Chad throwing a complete game shutout against Niagara this past weekend

Hello once again to everyone! We have been quite busy over the past couple weeks with games almost every day and working towards a strong finish before graduation.  After a tough start to conference play we have worked our way back to .500 standing at 9-9.  With two crucial series to go we will have to play well in order to make the conference tournament where the top 4 teams play for a spot in the NCAA tournament.  We host Iona in our last home conference weekend before the final series of the year at Siena.

We have enjoyed writing all semester on the blog and hope to continue it through the rest of the season.  We appreciate all the feedback that has come with it and thank everyone for tuning in.  We will keep everyone posted on game results and how the rest of the year goes, in the mean time you can visit www.goredfoxes.com for more updates about the red foxes!

Thanks again, Hope you all enjoyed!

Kyle Pitching in the 6th annual Hudson Valley Classic

Life Behind Baseball

For the first time in 2011, we were on the wrong end of a weekend series sweep.  This time it was at the hands of conference rival, Rider University.  The Bronc’s out-played us in all three games to earn a crucial sweep early in the MAAC season; the three losses put us below .500 in league play.  It is crucial to have a good week of preparation going into 9-0 Manhattan next week.   Nevertheless, we wanted to feature the Student-Athlete Enhancement Center as this week’s story.

To come in a freshman and play a Division I sport and take a full class load requires exceptional time management skills.  Oftentimes, student-athletes struggle with this skill. We had to complete a minimum of six hours per-week of studying in addition to doing work in the Student-Athlete Enhancement Center.  This is what we refer to as study hall. Located in the main athletic building, the center provides 19 computers with access to research databases, as well as word processing programs.  Student-Athletes also have access to a group-study conference room, and an individual tutorial room in which to study.  After spending many of hours in study hall we have both become close with the center’s director, Alyssa Gates.  

Marist Student-Athletes at work in the Enhancement Center

Working with Alyssa is Assistant Director, Cammie Jones, and intern Matt Francis.  The goal of the Student-Athlete Enhancement staff is to help to ensure that student-athletes successfully balance their commitment of academics and athletics.  The staff and enhancement center provide student-athletes with academic support through various means. Academic advisors, tutors, and other study facilities all help provide the student-athlete with a means to be successful in the classroom as well as prepare them for life after college. Alyssa and her staff have done so much not only for the two of us, but the rest of Marist student-athletes. We cannot thank them enough.

We will be checking in later on in the week with a video interview with senior RHP Brendan Chapin.  Stay tuned!

Baseball in Buffalo

Sophmore SS Zach Shank led the offense this weekend in Buffalo collecting 8 Hits

Let us just tell you first hand Buffalo is not the ideal place to play baseball in early April.  However, there were conference games on the schedule and we were determined to win them no matter how cold it was.  After dropping the first game of the series we rebounded scoring double digit runs in game 2.  Sunday our bullpen was able to piece it together in the end and it was another game 3 win for the Red Foxes.   It was a good series win for us leaving the weekend 4-2 in conference and 19-6 overall.  

This week we head to Bucknell on Tuesday before hosting Holy Cross on Wednesday afternoon.  Mid week games allow for pitchers like us to stay back on campus and attend class.  Since neither of us is scheduled to pitch our coach will let us stay back and catch up on any school work were behind on.  Through the grueling schedule of spring, 54 games and taking a full class load things can become very busy.  Staying home for mid week games like Bucknell can be very helpful in continuing academic success.  

We continue our MAAC schedule this weekend as Rider will come to town.  Rider, the defending MAAC champions will be a tough test, one we will be ready for.  The three game set will begin at noon on Saturday.  Thank you all for continuing to follow.  We will have another video by next week checking in with one of the ball foxes.

Conference Play: The Real Season

After starting the early part of our season with a solid 14-3 record, we returned from our spring break trip with an extreme amount of confidence. Starting off the season winning fourteen out of seventeen games on the road is uncommon for many northeast programs. In fact, this ball club was able to put together one of the best starts in program history and capture what is believed to be the first ever vote in the AP Coaches Top 25 Poll. Despite all of the notoriety, it was time to get to work for the “real season”, the opening weekend of conference play. Starting conference games is like starting a new season; one can feel the excitement in the air at practice and in the locker room.

In the conference opener we hosted the Stags of Fairfield University. Having the opportunity to open the conference season at home brings a lot of nerves and excitement for everyone involved. Showing up to the field on Saturday morning, walking in to the locker room and getting to put on the home uniform makes one realize it is all coming together. All of the work preparing for the begging of the season and traveling fourteen hours on a bus to play non-conference games is worth it when we finally got to step on our home field for the first time, and compete for a conference championship.

