Webster Yankee Coach Dave Brust knew he had assembled a talented baseball team. The New York Collegiate Baseball League agreed naming four of the home nine to all-league honors.

Michael Craig (St. John Fisher) earned first team recognition while Shawn Bailey (SUNY Cortland), Ollie Bertrand (Flager), and Steve Muoio (Georgia C&S) each grabbed a spot on the second team.

Bailey proved the third time is a charm leading the team in average (.325), hits (52), and stolen bases (14).  “It has been great to watch Shawn develop over the past three years,” said Brust. “He really blossomed this year into one of the best players in the league. He made so many big plays for us.”

Having earned first-team honors last season, Muoio faced lofty expectations. “Steve did what he was supposed, and that wasn’t easy considering last season,” noted Brust.  “He took a lot of walks because people were throwing around him. Despite that he developed his power and made several spectacular plays with his glove.”

Muoio led the way with 14 doubles and tied for the team lead with 15 extra-base hits. The Webster native hit .324 with a .445 slugging percentage.

No one worked harder than Bertrand. With the pinstripes beset by injuries Bertrand caught the final six games of the season—including two doubleheaders. The work load did not negatively affect Bertrand’s performance.

“Hands down, Ollie was the best catcher in the league,” commented Brust. “He has a professional understanding of the strike zone and how to call a game. Ollie was a great leader.”

Bertrand’s 28 walks topped all Yankee batters. The native of Quebec hit .305 and had an on-base percentage of .424.

Craig opened the season holding opponents without a run for 28 innings. “It was great to see Michael do so well,” said Brust. “He is credit to St. John Fisher and to D3 baseball. He handled some big time hitters this summer.”

Craig finished the season 5-1. His ERA 1.50 was good for fifth in the league. The right-hander surrendered seven earned runs in 42 innings of work.

Only divisional winners Hornell and Amsterdam placed more players on the all-league teams.

Pickin' Splinters

Sanctioned by the NCAA and partially funded by Major League Baseball, the summer wood bat league established a new benchmark for success in 2007 when 37 former players heard their names called during the MLB draft. That number increased to 39 in 2008 and rose to 41 this past spring.

Fans looked on with pride last fall as former NYCBLer, Brad Lidge (Ithaca ’98), closed out a World Series victory for the Philadelphia Phillies. Hunter Pence (Schenectady ’02) added to the league’s status when he earned a spot in this year’s MLB All-Star game.

At the hub of this trend stands the Webster Yankees.

Dave Brust’s 2009 version of the Webster Yankees know all too well the capabilities of the NYCBL.

An early-season boom gave way to a mid-season slump, and the Webster nine finished 21-21, missing the post-season by the slimmest of margins.  

Nonetheless, Brust’s boys invested in the future.

On June 9, the pinstripes christened their new home at Basket Road with a come-from-behind 4-2 victory over the Elmira Pioneers. It was a night of firsts.

Scott Brothers (Ball State) notched the first strikeout at the Basket as he set down Elmira’s Chris Paul (St. Ambrose College).

The Pios’ Ryan Ferguson (Temple) was the first base-runner when he worked a two-out walk in the top of the first. Nate Koontz (Ball State) rapped the first base hit, and Elmira’s Nate David (Cornell) scored the first run. 

Brothers tossed six shutout innings on a chilly opening night. The right-hander, who became known as "Big Daddy," finished the season fanning 28 batters.

Not only did Koontz get the first hit at the friendly confines but he followed that with the first walk-off hit ten days later. Koontz slashed a two-out triple scoring Geoff Dornes (R.I.T.) from first as Webster trimmed Niagara 1-0.

Koontz’s triple provided plenty of excitement, but Brian Pullyblank (So. Illinois) hurled magic that evening. Striking out nine and walking none, the ‘Caledonia Kid’ tossed the first no-hitter in team history. Pullyblank won two more games on the campaign including a complete-game 9-1 victory over Brockport on July 22.  

Pullyblank and Brothers shared a kindred spirit. The pair joined former Yankee, Dustin Ramey (UMass-Lowell) as pinstripes making a successful recovery from Tommy John surgery.

