Fri. 5/1 Scores

If the games for Friday are still on, post your scores here afterward. Sacred Heart/Seymour is the headliner, with Seymour being the obvious big favorite.

Wed. 4/29 Games/Scores

Before we start with the games for Wednesday, we can take a quick look at each division's standings, as we're through the first half of divisional play:

Brass
1. Seymour (9-0; 5-0)
2. Wolcott (6-3; 3-2)
3. Ansonia (6-3; 3-2)
4. Crosby (6-3; 2-3)
5. Watertown (4-5; 2-3)
6. Wilby (2-7; 0-5)

Copper
1. Woodland (5-4; 5-0)
2. Holy Cross (7-2; 4-1)
3. Naugatuck (3-6; 3-2)
4. Sacred Heart (3-6; 3-2)
5. Torrington (3-6; 1-4)
6. Kennedy (0-9; 0-5)

Here's Wednesday's games:

Holy Cross at Ansonia, 3:30 PM at Nolan Field
Naugatuck at Watertown, 3:30 PM at Deland Field
Sacred Heart at Wolcott, 3:30 PM at Wolcott HS
Torrington at Crosby, 3:30 PM at Crosby HS
Woodland at Wilby, 3:30 PM at Montoe Park
Kennedy at Seymour, 3:45 PM at French Park

I'll take: Holy Cross, Naugatuck, Wolcott, Crosby, Woodland, Seymour. Post your predictions and scores here.

Mon. 4/27 Predictions & Scores

First off, I'd like to apologize to our readers for my lack of updates this past week or so. I was very busy with personal matters, making it hard for me to keep info (scores, standings, etc.) on the homepage updated daily.

Anyway, as we move along in the baseball season (so glad we finally have baseball weather!), we begin to have more and more important divisional matchups. And on Monday, we have some critical early season matchups within divisions on tap.

Woodland at Naugatuck - The Hawks seem to be coming together as a team after a sluggish start. They have been smoking past divisional foe, racing to top in the Copper. Naugatuck, while very young, has surprised me so far. This should be a very good game. Greg Rice will likely be on the mound for the 'Hounds. I am going to go with Naugatuck in a tight game, 6-4. Sorry Kyle! Haha.

Holy Cross at Torrington - Holy Cross came into the season as the favorite to win it all and I think their out struggles out of the gate have quieted those talks. However, despite the weak start, they have been coming on as of late. I think there is too much Holy Cross for Torrington to handle here. Crusaders win easily 7-1.

Sacred Heart at Kennedy - The Hearts have without a doubt been the disappointment of the league so far this season. However, despite their struggles, I still think they are one of the better teams in the league overall and can put on a huge win streak at any time. Kennedy has been over-matched all season long, but continue to work hard. Hearts win, and start to catch fire, 5-0.

Crosby at Ansonia - This should be a great game of two Brass Division rivals. Both teams have gotten off to great starts this season and are near the top in the league. The Chargers have really surprised me this season and I can see them being there in the end. This is a game to go see for sure. I'm going to go with Ansonia though, 5-4.

Watertown at Wilby - Watertown started the season off solid, but has been struggling a bit as of late against divisional foes of Ansonia and Wolcott. I look for the Indians to get back on track on Monday with a win against an underrated Wilby team, 7-5.

And finally, the big game, Seymour at Wolcott - Without a doubt, this is the game of the day. For me anyway, this game has NVL Championship game implications this early in the season. I believe these two teams match-up at almost every spot and it should be a dandy. The pitching matchup of Chris Renzoni vs. Spencer Kane is special enough in itself. I picked Wolcott from the beginning, and I'm going to with them here, as the Eagles win it, 3-2 in a classic high school pitchers duel.

That is a wrap for Monday. We've got some great, great games on tap for Monday, so you'd be foolish not to check out a game or two on Monday. I know I will!

Till next time,

NVL Baseball

PS - Got any ideas for a new poll on the blog? Post 'em in the comments!

