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JUCO BASEBALL: NCCC heads south to face top competition
Matt Clingersmith can’t wait to find out if his team is good enough to win a World Series.
Last spring, Niagara County Community College proved to be the best among its peers in the region, going 34-7 before finding itself overmatched in two games at the Division III national championship tournament in Tyler, Texas.
With what he considers an even more talented roster this year, Clingersmith has frontloaded the Trailblazers’ 2010 schedule with powerful programs, turning a spring training trip to Vero Beach, Fla., into postseason preparation.
NCCC flies down south this morning and starts its season Thursday against Connecticut Avery Point, a nationally ranked Division II team. On Friday, the Trailblazers go up against the second-ranked Division III team in the country, Heartland (Ill.) Community College.
“They’re a scholarship program, with guys who are draft picks. They send several guys to the major Division I conferences every year. That’s where I want to get with this program,” said Clingersmith, a Niagara Falls native who is in his fourth year as NCCC coach.
“We’re starting to get respect in the junior college world, and I’m out to play the best teams we can. We want to play good teams and see what we’re made of. I learned quickly in the World Series that we weren’t ready for a team like Heartland. They’re at a different level. This year, I scheduled them early to say, ‘Here’s where we need to be at.’”
Clingersmith said this year’s team has the talent to take that step, so long as they “come to the park focused every day.”
Like last year, the Trailblazers will boast a strong pitching staff led by aces Matthew Whidden and Paul McKenna.
“Those two guys throw in the upper-80s, touch 90s, and each have five or six D-I offers,” Clingersmith said.
Catcher and cleanup hitter Evan Baglieri, an early signee with Division II Gannon, was adamant that the Trailblazers have “the best pitching staff in the league.”
Joining Whidden and McKenna in the rotation will be all-Western New Yorkers Carl Graff (Niagara-Wheatfield) and James Tronolone (Canisius).
The starting infield right now consists of all sophomores who have all gotten some Division I consideration: first baseman Ryan Turner, third baseman Joe Haak, shortstop Ryan Maholtra, whom Clingersmith calls the defensive equal of last year’s team MVP and current Canisius starter Sean Jamieson, and second baseman Brett Backes (Newfane), who transferred back to NCCC after spending the fall at Niagara University.
The outfield is young and talented. Clingersmith said 2009 Niagara Gazette Baseball Player of the Year Chris Gruarin (Niagara-Wheatfield) and Dan Penfold are both Division I prospects. They’ll be joined by Pat Knauth, who transferred to NCCC from Division II Clarion.
The Trailblazers will play seven doubleheaders in Florida. Their first home game is scheduled for March 30 against Finger Lakes Community College.
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Bleumink, 25, an Australian playing here for the third year in a row, shot a 6-under-par 64 on Wednesday highlighted by an eagle on the third hole.
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