Pullyblank had the surgery 22 months prior to the start of the season while Brothers had his procedure done 14 months before opening night.

Ramey made his first rehab start with Webster last season and led the ’08 Yanks with four wins.

Webster opened this season grabbing the West division lead with a six pack of wins.

During the season-opening streak Bryant Guilmette (U Mass-Lowell) etched his mark on the season. The lefty reliever earned a pair of saves and pulled off one magic act to spark the pinstripes.

On June 10, Guilmette entered with Webster clinging to a two-run lead at Allegany County. The Hopkinton, Mass., native responded striking out the three batters he faced on nine pitches. Two nights later, Guilmette took the ball with bases loaded and one out. One pitch later, he retired the side with a ground ball for a double play.

Guilmette gave an encore of that performance against Elmira.  The Pios loaded the bases without a walk before Guilmette came on to induce a fly ball and double play to consecutive batters.

Shawn Bailey (SUNY Cortland) paced his hometown team with 51 hits – good for third in the league. In his third tour of duty with the home nine, Bailey also led with 13 stolen bases and 20 runs.

On the defensive side, Bailey had 105 assists. Bailey joined teammates Ollie Bertrand (Monroe CC) and Michael Craig (St. John Fisher) at the league’s annual All-Star game.

Koontz along with Pullyblank, Lincoln Rassi (Toledo) and Steve Muoio (Georgia C&S) took part in the league’s Futures’ Game.

One year after earning all-league honors, local product, Muoio led the way with a .331 batting average. The Webster-Thomas grad ripped a team-high 14 doubles on the campaign.

Craig opened the season holding opponents without a run for his first 28 innings pitched. The native of Getzville, New York went 5-1 with an ERA of 1.50. He and Rassi led Webster five wins apiece.

Rassi struck out 44 and walked 13 in 43 innings of work with a 3.98 ERA.

Bertrand earned the respect of all as the best defensive catcher in the league. The pride of Quebec hit .308 and led the team with 25 walks.

Matt Jimenez (Mercyhurst) might not have led the team in wins, but two of his four came when it mattered most.  With the Yankees caught in the throes of nine consecutive losses, Jimenez took the hill against scattered five hits over eight innings in a 5-1 triumph.

Seven days later, Webster was tied for the final playoff spot with the Allegheny County Nitros. Jimenez held the Nitros to six hits and three runs in eight frames of work en route to a 4-3 victory.

When commenting on Jimenez, Brust said: “His breaking ball dances like a ping pong ball.”

Tyler Scott (Toledo) came out of the bullpen for 17 appearances. The right hander struck out 24 and walked 13 with an ERA of 2.13. Onlookers had to wonder about the octane reading on his heat because there was no doubt Scott threw gas.

Ryan Chenoweth (Ball State) led the Yanks with five triples. In his second tour of duty with Webster, Chenoweth also rapped five doubles, a home run, with 11 RBI.  

Matt Jacobs (UMass-Lowell) dazzled everyone with the leather, and the native of Hudson, Massachusetts had 23 RBI to go with his 34 hits for the summer.

Chriss Soldi (UMass-Lowell) banged 18 hits including two doubles and a triple to go with 12 RBI.

Dan Jurik (St. John Fisher) tossed thirty-two and a third for Webster. The native of Vestal, New York struck out 33 and walked 12.

Mike Walraven (Hofstra) hit .273 with 9 RBI and 14 runs scored.

In his second stint with the Yankees, Geoff Dornes (R.I.T.) struck out 21 and walked 9 in 31 frames of work. Dornes also collected 14 hits and 7 RBI.

Rhett Goodmiller (Central Michigan) hit .272 with five doubles, two triples, and 11 RBI.

Fellow Chippewa Ricky Clark recovered from an early-season injury to help the Yanks down the stretch. After taking a pitch off the wrist, Clark returned home to Mason, Mich. for x-rays. Those tests came back negative.

Clark worked to get full movement back in his forearm. He missed ten games before returning to the lineup. Clark stole nine bases and scored 13 runs on 25 hits.