Winning two of three games against Fairfield made for a successful opening series; yet, somehow it was not gratifying for us. This coming weekend we will head to Buffalo for a three game series against one of our conference rivals, the Canisius Golden Griffs. Prior to leaving for Canisius, we split two weekday games, losing one at Bryant University and winning one at Hofstra University, putting our record at 17-5 before the weekend. 

Life of a Big Leaguer: Tony Sanchez

Pirates Catcher Tony Sanchez

The Marist baseball team has put itself in great position heading into conference play this upcoming weekend after going 8-0 during the spring break trip.  Baseball was the only concern and top priority during the trip since we were without classes and schoolwork.  As a result, I (Chad), was able to catch up with an old friend who is currently fighting for a spot in the Major Leagues.  Tony Sanchez, a catcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates, is preparing for another successful season in pro baseball.  Tony attended Boston College through his junior year, after which he was drafted fourth overall by the Pirates.  Tony recently informed me that he was a fan of the blog so I asked him to write about his experience in baseball starting from his younger days all the way to what he has become today.  Here is what Tony had to say:

Throughout my years of playing baseball at the high school and college level, my sole dream was to get drafted into Professional Baseball. That was the goal, the only goal; do whatever needed to be done to get drafted. Whether it be extra sets in the gym, extra swings in batting practice or just a few more blocks during catching lessons. I had my sights set on one thing and one thing only, professional baseball. Ever since I made varsity my sophomore year of high school as the starting catcher, I knew I had the potential to turn baseball into a career. Little did I know that the “Pro” life is neither as easy or as glamorous as I dreamt it to be.

After I finished my senior year of high school and began my journey at Boston College, I can remember how excited I was to receive a scholarship at such a prestigious university and have the opportunity to play everyday in the gauntlet conference you know as the ACC. Playing against, and at venues such as Miami, Florida State (schools that passed on yours truly), North Carolina, Clemson, and NC State, it was always easy to stay focused on doing whatever needed to be done to win the game. We faced the some of the best teams in the country and I got the chance and experience of hitting off some college arms that could have easily had success in the pros. If it wasn’t for playing in the ACC, I would not of been as polished of a hitter or a catcher and probably would not of had as much success as I did when I first got into pro baseball.

For me Personally, the hardest part of going from college to the pros, or I should say the “minors”, was the fact that minor league ball is an everyday GRIND, one maybe two off days a month, long bus trips, sub par hotels and 100 fans in the stands, not the image I had dreamed about when I was an amateur.

Tony was the 4th Overall pick in the 2009 MLB Draft

While I was at BC, I was going to war with my brothers every game. We spent 24 hours a day together, living together, going to class together, lifting and practicing together, all because we had one common goal, to win. When I first got to the minors, I still had that college mentality that everyone pulled for one another and everyone wanted to win every game. I still had the sense that the team I was going to be playing for was a family and guys would take bullets for one another. Unfortunately, I was mistaken and what I learned fairly quickly was that the minors was all about developing players. Its a dog eat dog world and its a business, everyone is out there taking care of their own business and worried about themselves because we all want to make it to the next level. Now, I’m not saying that guys are rooting against each other or hoping for others to fail, but my first realization of minor league ball was that everyone is on their own agenda. Yea people wanted to win games, because lets face it, losing sucks. But winning isn’t at the top of the list of priorities.

As I log more and more games and practices with my fellow professionals and guys that play on the Pirates with me, I get the sense that we are becoming closer and closer everyday. I for one am always working harder for my pitchers behind the plate then I am for myself when I’m at the plate, and they notice. We all have each others backs and we all want each other to do well, but if me and another guy are battling it out at a certain position, you better believe I’m going to do whatever it takes to make sure I’m in the lineup every night.

Tony working an at-bat against Phillies pitcher Roy Halladay last week

Washington D.C

2011 Marist Baseball Team in D.C

After coming off a nice two game sweep of the Towson Tigers we arrived in Vienna, Virginia last night to get ready for our weekend series with George Washington.  Today our team spent the day in our nation's capital.  We walked around the Arlington National Cemetery, Lincoln Memorial, Washington Monument and the White House.  Many of us have been to these sites before but some guys had not, either way it was a great experience for all.

Guarding the tomb of the unknown soldiers

One of the coolest things we got to do was see the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier inside the Cemetery.  The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier has been guarded continuously, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, since July 2, 1937.  No matter what the weather, there is always a guard patrolling the area around the tomb. It is considered one of the highest honors in the Army to guard the tomb.

Kyle, Rick Pacione, Chad (L to R)

After leaving the Arlington National Cemetery we headed over to the Lincoln Memorial and Washington Monument.  After taking some pictures of honest Abe a few of us walked over toward the White House to see what that was all about.  It was pretty cool actually seeing the White House in person and all the security and activity around it.  After grabbing some food downtown we got back on the bus and headed back to the hotel.

