Our Hometown
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The Newark Raptors of the Northeastern Collegiate Baseball League play their home opener tomorrow night at 5 p.m. at Colburn Park. They will play Geneva. While almost all of the faces have changed, there is much excitement about the upcoming season after the Raptors won the NCBL Western Division regular season crown last year with a 27-15 record. Here's a look at this season's team: Southern Comfort - This year's team has a decidedly Southern flavor to it with six players going to school in Arkansas, two in Mississippi, two in North Carolina, and one each in Alabama and Florida. Local Boy Makes Good- Outfielder Casey Saucke went to high school at Churchville-Chili and just finished his junior year at LeMoyne College in Syracuse. Welcome Back Old Friend - Reliever Saxon Berry is the lone returnee from last season's Raptors squad. Last season, Berry led the NCBL in saves and earned a save in the league all-star game. Like Father, Like Son - Infielder Brad Hassey is the son of former major league catcher Ron Hassey. Brad, like his father before him, attends school at the University of Arizona. Bloodlines, The Sequel - Pitcher Matt Arizin is the grandson of Hall of Fame basketball player Paul Arizin. Paul was recently named one of the 50 greatest players in NBA history. From The Bigtime to Newark - This year's Raptors squad contains several players from marquis NCAA conferences. Three players are from the SEC (Enrico Jones and Ryan Carroll from Mississippi State and Dave Klebonis from Florida), and three play in the Pac-10 (Sam Shelton, Robert Schulz, and Brad Hassey all from Arizona). The "Right" Stuff - Of the 13 hitters on the Raptors roster, 10 of them bat righthanded. Only catchers Brian Anderson and Scott Costa and second baseman Mike LaPoint are southpaws. By The Year - This year's squad has nine players who will be sophomores in the fall, four who will be juniors, and nine who will be seniors. The Long and Short of it - Pitcher Ryan Carroll is the tallest member of the Raptors at 6'6, while infielder Brad Hassey is the shortest member of the team at 5'9. Pictured is Raptors manager Fritz Hamburg. Copyright © 1999 |
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