Mon. 4/20 Predictions/Scores

The league's starting to work itself out a little bit, as we can see that Seymour and Wolcott are probably 1-2 in the league. But there's a bunch of teams in the middle, including Naugatuck, Woodland, Holy Cross, Torrington, Crosby, and Ansonia, and a few more teams in the hunt, such as Watertown and Sacred Heart.

This week we'll continue to get a little more separation. Here's our Monday games:

Wolcott (4-1) at Holy Cross (3-2), 3:30 PM at Holy Cross HS
Kennedy (0-5) at Wilby (1-4), 3:30 PM at Montoe Park
Watertown (2-3) at Sacred Heart (1-4), 3:30 PM at Municipal Stadium
Crosby (4-1) at Naugatuck (2-3), 3:30 PM at Naugatuck HS
Ansonia (3-2) at Woodland (2-3), 3:30 PM at Woodland HS
Torrington (3-2) at Seymour (5-0), 4:00 PM at French Park

I'll take: Wolcott, Wilby, Sacred Heart, Naugatuck, Woodland, and Seymour.

All these games scheduled for Monday were postponed due to rain until Tuesday. Still, post your predictions/scores here.

Fri. 4/17 Games/Scores

Here's our Friday games:

Torrington at Watertown, 11 AM at Deland Field
Kennedy at Crosby, 11 AM at Crosby HS
Ansonia at Sacred Heart, 11 AM at Municipal Stadium
Holy Cross at Wilby, 12 PM at Montoe Park
Naugatuck at Wolcott, 3:30 PM at Wolcott HS
Woodland at Seymour, 3:30 PM at French Park

Highlight of the afternoon looks to be Woodland/Seymour, with Torrington/Watertown and Naugy/Wolcott potentially being solid games too.

I'll take: Torrington, Crosby, Ansonia, Holy Cross, Wolcott, Woodland

Wed. 4/15 Games/Scores

Here's our next set of divisional games for Wednesday:

Seymour (3-0; 1-0) at Watertown (2-1; 1-0), 11 AM at Deland Field
Wolcott (3-0; 1-0) at Crosby (2-1; 0-1), 11 AM at Crosby HS
Ansonia (2-0; 0-1) at Wilby (1-2; 0-1), 11 AM at Montoe Park
Sacred Heart (0-3; 0-1) at Holy Cross (1-2; 0-1), 1 PM at Holy Cross HS
Kennedy (0-3; 0-1) at Naugatuck (1-2; 1-0), 3:30 PM at Naugatuck HS
Woodland (1-2; 1-0) at Torrington (2-1; 1-0), 3:45 PM at Fuessenich Park

I'll take: Seymour, Wolcott, Ansonia, Holy Cross, Naugatuck, Woodland.

Post your predictions here, and since we have a bunch of early games, post your scores here if you've got 'em.

Mon. 4/13 Scores

Post 'em if you got 'em!

Till next time,

NVL Baseball

Mon. 4/13 Predictions

First day of games during most schools' Spring Break. Monday's games are the first divisional games of the year.

Copper:
Torrington (1-1) at Kennedy (0-2), 11 AM at Municipal Stadium
Sacred Heart (0-2) at Naugatuck (0-2), 3:30 PM at Naugatuck HS
Holy Cross (1-1) at Woodland (0-2), 3:30 PM at Woodland HS

Brass:
Wilby (1-1) at Seymour (2-0), 11 AM at French Park
Watertown (1-1) at Crosby (2-0), 11 AM at Crosby HS
Ansonia (2-0) at Wolcott (2-0), 1 PM at Wolcott HS

My picks: Torrington, Sacred Heart, Holy Cross, Seymour, Crosby, Wolcott.

Thurs. 4/9 Scores

Post 'em if you got 'em!

Also of note, Woodland / Crosby has been moved from Crosby HS to Fulton Park this afternoon at 3:30.

Should be a great day of baseball with Holy Cross / Seymour as the highlight of the day. Woodland / Crosby and Naugatuck / Ansonia are also decent games.

