The Manhattan College baseball coaching staff has launched an interactive blog at GoJaspers.com during the 2009 campaign which will give fans insight to all the happenings around the program. Fourth year head coach Kevin Leighton, and assistants Ryan Darcy and Jason Spaulding will enlighten fans with weekly blog entries to keep patrons up to date on the Jaspers as they make a run for the 2009 MAAC Baseball Championships.
Assistant Coach Ryan Darcy ? May 22, 2009
Well, last night we got an awesome great pitching performance from Guzzy. He had some issues with command early on, but settled in and found his groove as the game wore on. Rider's Mike Thomas continued his dominance against us until Austin Sheffield's HR to left-center broke up the shutout and no-hitter in the fifth inning. Armenio laced a double off the top of the wall in RF and we wound up with a bloop single from Ryan Masters for the second run. Guzzy was great last night.
We're taking on probably one of the hottest pitchers in the league today in BJ Martin, so it'll be no walk in the park against Marist. Marist-Manhattan has always been a good rivalry ever since I played here, so every time we meet in the playoffs, you're guaranteed a tough game from both sides. We're running Tom Costigan out there ? he competes, so hopefully we get another W.
Just hopped out of the shower and am getting ready to head to the park ? BP at 1:30 pm and then I'll catch a little of the early game and get ready for our game.
I just hope the guys play as hard as they did yesterday and we're fortunate enough to head into Saturday only having to win one game.
Gotta hustle up ? don't want the bus to leave me at the Marriott. Follow the Live Stats through the link on our website.
Beautiful day for a ball game. Keep on supporting the Jaspers.
Coach Darcy
PS: I guess no one wanted a t-shirt from yesterday's blog. Sorry, offer is off the table. Just kidding. First person to call room 216 today and leaves a good luck message will get the t-shirt.
Assistant Coach Ryan Darcy ? May 21, 2009
Greetings from the Marriott at Lafayette Yard in lovely downtown Trenton, New Jersey. MAAC playoff fever is in the air.
We got down here yesterday for a 1 pm practice at Rider University. We went through an extended infield/outfield and then hit for about an hour. We had a few dozen pearls that we didn't used in the regular season, so we broke them out for a few exciting rounds of BP.
We had the MAAC Baseball dinner at 7 pm and then headed back to the hotel for 11 pm lights out. We had some players get some awards; you can read about that on the baseball section of the site.
This morning we headed to the USA Diner for breakfast, and it was quite the experience. We were the only out-of-towners in the place ? everyone knew everyone's name, except ours. They were curious about us, so a few of them started short-lived conversations with some of our guys.
I got a few eggs, over easy, some toast and hash browns. Coach Spaulding opted for the strawberry pancakes with whipped cream and syrup ? he said it was real maple syrup. He'd know ? he's from Vermont. The General (Coach Leighton) got the standard ham and cheese omelet because “they can't screw that up.”
Now I'm getting a little stir-crazy in the hotel so I am pacing the hallways waiting to get to the yard. I wish I had some eligibility left, my arm feels pretty good. Canisius and Marist are playing the early game at 4 pm and we are on after that one, probably around 7:30 or 8:00 tonight. We square off against host Rider University. We took a tough series from the a few weeks ago, so this is shaping up to be more of the same. Playoff baseball is always exciting, and I anticipate this tournament will be as well.
OK, I am heading off to take a midday nap before our 3 pm lunch. First person to call my hotel room to wish us luck will get a free Manhattan Baseball T-Shirt ? (609) 421-4000, Room 512. Don't forget to leave your information.
Follow the game tonight and keep on supporting your Jaspers. Let's get it going!!
Assistant Coach Ryan Darcy ? May 5, 2009
A long trip up to Buffalo turned into an even longer trip back from Buffalo. Niagara took 2 of 3 from us, which was the first time we've lost a series this year in the MAAC. It's a feeling I do not enjoy, and I am sure the players share in this sentiment.
