Braves Open Up Under The Lights Tomorrow

13 June 2008


 


     Head Coach Harvey Shapiro returns to the Bourne Braves for his sixth season. He has over 30 years of baseball coaching experience at the college level, including stints at Schenectady County Community College, Springfield College, Bowdoin College, and the University of Hartford. 

     Shapiro managed the Falmouth Commodores from 1994-1998, taking them to a divisional, regular season championship in 1994 and the finals in 1996. He was the Cape Cod Baseball League Manager of the Year in 1996. Before managing Falmouth, he was an assistant coach at Wareham and Yarmouth-Dennis.

     He is the all-time wins leader in Bourne. Last year, he posted his 102nd victory as the Braves skipper and his 214 CCBL career wins, place him ninth on the all-time list.

     Players will continue to join the roster as the season gets underway, a condition that Shapiro and his staff have taken into consideration with the signing of temporary players.

     Matt Costello from Barnstable is expected to give the Braves some temporary help on the mound. Costello, a right-handed pitcher, was a temporary player for Cotuit last summer and spent some time in the Texas League. He has pitched in the Boston Inter-city League and the Cranberry League for the Cape Cod Braves.

     Another right-handed pitcher with a temporary job for the Braves is David Erickson (U Conn). Two more right-handers, Phillip Negus (Wake Forest), a resident of Milford, and Kevin Landry (William & Mary) will also be with the team on opening day.

     The Braves plan to begin the season with plenty of pitching. Bourne has at least nine pitchers on the preseason roster who are capable of starting.

     Sophomore right-hander Tyler Blanford (Oklahoma State) made a dozen starts for the Cowboys, posting an ERA of 6.23 and a 4-6 record over 60.2 innings of work.

     Ricky Bowen, a freshman right-hander from Mississippi State made 13 starts this spring finishing with an ERA of 7.61 and a 3-5 record. Zach Kenyon (Iowa) another freshman right-hander, had seven starts for the Hawkeyes. In 19 appearances he posted a 7.52 ERA and a 1-3 record.

     Nick McCully, a freshman right-hander from Coastal Carolina made 13 starts in 23 appearances, compiling a 10-2 record and a 3.09 ERA. Left-handed freshman Drew Pomeranz (Mississippi), a Team USA invitee, had 11 starts in 17 appearances, a 4-3 record, and a 4.16 ERA, and Nate Reed (Pittsburgh), a sophomore southpaw had 13 starts in 15 appearances, finishing the spring with a 5-5 record and a 5.42 ERA.

     Freshman Bob Revesz, a lefty out of Louisville, had 10 starts for the Cardinals in 22 appearances and 64.2 innings pitched. He finished with a 1-0 record and a 3.90 ERA.

     Sophomores Nathan Baker (Mississippi) and Victor Black (Dallas Baptist) had 13 and 14 starts, respectively, this spring. Baker, a left-hander, finished the spring at 3-6, with an ERA of 4.89. Black, a right-hander, was 1-6 with an ERA of 4.97.

     Out of the pen the Braves will have Ryan Allen (Missouri) who had 22 appearances, a record of 2-1 and ERA of 3.60 this spring.

     The Braves will look to the services of UC Irvine’s Eric Pettis in save situations. Pettis, a right-handed sophomore, had 17 saves this spring for the Anteaters with 50 strikeouts and 17 walks in 43.2 innings of work. He posted a 4-2 record and a 1.65 ERA.

     Behind the plate the Braves plan to have sophomore catcher Richard Jones (The Citadel) who hit .281 in 56 games with 11 home runs.

     Tyler Cannon (Virginia) can also work behind the plate and play the infield. Cannon hit .252 this spring in 61 games and stole 14 bases.

     Dusty Coleman (Wichita State) can pitch and play the infield. He hit .314 for the Shockers this season in 65 games and hit eight home runs and stole 13 bases.

     Austin Knight, a sophomore shortstop from Dallas Baptist, saw action in 56 games for the Patriots and hit .290. First baseman Kyle Roller (East Carolina) hit .299 this spring and slugged a dozen round-trippers. Second baseman Brandon Turner (Mississippi State) saw limited action with the Bulldogs this spring, hitting .217.

     Middle infielder Ross Wilson (Alabama) played 62 games for the Tide this spring, posting an average at the plate of .295. He stole nine bases and slugged 15 home runs. Justin Bour (George Mason) hit .398 for the Patriots this spring in 55 games. He hit 15 home runs and drove in 65 runs.

     Outfielder Jordan Henry (Mississippi), the younger brother of former Bourne Brave Justin Henry (2005), hit .292 for the Rebels this season and stole 14 bases. Outfielder Jamie Johnson (Oklahoma) hit .344 this spring and outfielder Sean Madigan (UC Irvine) posted a .328 batting average. Rafael Thomas (Oklahoma State) saw limited action with the Cowboys this season. Once on base this summer Thomas will have the opportunity to display his blazing speed.

     Coach Shapiro will be assisted this summer by Ed Marko, Matt Untiet, and former Bourne Brave, and Needham native, Kyle Padgett, who worked as an assistant coach in the baseball program at William & Mary this spring.

     Opening night for the 2008 Braves is tomorrow at 7 PM, when they will host the Harwich Mariners. 
 


 


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