North Shore Navigators game vs. Lowell postponed

Joseph Gravellese, North Shore Navigators Sports Information Department

Tonight's game between the North Shore Navigators and the Lowell All-Americans at Fraser Field has been postponed. Heavy thunderstorms moved through the area at around 6:00 PM, and although the rain stopped well in advance of the scheduled 7:00 PM start time, the outfield remained too wet to start the game.

Makeup plans have not yet been announced, but will be within the next two days.

The Navigators, current owners of the second best record in the New England Collegiate Baseball League, return to action tomorrow night, hosting the Holyoke Blue Sox at Fraser Field before embarking on a four game road trip.

Fans can find out more information about the Navigators at the team's official website, www.nsnavs.com.

From the NECBL to the US National Team:

Summer league experience proved crucial to Strasberg, den Dekker

by Joe Gravellese

The United States national team continued its tour of the New England Collegiate Baseball League on Saturday night, falling to the North Shore Navigators, 6-3, at Fraser Field in Lynn, MA. The national team will play against seven NECBL opponents before finalizing its 22-man roster.

Two members of the national team, Stephen Strasburg and Matt den Dekker, are alumni of the NECBL.

Strasburg, a right handed pitcher from San Diego, California, spent last summer with the Torrington Twisters. He is widely considered to be one of the top prospects in next year’s MLB draft. In 13 appearances for the Twisters, Strasburg went 1-0 with a 1.29 ERA, striking out 25 while walking just one batter.

“In my freshman year in the fall, my coach came up to me and said, ‘You’re going to be playing in Connecticut next summer,” Strasburg recalled, smiling. “No questions about it, you’re going.”

“As it turned out, it’s a great league, and I had a really good experience.”

Strasburg said that his time in the NECBL brought him many new and unique experiences.

“Pitching in front of thousands of fans, that was something new to me,” he said. “Also, my host family was just unbelievable. They made the whole summer really special.”

Playing in the league helped Strasburg hone his skills and get noticed by scouts for the national team.

“It really helped me get a chance to work on things throughout the summer. I was able to work on my changeup, and work on pitching inside. I was able to get stronger as a pitcher… the NECBL is definitely up there with the top summer leagues, so playing against such great competition really helped my game.”

“I have no idea what the future holds for me,” continued Strasburg. “But I’m just taking the approach of going out there and giving it everything I’ve got each time out.” It is this attitude – one of hard work and dedication to the game – that has turned fans across New England on to the NECBL.

Matt den Dekker also experienced the NECBL, playing for the Keene Swamp Bats last season. The Ft. Lauderdale, Florida native, who plies his trade for the vaunted Florida Gators, also found out about the NECBL from his coach.

“My coaches knew that [the NECBL] is a great league with a lot of the best players from around the country,” said den Dekker.

“It was a great experience, not just on the field – we got to play in some great ballparks, and play in beautiful weather, compared to down south.”

On the field, playing in the league helped den Dekker in his development. “Getting the opportunity to play every day was huge for me,” he said. “I played on and off freshman year, so being in the lineup every day helped me with my confidence and helped me with my swing. This is definitely one of the elite college summer leagues, so playing this kind of competition really helped.”

Den Dekker’s stellar play for Florida and for Keene caught the eye of the US national team, who called to invite him just three weeks ago. “It’s such an incredible feeling to get to play for your country,” he said. “It’s a great honor and I’m excited to have a chance to make the team. I’m not sure if I’ll make the team or not, but I’m going to work my hardest no matter what, and we’ll see what happens.”

The United States collegiate team features the very best professional prospects in the country. Nomar Garciaparra, Ryan Howard, Jason Varitek, Huston Street, Todd Helton, and Tino Martinez represent a small fraction of the dozens of players who have traded in the national team jersey for a major league jersey.

6 members of the national team are currently participating in the College World Series, including Kyle Bellamy, Chris Hernandez, and Ryan Jackson of the University of Miami.

The honor of facing off against such outstanding players is not lost on the Navigators.

