LOWELL, Mass. – Building off last year's strong third place finish in the America East standings, UMass Lowell Baseball Head Coach Ken Harring announced the addition of 12 freshmen to his club.
The River Hawks incoming class is highlighted by eight pitchers who look to bolster a staff that lost four to graduation while adding four positional players.
"We are very excited about our first Division I class," said Harring. "We feel we did a great job identifying our needs and going out and getting players that fit the River Hawk baseball criteria: hardnosed, hard working, fearless, competitive, and blue collar."
The 2018 class features two left handed and six right handed arms among the slew of pitchers. On the starboard side are Dan Cunico (Sandyston, N.J.), Blayne Baker (Coral Springs, Fla.), Bryce Knight (Amherst, N.H.), Nick Kuzia (Seymour, Conn.), Jeffrey Peterson III (Windham, N.H.) and Andrew Ryan (Rochester, Mass.), Chaz Kaps (Lake Worth, Fla.) and Brendan Shea (Belmont, Mass.) throw from the port side.
The four position players in the freshman class include infielders Brady Fallon (Ballston Lake, N.Y.) and Ben Prada (Laurel, Md.), catcher Nick Barry (Grafton, Mass.) and outfielder Chris Ortega (Miami, Fla.).
RIVER HAWK BIOGRAPHIES
Name: Brendan Shea
Hometown/High School: Belmont, Mass./Belmont High School
Position: Pitcher
Height: 5'10"
Belmont High School: Four-year varsity player – Team captain his senior year – Won Most Valuable Pitcher award and named Middlesex League All-Star his final two seasons – Selected to Harry Agganis and EMass Senior All-Star teams – Voted Perfect Game Northeast Region All-American Honorable Mention – Received Team Most Valuable Offensive Player Award his junior year – Three-year member of varsity indoor track – Made states in High Jump and High Hurdles – Made honor roll as a senior
Personal: Son of Karen and William Shea – His favorite sports moment was starting a game-ending triple play in an AAU Championship Tournament in Florida when he was 13 – Lists Nomar Garciaparra, Jon Lester and Tom Brady as his most influential sports figures – Majoring in Business
Name: Nick Kuzia
Hometown/High School: Seymour, Conn./Seymour High School
Position: Pitcher
Height: 6'4"
Seymour High: Four-year varsity player – All-Naugatuck Valley League and All-State his senior season – won Outstanding Senior Award – New Haven Register All-Area Team – Four-year member of soccer team – Three-year starter and team captain his senior season – All-Brass Division – Played two years of basketball
Personal: Son of Jacqueline and Thomas Kuzia – Dustin Pedroia and Sonny Gray are his favorite sports figures – Lists Step Brothers, Anchorman, Benchwarmers and Happy Gilmore as his favorite movies – His favorite musical artists are Eminem and 50 Cent – Favorite sports teams include the Red Sox, Bruins and Manchester City – Can throw a knuckleball – Majoring in Business Administration-Finance
Name: Chris Ortega
Hometown/High School: Miami, Fla./Archbishop Coleman Carroll
Position: Outfielder
Height: 6'3"
Archbishop Coleman Carroll: Four-year varsity player – Played basketball his senior year – Won Team MVP for both sports in his senior season
Personal: Son of Yanet Aleaga and Camilo Ortega – His favorite professional sports teams are the Marlins and Heat – Giancarlo Stanton and Curtis Granderson are his favorite athletes – Lists The Dark Knight, The Benchwarmers and Austin Powers: Goldmember as his favorite movies – Majoring in Engineering
Name: Andrew Ryan
Hometown/High School: Rochester, Mass./Old Rochester Regional
Position: Pitcher
Height: 6'2"
Old Rochester Regional: Four-year varsity player – Eastern Massachusetts All-Star – Member of Standard Times Super Team – Team captain his senior year – Helped lead team to South Coast Conference Championship
Personal: Son of Christine and Michael Ryan – Lists throwing a no-hitter against Wareham High School as his favorite sports moment – His hobbies include golf, fitness, music and movies – Enjoys listening to Florida Georgia Line, Luke Bryan and Hot 100 – His favorite shows include Game of Thrones, Breaking Bad, Two and a Half Men, NCIS and Walking Dead as his favorite shows – Majoring in Finance
Name: Brady Fallon
Hometown/High School: Round Lake, N.Y./Christian Brothers Academy
Position: Infielder
Height: 6'1"
Christian Brothers Academy: All-Big Ten Conference Honorable Mention – Two-year varsity starter – Big Ten Conference Champions and Section 2 Runners-Up
Personal: Son of Carolyn Black and David Fallon – Happy Gilmore is his favorite movie – Dustin Pedroia and Troy Tulowitzki are his favorite athletes – Lists the Red Sox, Cowboys, Celtics and Bruins as his favorite sports teams – His favorite sports moment was competing against his former high school in the NY Section 2 Championship Game – First Lieutenant JROTC – Scottish Rite of Free Masonry Leadership award winner – Majoring in Exercise Physiology
