PHOTO COURTESY OF NORTH SHORE NAVIGATORS
Jake Dexter says his experience at the FCBL All-Star game was very helpful.
BY JOSHUA KUMMINS
LYNN — Summer collegiate baseball is all about development and giving players the opportunity to be seen by Major League Baseball scouts.
Several members of the North Shore Navigators tested themselves against the best players in the Futures Collegiate Baseball League as its annual All-Star Game was held at Hanover Insurance Park at Fitton Field in Worcester.
“That’s what this is about. Getting these guys seen by the scouts, so you roll with it,” Navs manager John Zizzo said. “We changed the rotation because (Northern Essex Community College’s) Evan Glew and Speros Varinos, of Tufts) threw, but that’s what you do. You want to get these kids to the next level.”
Six players represented the Navigators as East Division All-Stars, while four more participated in a Scout Day workout before the game.
Swampscott native Brian Burke (Curry), Jake Dexter (Southern Maine) and Quinn DiPasquale (Stevens Institute of Technology) all took the mound in the game, while Joey Pena (St. Thomas Aquinas) earned the start at shortstop for the East. Outfielder MacDaniel Singleton (Salem State) and catcher Mike D’Acunti (Southeastern) also earned All-Star nods.
The chance to perform in front of scouts from nearly every Major League Baseball team and a capacity crowd on the campus of the College of the Holy Cross was one that benefitted the Navs’ strong All-Star contingent.
“It was a lot of fun. I’ll remember something like that for a long time,” Dexter said. “Thinking back, I wouldn’t ever think I’d get the chance to pitch in a cool game like that, so you just take it all in. I loved it.”
Nine players earning FCBL All-Star nods represented Division III schools from New England, including three from the Navs. The sixth-year league is growing annually, but its mission of taking care of homegrown talent and giving locals a competitive league is more than being met.
Singleton appreciates the opportunity to compete against talent near and far, and felt the chance to showcase himself in an All-Star setting was a special one.
“Everyone was super ecstatic for even being there,” said Singleton, who scored the eventual game-winning run in a 4-3 victory for the East Division. “The recognition, all the fans that were there, it actually made you feel like a big-time All-Star. It was a great feeling.”
Burke and Dexter combined for 1 ⅔ innings of scoreless ball, while DiPasquale ― who was named to the team after winning the East Division Fan Vote ― pitched a scoreless eighth to earn the victory.
Dexter, who was USM’s regular second baseman and a top relief pitcher as a freshman this spring, used the All-Star experience to learn from players from around the FCBL. Rosters included those from the likes of Boston College, Kentucky and Bryant.
“I just like to see all the players,” said Dexter, whose older brother Sam was selected by the Chicago White Sox in the MLB Draft in June. “I look around and see a lot of good players, I see what they’re about and how they go about things.”
Brickman ― one of the youngest players in the FCBL ― joined Glew, Varinos and outfielder Colby Maiola in the Scout Day workouts, which consisted of a series of throwing and running drills and a full batting practice session.
The rising freshman at Siena College was exposed to professional scouts at the conclusion of his high school career at Worcester Academy, but the NFL Combine-style workout was a completely new experience.
“It is always great to get an opportunity to play in front of pro guys. I did it a little bit in high school, but in a game setting,” said Brickman, who also competed in the FCBL Home Run Derby. “It was very good exposure, experience for me and great to see what the guys could do.”
Names and Notes
- In less than one month’s time, the Navs went from owning the worst team ERA in the FCBL to the best. The club reached the top of the league’s pitching charts at the start of July and their collective 3.69 mark remains in the top spot.
- D’Acunti entered the week among FCBL leaders with a .333 average, while his 33 RBI rank second to Pittsfield’s Eric Hamilton (SUNY Oswego). He is also a perfect 9-for-9 stealing bases.
- Pena is tied for the FCBL lead with 32 walks.
- Maiola went 4-for-5 with a double, a home run, three runs scored and a franchise-record six RBI in Thursday’s 16-10 win at Nashua. The homer was the North Reading native’s fifth of the season, moving him into second place on the Navs’ single-season ranks.
- Maiola was one of six different players to post a multi-hit game at Historic Holman Stadium as the Navs scored in six of the nine innings and seven runs over the first four.
- Outfielder Mack Nathanson (Wofford) posted a pair of multi-hit games last week, including a 2-for-4 effort with two runs scored in Sunday’s 12-8 win over Nashua.
- The Navs have won all five contests in which Glew has appeared, four starts and one relief appearance. That is a mark unmatched by any other Navigator who has pitched in more than one game.
- Despite his latest effort coming in defeat, Varinos still struck out seven in six innings of three-run ball. He had tossed six, seven and eight full frames in his first three starts this summer, including his longest effort in the Navs’ no-hit performance July 8.
Joshua Kummins can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @JoshuaKummins.