The team arrives tomorrow...

at noon, and we'll have a lot to write about at that point. Soon, they'll be talking to the media, practicing, appearing at public events, and getting ready for the season.

Also, throughout this week, Navs players will be going to local schools to read to kids as an extension of the reading program.

Navigators and Valdez Baseball Academy Partner to Hold Baseball Camp This Summer

Joe Jasinski, North Shore Navigators Sports Information Department

While the Navigators look to excel in the New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL), the team is also looking to enhance the community. What better way to begin than to equip youths with the skills needed to play the game that the players know best: baseball!

The Navigators are teaming up with the Valdez Baseball Academy to provide a summer baseball camp for youths on the North Shore. Young ballplayers will be mentored by former professional player David Valdez and the Navigators players at Fraser Field in Lynn. The camp runs from July 21-25, 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.

The mission of the baseball camp is to provide a week of high quality instruction to improve our ballplayers' skills...and have a blast doing it! The camp is open to kids ages 7-14 years old. The total cost of the camp is expected to be $135 (includes lunch). The camp should teach kids valuable lessons in baseball while always having fun, Navigators Owner Philip Rosenfield said.

"It's great fun," Rosenfield said. "I wish I was a kid again."

David Valdez is a former Major League Baseball player who had stints with the Los Angeles Dodgers and Seattle Mariners. He also played in the Domincan Winter, Columbian and Independent Leagues. He currently holds the position of Executive Director at 1st Place Sports Complex in Medford, MA.

The North Shore Navigators are the newest members of the NECBL, an elite, wood-bat summer league featuring some of the best collegiate players from around the country. The Navigators kick off their inaugural season on Saturday, June 7, against the defending league champion Vermont Mountaineers at Fraser Field in Lynn. For more information, visit the team's website at www.nsnavs.com.

Navs News Roundup: May 29, 2008

9 days until opening day!

• The Navigators will be hosting a baseball clinic in July. Expect a press release about this later in the day.

• The previously scheduled "Dominican Day" on July 10 is going to be expanded - there will now be a "Latino Baseball Series." I don't know many details about this event just yet, but when we learn more we'll share it with you.

• It's another exciting day to be at the ballpark. The Comcast and Chick-fil-A logos are now up on the outfield fence and it looks like they're setting up the main concessions tent as well.

• A personal note of congratulations to the Boston College women's sailing team for winning the national championship, giving new meaning to "Shipping Up to Boston."

Lynn Fire Dept, we thank you.

Joe Jasinski, North Shore Navigators Sports Information Department

We had a little scare at the ballpark around 5:30 p.m. yesterday as everyone was closing up shop. An employee of Lynn Cam (who will be streaming video of our home and away games over the Internet) informed us that a pile of mulch was "smoking" beside the concourse at Fraser Field...uh oh. A generous soul decided to "donate" some charcoal to the team, leaving some embers on the mulch along the third base side of the stadium. Is there someone trying to sabotage the Navigators' quest?!

Thankfully, Lynn FD promptly showed up to monitor the situation and assured us that Fraser would still be a-standin' in the mornin'. Thank you to those guys for coming down to help, and we apologize to the firefighter who hurt his ankle while assisting. Let us know if we can get you some tickets for a game, we'd be more than willing to help out!

So Fraser Field prevails, and the Navigators still aim to ship off June 7th...

******

What to look for later today on the NSN Blog...

Interview with Navigator first baseman Kent Graham, a member of the Trinity College (CT) baseball team who won the NCAA Division III National Championship on Tuesday with a 5-4 win over Johns Hopkins!

Kent Graham, Trinity College win D3 National Championship

Joseph Gravellese, North Shore Navigators Sports Information Department

North Shore Navigators first baseman Kent Graham and the Trinity College Bantams lost their chance at an undefeated season at the Division 3 College World Series, but they came home from Wisconsin with the ultimate prize: the national championship.

With his team trailing Johns Hopkins 4-3 with 1 out in the bottom of the 9^th inning, Graham stroked a single to ignite what would become a national championship-winning rally. Trinity loaded the bases with two outs for North Reading native and St. John’s Prep alum Matt Sullivan, who worked a walk to score Graham and tie the score at 4. The next batter, Guy Gogliettino, battled through an 11-pitch at bat to draw another walk, bringing home the title-winning run for Trinity.