Till next time,

NVL Baseball

Thursday 4/9 Schedule

Post your predictions here:

Naugatuck at Ansonia, Nolan Field, 3:30 PM
Woodland at Crosby, Crosby HS, 3:30 PM
Kennedy at Watertown, Deland Field, 3:30 PM
Sacred Heart at Wilby, Montoe Park, 3:30 PM
Holy Cross at Seymour, French Park, 3:45 PM
Torrington at Wolcott, Wolcott HS, 3:45 PM

I'll take: Naugatuck, Woodland, Watertown, Sacred Heart, Holy Cross, and Wolcott.

Wed. 4/8 Scores

Post 'em if you got 'em!

Also, a small schedule change - Holy Cross / Watertown has been moved from HCHS Field to Deland Field in Watertown due to field conditions at HC.

The results are in from the first NVL Baseball Blog poll. The question was - Who will win the 2009 Naugatuck Valley League Baseball Championship? 32 votes were cast... And the results...

Seymour - 10
Holy Cross - 7
Naugatuck, Sacred Heart, Wolcott - 3
Torrington - 2
Crosby, Ansonia, Wilby, Woodland - 1
Watertown and Kennedy - 0

Till next time,

NVL Baseball

Copper Division Preview

The Copper Division should be a pretty competitive one this year. We have Holy Cross, Sacred Heart, Naugatuck, and Woodland all to look out for near the top of the division.

Holy Cross figures to be the division favorite. They lost nearly nobody from the Class M runners up a year ago. They boast one of the best one-two pitching punches in the league, with seniors Kyle Murphy and Tim Bessette, and Ryan Plourde will be ready to fill in at any time. The Crusaders also return All-NVL catcher Christian Cuevas and have experience all the way around the diamond with Kyle Tehan and Rob Pagliaro, to name a few.

Sacred Heart could be a surprise to the league. They come off a semifinal appearance in the Class S tournament and look to build on that success this year. The Hearts return a solid pitching staff, including seniors Matt Finkenzeller, Darryl Wilson, and Jim Caporale, along with catcher Luis Serrano and position players Chris Chieffo and Brandon Spadolino. They are not to be taken lightly.

Naugatuck has a strong group this season as well, coming off an appearance in the NVL tournament. The Hounds will look to senior Greg Rice as their number one pitcher, while Chris Cretella and Matt Zahornasky will see time on the mound as well. Shortstop Xavier Ortiz is a solid leadoff hitter.

Woodland will have to overcome the loss of six seniors, including pitchers Steve Corbett and Mark McKay and second baseman Cody Kingsley. The Hawks will be relying on a bunch of new faces to fill in some of the gaps left. Key returners include pitcher/shortstop Nick Boucher, pitcher/catcher Jason Skibek, centerfielder Ryan Genua, and infielders Kyle Georgia and Mike Diurno.

Torrington has had a few down years in a row after consistently being one of the top teams in the league. It may be difficult to rise to the top again with the strong top of the division this year, but the Red Raiders will try with pitcher Conor Bierfeldt. They also return a few position players, including Matt Fabiaschi, Mike Tedesco, and Jimmy Fuchsman.

Kennedy will probably be at the bottom of the division again, although they showcase some decent players, including James McMahon, James Joy, Ryan Coleman, and Roberto Quinones. Coach Gregg Pugliese said this about his team: "Kennedy's goal this year is the same as it has been, making the state tournament. This can be accomplished with strong senior leadership, consistent pitching, and minimizing defensive mistakes. I am confident that we will score
runs, but we must remain fundamentally sound to be competitive."

And since it's just about time to kick off the season, here are my Opening Day predictions. Feel free to comment about my Copper outlook or add your own predictions for the day.

Seymour over Naugatuck
Holy Cross over Watertown
Wilby over Torrington
Ansonia over Kennedy
Sacred Heart over Crosby
Wolcott over Woodland

Brass Division Preview

With the season beginning on Wednesday (hopefully mother nature will hold up!), it is time to take a more in-depth look at each team and how they should fare this upcoming season.

My Brass Division champ is Wolcott. The Eagles will be solid this season and I believe that they will also contend for an NVL Championship. They return a good core of players, including Steve Catalina, a solid pitcher who throws in the low 90s and is probably the Eagles best offensive player, Spencer Kane, a top-tier pitcher, and Ryan Pelletier, a very versatile player, every coaches dream.

