Thompson chosen as NECBL Top Pro Prospect

KEENE, N.H. – Keene Swamp Bats right-handed pitcher Jeff Thompson (Greenville, IN/Louisville) has earned New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL) Top Pro Prospect and NECBL First-Team honors from the league and coaches, it was announced earlier today.

Thompson posted dominant numbers in the 2011 regular season going 2-2 overall with a 1.90 earned run average (ERA) in eight games (all starts). Thompson, a right-hander from Louisville, finished third in the league in strikeouts with 53 on the season in 38 innings pitched while only issuing 15 walks and giving up 27 hits.

Over his eight starts, Thompson held opponents to a miniscule .197 batting average and compiled a 3.53:1 strikeout-to-walk ratio and a 1.1053 walks-plus-hits-per-innings-pitched (WHIP).

In the NECBL Playoffs, Thompson outperformed his regular season totals.

Thompson matched his regular season wins total in only two starts going 2-0 with a 0.70 ERA. In those two starts, the right-hander pitched twelve-and-two-thirds innings allowing seven hits, four walks and one earned run. Thompson struck out 15 over his 12-plus innings of work and held opponents to a .156 batting average.

Thompson capped his stellar summer in his last start of the playoffs blanking the Holyoke Blue Sox, 4-0, over six-plus innings in game three of the Western Division Championship striking out 10 batters at home to push Keene into the NECBL Championship Series.

Thompson’s 10-strikeout performance against the Blue Sox on August 8th matched his season-high from earlier in the summer as the 6-foot-6 righty punched out 10 in a 7-6 win over the Mystic Schooners on July 8.

Thompson is the second Keene Swamp Bat two win the award in recent years as Adam Conley (Washington State) garnered Top Pro Prospect honors in 2009. Conley was most recently taken in the second round (72nd overall) in the 2011 Major League Baseball (MLB) First-Year Player Draft.

Chittenden lauded by NECBL for defensive wizardy

KEENE, NH - Keene Swamp Bats shortstop Alex Chittenden (Indianapolis, IN/Louisville) has earned New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL) Top Defensive Player of the Year and NECBL First-Team honors from the NECBL and its coaches, it was announced earlier today.

Chittenden guided the Swamp Bats to a pair of franchise records on defense en route to helping Keene capture its first NECBL title in eight seasons.

The freshman shortstop compiled a .968 fielding percentage in 40 games played during the regular season aiding the Swamp Bats defense to a franchise-best 42 double plays turned, three shy of the NECBL record, and a franchise-record .973 fielding percentage. No other team in Keene’s 14-year history has ever had a fielding percentage of .970 or above.

Chittenden led the league in assists with 123 on the season, 34 ahead of the second-place contender, and was second in putouts. His .968 fielding percentage was tops in the league for the 2011 season at the shortstop position.

The Louisville product also had a fine season at the plate hitting .298 (45-of-151) with 31 runs scored (third overall in the league), seven doubles, four home runs and 29 runs batted in. Chittenden also posted an .816 on-base plus slugging percentage (OPS), .424 slugging percentage (SLG) and a .392 on-base percentage (OBP).

Testo honored as NECBL Manager of the Year

KEENE, N.H. - Keene Swamp Bats manager Marty Testo (Troy, N.Y./Keene State) has earned New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL) Manager of the Year honors from the NECBL and its coaches, it was announced earlier today.

Testo guided the Swamp Bats to its first NECBL Title in eight seasons this summer by sweeping the Laconia Muskrats 2-0 in a best-of-three series. Testo and the rest of his coaching staff which consists of two other Keene State College coaches (Dan Moylan and John Raiola) helped Keene capture its third Fay Vincent Trophy overall in the franchise’s 14-year history.

Under Testo’s leadership, the Swamp Bats posted a Western Division regular season leading 28-14 overall record earning the no.1 seed in the division for the playoffs. By earning the best record in the Western Division, Testo was chosen to manage the Western Division in the NECBL All-Star Game for the second time in his career this past season.

In his four seasons in the league, Testo has compiled a 99-66 overall record in the regular season and one NECBL championship. Testo’s 99-66 record is good enough for a .600 winning percentage.

DeLoach, Williams selected to NECBL Second-Team

KEENE, N.H. - Brett DeLoach (Blackshear, GA/Georgia) and Taylor Williams (Camas, WA/Washington St.) have been selected to the New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL) Second-Team by the NECBL and its coaches, it was announced earlier today.

DeLoach was chosen as a designated hitter to the NECBL Second-Team after posting a .305 batting average (40-for-131) with 20 runs scored, six doubles, one triple and 32 runs batted in.