Earlier in the afternoon, Trinity faced the same situation, trailing Hopkins 4-3 in the 9^th with their perfect season on the line, but they went down in order to pick up their first loss of the season. The tournament’s double-elimination format meant that the two teams would be forced to play a second, winner-take-all game later in the day.

The game-tying run in the national championship was the culmination of an incredible season for Graham. The Longmeadow, MA native hit .420 with 9 home runs, 57 runs batted in, and 54 runs scored in 46 games. He was honored with a selection to the NESCAC all-conference first team. He will now look to add an New England Collegiate Baseball League title with the Navigators to his already impressive baseball resume.

Graham is one of three NECBL players on Trinity’s national championship team. Sean Killeen of Greenfield, MA will play for the Holyoke Sox this summer. Jeremiah Bayer, an all-conference pitcher also from Greenfield, will toe the rubber for the Manchester Silkworms.

The North Shore Navigators are the newest members of the NECBL, an elite, wood-bat summer league featuring some of the best collegiate players from around the country. The Navigators kick off their inaugural season on Saturday, June 7, against the defending league champion Vermont Mountaineers at Fraser Field in Lynn. For more information, visit the team’s website at www.nsnavs.com.

Navs News Roundup: May 27, 2008

11 days 'til opening day!

• Greetings from the stuffy upstairs office at the Howie Grob Clubhouse, which we in the Sports Information Department have affectionately nicknamed "The War Room." This is where the magic happens.

• As you can see by the gigantic banners both here and at NSNAVS.com, Chick-fil-A is sponsoring "Meet the Navigators night" on Wednesday, June 4 from 5 to 7 PM at the North Shore Mall in Peabody. Fans will have the opportunity to meet the players, win discounted Chick-fil-A food, and win tickets to Navs games. Chick-fil-A is also sponsoring 1,000 free sandwich night on Opening Day. Expect a full release on this, probably by the end of the day.

• Kent Graham and the Trinity College Bantams suffered their first loss of the season this afternoon, giving up a 9th inning run on a passed ball to lose 4-3. They are currently playing Johns Hopkins in the winner-take-all national championship game; a link to live video is available at D3baseball.com.

• Something else to keep your eye on - we're shaping the promotional schedule for the season and will be announcing some exciting events shortly. We may well have a mascot name as well. Stay tuned.

• We just found out that incoming Navs pitcher Wayde Kitchens of Chapman University is 6'5'', 270 pounds. That's going to be fun to watch.
  

St. Mary’s wins Clancy tournament in dramatic fashion, 9-8

Joseph Gravellese, North Shore Navigators Sports Information Department

St. Mary’s survived a 5-run 7^th inning rally to squeeze by North Reading, 9-8, and take home the title in the 28^th annual “Nipper” Clancy Memorial Tournament at Fraser Field. Ryan Beliveau starred for the Spartans on the hill and at the plate, pitching 6 innings to earn the victory and stroking a 2-run double in the top of the 7^th to provide St. Mary’s with crucial insurance runs.

Beliveau’s double was part of a 3-run 7^th inning for St. Mary’s, which at the time extended their lead to a seemingly insurmountable 9-3. But in the home half of the 7^th, North Reading strung together four consecutive base hits to make it 9-5 and chase Beliveau from the game.

Relief pitcher Nick Conti struggled to close out the game, giving up two more hits to cut the lead to 9-8. But with the bases loaded and 1 out, Conti got Michael Enright and Brian O’Neil to fly out, nailing down the victory for St. Mary’s.

“[Beliveau]’s done it all year for us,” said St. Mary’s coach Derek Dana after the game. “He’s gotten better and better. He battles. He doesn’t give in, he never gives up, and he held them down for as long as he could. I’m very proud of him.”

Joe Kasabuski earned tournament MVP honors, reaching base 8 times, driving in 5 runs, and scoring 4 times on the weekend. “He’s struggled at the plate all year, but he knows that hard work will get him through it, and that’s exactly what got him through it and led to his success,” said Dana.

Dana also reflected upon the importance of winning the historic Clancy Tournament. “Fraser Field and Nipper Clancy mean a great deal to me. I’d love to win this tournament every single year.”