We didn't lose the series ? we gave them the series. Every time we scored, we gave it right back. Every time we had momentum, we gave it right back. We fell behind in the count, and they made us pay. The wind was blowing out, and anything in the air had a chance ? that was evident in them hitting 7 homeruns. The good news is we're still in first place, with a 2 game lead, with Rider coming into town this weekend.
We'll be celebrating our seniors ? Ryan Masters, Ruben Perez, Mike Gazzola and Mark Russell. Throughout their careers, they've all had a hand in the success we've had here. Mike, Ruben and Ryan were lucky enough to be here for the great 2006 season we had when we won a few games out in Lincoln, NE in the NCAA Regional. We are looking for them to provide their leadership down the stretch here as they have done all year.
Six conference games left and a long way to go. There are 3 parts left to our season ? the last 6 MAAC games, the MAAC playoffs, and the NCAA Regional. I think I can speak for Coach Leighton, Coach Spaulding, and all the players when I say that anything short of playing all 3 parts would be a disappointment.
The road to the end starts again today with an indoor practice ? probably working on some defense, some PFP's, some conditioning, and some hitting. Anthony Armenio is jumping rope right outside the office and studying at the same time ? don't ask me how he's doing it ? but all I can hear is the whip of the cord and him reading words off of some study sheet. If everyone had his work ethic, we'd be a really good team. Maybe he'll inspire some of the guys.
Big one this weekend. Rider vs. Manhattan. 12pm Saturday DH, 12pm Sunday.
Trenton, NJ is the short-term goal. Anywhere, USA for a regional is the longer-term goal.
Coach Darcy
Assistant Coach Ryan Darcy ? April 28, 2009
Just getting a quick entry in before heading down to the field for the ?Battle of the Bronx' game versus Fordham. It feels like forever since we've played them at home, but that's where we are today.
We had a pretty successful weekend taking 2 of 3 from Canisius after taking both games of a Wednesday doubleheader with Columbia. We got some good pitching and some timely hitting to finish the week 4 and 1.
Tom Costigan stepped up and threw the ball well both Wednesday against the Lions and in Sunday's finale with the Griffs. He seems to have gotten some of his confidence back and will be a big part of whatever the future holds for us. It was nice to see Chad step up and have a good week as well.
We head up to Albany tomorrow before making the long drive to Niagara on Friday for a showdown with the Purple Eagles.
OK, going to check on the laundry to make sure all the whites are washed for the game. Anthony Armenio is here again, and he can't seem to find his uniform. Another pre-game dilemma. I hope it's not one of those days.
Stay tuned...
Coach Darcy
Head Coach Kevin Leighton ? April 27, 2009
Another comeback win! I think it is pretty amazing how resilient our guys are. After two hard fought games on Saturday against Canisius, one of the better teams in the conference, we were back at it on Sunday. Unfortunately our starter, Matt Jordan, got off to a rough start and ended up giving up five runs in the first inning. A lot of teams would have folded right there, but not us. These guys just chipped away at Canisius and Tom Costigan pitched great in relief.
I've said it so many times... baseball is a weird game. Jamie Fitzgerald came up in the bottom of the 4th inning with Anthony Armenio on base, nobody out, and the score at 5-1 Canisius ... I was thinking about bunting just to stay out of a double play and to try to get a run here and there... What do I know... as he hit a two-run home run on the first pitch!!!
What a day Ryan Masters had! He has had a rough senior year as his injury has held him back and he is not 100%. He's another case of never giving up... He had a terrible day on Saturday, although they were tough plays, they are plays that he makes. Sunday's pregame was more of Saturday's mess, but he came up big when he needed to and that is what upperclassmen need to do at this point in the season. The ball he hit was two inches fair!!!
Costigan has been pitching great lately. He hasn't been aiming the ball like he was early in the year, but now he's pitching and letting it happen. I think it is easy for a pitcher to not trust his stuff when he is facing hitters with aluminum bats. A lot of guys start nibbling and aiming, losing velocity and command, and giving hitters 2-0 and 3-1 counts to hit in. Tom's recent success has been strike 1.