Clark wasn’t the only to catch the injury bug. Dominic Catanzarite (Ball State), Jason Edwards (Toledo), Thomas Kufel (Mercyhurst), and Pat Devlin (UMass-Lowell) all missed significant parts of the season. The rash of injuries forced the Yankees to play their final ten games with just one position player on the bench.

One can only imagine how much of an impact the injuries had on the Yankees’ season. Finishing just percentage points from the playoffs, Webster was relegated to spectators as the Amsterdam Mohawks defeated the Hornell Dodgers for the league championship.

Adding to the frustration is the realization that four of Webster’s losses in the final two weeks came by a single run. Each time Webster had the tying run on base in the final stanza.  

Pickin’ Splinters 

The Yankees used a pair of come-from-behind efforts for a doubleheader sweep of the Allegany County Nitros, 4-3 and 6-5 in New York Collegiate Baseball League action at Basket Road Field. In doing so, the Yankees vaulted to second place in the NYCBL West Division.

Matt Jacobs (UMass-Lowell) slashed a one-out triple off the fence in left center field 399 feet from home plate delivering Steve Muoio (Georgia C&S) and Ollie Bertrand (Monroe CC). Jacobs scored the eventual winning run on a ground ball by Geoff Dornes (R.I.T.).

Michael Craig (St. John Fisher) scattered seven hits while fanning four en route to his fifth win of the campaign.

Webster took the lead in the second. Jacobs and Dornes worked a pair of one-out walks. Using the hit and run, Mike Walraven (Hofstra) advanced the runners with a ground ball to the right side of the infield. Ricky Clark (Central Michigan) staked the Yanks to the lead with a single to right field.

Webster added a run in the fifth. After reaching first on a fielder’s choice, Clark stole second and advanced to third on a wild pitch. Shawn Bailey (SUNY Cortland) brought home the run with a ground ball to the second baseman.

Bryant Guilmette (UMass-Lowell) struck out five of the nine batters he faced in the seventh and eight stanzas.

Lincoln Rassi (Toledo) worked the ninth for the save.

Vincent Malzahn (St. Thomas Aquinas) capped a four-run Nitro fourth with his second home run of the day. The blast measured at least 450 feet.  

Ryan Chenoweth (Ball State) plated Muoio in the sixth inning of the opener. On the throw home to get Muoio, Chenoweth was caught in a rundown between first and second. Jacobs alertly scooted to the dish with the eventual winning run.

Matt Jimenez (Mercyhurst) scattered six hits over eight innings for the win.

“His breaking ball looked like a ping pong ball up there,” said Brust.

Jimenez stumbled in the second when he allowed three runs on two hits including a home run by Malzahn. After the Nitro first baseman took a first-pitch changeup out of the park, Jimenez could only smile and make adjustments from there.

“They were hitting my change,” said the right hander. “I figured I go away from that and use my slider and curve a little more.”

Starting with the final out of the second, Jimenez retired the next ten batters he faced.

“You gotta be willing to shake things up,” said Jimenez. “I had to do what I could to get out of there.”

Tyler Scott (Toledo) worked the ninth for the save. The right hander struck out two of the three batters he faced.

Nate Koontz (Ball State) went 2-for-4 with two RBI in the opener. Clark led off the first by being hit by a pitch. After stealing second, Clark advanced to third on a ground ball by Rhett Goodmiller (Central Michigan). Koontz followed with a single to center field plating the first run.

Goodmiller led the charge in the third with a one-out triple to right center. Koontz followed with a single to center for the home nine’s second run.

Webster improved to 21-18 and took significant strides towards earning a playoff berth. Webster travels to Elmira for another double dip. First game is scheduled for 5pm.

Pickin’ Splinters 

Webster rallied from a 4-1 deficit with a pair of runs in the eighth. Steve Muoio’s (Georgia C&S) two-out single to right field plated Shawn Bailey (SUNY Cortland) with the third run for the home nine.

Ricky Clark (Central Michigan) led the frame and was hit by a pitch. Bailey dropped a bunt single down the third baseline, and both advanced when the ensuing throw flew over first base. Eventually, Clark scored on a wild pitch.