The event is a yearly tradition at Lynn’s Fraser Field. The venerable ballpark is currently undergoing a facelift in preparation for the upcoming inaugural season of the North Shore Navigators, which begins on June 7. The Navigators are the newest member of the 12-team New England Collegiate Baseball League, an elite, wood-bat summer league featuring some of the best college players from around the country.

Evidence of the Navigators’ presence exists all around the historic ballpark. A brand new ‘Home of the North Shore Navigators’ sign hangs behind section G. The new electronic scoreboard is up and operating in right centerfield. Team staff members were visible during the tournament in their blue Navigators polo shirts, hawking concessions, selling tickets, and manning the press box. And the outfield fence, bare since the departure of the North Shore Spirit in September, is now adorned with the logos of three principle sponsors of the Navigators: Willow Labs, Old Neighborhood Foods, and Equitable Bank.

Navigators owner Phil Rosenfield called the Clancy Tournament his “shakedown cruise,” using the day as a dry run for his game day operations staff. “We got to see how things are going to operate in a game environment… we’ll learn from what we did today and make adjustments where necessary. Overall, things went very well. I feel very comfortable about the results of this tournament from our perspective.”

Frank Carey, the Navigators’ director of baseball operations and coach of runner-up North Reading, is excited about the future for Fraser Field’s newest tenant. “I think it’s going to be a good summer… It seems like today was a good test run for the organization, getting all of the pieces in place.”

St. Mary’s victory in the title game capped a doubleheader at Fraser, as Lynn Classical topped Lynn English 11-6 in the consolation game. The Rams were fueled by second baseman Dan Richard, who went 3-for-4 with 2 doubles, 2 runs scored, and a run batted in.

Classical set the tone by batting around and scoring seven runs in the first inning. The Bulldogs fought back with two runs in the first and four runs in the third, but the Rams put it away with a four-run fourth inning.

“I talked to the seniors yesterday and told them that this is our last game together and they had to leave everything on the field,” said Classical coach Mike Zukowski, whose Rams failed to qualify for the state tournament. “They did just that. They hit the ball well, they fielded well. The seniors picked everything up and ended their season on a high note.”

Zukowski also spoke highly about the value of Fraser Field to the local baseball scene. “I played at Fraser Field in high school. All three of my coaches played at Fraser. The history is unbelievable – Harry Agganis, Tony Conigliaro, Ted Williams. The field itself is a legacy. These kids should be honored to play here every time they step on the field.”

Fraser Field now awaits the Navigators’ opener, scheduled for June 7 when North Shore will take on the defending NECBL champion Vermont Mountaineers. The game will be followed by a fireworks display. Fans will have the opportunity to “Meet the Navigators” on June 4, when the players will appear at Chick-Fil-A in the North Shore Mall.

Fans can access more details about the team and upcoming events at the Navigators’ official website, www.nsnavs.com.

Finals from the Clancy Tournament

Classical 11, English 6
St. Mary's 9, North Reading 8

Slugfest

After half an inning, it appeared that Lynn Classical would have no trouble with Lynn English. Classical batted around in the first en route to a 7-run inning. But English has chipped away at their lead, and the score is now 7-6 after 3 innings at Fraser.

Sam Hill came in to pitch with two outs in the top of the first to put out the fire for English, and he has held Classical at bay since.

CLA 7 0 0 - 7

ENG 2 0 4 - 6

Navs News Roundup: May 26, 2008

12 days 'til opening day!

• Greetings from the press box at Fraser Field. In about 30 minutes, day two of the Clancy tournament will get underway when Classical and English square off in the consolation game. North Reading and St. Mary's play for the title at 4:00. Tickets are $5 for adults and $3 for children under 12.
  

• Things are starting to come together at the ballpark. The new scoreboard in right centerfield is complete. It's a black scoreboard with white text, similar to the football scoreboard at Manning Field. Three sponsor banners now adorn the outfield fence: Equitable Bank, Old Neighborhood Foods, and Willow Labs. A "Home of the North Shore Navigators" sign is now hanging behind section G. The ticket booths are set up, some of the concession stands are out to sell sandwiches, sodas, and ice cream, and the grounds crew has the field looking spectacular. In short, baseball is in the air.
  

• One of the big changes at the park this year is that the former owner's box behind section G is now a beer stand, with openings facing both the concourse and the field. No beer is being sold at the Clancy Tournament, but the stand will be ready to go for Opening night on June 7.
  

