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.

A fun way to get it started

Steve Delvecchio, North Shore Navigators Sports Information Department

Not that anyone doubted it for a millisecond, but the crowd at hand for the first ever New England Collegiate Baseball League game at Fraser Field was impressive to say the least. With a large crowd already seated and waiting for the action to begin, fans continued to trickle in throughout the first inning. Piping hot Chick-Fil-A sandwiches put smiles on the faces of those first one thousand fans lucky enough to have earned the privilege of enjoying them. Call it foreshadowing, or call it a coincidence, but the Navigators first game under the lights at Fraser Field was played under a beautiful summer sky. In contrast, the North Shore Spirit’s inaugural season at Fraser had to be put off due to inclement weather. For the sake of the Fraser Field legacy, we can only hope that this is the Baseball Gods’ way of telling us the Navs will be here for many years to come.

The continuing excitement amongst the crowd was extremely encouraging. The best part about baseball at this level is that there is no questioning the commitment of neither the players nor the fans. By the start of the game, roughly two thousand fans had filled the stands, very few of them knowing exactly what kind of baseball they were getting themselves into. My guess is that it was not a concern. That is what makes baseball at Fraser Field so special. Regardless of the reasons teams past have packed up and left after only a few seasons, there are always plenty of fans anxiously awaiting the return of baseball to Lynn. Tonight, in timely fashion, they were put at ease once again.

After the third inning, with the home town Navigators enjoying an early 1-0 lead, fans danced the Chicken Dance and enjoyed themselves as though they had been coming to this same stadium to watch the Navigators play for years. But it wasn’t the score that had everyone in such a great mood. Even after a shaky top of the 4^th, spirits remained high. Needless to say there isn’t a whole lot that could have ruined this night for the true baseball fans that made their way out to the ball park to be introduced to their newest home team.

Although he would love to gaze around his new ballpark and see each and every seat filled, Navigators’ owner Philip Rosen field was pleased with the first ever Navigators game at Fraser Field.

“After a winter of preparation, the first game allows us to take a deep breath and get ourselves into gear,” Rosenfield said. “Now it’s baseball time. I hope we do this city proud by having a winning season and bringing a championship to the city of Lynn.”

Aside from the highlights that occurred on the field in the Navigators opener, the noise the crowd made all evening is worthy of praise. Using the steel structure underneath their feet to their advantage, the crowd slammed their feet in unison each time the Navigators rallied and knocked runs. Chants of “put the bat on the ball!” and “come on now, kid, do something!” made it clear that the new Navigators fan base took virtually no time at all to become comfortable with their new team. As if they had been watching them for years, fans already felt as though they could criticize and praise at will, and that is a fantastic sign going forward into the young season.

Taking a tight game into the 7^th inning and leading by a run, the Navigators players and staff did all they could to keep the good times rolling for the large crowd in attendance. When public address announcer John Kane announced in the 7^th inning that beer sales would continue through the 8^th inning, rather than end in the 7^th, he gave fans plenty to cheer about aside from the ballgame.

Although the crowd was everything it was expected to be and more for the 2008 North Shore Navigators season opener, a loss just wouldn’t have been appropriate given the beautiful summer weather and manner in which the fans received their team. Undoubtedly feeling pleased with the warm welcome they were given, the Navigators showed the same courtesy they were shown, defeating the Vermont Mountaineers 4-3 and running their record to a perfect 1-0 on a near-perfect night at Fraser Field.