West Massachusetts News

After a lackluster 2022 season, the Williams College Men's Baseball team is looking to rebound.

The team, led by head coach Bill Barrale, has one goal: "compete every pitch." The 2022 Eph roster—riddled with injuries—could only scrape together eight wins during their 26 contests last season, but this year's team has high hopes for the upcoming campaign. Coach Barrale stated that the energy in the building during the off-season reminded him of the 2019 roster: "We're coming off of a tough year, but everybody is excited to see what we can do. I think the team has worked really hard in the fall, the winter, and during our limited time in the field house since Feb. 8th, so we're just excited to get down South."

An unfortunate snow-out postponed the team's opening contest scheduled against Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, so the new-look Ephs will begin their season on Mar. 18th at Northeast Regional Park in Davenport, Fla., opposing Hobart College. This year marks Hobart's inaugural baseball season.

When asked where the rejuvenated spirit of the team comes from, Coach Barrale answered, "Because of COVID-19, we're in a unique situation where we're returning ten seniors… It's the largest number of seniors we've ever had on a team, so the leadership has been palpable, and there's been a lot of good, healthy competition."

Under Barrale, Williams has taken home five NESCAC West titles—the most recent being in 2019.

Leading the senior charge are captains Jakob Cohn and Sean Hogan. Cohn, a one-time D3Baseball.com All-New England third baseman, batted .368/.437/.500 over 76 at-bats during the 2022 campaign. Hogan, a standout pitcher in the prestigious NECBL, led the Ephs in innings last spring, racking up 32 strikeouts over 37.2 innings.

Veteran presences also come from fifth-year seniors Dave Driscoll and Danny Lynch. The pair have been consummate pros—helping to acclimate first-year players to the academic challenges of Williams College, creating a grit-and-grind atmosphere in the weight room, and leading by example in the cages. In their final seasons at Williams College, the two look to make a major splash with their bats at the heart of the lineup.

Other seniors include Bo Peponis, an eye-crossing sidearmer from New York; Will Jeffries, a potent right-hander from North Carolina; John Sandifer, a deceptive left-hander from California; Cole Whitehouse, a power-contact catcher from Massachusetts; Jon Singleton, a slap-hitting outfielder from New York; and Matthew Brown, a globe-trotting outfielder from Connecticut. 

Considering the 2022 season was haunted by sprains, breaks, and tears, it is perhaps Williams' depth that is the most welcome improvement. A slew of returning sophomore and junior bats have come a long way from the previous two seasons, and the young men are hungry. As put by junior infielder Mike Giove '24, "We have a lot more guys ready to go. It started back in the fall when we were pedal to the metal preparing for the season. This year has been a long time coming." In addition to the quick bat and swift glove of Giove, fellow junior, Kedar Veeraswamy, looks to make a difference by flashing his glove in the outfield and swiping bags. Sophomores James O'Connor (OF/P) and Henry Juan (C) will also be momentous contributors to the lineup—both have made impressive strides regarding their power and pitch selection this off-season.

Spring training is often considered a time for "tuning up" and preparing for the regular season, but Coach Barrale insisted on the team's readiness to compete immediately. "We have a lot of good players, and guys have really bought into the team and their roles. When we get down South, and it comes time to lay a bunt down or make a pitch, our guys are going to get it down and make that pitch."
 
In conjunction, Williams will tap into a well of strength and reliability by way of their young arms. One must-watch player returning to the mound is right-handed junior, Eric Gage, who led the team in strikeouts (34). The starting rotation has trained expeditiously during the off-season to improve their endurance and advance deeper into games. However, the bullpen is anything but substandard. Powerful sophomore and junior arms stem from the 6'10 Texan, Max Hart; the human-speedboat, Jacob Martin; Maddux-esque right-hander, James Murray; bullish craftsman, Nick Skiera; and imperceptible left-hander, JP Wong. 
 
In his second year back with the program since working as a graduate assistant coach at Elmira College, Assistant Coach Joe Buonemani has worked diligently with his pitchers and catchers, implementing new technologies to improve efficiency. The pitching staff hopes to maintain their momentum as a unit heading into the season.

The first-year members of the team cannot be forgotten—or underestimated—as the team travels to Florida for their 11-game stint. Each of the new Eph baseball men has contributed to the program's success during the off-season and will likely have an opportunity to show what they can do early on. The class of first-years consists of pitcher, Michael Amendola; outfielder, Ellington Fagan; pitcher, Issey Gestel; catcher, Anthony Lods; outfielder, Luca Lopetrone; pitcher, Teddy Massingham; infielder, Dave Mosrie; infielder, Sasha Palma; and pitcher, Peyton Rose.

In closing, Coach Barrale, Coach Buonemani, Coach Parese, and the team view their imminent travel to Florida as a business trip.
 
"We're playing some good teams in Methodist (ranked 17th) and Johns Hopkins (ranked 10th) down there, so it's a good mix of competition, and it'll get us ready for when we return up North for the rest of our schedule against the NESCAC." said Barrale.


Follow along with Eph baseball this season — live video streams and live stats links for most games up north are are listed on the schedule page. 

Original source can be found here.