The Anglers started fast last summer but cooled off significantly and ended up finishing in last place in the East. Chatham was fourth in the league in ERA but last in batting average.
2010 Notes
Southern Cal’s Ricky Oropesa got off to a quick start and did finish tied for the league lead in home runs with seven. But he also hit .222 and led the league in strikeouts. Still, I’d expect a big junior season for him.
Like Oropesa, Siena’s Dan Paolini got off to a good start, and it looked like the two of them could carry the Anglers. Paolini ended up hitting .200, though, with just one home run. While that performance may have raised a few questions, Paolini is still the top player and top 2011 prospect in his conference. Baseball America featured him last week.
Pepperdine’s Brian Humphries had a solid summer for Chatham, hitting .253 with 12 doubles. Baseball America has selected him as a preseason all-conference pick.
Vanderbilt’s Aaron Westlake emerged as Chatham’s top hitter as the summer went on and he closed out his season with a .292 average and five home runs, good enough for all-league honors. He’s a preseason all-conference pick and he’s rated by BA as the 66th best college prospect in the nation.
Baylor’s Logan Verrett was consistently great last summer, ranking as one of the top pitchers in the league. He finished with a 0.87 ERA and earned all-league honors. He was also Chatham’s top prospect, checking in at No. 19 on BA’s list.
2011 Notes
The Anglers currently list five returning players, a group headed by sophomores Beau Amaral and Stephen Perez. Both had their struggles last summer, but they’re two pretty good players to build around.
Maine sophomore pitcher Jeff Gibbs was on the Chatham roster last spring but didn’t make it for the summer. The native of Canada had a great first season at Maine, finishing with a 3.94 ERA and 74 strikeouts in 75 innings. He’s a BA preseason all-conference pick this year and out-ranks Nick Tropeano on the list of top America East prospects.
Hudson Randall is part of a deep Florida pitching staff that has the Gators ranked No. 1 in the country. He was second on the team in ERA as a freshman.
I don’t know if Ithaca has ever sent a player to the Cape, but relief pitcher Tucker Healy is set to go this year. A junior, Healy had a 1.17 ERA last spring and was named the top relief pitcher in the NECBL over the summer.
In Pepperdine pitcher Scott Frazier and San Diego infielder Kris Bryant, the Anglers have two of BA’s top three newcomers in the West Coast Conference. Frazier drew major attention last spring when he struck out 18 in a no-hitter during the high-school season. He was then drafted in the fifth round. Bryant was an 18th-round pick out of high school.
South Carolina’s Evan Marzilli came on late last season and was a key part of South Carolina’s run to the College World Series championship. He kept his personal momentum going by flashing big potential in a short stint in the NECBL. BA had him as the league’s fifth-best prospect.