Burial Site of JFK

We will start our series with George Washington tomorrow at 3 p.m.  We will play a single game on Saturday and Sunday before heading back to Poughkeepsie to conclude our Spring Break Trip.  We Will check back in early next week when we are back at Marist.

Spring Break: Dover, Delaware

The front of the Speedway

While most students boarded planes off to exotic places for spring break we were once again boarding a bus for an early morning trip, to Dover, Delaware.  The Hornets of Delaware State hosted us for the weekend and it was another good weekend for our ball club.  We played well enough to earn another sweep bringing out winning streak to six games now.  However, some of the most exciting events took place off the field in Dover…

Bryce Nugent, Ben Luderer, Eric Helmrich, and I (Chad) took off from the hotel Saturday night in search of a good dinner spot.  Right down the street from our hotel was the Dover International Speedway.  I swear you could see the stands for this place from miles away.  It was unlike any professional baseball or football stadium I have ever seen.  So, the four of us decided to take a stroll around the track to see if we could get a glimpse inside the 250,000 seat stadium.  We came across a security guard who was of no help to us, so we kept walking.   As we kept going we found ourselves getting closer and closer to the actual track. As it turned out we walked through a gate, which someone must have left open knowing we were coming, and there we were right in the middle of the track.  It was quite an experience.  The stands seemed like they never ended, and the fact that cars drive over 200 miles per hour right where we stood, was a little spooky.  After venturing around the track for a few minutes we made our way out and enjoyed a nice dinner from Chipotle, laughing about what we had just done.  

Dover International Speedway- Home of the Monster Mile

We arrived last night in Towson, Maryland for a 2-game mid-week set with Towson Tigers on Tuesday and Wednesday afternoon.  We will be checking in frequently this week with some good stories we are working on so stay tuned.

Checking in with Schwind

A look into the 2011 season so far with Junior IF/OF Jon Schwind. Enjoy!

Sweeping Spiders

(Coach Michalski giving his words of wisdom)

There are not many good things about having a 7 hour bus ride home on a Saturday night after a double header…unless you won both games of the double header.  Not only did we win two games on Saturday, we also took the opening game of the series against the Richmond Spiders this past weekend in Richmond, Virginia.  It was a nice home coming for Coach Seay, who lives less than five minutes from the Richmond campus.  It was also a nice visit back to Richmond for Coach Michalski who was a member of the George Washington baseball team that won the 2002 Atlantic-10 Championship on the same field.

It was probably the best weekend we have put together thus far.  We pitched, stayed with a solid approach offensively, and played flawless defense to complete the sweep of a traditionally solid Richmond club.  Standing now at 6-3 its back to practice before heading to Delaware State to kick off our spring break trip.  There are a number of positive things to take away from the weekend, but probably the most positive of all is that you can actually see our field.  Another couple warm days and the field will be all clear to practice on, cause this gym floor is getting a little old.

We will have a video interview coming within the next day or so…our tech guy is working on a couple things.  Next week we will be on the road for eight games for our spring break trip.  Well, its time to get back to studying for the 4 mid-terms we have left this week.  Thanks for all who continue to read and follow!

Red Fox Love

At the beginning of every school year teams come together after coming back from playing in their respective summer leagues. The first meeting of the year gives teammates the chance to share stories of the summer and meet the new incoming freshman. Some of the new players that the team doesn't get to meet are players who attempt to walk-on to the team.  In college sports, a walk-on is a player who doesn't get recruited to play; they try out for the team in an open try out.  

In the past our team has welcomed walk-on players with open arms. Walk-on players, such as Eric Helmrich,  made huge strides over the season and ended up making an impact on the team. This year, we have one walk-on player, Eric Molinaro.  His story is rather unique in the world of college sports.  Not only did Eric walk-on to our team, his girlfriend, Nicole Van Loan, walked on to the softball team.  It’s not every day high school sweethearts are able to come to the same college and walk on to Division I teams.

The two have been in a relationship for three years and decided that it would be cool to attend the same college. Not being too far from home (30 minutes) was also a factor in their decisions. Nicole decided before coming to Marist that she was going to try out for the team with the support from Eric. Eric was unsure of whether he would try out for the baseball team.  In the end he decided that he would regret it if he didn't try out. With both sport's rigorous travel schedules, they have found support from each other as they undergo the taxing experience that is Division I athletics.

In the mean time we are in Richmond, Virginia to face off against the University of Richmond for a weekend series. We will be checking back in after the weekend to fill everyone in on how it went. 

