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Rutland Herald Spring Sports Guide 2019
BASEBALL
MVL boasts baseball contenders
By Bob Fredette
”He’s only getting smarter and
better,” the coach said of his catcher.
Newcomers Evan Reed and Shawn
Clark, and the versatile Andrew Lan-
thier — “He can play anywhere,” said
Greenlese — will also pitch.
The Slaters host Otter Valley, their
biggest Marble Valley League rival, in
the opener on April 8.
Staff Writer
T
here’ll be no baseball this
spring at West Rutland, Twin
Valley and Long Trail, and
their would-be opponents are scram-
bling to fi ll out their schedules. Some
Marble Valley League teams will face
one another three times this year, and
look for some smaller schools to be
playing up a rung or even two.
But it’s hardly all bad baseball news.
Fair Haven and Otter Valley will
resume one of the league’s best rivalries
in a year when both Division II teams
could be powerhouses; Poultney is
loaded for a run at the D-IV crown
and will have company in a talent-rich
Black River Presidents team; in Chester,
Green Mountain is gearing up for
another run at the D-III title that
eluded the Chieftains in last year’s
fi nals.
There are new coaches in town at
Mill River (Brandson LaFerriere) and
Springfi eld (Justin Devoid) but one of
the loop’s, and state’s, most familiar
bench bosses will have his last hurrah
when Black River’s Jim O’Neil calls it
quits after this, his 31st year.
Black River
Don’t weep for O’Neil, a vibrant
personality who has likely enjoyed every
moment of his time at Black River.
Besides, O’Neil has a chance to go
out a big winner.
”I’m feeling pretty good about
things,” the likeable skipper said. “I’m
looking forward to going out with the
seniors who started with me as fresh-
men.”Black River bowed out of last
year’s D-IV tournament in the semifi -
nals but has the chops to get back there
and perhaps beyond. The Presidents
return prolifi c hitters like Zack Paul (a
.500 batting average over the last three
years; he should get his 100th career
Green Mountain
ROBERT LAYMAN / STAFF PHOTO
Otter Valley’s Jack Adams, right, slides safe into third just before the ball is caught by
Mill River’s Spencer Ahearn during Friday’s varsity baseball game in Clarendon.
base hit this season), Ryan Boyle (.460)
and Drew Kubisek (.400) and have the
arms to get through a stop-and-start
spring season.
Black River does not schedule games
during spring vacation week and will
eventually be looking a three- or four-
game-a-week schedule.
Paul, Boyle, Kubisek and underclass-
man Josh Cohen make up a strong,
overall experienced staff and will
shoulder the pitching load. Cohen
is trying to iron out command on a
knuckleball that he will throw about 40
percent of the time. The running joke
at camp has to do with how many of his
teammates Cohen hits while throwing
batting practice.
”It has nice movement when he gets
it over the plate,” O’Neil said.
Cohen (fi rst base), Travis Blake
(second), Boyle (shortstop) and Aaron
Merrill (third) make up the infi eld and
Kubisek, Paul and Bowen Stark the
outfi eld.
The Presidents will open at Proctor
on April 10 and it can’t happen soon
enough.
“We should have a really good club
this year,” O’Neil said. “The kids are all
excited and they’re really enjoying it
and putting in a lot of hard work.”
So has O’Neil: 31 years worth.
Fair Haven
The Slaters bring back one of
the best core groups in the Marble
Valley League and are eager to erase
the memory of a one-run loss in the
quarterfi nals at Lake Region, last year’s
eventual champion.
“I have a lot of high hopes and I
think the boys do, too,” said coach
Adam Greenlese.
The Slaters have plenty of pitching
back as well as guys who can hit for
average and power, and they have
plenty of speed on the base paths.
Aubrey Ramey assumes the role of
No. 1 on the mound.
“He’s looking sharp right now,”
Greenlese said.
Parker Morse has good off-speed
stuff, which he showed during Ameri-
can Legion ball last summer, and is in
the rotation along with starting center
fi elder Aaron Szabo, who moved from
catcher last year to make room for
Dylan Lee, who is behind the plate
again.
Green Mountain nearly won the
Division III title last year and it might
not be long before the Chieftains get
such an opportunity again.
The Chieftains lost just a few players,
return plenty of experience and have
a freshman/sophomore contingent of
more than a dozen. They carry just two
juniors and two seniors this season.
“Three or four of the freshmen came
ready to show what they have. I think
they’re going to be good ballplayers,”
said coach Matt McCarthy.
The Chieftains start off with Rex Hill
on the mound again (5-0 with a 1.98
ERA last year).
Green Mountain gets Keegan Ewald
back after a forced year off due to an
ACL injury — “I’m hoping he’s going
to be a coach on the fi eld,” said McCa-
rthy — to hold down the hot corner
in an infi eld that includes Hill (.375)
and Dylan McCarthy at shortstop, Jacob
Turner at second and power-hitting
Sawyer Pippin (.341) at fi rst base.
McCarthy is coming off a season
where he batted .431.
Skyler Klezos, last year’s backup to
star Ryan McSalley, is behind the plate.
McCarthy will bring a nice curveball
to the starting rotation, Ty Merrill will
bring some gas and Jason Thomas a
crafty approach.
The Chieftains open at Poultney on
April 10.
Baseball continued on page 11