June 20, 2009

Glens Falls Ranks 25 In National Poll of Summer Teams

Filed under: 2009 Roster, 2009 Season, Pitchers — Tags: , , , , — Eric Rushia @ 3:47 pm
Pitching Proves Pivotal

Despite rainouts in their last two home games, finally Golden Eagles fans have something to cheer about on the field.

Of the 14 teams in the New York Collegiate Baseball League, Glens Falls reigns supreme over the rest.

With nearly three weeks of summer collegiate wood-bat baseball in upstate New York now in the books, the Golden Eagles rank 25 in Perfect Game Cross Checker’s national poll of summer collegiate baseball teams.

Not only do the Golden Eagles 9-3 overall win-loss record earn them the league’s best record by three games in the East Division over the Amsterdam Mohawks, a team they’ve once already this season, and a two-game lead over the West Division’s top team, the 7-3 Webster Yankees, but they also have played the most games than any other team in the NYCBL and experienced the most game cancellations.

After a slow 2-2 start to the 2009 season, Glens Falls Golden Eagles head coach John Mayotte, whose team currently sports a three-game winning streak, and his staff worry this recent string of rain-outs and other game cancellations may disrupt the teams’ momentum and routine heading into next week.

“That’s probably your worst nightmare,” head coach John Mayotte said. “When you’re playing well, you want to play every day. We’ve been playing well; we want to go down to the ballpark.”

This week, Glens Falls had half of their games called due to rain (Watertown and Saratoga) or cancelled due to technical difficulties (Mohawk Valley). Both rainouts were at home. A blown transformer cancelled  the Golden Eagles game against the Diamond Dawgs on Saturday.

“I don’t think one day sets you back, but more than one does,” said Mayotte, who added that sometimes during rainy stretches the team will try to get some practice time inside the dome at Adirondack Sports Complex to keep the players limber.

Practice they did. Hours after the game against Saratoga had been called, the Golden Eagles held practice inside the dome complex, as well as practicing at East field on Saturday and resting with a day off on Thursday.

Tomorrow, the team makes up the Saratoga rainout game as they host the Phillies in a doubleheader, the first for the Golden Eagles this season.

Monday, June 22, the Golden Eagles play Watertown Wizards in a makeup game from the Thursday rainout. The game starts at 7 p.m. and the first 250 fans in attendance receive a free pair of Glens Falls Golden Eagles Thunderstix.

Despite winning and seven of their last eight games, the Golden Eagles have struggled somewhat at East Field this season. Of their three losses, the Golden Eagles have lost two of five games in front of the Glens Falls’ faithful.

img_0757Though their pitching, which has been tops in the league for the past couple seasons, continues to be a team strong point.

Now entering their third seasons with Glens Falls, pitching coach Brett Merritt (New Mexico Military Institute), and bullpen coach Dan Kelly (S.C.C.C), in addition to first-year assistant pitching coach Jon McLain (Troy State) and assistant coach Andy Judkins (Minnesota State) have all worked well with both the bullpen pitchers and the starters this season.

The entire coaching staff has done a tremendous job, given the number of games the and innings-pitched the team’s worked and the long layoff between games this week. It will interesting to see how well all the pitchers perform in their next trip to the rubber, and whether they can keep rolling for the entire summer season.

The Golden Eagles pitching staff tossed one shutout so far this season when junior righty Nathan Forer (Southern Illinois), who leads the team with three wins and a 0.49 ERA, wowed Phillies hitters for eight innings.

In two appearances this season, freshman southpaw Daniel Watts (Jacksonville State) stands tied for the league lead in ERA, pitching over 10 innings and allowing zero earned runs.

Juniors Kellen Candau (Southern Illinois), a righty reliever whose’ four appearances tops all Glens Falls pitchers, and southpaw Jamie Storey (Houston Baptist), who’s been with the Golden Eagles for two seasons, each picked up saves in six combined appearances and almost 10 combined innings.

The only Golden Eagle to start in both his appearances, freshman right-hander Tony Dischler (U.L.M) leads the team in strikeouts (13), while fellow freshman lefty Ricky Ott (New Orleans) has the teams’ third save.