Ryan Chenoweth (Ball State) slashed a one-out triple in the ninth. Hornell reliever, Chase Boroff (Carson Newman), extinguished the threat with a back-to-back strike outs.

The Yankees jumped to a one-run lead in the second. With two outs Chriss Soldi (UMass-Lowell) got caught in a run-down at first base. The designated hitter alertly continued the play so that Chenoweth could score from second.

But luck did not shine on the pinstripes Saturday. Hornell pasted runs on the board during the sixth, seventh, and eighth. Jeff Lockwood (Tennessee) tied the score on an opposite-field two strike single by Trey Bennett (Mercyhurst). Bennett fought off an inside pitch for the RBI.

Hornell took the lead one inning later. Adalberto Vargas (Alfred St.) doubled and scored on a single by Thomas Zurline (St. Joseph’s).

Lockwood and Bennett combined in the eighth for a deuce. Lockwood led with a triple. Bennett walked and stole second. Webster appeared to slow the rally when reliever, Scott Brothers (Ball State), put a glove on a come-backer.

Unfortunately, the ball caromed into the area vacated by shortstop, Bailey. Lockwood and Bennett crossed the dish, and Craig Shaefer (Webster) stood at second with a double on a ball that never left the infield.

Bennett made an outstanding catch in left center which turns out to be a game-saver. Matt Jacobs (U Mass-Lowell) led the seventh with a drive into the gap. Bennett sprinted, leapt and took away a sure triple – possibly an inside-the-park home run.

Clark and Bailey led the game with singles. Rhett Goodmiller (Central Michigan) advanced the runners with a sacrifice bunt, but Webster could not take advantage from there.

With the loss, Webster falls to 18-18.

In the night cap, Webster took a 4-1 lead in the first before storms settled into Webster.

Clark and Goodmiller reached base on walks. Nate Koontz (Ball State) plated Clark with a single. Muoio drove home Goodmiller. Jacobs brought home Koontz, and Chenoweth delivered Muoio with a single.

Play was suspended. A new date and time are pending.

Webster travels to Brockport Sunday for a 4pm tilt.

Pickin’ Splinters 

Webster rallied from a 4-1 deficit with a pair of runs in the eighth. Steve Muoio’s (Georgia C&S) two-out single to right field plated Shawn Bailey (SUNY Cortland) with the third run for the home nine.

Ricky Clark (Central Michigan) led the frame and was hit by a pitch. Bailey dropped a bunt single down the third baseline, and both advanced when the ensuing throw flew over first base. Eventually, Clark scored on a wild pitch.

Ryan Chenoweth (Ball State) slashed a one-out triple in the ninth. Hornell reliever, Chase Boroff (Carson Newman), extinguished the threat with a back-to-back strike outs.

The Yankees jumped to a one-run lead in the second. With two outs Chriss Soldi (UMass-Lowell) got caught in a run-down at first base. The designated hitter alertly continued the play so that Chenoweth could score from second.

But luck did not shine on the pinstripes Saturday. Hornell pasted runs on the board during the sixth, seventh, and eighth. Jeff Lockwood (Tennessee) tied the score on an opposite-field two strike single by Trey Bennett (Mercyhurst). Bennett fought off an inside pitch for the RBI.

Hornell took the lead one inning later. Adalberto Vargas (Alfred St.) doubled and scored on a single by Thomas Zurline (St. Joseph’s).

Lockwood and Bennett combined in the eighth for a deuce. Lockwood led with a triple. Bennett walked and stole second. Webster appeared to slow the rally when reliever, Scott Brothers (Ball State), put a glove on a come-backer.

Unfortunately, the ball caromed into the area vacated by shortstop, Bailey. Lockwood and Bennett crossed the dish, and Craig Shaefer (Webster) stood at second with a double on a ball that never left the infield.

Bennett made an outstanding catch in left center which turns out to be a game-saver. Matt Jacobs (U Mass-Lowell) led the seventh with a drive into the gap. Bennett sprinted, leapt and took away a sure triple – possibly an inside-the-park home run.

