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Falcons Look To Power Past Competition in 2009

The Fitchburg State baseball team is ready and focused as it enters the 2009 season determined to make a name for itself within the Massachusetts State College Athletic Conference (MASCAC). Under second year, head coach Todd Lynch, the Falcons are ready to maximize their potential and soar into the MASCAC playoffs.

In the off-season, Fitchburg State was very active, adding seven transfers and six freshmen to its solid core of veterans. "We brought in some solid talent this off-season," said Lynch. "If we continue to hit like we do and our pitching reaches its potential, we should be in the hunt for the MASCAC playoffs."

OFFENSE

Last season, Fitchburg State had a very explosive offense, ranking among the top three in the MASCAC in batting average (2nd), triples (2nd), homeruns (3rd), slugging percentage (2nd) and on-base percentage (2nd). This season, the Falcons will turn to the foursome of senior Kris Breen (Griswold, Conn./Griswold), junior Andy Sauer (Willington, Conn./E.O. Smith), senior Aaron Granahan (Thomaston, Conn./Thomaston) and sophomore Ricky Graham (Walpole, Mass./Walpole) to pave the path of offensive production.

Graham and Sauer return as the top offensive players from the 2008 season and will look to repeat their performance this year. Last season, Graham appeared in 24 games for the Falcons, ranking second on the team with a .400 batting average, posting 18 runs, a team-high eight doubles, two homeruns, and 21 RBI. Sauer was also solid for the Falcons, seeing action in all 32 games while tallying a .355 batting average (5th), 30 runs (1st), seven doubles (2nd), two triples (2nd), three homeruns (3rd) and 25 RBI (1st).

Breen, a MASCAC All-Conference second team nominee, looks to continue his offensive prowess in the 2009 campaign after leading Fitchburg State with a team-high five homeruns and 20 RBI last season. Granahan will round out the Falcons top four explosive hitters after registering a respectable 2008 season (.287 BA, 21 runs, 25 hits, 5 2B, 12 RBI), while newcomers Will Comerford (Ayer, Mass./Ayer), Chris Smart (Lowell, Mass./Lowell) and Patrick Hughes (North Port, Fla./North Port) looked to make an immediate impact in their first season as a Falcon.

INFIELD

Fitchburg State enters to the 2009 season with a veteran crew patrolling the diamond. Returning infielders Kris Breen (1B), Aaron Granahan (2B) and sophomore second baseman John Phelan (Walpole, Mass./Walpole) will continue their roles in the infield,  while sophomore transfer Chris Smart will anchor the Falcons at the hot-corner (3B). Breen and Granahan will look to lead the Falcons defensively, after combining for  114 put-outs and 66 assists last season.

Leading the Falcons behind the plate will be sophomore transfer Will Comerford. Comerford, an Ayer, Mass. native, comes to Fitchburg State after playing one season at Northeast-10 powerhouse UMass Lowell. Comerford saw limited action for the Riverhawks, posting three runs, one double and one walk in 12 at-bats.

Sophomore A.J. Balderelli (Holland, Mass./Tantasqua Regional), a MASCAC All-Conference second team honoree, will battle Comerford for the starting catchers role after coming a successful rookie campaign. In his inaugural season, Balderelli ranked in the top four in most offensive categories, including batting average (.369), runs (21), doubles (7), triples (2), homeruns (4) and RBI (25). Behind the dish, Balderelli was just as solid, totaling a .949 fielding percentage while throwing out eight base-runners.

OUTFIELD

The Falcons will also have a slew of veterans roaming the outfield as rookie Patrick Hughes joins upperclassmen Andy Sauer and Ricky Graham. Hughes will lock-down the centerfield spot, while Sauer and Graham will control the left field and right field corners respectively. Last season, Sauer ranked third on the team with a .981 fielding percentage, totaling 43 put-outs and ten assists from the outfield.

PITCHING

Fitchburg State will boast a five man rotation this season as the Falcons look to maximize their potential on the mound. Andy Sauer will anchor the Falcons pitching staff after posting a 6.40 ERA over 32.1 innings and seven appearances last season. Junior Nick Ryan (Lowell, Mass./Lowell) will fill the No. 2 spot for the Falcons, while sophomore Steve Donah (Agawam, Mass./Agawam), freshman Tyler Kendrick (Montague, Mass./Smith Academy) and senior Jake Barbarotta (Pittsfield, Mass./Pittsfield) round out the Falcons starting five.

Senior Dennis Jennette (East Brookfield, Mass./East Brookfield) and junior Corey Donovan (Lowell, Mass./Lowell) will spearhead the Falcons reliever core as Fitchburg State has added a wealth of depth to its staff. Jeannette will be looking to get back to his 2005 season form where he made 13 appearances for the Falcons, posting a 3.15 ERA with 20.0 innings pitched, 11 strikeouts and only seven walks.  Donovan also adds experience to the Falcons bullpen having appeared in 16 career contests with 25.2 innings under his belt and 17 strikeouts.

Freshman Perry Russo (East Hartford, Conn./East Hartford), sophomore Mike Scaramellino (Dover Plains, N.Y./Dover) and Patrick Hughes will also be relied upon in the Fitchburg State pen, while junior Marshall Miller, III (Greenfield, Mass./Greenfield) and Chris Smart battle it out for the closer's role.

SCHEDULE

Fitchburg State will have a challenging 2009 schedule as it hosts only nine contests out of its 34 game schedule. "It doesn't really matter where our games are played," said Lynch. "The game is the same no matter what field you are on, and our players will be expected to perform just the same." The Falcons open up their season with eight games in six days at the RussMatt Baseball Central Florida Invitational (3/7-3/12). The Falcons start tournament off with a doubleheader vs. Colby Sawyer College, while also facing New England rivals Rhode Island College, Emerson College, Gordon College and WPI. Fitchburg State will then return home to battle WPI (3/18), Fisher College (3/24) and Anna Maria College (3/26), before opening conference play with a Saturday afternoon doubleheader at Westfield State (3/28).