Big Leagues... For a Day

Garret and Red Sox 3B Kevin Youkilis

One of the greatest college baseball traditions comes in early spring training every February.  The Boston College baseball team travels down to Fort Meyers, Florida and plays an exhibition game against the Boston Red Sox.  My best friend, Garret Smith a high school teammate of mine (Chad), plays catcher for Boston College.  I asked him to write about what it is like as a college athlete to play against not only a major league team, but a team that we both grew up loving.

In New England, it’s every kids dream to one day grow up and play for the Boston Red Sox. As a senior at Boston College, I get the opportunity to play the Red Sox every year during our spring break trip. As a freshman, our coach threw me into the fire when he put me into the starting lineup against the Sox. It was a dream of a life time; I was a boy amongst men. I never thought in a million years I would be playing against my favorite team.  I was slated to face one of the best arms in the majors, Josh Beckett. When I heard the news that we were going to face Beckett, I told my friends I was going to take him deep, but the chances of that were like winning the lottery.  Facing Beckett was an experience I will never forget, actually making contact with a pitch was a plus for my confidence.

During batting practice we get the chance to meet the players that we see on NESN every night. This was the best part of the whole day because we try to pick all the guys brains and watch their routines, getting insight to how big leaguers go about their business. Everything they hit was hard and to the gaps with most of them hitting monstrous homeruns.  They made everything look so easy.  Why couldn’t I make it look that easy? That’s why they are in the show, everything they did screamed big league.

When it came down to game time, it was just like any other game. Coaches say the opponent is nameless and faceless, but that is thrown out the window once you play the Red Sox. I caught the first inning of this year’s game, which is the best time to catch because that’s when the heart of the lineup comes to bat. I am welcomed with a nice greeting from Marco Scutaro, Dustin Pedroia, David Ortiz and Kevin Youkilis. I try and make mini conversation with them about chicks, their gear and whatever is relevant at the time. When it comes down to it, they are genuinely nice guys.

Over the past few years I have become particularly friendly with Kevin Youkilis.  Kevin and I have worked out in the off-season at Boston College hitting together.  I have found Kevin to be a very friendly and down-to-earth guy.  He is always willing to help me with my swing or any infield tips.  We share baseball stories, even though his are way cooler than the ones I have to share.  I will miss the whole Red Sox experience during the beginning of every season.  The whole day is a great experience for both teams, it shows us what it’s like to make it to the top, and it shows the big league guys how much passion us college guys have about the game. It was a blast every year to play one of the greatest baseball teams of all time. This game reminds me every year why baseball is the greatest sport on earth.  

The Eagles lost to the Red Sox on Saturday 6-0.  Despite being shut out it was a day that all of the Eagles will never forget.  As for us, we conclude our weekend in North Carolina tomorrow (Sunday) morning.  We will be back in Poughkeepsie on Monday when we will check back in. In the mean time check out Kyle and I featured on the College Baseball Insider this past Friday!

Hope you all enjoyed your weekend!

Back to Reality

After losing the third and final game of the series on Sunday, bringing us to a 1-2 record on the weekend, it was time to board the bus for a thirteen hour ride back to Poughkeepsie.  Before we actually started the long journey home, we made a brief stop at the Johnson City Wal-Mart to stock up on food and drinks.  This Wal-Mart stop has become a customary practice for the Marist ball squad.  Leaving the nice weather of the south is hard enough and to make matters worse, we found out that school was getting hit with a snow storm.  After traveling through the night, we arrived back on campus just after 6:30 a.m., just in time for 8:00 a.m. classes.  I can tell you from experience there is nothing quite like riding a bus for 13 hours only to attend four classes.  Balancing school and baseball during the season is always tough.  When we’re on the road we have to keep in constant contact with professors to find out what is happening in the classroom.  We do receive class excuse forms for the days we are traveling; however, we do not get excuse forms for assignments, so staying on top of things is crucial.

Being a pitcher is a very unique position; when you’re out on the mound everything is on you.  The other eight guys on the field count on you to get the other guys out as quick as possible.  As starting pitchers, we get one game every week to go out there and give our guys the best chance to win.  There is no better feeling than pitching well and giving your team a chance to win.  On the other hand, when you go out there and don't perform well enough to win, you feel like the weight of the world is on your shoulders.  In either case, you itch for that next time you get your chance to compete.  Being a starting pitcher is tough in that you are constantly waiting for your next chance to help your team.  Position players have to wait, at most, three innings until they get another at bat.  A week can sometimes feel like an eternity when you are waiting for your next shot on the bump.

This week we will be heading down south again to the University of North Carolina at Wilmington.  We will play UNC-W on Friday, the University of West Virginia on Saturday, and Miami-Ohio on Sunday.  Looking ahead to these three very quality opponents, a good week of practice and preparation is key. 

Well, we need to get back to hammering out school work before practice.  We will check in later on in the week when we dig ourselves out of the snow back here in Poughkeepsie.