Clark and Bailey led the game with singles. Rhett Goodmiller (Central Michigan) advanced the runners with a sacrifice bunt, but Webster could not take advantage from there.

With the loss, Webster falls to 18-18.

In the night cap, Webster took a 4-1 lead in the first before storms settled into Webster.

Clark and Goodmiller reached base on walks. Nate Koontz (Ball State) plated Clark with a single. Muoio drove home Goodmiller. Jacobs brought home Koontz, and Chenoweth delivered Muoio with a single.

Play was suspended. A new date and time are pending.

Webster travels to Brockport Sunday for a 4pm tilt.

Pickin’ Splinters 

Jon Clinard (Austin Peay) brought home an unlikely winning run in the seventh as the Geneva Red Wings defeated Webster, 3-2 in New York Collegiate Baseball League action Saturday night. When Mike Blanchard (Austin Peay) appeared caught in a rundown at first, Clinard alertly scampered home with the eventual game winner.

Clinard led the frame with a walk issued by Webster starter, Michael Craig (St. John Fisher). Blanchard followed with a single down the left field line. Yankee reliever Tyler Scott (Toledo) appeared to have worked out of the jam.

The right hander from Novi, Michigan struck out Gordy Lahann (U Texas PB) and Jeff Cola (Toledo) before catching Blanchard wandering from first. Scott’s throw to first would have ended the threat, but Clinard created enough of a distraction to draw a throw to home.

Webster took the lead in the first. Ricky Clark (Central Michigan) opened the game with a double. Shawn Bailey (SUNY Cortland) followed with a bunt single. Clark was thrown out at home as Bailey stole second. When a ground ball by Mike Walraven (Hofstra) was mishandled, Bailey crossed the dish for the lead.

Geneva responded in the sixth. Ryan Walhardt (Oakland) walked to lead the stanza. Jack Wortley (U Texas PB) drilled a one-out home run to right field and the Wings had their first lead of the game.

The tallies represented the first earned runs surrendered by Craig this season. Craig entered the game 4-0 without an earned run in 29 innings of work. The right hander held opponents without a run for his first 28 frames of work this season.

Webster tied the score in the seventh. Clark’s bases loaded single to right field plated Matt Jacobs (UMass-Lowell).

Ryan Kassab (Long Island U) opened the ninth hitting Geoff Dornes (R.I.T) with a pitch. Dornes stole second and moved to third on Clark’s sacrifice fly. But that was as far as Dornes would get.

Clark is 6-11 for the last three games. In the third game of the season, the Mason, Michigan native took a pitch off the wrist that caused him to miss 12 games.

With the loss Webster falls to 15-15 for fourth place in the NYCBL West Division.

Webster fell to Brockport Friday night, 2-1.

Steve Muoio (Georgia C&S) smashed a one-out double in the ninth. After Chriss Soldi (UMass-Lowell) replaced Muoio as a pinch-runner, Jacobs worked a walk. The two moved into scoring position on a pass ball.

Lincoln Rassi (Toledo) took his first loss of the season, allowing four hits and striking out eight in seven innings of work.

Jacobs scored Webster’s lone run in the fifth. Leading the frame with a walk, Jacobs moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Rhett Goodmiller. After a single by Clark, Jacobs came home on Bailey’s ground ball.

Webster travels to Alfred Sunday for a pivotal double header versus the Oilers. Alfred currently holds third place at 16-14. 

Dave Brust’s Webster Yankees can’t get home soon enough. The pinstripes found more valleys than hills while traveling the roads of Upstate New York over the last nine days.

A quintet of hurlers held the Yankee bats in check Monday, as the Brockport Riverbats downed Webster, 7-0 in New York Collegiate Baseball League action at Ed Nietopski Field.

Chuck Fontana (Rutgers-Newark) danced through land mines for six innings to get the win, and Andrew Femath (Texas-Lutheran) added a spark with his glove and bat as Brockport grabbed a share of first place in the NYCBL West Division.

