Bowdoin is early pacesetter in CBB baseball scramble

Most years the race for the Colby-Bowdoin-Bates baseball title is tighter than Cecil Fielder’s uniform.

This season, with defending CBB champion Bowdoin College of Brunswick having lost five seniors to graduation and with young teams at Bates of Lewiston and Colby of Waterville showing early signs of improvement, the race is expected to go down to the wire.

Bowdoin is off to an 8-4 start under ninth-year coach Harvey Shapiro. The Polar Bears already own a 5-2 win over Bates and can get a leg up on the CBB race with a win against Colby Tuesday in Brunswick.

“I’m pleased with the way we’re playing right now,” said Shapiro. “We’re getting good pitching and our defense this past weekend was good.”

Bowdoin swept a Saturday doubleheader with UMass-Boston then dropped a tough 1-0 decision to perennial ECAC New England power Brandeis.

The heart of the Polar Bear team is the pitching staff, comprised of senior righty Mike Brown (2-0, 3.00 ERA), sophomore righty Paul Johnson (2-1, 1.47), freshman righty Jay Barillaro (2-1, 2.59), and sophomore righty John Coggins (2-1, 2.45). Junior Dave Kolojay owns two saves out of the bullpen.

“The main thing is they’re throwing strikes,” said Shapiro. “I just hope the weather allows us to keep playing so everyone stays sharp.”

At the plate, Bowdoin is averaging 6.6 runs per game thanks to the consistent bats of senior second baseman Ben Grinnell (.442, 1 HR, 8 RBI), junior shortstop Tony Abbiati (.333, 1 HR), and second-team All-New England catcher Brian Crovo, a three-year starter currently hitting .318 with two homers and a team-leading 12 RBI.

Bates is off to a 4-3 start for second-year boss Bob Flynn. Considering Bates went 5-18 a year ago, improvement appears a sure thing.

“My expectation is we’ll be competitive,” said Flynn, who thinks his team’s strength lies in defense and pitching. “I don’t know if we’re good enough to win the CBB. We just want to be in position to have a chance.”

Defensively, Bates has a strong up-the-middle cast featuring junior catcher Steve Bucci, sophomore second baseman John Morrissey, senior co-captain Aaron Wensley at shortstop, and junior center fielder Chris Plante, a fleet-footed receiver on the football team.

The pitching has been by committee to date, with no fewer than eight hurlers having seen considerable action. Senior righties Ed Travers and Chip Balser anchor the staff, with help from freshman lefty Henry Hanley, freshman righty Scott Beverage, and sophomore righty Chip Balser. Travers, Beverage and senior righty Chris Ryder have taken turns as the closers.

Offensively, Travers is batting over .500 while No. 3 hitter Plante already has socked three homers.

Colby owns a 3-6 record under first-year head coach Tom Dexter. According to Dexter, the White Mules’ goals for the season are:

“Our first winning season since 1987, to recapture the CBB title we won in 1990, and a possible ECAC (playoff) berth.”

If the Mules are to approach any of those marks they’re going to have to get better control from a young pitching staff that features a junior, three freshmen and a sophomore. Top hurlers are junior lefty David McCarthy, whose 0-3 record features two one-run losses; freshman righty Mike Frasier (1-1, 7.00 ERA), and freshman righty Mike Keller (1-1).

“We’ve had trouble with walks,” said Dexter. “Our pitchers need to get the ball over the plate. They’re young. They’ll gain experience.”

At the plate, third baseman Jim Dionizio has led the way from his No. 3 spot in the order with a .542 average, including seven extra-base hits and seven RBI. Other top hitters are senior left fielder Mitch Rogers (.444), freshman center fielder Mike McElaney (.500), and sophomore DH Rich Wagenknecht (.250).