Scout Day

Four members of the Seacoast Mavericks were selected to attend the FCBL's Scout Day on Monday morning at Campenelli Stadium in Brockton, Mass.

Seacoast catcher Chris Tuttle (below), short stop and outfielder Jerico Weitzel (above), and pitchers Donald Hissa and Ryan Walker all participated in the drills which featured scouts from the Atlanta Braves, Chicago White Sox, Boston Red Sox, and San Fransisco Giants as well as others.

Position players were evaluated for speed, throwing strength, and hitting. Pitchers were instructed to throw 3 pitches each after warming up - fastball, curve or slider, and change ups. In addition, they threw 15-20 pitches of live batting practice before a slew of radar guns.

Hissa, heading into his sophomore season at Notre Dame, was amongst the leaders with his fast ball hitting 91 MPH.

There was also an unexpected guest outfielder as a skunk made its way across the outfield as Ryan Walker was making his throws during the live BP session.

Coach Craig Walfield and Dani Vicente opted for premium seating at Vineyard Park for the Sharks-Mavs game last Sunday.

 Chris Tuttle set to take a rip.

Notes from the Weekend

Reliever Kevin Mayone, the teams ERA leader at 2.16, was instructed to take a few additional days in his recovery from dehydration. The shutdown closer has spent time at home working out on his own with hopes of returning when the Mavs take on Torrington this Thursday in Connecticut.

Dani Vicente has been hitting the ball well of late. Vicente, who leads Seacoast with three home runs on the season, went 8-16 in four games over the weekend with a double, triple and homerun, has increased his average by forty points in the stretch. More importantly, Vicente has put the ball in play on a more consistent basis, striking out only once in his last sixteen at bats.

Third baseman Matt Cronin continues with his tremendous all-around play. Cronin, who has only one error defensively in 118 innings, remains the team’s leading hitter with a .318 average and .423 OBP, and has earned increased playing time over the course of the season. Diminutive by traditional standards, Cronin has little trouble making the corner to corner throws and has demonstrated the ability to play second base as well.

Random Notes

With arms running thin, Seacoast Mavericks manager Chris Anderson needed somebody to step up. Joan Mota answered the call, tossing a complete game 4-1 victory over the first place Nashua Silver Knights on Thursday evening.

Anderson and pitching coach Ken Jobin have had to juggle pitchers all season long, most recently using outfielders Eric LaBatte and Keegan Pafford in late innings. With Kevin Veilluex on the shelf for most of the year with elbow issues, Wayne Richardson experiencing a tired arm, and Kevin Mayone out until Monday after experiencing dehydration, Mota's performance could not have come at a better time.

Richardson returned for one inning of work against the Nashua Silver Knights on Wednesday, striking out two batters and not allowing a hit.Richardon reported he "felt great" after the nine day's of rest.

Mayone, the team's closer, has experienced a delay in recovery from his ailment and is expected to return to the team this Monday.Per doctor's orders, he was instructed to rest for 7-10 days before resuming action. Mayone leads the team with a 2.16 ERA.

Tommy Chase has enjoyed a recent string of plate success with seven hits in his last three games - batting .538 during the stretch. Chase was quick to offer some credit to Jay Weitzel who has spent some time with the team. Weitzel, a full-time scout for the Minnesota Twins, has spent his off week assisting the Mavericks' staff at the team's Newington facility and at the field on game days.

The Mavericks will continue their quest to make things difficult for the playoff contenders this weekend beginning on Friday night in Torrington. The Titans are currently tied for first place with Nashua and their would be no better gratification than creating trouble for these teams.

Tom King

Tom King, beat writer for the Nashua Silver Knights, had a great article in the Nashua Telegraph regarding the Mavericks' first season struggles.

Nashua Telegraph

Thoughts after a win

The entire Seacoast Mavericks roster has been saying it all along, but the results were not there.

Almost every post game interview during this emotionally trying season included the phrase or something similar: "The hitting will come around."

On Tuesday afternoon, less than twenty-four hours after being shut out 4-0 at Bert George by the Torrington Titans, the hitting finally came around. The Mavericks belted out thirteen hits on the road against the Martha's Vineyard Sharks, in a 7-6 eleven inning win, against a team they had not beaten up to this point.

This this was not just any win. These guys had to fight for it, rallying from three runs down in the top of the eighth to take a one run lead, only to see it slip away with the single swing of one of the league's best batters in Robbie Zinsmeister.

In the bottom of the tenth, it was Zinsmeister's double that threatened to drive another stake into the battered chest of the Mavericks. But an interesting thing happened. They pulled together.

