14 June 2007


Kettleers hope to take the next step


Photo by Dave Colantuono
Aaron Baker and the rest of the Cotuit Kettleers get into the swing of things for tomorrow’s home opener against Bourne.

By Dave Colantuono
GateHouse News Service
Thu Jun 14, 2007, 01:14 PM EDT 

Cape Cod - A new crop of Kettleers are in for another session of Baseball 101 this summer as they prepare to defend their 2006 Western Division title under the tutelage of manager Mike Roberts.

    “He’s one of the best teachers of the game,” says Cotuit Athletic Association President Martha Johnston. “A lot of college coaches are good recruiters but they don’t really teach the game.”

    Teaching the basics of the game has always been a focus for Roberts, who begins his fourth season on the Cotuit bench this summer.

    One player who seemed to pass last summer’s course was Florida State’s Tony Thomas Jr., who garnered a national Player of the Year award from Rivals.com following a dominant junior season for the Seminoles. 

    "Last summer, I made a huge change with my batting stance," Thomas told Rivals.com. "I needed to improve my hitting, so I worked in the cage before and after practice while placing a stronger emphasis on hard work."

    After missing most of last summer with elbow tendonitis, Tennessee’s Tony Delmonico is back on the Cape and looking forward to working with Roberts this summer. 

    “It’s important to work on your flaws and improve your skills in this league,” says Delmonico. “Coach Roberts is very energetic and he makes it really fun, which is important when you have so many guys from different teams.” 

    The former Freshman All-American led the Vols this spring in runs (53), home runs (9), RBIs (49) and walks (35) and will be a key component in what looks to be another potent Kettleers’ lineup.

    Gone are All-Americans Justin Smoak (Team USA invitee) and Kellen Kulbaki (taken 40th in the MLB Draft), along with last year’s leading hitter Eric Farris, who was taken by the Milwaukee Brewers in the fourth round of this year’s draft.

    But the Kettleers will once again have a solid infield with South Carolina’s Reese Havens rejoining Delmonico in the middle. 

    “The thing Havens does real well is make the routine play,” says Roberts. “He is a very consistent player that brings a solid mental approach to the game.”

    While Smoak, last year’s Cape League MVP, will leave a huge void in the middle of the Kettleers’ lineup, the power outage is not something that worries Roberts.

    “I don’t look for power when building a team,” says Roberts, who knows that collegiate production often doesn’t translate into wood bat power on the Cape. “I try to teach the game like we are never going to hit one over the fence.”

    That being said the Kettleers do have some big sticks in this year’s lineup, including Freshman All-Americans Aaron Baker (Oklahoma) and Yan Gomes (Tennessee) along with sophomores Mike Bianucci (Auburn) and Ryne White (Purdue), who led the Boilmakers in batting average, home runs and RBI.

    Gomes, who split time between first base and catcher at Tennessee is one of three talented freshman looking to replace Sean Gaston.

    “They are all talented kids and pro prospects,” says the coach. “But they are still just freshmen.”
Not only is Southern California’s catching prospect Robert Stock a freshman, but the 2005 Baseball America’s Youth Player of the Year is just 17 years old having skipped his senior year in high school to attend USC.

    The multi-talented youngster also appeared in 14 games as a pitcher for the Trojans, and could be used as a closer.

    Another versatile freshman is Tennessee’s Jeff Lockwood, another Freshman All-American after posting a .317 average and recording eight saves on the mound.

    While the Kettleers will have some young guns in the pen, Roberts has a pair of established sophomores at the front of his rotation.

    South Carolina’s Mike Cisco returns from an impressive 4-0 record last summer. The right-hander was 6-2 for the 15th ranked Gamecocks and played a key role in the team’s NCAA tourney run that ended earlier this week.

    Another sophomore who saw his title hopes evaporate this week was Michigan’s 6-8 right-hander Chris Fetter.

    Both pitchers are expected to arrive on the Cape by early next week.

    One Kettleers who will have to put his summer school session on hold is Arizona State Freshman All-American Michael Leake. The right-hander threw a dominating 117 innings this spring, amassing an impressive 13-1 record for the Sun Devils, who will face UC Irvine in the first round of this weekend’s College World Series.

By Dave Colantuono