“It’s awesome,” said Sean McNaughton, the Navs’ leadoff hitter and centerfielder from Brigham Young University. “These guys have a busy schedule, playing all over the country. So for them to take the time to come here and play us is a real thrill. It was great for us to see great pitching and great hitting all game long.”

As exciting as it was just to play against the national team, McNaughton was even more pleased to have beaten them.

“That’s going to set the tone for the rest of the season for us,” he said. “We’re looking to come out with the same approach we took tonight, and play like that for the rest of the season.”

“I was a little nervous in the days leading up to the game, knowing I’d be facing them,” said North Shore starting pitcher Jimmy Lisowski, who earned the victory with 5 strong innings of work. “These guys are the best of the best. I was able to work on mixing up my pitches and going right after them, showing myself that I can compete with anyone.”

The national team will head to North Adams, Pittsfield, and Torrington over the next three nights before wrapping up their NECBL tour on Thursday against the Newport Gulls.

The Navigators, meanwhile, return to league action tomorrow night, taking on the Sanford Mainers before embarking on a six game road swing.

The Navs are in the middle of their inaugural season at Lynn’s Fraser Field. Fans can find out more information at the team’s official website, www.nsnavs.com.

Dicato, Navs cruise to 13-2 victory over Sanford

by Joseph Gravellese, North Shore Navigators Sports Information Department

BOX SCORE / PLAY BY PLAY

Five starting pitchers, five impressive outings. Coach Jason Falcon and the North Shore Navigators couldn’t have asked for much better than that out of their pitching staff so far. Winthrop native Mike DiCato became the latest Navigators starter to pitch well in his season debut, giving up two runs on four hits in six innings of work. The Navs rode DiCato’s strong start and a six-run seventh inning to a 13-2 victory over the Sanford Mainers at Fraser Field – their second win over Sanford in as many nights. North Shore improves to 3-2 on the young season, while Sanford drops back to .500 at 2-2.

Falcon had high praise for DiCato (1-0). “I think DiCato was real nervous coming into this one since this is so close to his hometown, and he had all of his friends and family here,” he said. “He’s got some history on this field. He just went out and dealt all night long and gave us a chance to win. Our pitching staff has been outstanding thus far.”

DiCato, a junior at UMass-Amherst, faced the minimum through four innings before working himself out of a bases loaded jam in the fifth. With the Navs holding a 1-0 lead thanks to John Hill’s first inning sacrifice fly, DiCato yielded a one-out single to A.J. Casario. One out later, Will Greenberg and Greg Hopkins drew back-to-back walks, but DiCato ended the threat by striking out Klint Reed looking with a fastball over the outside corner.

"That was huge,” said DiCato. “I just wanted to go out there and throw strikes, and let the offense do the work. The big inning rallies were huge – those are a pitcher’s best friend.”

From there, the Navigators’ bats took over. Sean McNaughton greeted relief pitcher Kyle Davis with a leadoff double in the bottom of the 5^th. Peter Fatse attempted a sacrifice bunt, but the throw was wide, putting two runners on. With Mike Provencher batting, Davis threw a wild pitch, allowing McNaughton to score.

The Mainers’ defensive woes continued later in the inning. With runners on first and second with one out, the Navigators executed a successful double steal. Kevin Reimer’s throw to third base sailed into left field, scoring Fatse. Tyler Kuehl capped off the inning by rattling a double off the wall in left, bringing home Nick Belcher to make it 4-0.

Sanford clawed back into the game with two runs in the top of the 6^th, but the Navs put it out of reach by scoring seven runs over the next two innings. North Shore batted around in the seventh, with Kent Graham, Sean McNaughton, and Nick Belcher each driving in two, increasing the lead to 11-2.

Belcher’s double off the wall in left center was the closest any Navigator has come to hitting a home run at Fraser this year. “I’ve been getting a lot of good swings on the ball lately, but they hadn’t been falling,” said Belcher. “I got a first pitch fastball and just tried to get some good wood on it, and I did.”

