Aug. 9, 2010
On the heels of his sixth consecutive winning season, head coach Ken Harring has retooled the UMass Lowell baseball roster with 10 incoming players for the 2011 season. The talented group includes the Boston Globe Division I Player of the Year, Conor Ressel (Rockport, Mass.).
Joining Ressel on the River Hawks' roster will be Nick Boutoures (Wilmington, Mass.), Brett Cahill (Gloucester, Mass.), Michael Calzetta (Lawrence, Mass.), Vinny DePierro (Tewksbury, Mass.), William Derosier (Shrewsbury, Mass.), Jake Finnegan (Londonderry, N.H.), Geoffrey Fisher (Derry, N.H.), Dylan Flynn (Upton, Mass.), James Quinn (Altamont, N.Y.) and Connor Walsh (North Andover, Mass.).
"In terms of the classes I've brought to UMass Lowell, athletically this group is close to the top, if not at the top," said Harring. "All the players are multiple sport athletes and I think they're going to bring mental and physical toughness to our program. Every single one of them comes from outstanding high school programs where they've won before, so winning is not new to them."
The River Hawks finished with a 27-19 record (14-12 NE-10) last season and lose seven seniors to graduation: JT Leary, Jeffrey Maloney, Matt Monico, Jared Notargiacomo, Peter Onorato, Taylor von Kriegenbergh and Luke Wallace.
"When we look back in four years we will see a group of young men that have developed and left a legacy on this program that will last quite awhile," Harring said. "The class fills the needs of what we lost from last year and we're excited to see what they do in the field."
"Position-by-position we're going to be younger than we've been in the past few years, but they're going to make the guys here work harder. Jobs are at a premium and we want to see how guys compete because the competition in practice is going to make us better in the long run."
Boutoures (5-11, 200) joins the River Hawks after two stellar seasons at Wilmington High School. The pitcher/third baseman helped lead the Wildcats to the Division 2 North Tournament with a 4-1 record and 3.49 earned run average on the mound. At the plate, Boutoures hit .342 with three home runs and a .458 on-base percentage while earning a share the team's MVP award.
Cahill (5-11, 195) was a three-year starting catcher at Gloucester High School, GHS, with future teammate Ressel. Cahill was a two-time Northeast Conference, NEC, All-Star and helped guide GHS to a NEC and a Division I North title as a junior, hitting over .350.
Calzetta (6-4, 205) anchored the staff at Lawrence High School for the past two seasons, leading the team to back-to-back Merrimack Valley Conference, MVC, Championships while earning a pair of MVC Small School MVP awards. The two-time Boston Globe All-Scholastic winner went 7-1 as a senior with a 2.18 ERA. He struck out 69 batters in 67.1 innings.
DePierro (6-2, 195) transfers to UMass Lowell after one season at Bunker Hill Community College. The lefty earned a spot on the 2009 NJCAA Region 21 First-Team for compiling a 6-2 record with a 3.40 ERA and 60 strikeouts over 45 innings. Prior to joining the Bulldogs, DePierro was a MVC All-Star at Tewksbury Memorial High School.
Derosier (6-0, 200), Holy Name Central Catholic's Male Athlete of the Year, starred at shortstop for the past four seasons. A three-time Central Mass All-Star and two-time Worcester Telegram and Gazette Super Teamer, Derosier led Holy Name to four consecutive playoff berths and pair of league titles. As a senior, he batted .483 with five home runs and 23 RBI.
Finnegan (6-2, 215) is a hard-throwing lefty from Londonderry High School who guided his club to the Class L State Championship in 2010. A First-Team All-State selection and his team's Pitcher of the Year, Finnegan maintained a 2.03 ERA during the regular season, holding opponents to a .162 batting average against.
Also a member of the LHS baseball team, Fisher (5-11, 200) caught Finnegan for the past three seasons. A two-year captain and First-Team All-State selection, Fisher was named LHS's Offensive Player of the Year after batting .380 with 21 runs and 16 RBI.
Flynn (5-11, 190) arrives at UMass Lowell after playing first base alongside Derosier at Holy Name. Emerging as an offensive threat this past season, Flynn hit .425 with four home runs and 40 RBI to earn Central Mass All-Star and Worcester Telegram and Gazzette Super Teamer honors.
Middle infielder Quinn (5-7, 145) is a quick-footed leadoff hitter who helped guide Guilderland High School to the New York State Championship game this past season. Captain of the 2010 squad, Quinn earned the team's Golden Glove Award for his excellent fielding while hitting .260 with 28 runs scored.
Ressel (6-0, 200) was named the Boston Globe's Division I Player of the Year and NEC MVP after a terrific season in the outfield for GHS. Ressel, who started the season with 10 consecutive hits, batted .571 with two home runs and 28 RBI as a senior.
Lastly, Walsh (6-2, 174) joins UMass Lowell after three standout seasons with North Andover High School. A two-time Boston Globe and Eagle Tribune All-Star, Walsh batted .268 as a senior and .380 as a junior. The hard-swinging third baseman helped lead the Knights to a Division II North Championship in 2009.
