Summer ball performances show promise for the 2012 Lions

Following the end of last semester, many of the Columbia baseball players left New York to spend their summers in various places around the country—just like many of their classmates. However, unlike most Columbians, several of these Lions kept doing what they had done all spring long—playing ball. With several outstanding performances in some of the nation’s most competitive summer leagues, the future looks awfully promising for the Light Blue.

“I think it’s all a great thing when you have a number of guys play in good summer leagues across the country and they’re performing well,” head coach Brett Boretti said. “I think it’s a credit to them and the sacrifice they make to spend two or three months in a different part of the country to play against some of the top talent in the nation. I think it helps them get better, and it definitely helps us get better.”

Junior outfielder Dario Pizzano had the most impressive summer of all Columbia hitters, playing in the New England Collegiate Baseball League, where he hit .340 with four home runs and 30 RBI for the North Shore Navigators. Among Pizzano’s many achievements were being named NECBL Player of the Week twice and the league’s most improved player, as well as starting in the NECBL All-Star Game. He was also named the ninth top NECBL prospect in the 2012 major league baseball draft by Baseball America.

“I think Dario really had a breakout summer, and I think he really took some positive steps with hitting off of high-caliber pitching,” Boretti said. “I think it was a great learning experience for him, and I think it’s going to set him up well for our season and for next summer for him as well.”

Fellow junior Lion Eric Williams was Pizzano’s teammate for half the season, during which he played 18 games, mostly at first base, while batting .208 with 9 RBIs.
Also in the NECBL, junior outfielder Nick Ferraresi hit .271 with four home runs and 12 RBI for the Mystic Schooners.

Junior pitcher Tim Giel, who was used out of the bullpen as a sophomore, had an exceptional summer as a starting pitcher in the prestigious Northwoods League. He recorded a team-high seven wins for the Green Bay Bullfrogs and posted a 2.33 ERA in his twelve starts. Perfect Game USA also named him one of Northwoods’ top 75 prospects, about half of whom have already been drafted by a major league team. Boretti was impressed with his right-handed pitcher as well.

“He went back to being a starter in the summertime, which is a role I see him going back to for us this year, and it was good to see him get a good amount of innings and get his arm strength built up for longer periods of time,” he said.

Junior starter Stefan Olson also pitched in the Northwoods League. He pitched only 9 1/3 innings over two starts due to an innings limit, allowing five earned while striking out nine for the Thunder Bay Border Cats.

In the Cape Cod League—maybe the country’s premier collegiate baseball league, boasting over 1,000 alumni in professional baseball—senior Pat Lowery went 3-2 with a 4.05 ERA and 29 strikeouts for the Brewster White Caps. Sophomore catcher Mike Fischer played in the league as well, picking up two hits in 15 at-bats for the Wareham Gatemen team that made the playoffs.

Some other notable performances include senior Billy Rumpke’s .311 average in the Great Lakes Summer Collegiate League, as well as senior Alexander Aurrichio’s 18 extra-base hits and junior Nick Crucet’s .478 on-base percentage in the Coastal Plains League. Sophomore Aaron Silbar was an All-Star in the Florida League, while fellow sophomores Joey Donino, Ricky Kleban, and David Speer also had stellar summers for their respective leagues.

The best story of the summer may belong to sophomore pitcher Zack Tax, who helped guide the Staten Island Tide to the Atlantic Collegiate Baseball League championship. In eight appearances he earned a 2.41 ERA while striking out 17. But when the Tide’s starting shortstop suffered a season-ending injury, Tax filled in at short despite not having played in the field since high school. He delivered with a .306 average and eight RBI down the stretch.

Adding to next season’s promise, the Lions also announced their nine new recruits this summer.

“I think it’s a very talented group,” Boretti said. “I think there’s going to be a lot of heated competition with fall ball. There are some guys who are hungry that are coming in, and they know that we just graduated quite a few players. There’s definitely a lot of opportunity, and I expect a lot of competition come this fall.”