The right-handed hitter from Georgia was also instrumental to the Swamp Bats run to the NECBL Title compiling numbers worthy of Most Valuable Players honors, if the award was given out.

In the postseason, DeLoach hit .400 (12-for-30) with 11 runs scored, two doubles, one triple, six round-trippers and 15 RBI’s. He led all players in the playoffs in homers and runs batted in launching at least one home run in his last three games played and two in the NECBL Championship contest.

Williams was dominant throughout the regular season at the top of Keene’s rotation as the right-handed pitcher led the league in wins with a 6-1 overall record. During the regular season, Williams sported a 2.18 earned run average (ERA) on 41.1 innings pitched. The right-hander from Washington State University struck out 41 batters while walking 16 and giving up 27 hits.

In the postseason, Williams went 1-0 in his only start with a 2.57 ERA in an 8-5 win over the Holyoke Blue Sox that forced a decisive game three in the Western Division Championship Series. Williams went seven innings with four punchouts, three hits and two walks in his only outing.

Swamp Bats complete NECBL Championship Series sweep of Muskrats with 7-1 triumph

Swamp Bats complete NECBL Championship Series sweep of Muskrats with 7-1 triumph
- Mayberry strikes out a season high 11 batters on six innings pitched

LACONIA NH – Right-handed pitcher Whit Mayberry (Alexandria, VA/Virginia) struck out a season-high 11 batters over six innings of work and Brett DeLoach (Blackshear, GA/Georgia) launched two homers to lead Keene to its third New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL) championship in franchise history with a 7-1 victory over Laconia in game two of the NECBL Championship Series on Wednesday night at Robbie Mills Park.

The Swamp Bats end an eight-year drought having won its last NECBL Title in 2003 over the Torrington Twisters. Keene also defeated the Rhode Island Gulls in 2000 starting a string of four consecutive appearances in the NECBL Championship ending in 2003. The Swamp Bats are now 3-2 in the NECBL Championship Series losing to Newport in back-to-back seasons in 2001 and 2002.

Mayberry earned his second win of the postseason on six innings of work, yielding one run (earned), on four hits, no walks and 11 punchouts. The right-hander fanned at least one batter in every inning and struck out the side in the fifth after giving up a leadoff home run to Kevin Mortimer (Spencer, MA/Trinity).

Mayberry surpasses teammates Jeff Thompson (Greenville, IN/Louisville) and Taylor Williams (Camas, WA/Washington St.) for the single-game high this season as both pitchers were tied at 10 strikeouts. Thompson recorded the feat twice once in the regular season and the other against Holyoke in game three of the Western Division Championship Series.

Chris Costantino (Lincoln, RI/Walters St. CC) suffered the loss on five innings pitched, four runs (all earned), five hits, two walks and eight punchouts.

Eddie Medina (Staten Island, NY/St. John’s) pitched the final three innings of the contest, all scoreless, to record his third save in the NECBL Playoffs.

DeLoach opened the scoring for the Swamp Bats in the second lifting a full-count curveball over the left field fence off of Costantino for a 1-0 lead.

After Colby May (Guyton, GA/Georgia) and Esteban Gomez (Brooklyn, NY/San Jacinto) notched back-to-back singles from and Brett Barrett (Keene, NH/Southern Maine) drew an eight pitch walk, Costantino handed Keene a 2-0 advantage with a wild pitch to the backstop.

Costantino limited any further damage in the frame retiring Michael Burruss (Marietta, GA/Georgia Southern) on pop out in foul territory and Curt Powell (Knoxville, TN/Tennessee) on a strikeout swinging.

In the third, centerfielder Kevin Brown (Northborough, MA/Bryant) extended the Swamp Bats gap to 3-0 with a solo home run to right centerfield.

Gomez pushed Keene to a 4-0 lead in the fourth driving home May – who walked to leadoff the inning – with a triple down the right field line for his second hit on the night.

Laconia cut into the deficit in the bottom of the fifth inning, 4-1, as Mortimer launched a first pitch fastball offering from Mayberry over the centerfield wall immediately after a 45-minute rain delay.

The Swamp Bats put the game away in the seventh on a run-producing single from Brown and a two-run homer from DeLoach to make it 7-1. DeLoach ends this postseason with six home runs total hitting at least one longball in each of his last three games consecutively.

Gomez fell a home run shy of the cycle getting a single in the first inning, an RBI triple in the fourth and a double in the eighth. The left fielder finished the night going 4-for-4 at the plate with one run batted in pacing the Swamp Bats offense along with DeLoach who finished 2-for-4 with two runs scored, a pair of home runs and three runs batted in.