For Glens Falls this season, sophomore Andrew Brown (Akron) has given up the fewest hits (6) and lowest opponents batting average (.154), while Jerry A’Hearn (Central Arizona) has walked the fewest batters (1). In addition to A’Hearn, both sophomore righties WIllie Beard (Rutgers) and Alex Frederick (Clemson) each sport perfect 1-0 win-loss records with lefty Chase Richard (Southern) post two wins and zero losses.

As a team, Glens Falls ranks second in the NYCBL with a 2.25 ERA in 112.2 innings-pitched. Only the Webster Yankees have a better ERA, while the Watertown Wizards have pitched more innings. Third in the league with 80-plus strikeouts and second with three total saves, Glens Falls pitchers have allowed their opponents’ batting average to push .230, which is about .30 percent below their offensive overall batting average. Golden Eagle hitters have worked 43 walks this season, while the pitchers have walked 39 batters.

Blown Transformer Cancels Glens Falls vs. Mohawk Valley Game

Filed under: 2009 Season, Mohawk Valley DiamondDawgs — Eric Rushia @ 2:46 pm
Glens Falls Hasn’t Played Since Wednesday

The Glens Falls Golden Eagles, who were scheduled to play the Mohawk Valley Diamond Dawgs up in Little Falls today, have not played baseball since Wednesday when they defeated the Dawgs 7-4 at Veterans Memorial Park.

Today’s game has been cancelled, not because of the rain that forced Glens Falls to miss their past two home games, but because of a blown transformer.

No make-up date announced.

Hopefully the rains, which are expected to be scattered throughout the day tomorrow, will hold off for the Golden Eagles’ doubleheader against the Saratoga Phillies, at least for one game.

This week, Glens Falls has played just two of their five scheduled games.

Rain, Rain Go Away

Filed under: 2009 Season, Game Preview, Mohawk Valley DiamondDawgs, Promos, Saratoga Phillies, Watertown Wizards — Tags: , — Eric Rushia @ 1:54 pm
Past Two Home Games For Golden Eagles A Wash

After a steady rain all day Thursday pushed back a battle between first place Glens Falls (9-3) and second place Watertown (8-7), a mid-afternoon rain-shower soaked East Field just as the Golden Eagles prepared for batting practice against the Saratoga Phillies forced Darin Williams, team owner, to cancel the team’s second straight home game.

The Phillies have had the Golden Eagles number this season, defeating them twice at home. Saratoga lost all 10 games against Glens Falls in 2008.

Today, the Golden Eagles travel to Little Falls for a 7 p.m. game against the Mohawk Valley Diamond Dawgs, who sit four games back of first place in the East Division after picking up their first win over the Watertown Wizards this season.

All three games these two teams, Mohawk Valley and Glens Falls, have played against each other this season have ended by 7-4 score in favor of the first place Golden Eagles.

On Wednesday, Nathan Forer (Southern Illinois) continued his impressive 2009 pitching campaign, shutting out the Diamond Dawgs for six innings, and Jamie Storey (Houston Baptist) notched his first save of the season with two strikeouts in the ninth.

Both of this week’s rainouts have already been rescheduled.

On Father’s Day, June 21, the Golden Eagles host the Phillies for a double-dip, with the first game starting at 1 p.m. and the second roughly 30 minutes after the conclusion of the first. Gates open at 11:30 a.m. and the team will be accepting donations for the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) of Upstate New York, in addition to giving away a pair of New York Yankees tickets.

The Pet Food Drive, sponsored by the Golden Eagles organization, takes place during both games and all proceeds go to The SPCA of Upstate NY’s Pet Food Pantry. Glens Falls fans who bring a Can of Pet Food to the game will receive $1 off one admission. Any Eagle fan who brings in a five-pound bag of Pet Food will receive one free admission.

Spend all day with your father and buy him a hot dog and a soda. Cheer on the Golden Eagles as they look to beat to the Phillies and avenge their two previous home defeats.

Sunday is also the First Annual “DOGS ON THE DIAMOND” NIGHT.” Free Admission will be given to any dad who is accompanied by his dog. All dogs must be well behaved, on leash and under control by an adult at all times.  Any dog not on a leash will not be admitted.

The SPCA of Upstate NY, located at 588 Queensbury Ave. Queensbury NY and is the largest NO-Kill shelte north of New York City, will have pets on hand and available for adoption.