Name: Nick Barry
Hometown/High School: Grafton, Mass./Worcester Academy
Position: Catcher
Height: 6'3"
Worcester Academy: Two-year captain of Varsity baseball team – Played baseball, football and basketball – Ranked 14th overall in The New England Top Prospect Rankings
Personal: Son of Sharon and Anthony Barry – His favorite sports teams are the Red Sox and Bruins – Trot Nixon, Mo Vaughn and Jarrod Saltalamacchia are among his favorite sports figures – Majoring in Criminal Justice
Name: Ben Prada
Hometown/High School: Laurel, Md./DeMatha Catholic
Position: Infielder
Height: 5'11"
DeMatha Catholic: Three-year varsity member – Named WCAC All-Conference in junior and senior seasons – Won WCAC Championship in 2013 – Two-year player on Team Maryland – Named 2013 All-Tournament Team East Cobb at Perfect Game – Wrestled his freshman year and named 2011 WCAC Wrestling Champion
Personal: Son of Katie and Pat Prada – Sister Alexis plays soccer at Campbell – Brother Patrick wrestles at the Naval Academy – His favorite sports moment was playing on Team Maryland and finishing in third place – Lists the Orioles, Ravens and Capitals as his favorite sports teams – His favorite movies are Step Brothers, The Hangover and Wedding Crashers – Majoring in Business
Name: Chaz Kaps
Hometown/High School: West Palm Beach, Fla./Suncoast High School
Position: Pitcher
Height: 6'2"
Suncoast High School: Four-year varsity player – Tri-captain during his senior season – Named team Cy Young winner in 2014 – First-Team All-County and First-Team All-Conference – 2014 Dick Houser All Star Game participant
Personal: Son of Kimberly and Christopher Kaps – Nicknamed "Chaz" – His favorite sports teams include the Marlins and the Heat – 42, Bruce Almighty and Super Troopers are his favorite movies – Lists Brantly Gilbert, Migos, Ace Hood and Hardwell as his top musical groups – His favorite sports moment was throwing three shutout innings against the back-to-back State Champions Archbishop McCarthy – Fishing, diving and dirt biking are his favorite hobbies – Lists Mike Trout and Clayton Kershaw as his favorite athletes – Majoring in Accounting
Name: Jeffrey Peterson III
Hometown/High School: Windham, N.H./Windham High School
Position: Pitcher
Height: 6'2"
Windham High School: Four-year varsity baseball player – Three-time All-State selection his final three seasons – Hit first grand slam in Windham High School history – Invited to All-Star Game for the top 36 juniors in New Hampshire – Cy Young Award winner – Captained his team during his junior and senior campaigns – Named captain of JV basketball his freshman and season and won Most Valuable Player
Personal: Son of Jana and Jeff Peterson – Nicknamed "Pete" or "Petey" – Pitching a no-hitter during his senior year is his favorite sports moment – Django Unchained and Transformers are his favorite movies – His favorite television shows include The Killing, NCIS, Cops and anything on ESPN – Fishing and working out are his favorite hobbies – Enjoys listening to country music and The Game – Lists all four Boston sports teams has his favorite – His biggest influences are Jesus Christ, Felix Hernandez, Michael Jordan and Floyd Mayweather Jr. – Undeclared
Name: Bryce Knight
Hometown/High School: Amherst, N.H./Souhegan High School
Position: Pitcher
Height: 6'3"
Souhegan High School: Captained Souhegan High during his senior season – Selected to play in the High School Junior Showcase team
Personal: Son of Karin and Brad Knight – Member of Future Business Leaders of America for all four years and was Stock Portfolio Manager his final two years – His greatest sports moment was pitching in the Lynn Invitational All-Star Game and being approached by three professional scouts – The Red Sox, Bruins and Celtics are his favorite sports teams – Sandy Koufax, Clayton Kershaw and Max Scherzer are his favorite sports figures – Enjoys watching Seinfeld, House and baseball – His favorite movies are Moneyball, 42 and Field of Dreams – Lists Darius Rucker, Tim McGraw and Kenny Chesney as his top musical artists – Majoring in Business
Name: Dan Cunico
Hometown/ High School: Sandyston, N.J./John Pope XXIII
Position: Pitcher
Height: 6'4"
Personal: Son of Marc and Susan Cunico – has two sisters – Lists Top Gun and The Shawshank Redemption among his favorite movies – Tabs throwing a complete game shutout in his first varsity start as a freshman in high school as his greatest sports moment – Majoring in business.
Name: Blayne Baker
Hometown/High School: Coral Springs, Fla./Zion Lutheran
Pitcher: Pitcher
Height: 6'1"
Zion Lutheran: Four-year varsity member – Most Valuable Player Freshman year – As a senior captain he was named to the All-Country team
Personal: Threw two no hitters his senior year of high school – Enjoys fishing – Was a batboy for team Italy and Team Puerto Rico in the 2013 WBC – Friends with Mike Fiers, Yasiel Puig, Hanley Ramirez, Jose Fernandez, and Adeiny Hechavarria