Webster loaded the bases in the fourth and fifth only to be denied both times. Ryan Chenoweth (Ball State) and Mike Walraven (Hofstra) rapped back-to-back singles in the fourth before Steve Muoio (Georgia C&S) worked a walk. Fontana got a fly ball to end the inning.

One frame later, Shawn Bailey (Cortland St.) picked up his second hit of the day. Dominic Catanzarite (Ball State) reached on an error, and Ollie Bertrand (Monroe CC) worked a base on balls.  This time Fontana struck out a batter and induced an infield pop-up.

Bertrand walked to lead off the second. Walraven delivered a two-out single. Again, Fontana answered, this time with a ground ball to end the threat.

Brockport took the lead in the first. Richie Tri (Central CT St. U) singled and moved up on a wild pitch and fielder’s choice. Dave Ciocchi (Binghamton) plated the run with a two-out single to center field. Brockport would have all the runs they would need.

Webster starter, Dan Jurik (St. John Fisher), took the loss. The right-hander struck out five and walked three in five and a third innings of work. Brockport chased Jurik in the sixth. Femath led with a home run over the wall in left field.

Femath’s hit benefitted from the breezy afternoon in Brockport. “That wasn’t the best pitch I could throw,” said Jurik. “but I didn’t see that coming.”  Brockport added another run when Ryan Skelle (St. Bonaventure) topped an infield single just over the glove of reliever Tyler Scott (Toledo).

Femath robbed Webster of a run in the seventh. With Matt Jacobs (UMass-Lowell) on second, Catanzarite ripped a shot into the hold between first and second. Femath ranged to his left, dove, and took away a sure hit and a run. The second baseman had eight assists on the day to go with two hits and a walk.

Tom Hembree (Texas-Lutheran) and Billy Cerruti (Rutgers-Newark) worked the seventh while Reid Rooney (Central Michigan) and Alex Adami (Binghamton) each worked a frame of relief.

Webster left 14 runners on base.

The loss comes on the heels of a double-header sweep at the hands of the Hornell Dodgers, 9-3 and 10-2. Hornell pasted numbers on the board in four different innings of the opener before breaking open the night cap with a six-run eighth.

This came one week after Webster dropped a pair at Allegany County.

One of the few bright spots of the last nine days came when Michael Craig (St. John Fisher) tossed his second complete-game shutout as Webster defeated Niagara, 5-0.

Bailey, Bertrand, and Craig will represent the home nine at the league All-Star game on Tuesday. Muoio, Nate Koontz (Ball State), Brian Pullyblank (So. Illinois), and Lincoln Rassi (Toledo) will participate in the Future’s game. Numerous Major League scouts will be on hand for both games.

Webster returns home Wednesday as the Allegany County Nitros visit Basket Road Field. Niagara and Brockport come to town Thursday and Friday. All games start at 7pm.

Pickin’ Splinters 

Chris Dudics (Toledo) brought home Dan Pembroke (Dowling) with a single through the left side. Dan Gliot (Oakland) plated Will Harford (Notre Dame) with a ground ball to right side of the infield. Rassi ended the threat with a strike out. The freshman from the University of Toledo struck out the side in the second and sixth innings. 

Rana entered the game with a 2-0 mark and both wins over the Yanks. The southpaw from Gilbert, Arizona had tossed two complete games allowing just one unearned run in eighteen innings pitched versus Webster. Tuesday, Rana gave up five runs (four earned) in seven innings of work. 

Allegany County swept a double-header from the Yanks on Sunday. Trevor Conner (Frostburg State) allowed seven hits and one earned run as the Nitros topped the Yanks in the opener, 4-2.

Chris Camastro (Pace) shut out the pinstripes in the night cap, 2-0. 
Monday, Brian Benedictine (Benedictine College) went the distance scattering seven Yankee hits while fanning 11 as Alfred topped Webster 4-0. Since starting the season 0-6, the Oilers have gone 11-4 and have moved into fourth place in the NYCBL West Division. 

Webster still remains atop at 14-8. After an off-night Webster travels to Niagara, Thursday. Game time is set for 7 p.m. 

Pickin' Splinters

Photo: Bailey