• I'm currently working on a story to send out to the local media introducing the NECBL. I'm lining up my interviews and contacts now – I hope that it will serve as a useful intro to one of the best collegiate summer leagues in America.
  

• We're also working on the promotional schedule for this season. Current ideas either confirmed or rumored include 1,000 Chick-Fil-A sandwich night on opening night, and "Ugliest Sweater Night" at some point during the summer. We also may be lining up a few bands to provide pre-game entertainment.
  

• Trinity College is off today, as they await one of Adrian, Wis.-Whitewater, or Johns Hopkins to emerge from the loser's bracket to face them tomorrow for the D3 National Championship.

Trinity wins again

The Trinity College Bantams survived a late scare to improve to 44-0 on the season with an 8-5 victory over Johns Hopkins. With the win, Trinity is now the only undefeated team left at the D3 College World Series. Adrian, Wisconsin-Whitewater, and Hopkins sit at 2-1 entering day 4 of the double-elimination tournament.

Navigators 1B Kent Graham had another good day for Trinity, going 1-for-4 with an RBI triple in the bottom of the 7th, which at the time gave Trinity a 6-2 lead.

That run would prove to be very important, as Hopkins put together a 3-run 8th inning against Bantams starter Chandler Bernard to trim the lead to one. Michael Regan came out of the pen to get the last out of the 8th, maintaining Trinity's 6-5 advantage.

In the bottom of the 8th, the Bantams put the game away, scoring two insurance runs to make it 8-5.

Holyoke Sox catcher Sean Killeen had a big game. He reached base 3 times, hitting 2-for-3 with a walk, an RBI, and 2 runs scored.

Trinity will get to sit back and relax tomorrow while three 2-1 teams, Wisconsin-Whitewater, Adrian, and Hopkins, will battle it out for the right to play the Bantams for the title on Tuesday.

Carey’s Hornets down Rams in Clancy opener

by Stephen Delvecchio, North Shore Navigators Sports Information Department

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	R	H	E
NRHS	0	0	0	0	6	0	1	7	12	0
LCHS	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	1	4	2

With the North Shore Navigators’ season less than two weeks from getting underway, an annual Lynn tradition continued Sunday with the opening of the 28^th annual Nipper Clancy Memorial Baseball Tournament. The first of four games at Fraser featured The North Reading High School Hornets taking on one of three Lynn teams annually present for the tournament, Lynn Classical High School. First year head coach Mike Zukowiski lead the Classical Rams onto the field for introductions while North Reading was lead by Navigator’s own Frank Carey, a well known baseball figure throughout the north shore and director of baseball operations with our very own North Shore Navigators.

North Reading (17-2) Head Coach Frank Carey talked a bit about the pitching matchup after the game, which pitted Classical’s Luis Castillo against North Reading’s Kevin O’Leary. Lynn Classical (4-15) has struggled all year and come up on the short end of some tough games, many of which have come with Castillo on the bump. Coach Carey acknowledged that he thought Castillo pitched well in the losing effort.

“I thought he was really good,” Carey said, “we chased a few high pitches and then started to try to force him to get the ball down more. When he did we seemed to hit a lot better.” Coach Carey also went on to say that he was impressed with the way his team played, and said that bunting was a big part of their game today, as well as all season long, and got them into a position where they could score runs, which eventually allowed them to come out on top, 7-1.

The 28^th Nipper Clancy Memorial tournament is always somewhat of a homecoming for Coach Carey. When asked how he felt about the Clancy Tournament overall, Carey described himself as having been “at the ground floor when it all started.” Carey, amongst others, was one of the founders of the idea of having a baseball tournament amongst the four high school teams that call Lynn home.

“When one of the four Lynn teams chose not to participate, I elected to include North Reading,” Carey said. “The coaches of the four teams involved at the time we came up with the idea had all played for ‘Nipper’ Clancy and that’s how we came up with the idea of calling it the Nipper Clancy Memorial Tournament.”

Although understandably pleased with his team’s performance in the game, Carey was not exactly thrilled with the turnout for the tournament.

“I was disappointed in the turnout. We’ve had a lot more people show up in the past years,” Carey explained.