He said that the Navs’ recent offensive success has come as a result of being patient at the plate. “We’re taking more pitches,” he said. “Then we’re putting the ball in play.”

For the second consecutive night, Sean McNaughton was the spark plug at the top of the order, going 3-for-4 with a double, two runs, and two RBIs. “I just feel comfortable [hitting leadoff],” said McNaughton. “That’s where I hit at college, so I just feel good there. I saw some good pitches and was able to hit the ball hard.”

The Navs capped the scoring with two more in the eighth, with Kyle Geason picking up his first RBI of the season on a sacrifice fly to deep centerfield. The 13-run output is the best in Navs history – topping Wednesday night’s 7 runs at Sanford. Falcon was pleased by this turnaround from the previous two games, in which the Navs were held scoreless in consecutive games.

Chris Kowalski was impressive again in relief for the Navigators, allowing one hit and fanning a pair in two shutout innings. The Boston College sophomore has yet to give up a run in three appearances this season. “Kowalski did great,” said Falcon. “He gives us exactly what we need – he goes out there and gives the other team no hope. That’s the idea I like – the other team thinks that if this guy comes in, it’s going to be hard to score.”

The Navigators continue their four game homestand on Friday night against the Lowell All-Americans. Mike Gallo (1-0), who got the win out of the bullpen on opening night, will start on the mound for North Shore. On Friday night, students who completed the Comcast reading program will be honored in a pre-game ceremony. Fans can find out more details about this and all other events at the team’s official website, www.nsnavs.com.

Navs mascot gets a name - Chomps

Joseph Gravellese, North Shore Navigators Sports Information Department

After months of deliberation, the Navigators’ alligator mascot has a name: Chomps. Matt O’Connor, a 12-year-old from Lynnfield, submitted the winning name, beating out hundreds of entries submitted to the official naming contest. O’Connor will receive the grand prize: four season tickets for life, as well as a Navigators cap and t-shirt.

“I like the name,” said Phil Rosenfield, Swampscott native and owner of the North Shore Navigators. “It’s onomatopoeic. It sounds really good. Kids will love it.”

Marcus Wilson, the Navigators’ director of marketing, concurred with Rosenfield. “It’s what we plan to do to the competition this summer,” he laughed. “We’re going to chomp them. We’re going to eat them up.”

Matt’s mother, Joan O’Connor, said that she read some of the suggested names in the Daily Item and thought her son would be able to come up with a more creative name.

“My mother was reading through the newspaper and though, what the heck, why not enter?,” said Matt. “So I thought Chomps would be a good name. It reminded me of [the movie] Happy Gilmore.”

O’Connor, who had already planned on attending Navigators games this summer, said that he is very excited for the upcoming season. “I mostly want to see the team play hard and try their best, and hopefully win a lot of games,” he said. He had attended North Shore Spirit games in the past, and hopes that the Navigators can continue Fraser Field’s fun and successful baseball history.

The second-prize winner, James Cowdell, 19, of Lynn, submitted “Renegator.” Kenneth Dulong of Revere won third prize for his pick, “Navi.” They will each be presented with a Navigators hat and t-shirt. All of the prize winners have been invited to the ballpark to be honored in an on-field ceremony.

Other popular submissions which did not make the final cut included “Ivan,” “Compass,” “Aly,” and “Captain.”

“The important thing was to pick a fun name that the kids will love to shout out,” continued Rosenfield. “Looking around the league, Sanford has ‘Bruce E. Moose,’ and Newport has ‘Gully’ the seagull. We wanted something like that.”

Chomps and the rest of the North Shore Navigators will be making their debut on Saturday night against the Vermont Mountaineers at Fraser Field. The 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 will host 23 home games this season, including exhibitions against the US Olympic team on June 14^th and the Dominican Republic national team on July 10^th. The Navigators will also hold firework displays on June 7, June 28, July 19, and July 26^th. For more information, visit the team’s website at www.nsnavs.com.

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.