They play on grass fields. “If a horse won’t eat it, ......I don’t want to play on it”. “Dick Allen” All professional teams with a summer schedule. Not a Division 1 college program that has games moved on April 17th and 18th because they don't have a field available.
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Post by hcbball on Apr 16, 2021 19:53:54 GMT -5
How about the BoSox, WooSox and Yard Goats...... They play on grass fields. “If a horse won’t eat it, ......I don’t want to play on it”. “Dick Allen” All professional teams with a summer schedule. Not a Division 1 college program that has games moved on April 17th and 18th because they don't have a field available. Hanover is also used the majority of the summer. I’d rather have an occasional weekend series moved than play every day on a plastic carpet.
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