I could say something good about every guy on the roster right now. Every game, everyone has made a contribution somehow. Sometimes its off the bench, sometimes its the starter, sometimes its just motivating the other guys, but this team has something that is impossible to coach and that is chemistry and confidence. I know they think that they can beat anybody, no matter what the score is, you can't teach that!
Tomorrow we take on cross-town rival, Fordham and then hit the road again for a game against Albany and a three game set with Niagara. It has been great being at home for most of April, the attendance and fan support at our games has been great. I hope tomorrow's game against Fordham is another big crowd!
Coach Leighton
Assistant Coach Ryan Darcy ? April 20, 2009
Back again, after a short hiatus. We started a five-game home stand after a nice Easter weekend trip to Burlington.
On Tuesday, Sacred Heart came to the Bronx. It was a story of two games ? the first half was a pitchers' duel, the second a slugfest. Junior RHP Tom Costigan threw well, striking out 10 and keeping us in a tight one until we temporarily busted it open in the 6th inning, 8 to 1. The lead dwindled and we eventually came out with a 14-9 win. Ugly game, ugly win, but every win counts. The rain seemed to start falling as soon as the game ended.
Wednesday's game with Fairleigh Dickinson took a lot of work by the coaching staff to get it ready ? a few bags of Diamond Dry, some puddle vacuuming ? but we got it ready. It was good to see FDU head coach Jerry DeFabbia again ? Kevin, Jerry and I all play for the Pelham Mets in the summer. We got a good outing from Zac Goyer, and some timely hitting from Mark Russell to come out with an 8-1 victory. It was good to see Jerry, but it is always nice beating him.
Fairfield came down for a MAAC series and we had some kind of series. We swept a tough series with two walk-off wins and breathed a little easier with a 15-3 rout in Game 2. The opening game looked like we had it in the bag until the 9th inning came along ? we blew a five-run and won it in the bottom of the ninth with a single to right field from Ruben Perez. In Game 3, we got the heroics from Anthony Armenio, who funny enough just walked into my office. He blooped a single over second base for a big win for us ? we were down 7-4 entering the bottom of the ninth.
We concluded the home stand and the week with a 5-0 record. The pitching staff had their ups and downs, but toughened up when they needed the big outs. And our lineup continued to do what it does ? score runs. Busy week this week, heading 20 blocks south to take on Columbia in a Wednesday double-dip and then a big series with preseason MAAC favorite Canisius.
They ended our season last year, a sour taste that is still in my mouth. Looking for a big week out of our guys. Stay tuned and keep on checking, until next time.
Coach Darcy
Assistant Coach Jason Spaulding ? April 14, 2009
The Jaspers made the trek up to Northern Vermont this past weekend to play the Vermont Catamounts (my alma mater) and NJIT in the Catamount Baseball Classic. It was a bye week for us in the MAAC conference.
We played Vermont and NJIT on Friday taking both games of the doubleheader 7-6 and 11-2. Friday against Vermont featured two very solid left handed pitchers in Mike Gazzola and Joe Serafin. We once again battled back late in the game to take game one. In game two vs. NJIT our bats came alive early as Kevin Nieto hit a deep homerun to left field into the gusty wind that always knocks balls down in left field at Historic Centennial Field.
Saturday's game against Vermont was once again a pitching battle as Matt Jordan matched up against Justin Albert. Vermont came out on top 3-2. Jordan continues to get better with every outing. He is going to be a key component for us down the stretch in conference.
It was great to return home to Vermont. I had the opportunity to spend some time with family and friends over the weekend including close friends and assistants at Vermont Mike Cole, Keith Carter, and Josh Santerre (Jasper Alum).
On a side note, just a hats off to Coach Currier on the tremendous job he has done with the program at Vermont. I am thankful for the opportunity that he gave me to be a Division I athlete. He has had such a positive influence on my life to this day. It is very sad to see that this is the last year of Vermont Baseball after 100+ years. Best of luck to the entire coaching staff and players at Vermont!