Up on French Street, Watertown should be a solid team as well this season. Despite being a young team, they return a lot of players from the solid Freshman and JV squads from last season. The Indians will be near the top in the pitching department. The key for the Tribe will be hitting. Keep an eye on Freshman pitcher Tom O'Brien, who is absolute show-stopper on the mound, clocking in in the mid-80s.

Seymour lost a lot this past season, but also return a lot as well. They return some solid players in shortstop/pitcher John Murphy and catcher Danny Perez. You can never count of Bob Kelo and the 'Cats in the championship hunt. They never rebuild, they just reload. I expect the Wildcats to be near the top when all is said and done.

Every year there is one team that you call the "sleeper" team. This year, for me, that team comes out of the Brass in Crosby. I think the 'Dogs will be a solid team this season with all-league talent in Kody Kerski and Victor Gonzalez returning. Word on the street is that they have some new players who are solid.

Two teams that are somewhat of an uknown for me are Ansonia and Wilby. I don't remember the Chargers returning much from last season's team. Tom Bilodeau, the Chargers football quaterback star, is one of their top returnees this season. Mike Vacca is a veteran coach of 30+ years in the valley and he always seems to have his team in the state tournament hunt. Not much on Wilby either, but they could be a decent. These two teams are the two that I have to wait-and-see on.

Those are my thoughts on the Brass Division. This is a pretty good division with 4 teams that I think could make some noise in the league this year. I look forward to reading everyone's thoughts on the Brass! Just an update on what is to come on the blog - Kyle will be posting his Copper Division preview tonight or tomorrow. Be sure to check back for that. Tomorrow, either myself or Kyle will be posting a game prediction post for Wednesday's games.

Till next time,

NVL Baseball

City Jamboree Canceled

The City Jamboree scheduled for Saturday at Buck's Hills Park in Waterbury has been canceled due to wet field conditions. It will not be rescheduled as the regular season begins Wednesday.

That is too bad, as this promised to be a great event for city high school baseball. Hopefully we will see it again next season.

Till next time,

NVL Baseball

Scrimmage Schedule (Fri. 4/3 through Mon. 4/6)

Below is the scrimmage schedule from Fri. 4/3 through Mon. 4/6. Again, I likely do not have every scrimmage listed here, so if you know of one not included in this post, please do not hesitate to comment. As always, if you've attended a scrimmage, be sure to recap the game for us on the blog!

Fri. 4/3:

Thomaston at Kennedy, Waterville Park (Wtby.), 3:30
Branford at Naugatuck, Naugatuck High School, 3:30
Shelton at Seymour, French Park, 3:45

Sat. 4/4:

Pomperaug at Woodland, Woodland Regional HS, 10
City Jamboree, Buck's Hill Park (Wtby.), 10 - Kennedy, Wilby, Sacred Heart, and Crosby will participate. More info to come.
Derby at Ansonia, Nolan Field, 10:30
Watertown at Shepaug, Ted Alex Field, 11
Bristol Central at Seymour, French Park, 11
Torrington at Housatonic Regional, HS Field, 11
Holy Cross at Nonnewaug, Nonnewaug HS, 11
Harding at Naugatuck, Naugatuck HS, 2

Mon. 4/6:

Crosby at East Haven, East Haven HS, 3:30
Amity at Ansonia, Nolan Field, 3:30
Bristol Eastern at Wolcott, Wolcott HS, 3:30
Litchfield at Woodland, Woodland Regional HS, 3:45

We are looking forward to the City Jamboree on Saturday. As noted above, Crosby, Wilby, Kennedy, and Sacred Heart will all be participating. Holy Cross will not be participating due to a scheduling conflict (Scrimmage at Nonnewaug). Here is the schedule for Saturday: Crosby vs. Wilby, Sacred Heart vs. Kennedy, Wilby vs. Sacred Heart, Kennedy vs. Crosby, Crosby vs. Sacred Heart, and Wilby vs. Kennedy. Each game will be 2 innings (full innings regardless of score). Admission is free. It should be a great day of high school baseball.

Till next time,

NVL Baseball