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Summer Collegiate  | Story  | 8/22/2018

Blue Sox top Summer Team

Nate Schweers     
Photo: Valley Blue Sox (NECBL)

PG/Rawlings Summer Collegiate Player of the Year: Austin Shenton

After winning their second consecutive title in the always-competitive New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL) the Valley Blue Sox have been named the 2018 Perfect Game/Rawlings Summer Collegiate Team of the Year.

Similar to 2017, the Blue Sox followed up an impressive regular season with a perfect run through the postseason to capture the NECBL title. Long summers full of ups and downs describe most college summer teams, and the Blue Sox were able to get hot at the right time yet again.

“It was really a special group of guys we had out here for sure,” said head coach and newly appointed Director of Baseball Operations John Raiola. “There is a lot of stuff that goes into this thing. It was a rewarding year, and winning an award like this is certainly a special honor.”

The Blue Sox were able to reach the NECBL postseason again this year after a great start and finish to the regular season. After starting the 2018 summer with a 6-2 record, the Blue Sox were able to find similar success at the end of July, winning eight of their last 10 regular season games.

After what can be a grueling season in the NECBL, the Blue Sox were able to seemingly dominate their two playoff series’ to capture a second straight title. After three straight two-run victories in their first three games of the playoffs, the Blue Sox were able to cap off the summer in style with a 19-6 championship win over the Ocean State Waves.

“You know, putting together a great season is truly a year long process,” Raiola added. “Really it is about doing our research to find the right mix of guys that we think will complement each other well. We want to find guys that love coming to the ballpark every day.”

The Blue Sox certainly had a good mix of talent on this year’s team, and they had a few players that really stood out during the 2018 campaign. One of those standout performers was Marist College infielder Tyler Kapuscinski. Kapuscinski batted .376 during the 2018 season, collecting 10 doubles, three home runs, and 19 RBI.

The Blue Sox also received an excellent summer from Andre Marrero. The junior from West Springfield, Massachusetts batted .301 over his team-leading 146 at-bats during the NECBL regular season. Marrero, who attends Quinnipiac University during the school year, also connected for a home run and three RBI during the perfect playoff run.

On the mound, the Blue Sox got a number of quality starts from the league’s Top Starting Pitcher award winner Endy Morales. Morales, who attends Southern New Hampshire University, held a 6-0 record in his eight starts this summer. The righthander was able to maintain a 1.13 ERA and he struck out 39 batters in 48 innings of work.

One of the biggest challenges for any summer baseball organization can be keeping players around for the entire summer. Most of these players have just finished long seasons at their respective colleges, but coach Raiola believes the guys they bring in all want to be their the entire time and succeed.

“We tend to get a lot of guys that feel that obligation to stay. They recognize what the organization has done for them, and they want to stay and stick it out and hopefully do something special. Our front office and community also do a great job of treating the players well and making it an easy decision to stay.”

One of those front office members that is working to make the Valley Blue Sox organization one of the best in the country is newly appointed General Manager Chris Weyant. Weyant, who will take over the General Manager duties heading into next summer, believes that his team is quickly becoming a destination spot for ballplayers.

“I think that first of all, we have a really fun team. We have a fun product on the field and a fun product at the park,” said Weyant. “I think that over the last couple years we have done a really good job with that. We had a really good team that went a combined 34-12 this year, and all kinds of people are telling us about how much fun they had at the park this summer.”

Similar to Raiola, Weyant is extremely happy with the commitment to staying the players have had over the last two years. Similar faces on the field make it easier for members of the community to connect with players and support the team.

“I think we really have a team identity that matches that of western Massachusetts. We were able to lose some guys to injury, but we had such a strong group of guys with such good character. If someone struggled one night, another guy really did well that night.”

With new front office personnel leading the way for this Valley Blue Sox organization, John Raiola has been one of the constants, and has deserved some much deserved recognition this summer. Raiola was named the NECBL coach of the year by the league last week, and it is an award he feels truly honored to receive.

“It feels great to get that recognition. I was able to be the head coach of the all-star game as well since we were leading the league at the time, but that is all a product of these kids,” said Raiola. “I certainly wouldn't be the coach of the year if our guys didn't play hard and do everything that they did. The whole thing right up and down the line starts with how committed these guys were this summer.”

With back-to-back championships in the rearview mirror, the Valley Blue Sox will celebrate this latest championship before focusing on creating a dynasty in the NECBL as time continues. With a foundation in the community that supports the players, and a front office that is making games a fun experience for all, expect the Blue Sox to continue making noise on the summer circuit for quite some time.


2018 PG/Rawlings Summer Collegiate Team of the Year Finalists:

• Corvallis Knights (West Coast)
• Mat-Su Miners (Alaska)
• Jamestown Jammers (Perfect Game)


Previous PG/Rawlings Summer Collegiate Teams of the Year:

2006: Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox (Cape Cod)
2007: Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox (Cape Cod)
2008: Santa Barbara Foresters (California)
2009: Forest City Owls (Coastal Plain)
2010: Eau Claire Express (Northwoods)
2011: Bethesda Big Train (Cal Ripken)
2012: Newport Gulls (New England)
2013: Brazos Valley Bombers (Texas)
2014: Lakeshore Chinooks (Northwoods)
2015: Edenton Steamers (Coastal Plain)
2016: Yarmouth-Dennis (Cape Cod)
2017: Charlottesville Tom Sox (Valley)
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