Baseball Prepares for 2009 Campaign

After the final out of the 2008 season was recorded, the MCLA Baseball team vowed to work harder than ever before. After an up and down season, the team positioned itself for a regular season championship. A final win against Mass Maritime Academy, and the team would be crowned regular season champions. The end result was not what the MCLA nine had planned, however the team had realized how close they were to realizing their dreams.

As the team begins preparations for the 2009 season, the disappointing defeat has motivated the program to continue moving forward. With a senior laden team returning along with a solid core of underclassmen, the 2009 team is poised for success. The team lost only one senior, Anthony Bruno, and returns the entire pitching staff. The team also returns All-MASCAC performers Cory Burtman and Cyrus Curtis.

The program announced its captains for the 2009 season at the inaugural baseball golf outing last May. The captains for the upcoming season will be Seniors Cory Burtman (Norwood, MA) and Pat Negrini (West Stockbridge, MA) along with Junior Ken Recore (Averill Park, NY). Leadership should be a strength of this years team as the 2009 roster consists of eleven seniors, most of whom have been a part of two MASCAC Playoff Series.

As the team builds towards the grueling Northeast Schedule,
preparations are underway for the annual spring trip. The team will be traveling to Winter Haven, FL for eight days (March 12-20). While in Florida, the team will be competing against many of the top programs in New England. The event will be hosted at two sites. One is the former home of the Cleveland Indians, while the other is a state-of-the-art facility just constructed in Auburndale, Fl. 

The northern schedule continues to be demanding as we annually play the best New England has to offer. Last season we had six NCAA tournament teams appear on the schedule. We continue to play powers from the NESCAC, Commonwealth Coast, Little East, Liberty League, and NEWMAC. When you couple those schools with the demanding MASCAC, there promises to be no shortage of talented teams coming to challenge MCLA. The northern schedule begins on March 24 when we host Southern Vermont while league play begins on March 28 against Framingham State College.