Coach Carey also had time to shed a bit of light upon the upcoming NECBL season. Although he has yet to see any of the Navigators’ players in competition, he said he has seen many of the players from other teams in all-star games and that the competition should be very exciting to watch.

Clancy Tournament: day one scores

North Reading 7, Lynn Classical 1
St. Mary's 12, Lynn English 4

Tomorrow:
Classical-English @ 1
St. Mary's-North Reading @ 4

Navs News Roundup: May 25

13 days until opening day!

• The Navigators will be hosting the Clancy baseball tournament today and tomorrow at Fraser Field. Games will take place today at 4 & 7 and tomorrow at 1 & 4. Come check out some of the best high school baseball in town.

• The Navigator Alligator (still to be named) will be making an appearance next Sunday afternoon at the Hot Dog Safari at Suffolk Downs. For more, visit www.hotdogsafari.com

• The team will be arriving in Lynn on Sunday, June 1. Media day will be held on June 2.

• Navs players are competing at the D3 World Series today:

• Wayde Kitchens & Chapman University were downed by Wisconsin-Whitewater, 7-4. The loss eliminated them from the tournament.

• Kent Graham and the Trinity Bantams will play Johns Hopkins tonight at 8. Check out live stats here.
  

Navs, NECBL connections aplenty as Trinity stays undefeated

Incoming Navigator Kent Graham starred as Trinity College improved its record to 43-0, defeating Linfield College 6-5 at the D3 College World Series in Appleton, WI. Graham, who played first base and batted cleanup for the Bantams, went 2-for-3, including a 2-run first inning home run.

As of tonight's game, Graham has 9 homers and 57 RBI on the season. His .424 batting average leads a Trinity team that is awash in offensive talent; he was one of 5 Bantams batters named to the NESCAC All-Conference first team.

Graham, a native of Longmeadow, MA, is one of four NECBL players playing for Trinity.

Jeremiah Bayer of the Manchester Silkworms started on the mound for the Bantams and scored the victory, yielding 5 runs (3 earned) on 7 hits in 8 innings of work. The win improved Bayer's record to 9-0 on the year.

Sean Killeen, a catcher who will play for the Holyoke Sox this summer, went 1-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored.

Michael Hunter, a pitcher bound for the Lowell All-Americans, did not appear in the game.

The Bantams are one of two teams to start the double-elimination tournament with a 2-0 record. They will play fellow 2-0 team Johns Hopkins on Sunday night at 9 PM in the next round of the winner's bracket.

Two other 2008 Navigators helped their teams qualify for the D3 College World Series.

Relief pitcher Brandon Aich's Kean University Cougars were eliminated on Saturday after falling to Adrian, 7-6 in 12 innings. Aich was the hard-luck loser, giving up an unearned run in the 12th. It was a cruel end to an outstanding season for Aich, who finished with a 7-2 record and a 1.50 ERA.

Meanwhile, incoming Navigator Wayde Kitchens of Oceanside, CA, remains alive with the Chapman University Panthers. Kitchens pitched the Panthers to victory over Kean on Friday, keeping his record perfect at 9-0.

Chapman lost to Johns Hopkins 5-4 on Saturday to drop to 1-1 in tournament play. They will face Wisconsin-Whitewater in the losers bracket at 1 PM on Sunday.

Graham Homers

Future Navs 1B Kent Graham slammed a 2-run homer as part of a 4-run first inning for Trinity against Linfield at the D3 College World Series.

Live stats here

Kent Graham & Trinity College look to continue undefeated season at D3 World Series

Incoming North Shore Navigator Kent Graham is batting cleanup and playing first base for Trinity tonight as they take on Linfield College at the D3 College World Series.

Trinity is 1-0 at the double-elimination tournament after squeaking by SUNY Cortland last night, 2-1. The win improved their record to 42-0 on the year.

Follow live stats of the game here.

Welcome

Welcome to the official North Shore Navigators blog. This will be the place for updates, stats, and news related to the Navs and the NECBL throughout the season.

We plan on taking you inside the team, with live in-game updates, reports from the locker room, postgame stats and analysis, and tales from the road as we travel with the team.

Best of all, this is also a place where you can interact. Post your questions, comments, or suggestions here and have direct access to Navs management. Or, just chat about recent or upcoming games.

We greatly encourage your feedback throughout the year.