The pitcher-catcher combo of Demetrios Gotzogiannis and Chris Tuttle struck out the next two batters to vanquish the threat.

Brian Maynard reached on a single. And then with two outs, Tommy Chase belted a deep triple for the go ahead run off a pitcher that had only allowed two runs all season.

Keegan Pafford, a recent signee, stepped in from right field to pitch a perfect inning to save the game.

Certainly the naysayers will chalk it up to a single win in a season of futility.

But what goes unnoticed is the effort that these players, coaches, staff, host families, and parents put in on a daily basis. It would be nearly impossible to mention all of the individual and team contributions I speak of without leaving many out. Those around the team know who and what they are.

With effort, come rewards. In this case, the rewards will be future wins.

At 5-21, a shot at the playoffs may be out of the question. But there are teams at the top of the heap that are ripe for picking. It does not matter if you miss the playoffs by one game or eleven. Inflicting losses on teams that are vying for the post season will provide for some great late season baseball.

Mavs Nashua Game Notes

Dani Vicente and Jerico Weitzel have swapped positions once again with Vicente back in center field and Weitzel returning to short. Vicente's two run shot over the left field fence yesterday was his second of the year and the team's third of the season. Brian Maynard has the other Maverick home run.

Even after going hitless in his last two games, Matt Cronin (.324) still leads the team in average, followed by Vicente (.268) and Chris Tuttle (.250).

Eric LaBatte made his third relief appearance in last night's game. After allowing two runs in his first outing and one in his second, LaBatte held the Silver Knights scoreless in one inning of work.

Kyle Davis (1-2, 6.11 ERA) takes the mound for the Mavs this afternoon.

Game Day Notes 7-9-2011

Overlooked early in the season, infielder Matt Cronin (pictured) continues to turn heads with his solid all-around play. Entering Saturday afternoon's game against Nashua, Cronin is batting .344 for average, ninety points above Dani Vicente who sits second on the team. Cronin, a Hampton native, has yet to commit a fielding error this season.

In addition to Cronin, Casey Cotter has caught fire as of late, hitting .368 over the last seven days. In the span, Cotter has seven hits in fourteen at bats, raising his overall average to .250 after a sluggish start.

Maverick closer Kevin Mayone continues to perform well in late game situations. Mayone, 2-0 with a 2.13 ERA, has only allowed one run in his last ten appearances this season. Outside of a shaky season opener in which he allowed two runs, Mayone has been the shutdown reliever teams relish in pressure situations.

Jhonnaris Mendez, the teams ERA leader at 1.88, has earned a start in Saturday's game in Nashua. Mendez, of Wallace Community College in Alabama, was a late addition to the team, signing shortly after the season began and has been a pleasant surprise, not only on the field but in the dugout.

In last night's doubleheader to Torrington, Jerico Weitzel made several spectacular plays in center field keeping the score close, most notably robbing Titan slugger Anthony Nardone of a sure home run with a leaping grab at the fence to keep the ball in the yard.

The Mavs have a 4-3 record against Nashua this season, despite the Silver Knights owning three of the top seven spots in league batting average - Matt Jacobs (.398), Logan Gillis (.364), and James Katsiroubas (.316). Nashua's Kyle Neverman and Mark Sanborn lead the league with four home runs each.

"Celebrity" Sighting

You never know who you may run into at an FCBL game. Former American Idol contestant William Hung stopped by Martha's Vineyard to perform between innings on Sunday.

Pre game notes

GAME 16 vs. Nashua Silver Knights

The Mavericks will be taking on Nashua (10-7) this afternoon, attempting to halt the current eight game slide. Three of the Knights seven losses have come against the Mavericks, which represent all Mavs wins.

Maverick pitching has stepped up, only allowing three runs per game over the last three outings, including Ryan Walker’s unscheduled start yesterday against Martha’s Vineyard.

Walker, making his first start in three years, held the Sharks to three runs in 6 2/3 innings with five strikeouts and three walks. His outing gives manager Chris Anderson some additional options with twenty-nine games scheduled for the month of July, including a set of double-headers.

Nick Douglass (24) and Donald Hissa (20) are first and third in the league for strikeouts. Hissa will most-likely pass Silver Knights Alek Morency (21) this evening to take second place.

Dani Vicente (.286) and Brain Maynard (.225) are the only two Maverick batters in the top twenty for the league. Matt Cronin (.333) leads the team but does not qualify for league statistics due to his limited duty.

Cronin, yesterday’s starting third baseman, may have earned himself more opportunities with his stellar play against the Sharks. He robbed Ronnie Rosario of an extra base hit at third with a quick backhander and also initiated two double plays. Cronin was 0-1 with two walks at the plate.