Monday, which is usually an off day for the Golden Eagles, will be the make-up day for Thursday’s rainout against the Wizards. Glens Falls and Watertown split their season series this year, with both teams winning at home. The first 250 fans into East Field will receive a free pair of Golden Eagles Thunderstix. Be sure to arrive early as the gates open at 5:30 p.m.

Next week, Glens Falls heads on the road for four of their next seven games. June 25, the Golden Eagles next home game against Watertown, is free ice night. All fans in attendance will receive a free ice cream, courtesy of Stewarts, Glens Falls also plays the Albany Dutchmen, a team they’ve defeated twice this season, on Sunday, June 28.

Former Eagle Chad Stang Ready For Pro Career

Filed under: 2008 Playoffs, 2008 Season, 2009 MLB Draft, Team History — Tags: , , — Eric Rushia @ 5:46 am
Stang Signs Letter of Intent to Play for LSU Tigers In 2010

Two former Glens Falls Golden Eagles from the 2008 team, which went 31-10, were chosen by the Milwaukee Brewers in the first 10 rounds of the 2009 MLB First-Year Player Draft.

Starting pitcher Eric Arnett (Indiana) went in the first round at No. 26, while outfielder Chad Stang (Midland College) went in the eighth round at No. 256. Three other 2008 Golden Eagles—Benjamin Carlson (Missouri State), Jonathan White (Vanderbilit), and Anthony Giansanti (Siena)—were taken in the 2009 MLB Draft.

Stang, the British Columbian native, played 53 games for the Midland College Chaparrals this season, batted .370 with 64 hits, a .623 slugging percentage, 12 doubles, six homeruns, 43 RBI, and led the team with five triples.

After waking up early and listening to Day Two of the MLB Draft, Stang said he felt relieved once he heard his name called. he was thinking he’d be drafted a little higher.

“It was a nerve-racking experience at first, but when I heard my name called I was shocked. I actually thought I’d be taken a little higher.” Stang said. “We’re in contract negotiations now, but with a fair deal, I’ll be signing for sure.”

Of course, if things don’t turn out the way Stang anticipates, he’ll be heading to the Louisiana State University Tigers as he signed a letter of intent to play outfield for the perennial men’s college baseball powerhouse.

“I’ll have an opportunity to start in center for sure,” Stang said. “Nothing will he given to me and I’ll have to work hard for a starting spot, but I’m definitely ready to play Division-I college baseball if that’s what happens.”

“He’s a ‘tools’ type player who runs extremely well, has a good baseball body, and is a super kid but still very raw,” Glens Falls Golden Eagles head coach John Mayotte said. “I hope he plays at least one year at LSU before he turns pro.”

Stang credits some his success at Midland and his draft stock status to Chaps head coach David Coleman and his constant constructive criticism.

“He pushed me the right way,” Stang said. ” At times he was really hard on me, but I knew why he was doing it and by the end of the year I got to a point where I needed to be as a player.”

In his first year with the Chaps, they finished .500 and in sixth place in the Western Junior College Athletic Conference, which isn’t something Stang or his teammates wanted to experience again.

Though, in his second season with the Chaps, Stang and company finished 16 games over .500 but ran into a streaking Howard Bison team, who ended the Chaps 2009 postseason run sooner than Stang and his teammates expected.

“I’ve never been on a team that had the chemistry, drive, and talent our team had this season,” Stang said.

During the 2008 playoffs, Stang, played in all eight Golden Eagles postseason games, batted .273, led the team with three doubles, and scored the second most runs for the team with five.

Stang’s sacrifice RBI in the second game of the League Finals against the Brockport Riverbats in 2008, put the Glens Falls on top 1-0, before Brockport took the lead in the sixth and eventually won the league title.

“Coach Mayotte showed me the type of player I could become hitting with a wood bat,” Stang said. “He had the trust in me that I could do the job even though I was a freshman from a Junior College playing with all those Division-1 guys.”

In the 2008 regular season, Stang finished with the team’s second best batting average (.315), leading the team in hits (45), doubles (7), triples (3) and walks (22). Toward the end of the regular season and on into postseason play, Stang managed a 20-game hit streak.

Starting in the outfield for nearly every game during the 2008 season and leading-off in most of them, Stang can’t thank Coach Mayotte and his staff enough for the faith they had in him and how the harder he worked the more his game would improve.

“He has a great upside, however, capable of being a superb all-around player and contributing in a variety of ways, Mayotte said.

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