All-New Hampshire final between Swamp Bats and Muskrats featured in the Union Leader

Last night’s game between the Keene Swamp Bats and the Laconia Muskrats was featured in the Union Leader today.

Check out Jim Fennell’s story on Keene’s 10-3 victory over the Muskrats.

Keene gets the jump in all-NH NECBL Finals – Jim Fennell

Swamp Bats offense powers Keene past Laconia in game one of the NECBL Championship Series

KEENE, NH – Right fielder/first baseman Esteban Gomez (Brooklyn, NY/San Jacinto) went 2-for-5 with a two-run home run to centerfield in fifth inning and three runs batted in to lead Keene over Laconia, 10-3, in game one of the New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL) Championship Series on Tuesday night at Alumni Field in front of 1,015 fans.

The Swamp Bats have a chance to capture their third NECBL Title in franchise history tomorrow night at Robbie Mills Park against Laconia with first pitch scheduled for 6:05 pm. Keene defeated the Rhode Island Gulls for its first championship in 2000 and captured its last title in 2003 against the Torrington Twisters.

David Mahoney (Colchester, CT/UConn) earned the win in relief of Keene starter Tyler Skulina (Strongsivlle, OH/Kent St.) on two-and-two-thirds scoreless innings of work, a pair of hits, no walks and three strikeouts. Skulina went four-and-one-thirds yielding five hits, three runs (one earned), four walks and one punchout.

Laconia starter Justin Wiley (Cape Vincent, NY/Iona) suffered the loss pitching five innings on six runs (all earned), nine hits, three walks and a game-high six strikeouts.

In the second inning, Keene opened up the scoring with some clutch two-out hitting.

Down in the count 0-2 with the bases loaded, second baseman Curt Powell (Knoxville, TN/Georgia) laced a two-run single through the right side of the infield plating David Lyon (Emporium, PA/Kent St.) and Colby May (Guyton, GA/Georgia) for a 2-0 advantage. Alex Chittenden (Indianapolis, IN/Louisville) made it 3-0 with an RBI single up the middle scoring Tom Conley (Quincy, MA/UMass-Amherst) who extended the inning with a two-out walk before Powell drove in a pair of runs.

Laconia responded in the next half inning as Chris Costantino (Lincoln, RI/Walters St. CC) drew a bases loaded walk with two outs bringing home Kevin Mortimer (Spencer, MA/Trinity) who singled to leadoff the frame. Skulina limited any further damage inducing catcher Dylan Kelly (Roswell, GA/Middle GA Coll.) to pop-out to end the threat.

In the fifth, the Muskrats tied up the contest at 3-3 on Costantino’s second RBI of the night – a single to centerfield off of Skulina – and a Kelly sacrifice fly to left field. With one out, John Ziznewski (Staten Island, NY/Rockland CC) reached on a fielding error and Bijan Rademacher (Anaheim Hills, CA/Cal St. Fullerton) walked to setup the scoring inning.

Brett DeLoach (Blackshear, GA/Georgia) reclaimed the lead for Keene immediately in the bottom half of the inning blasting a first-pitch fastball off of the Alumni Field scoreboard for his fourth home run this postseason and a 4-3 gap. After Lyon struck out looking and May notched a single through the left side of the infield, Esteban Gomez (Brooklyn, NY/San Jacinto) crushed a two-run shot to centerfield to push the score to 6-3.

In the sixth, Kevin Brown (Northborough, MA/Bryant) gave the Swamp Bats a 7-3 lead knocking in Chittenden from first base with a double to deep centerfield. Lyon increased the deficit to 8-3 with a sacrifice fly to centerfield plating Brown from third base. Brown advanced to third after his double as the Muskrats attempted to throw out Chittenden at home plate.

Keene added a pair in eighth as Chittenden launched a leadoff homer to right field and Gomez collected his third RBI of the night drive home DeLoach who singled earlier in the inning.

Swamp Bats relief pitcher Brad Monroe (Hampton, NH/Southern NH) finished out the remainder of the contest with a pair of scoreless innings. Monroe yielded just one hit while striking out three batters.

Notes: Powell now has a five-game postseason hitting streak after going 3-for-5 at the plate in tonight’s game… Powell has hit safely now in 13 out of his last 14 contests including regular season games dating back to July 19… In Powell’s last five games he has collected 12 hits with 11 being singles… DeLoach now has four home runs this postseason and 12 runs batted in… The last player to hit at least four home runs and drive in double digit RBI’s was Kyle Conley (Newport Gulls) in 2008 with five round-trippers and 13 runs batted in.