Coach Spaulding
Head Coach Kevin Leighton ? April 9, 2009
What a week we've been having! I am still amazed sometimes when I look at how we win some of the games that we win. A lot of teams would give up, let down, pack it in... Not this team! This team really believes that they can win every game, and the more I watch, the more I believe it too! It has to be hard for an opposing team to feel as though the game is in hand, and then we come right back and steal it from them.
This weekend is our first true bye weekend as we will travel north to play the University of Vermont and NJIT. Vermont will be throwing their two best lefties against us so we will see how we hit. It would be nice to keep this hot streak going!
Next week we will be back at Van Cortlandt Park on Tuesday, Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday before we take the short ride down to Columbia on April 22. I hope the weather begins to warm up so that we can get a nice crowd down at the games.
Coach Leighton
Assistant Coach Ryan Darcy ? April 2, 2009
Well, it was an up and down set of midweek games for the Jaspers. We took to the road and played Tuesday at Hofstra, only to come back with a loss. There were not many positives to come out of the loss, besides sophomore third baseman Chad Salem swinging the bat well (4-5, 2-R HR, 3 runs scored).
We bounced back yesterday, April Fool's Day. We jumped out to an early lead on the Albany Great Danes on a windy, rainy, cold day at Van Cortlandt Park. We scored early with three in the first inning, a single run in the second and third innings, and tacked on three more in the fourth. Kevin Nieto drove in a run with a home run in the second, and added a 3-run homer in the fourth after Albany had cut the lead to 5-2. The score was closer than the 9-4 win showed.
We have another few days of good, hard practice to prepare for a big series with the Marist Red Foxes at home. We both enter the game with 5-1 MAAC records.
It's supposed to be a great weekend weather-wise, so come check out the games this Saturday, April 4th, starting at noon. The finale is on Sunday with first pitch at noon. See you out there.
Coach Darcy
Head Coach Kevin Leighton ? March 27, 2009
Baseball can be a weird game. Some days you play terrible and win, and some days you play pretty good and lose! The best team doesn't always win.
This past week was frustrating as we took a 9-3 lead into the sixth or seventh innings at NYIT, and then lost. It was one of those games where I felt like we won, but we lost! Our defense kind of fell apart, but I would still take our guys to battle over most of the teams that we've played so far.
Today we were able to improve our conference record to 4-0 as we beat Siena 11-5. Looking at the score it looks like an easy win, but for a half inning it was close! Tomorrow we finish the series up with a doubleheader at noon. Siena has two pretty good pitchers in these next two games, so it won't be easy. It sure would be nice to improve to 6-0, or even 5-1 entering our home series against a very good Marist team next weekend.
I hope we can get some fan support this week as we play our home opener on Wednesday against Albany, and then the Red Foxes on Saturday and Sunday. I know our guys enjoy playing in front of a crowd, and it is going to be nice to have people rooting for us instead of against us!
Thanks for visiting the Manhattan Baseball Coaches' Blog. Look forward to seeing you all at our upcoming home game!
Coach Leighton
Assistant Coach Ryan Darcy - March 23, 2009
Thanks for checking out the coaches' blog. Well there is a cold front tearing through the northeast now, luckily with no snow ? yet. We just got through our first conference weekend unscathed. We played well and ended up taking all three games from St. Peter's to get ourselves off to a 3-0 start.
The lineup was pretty good this weekend, and the pitching staff was fortunate enough to pitch with a lead most of the time. We played a tight one in game one, escaping in the bottom of the 9th with a strikeout with the bases loaded for an 8-7 win. In game three, it was scoreless until the 5th when we put up two, but gave it right back in the bottom half. In the 6th, with runners at 2nd and 3rd with one out, a sac fly and a two-out single gave us a two run cushion. We tacked on two more in the 7th with a two-run single.
The pitching staff did an alright job this weekend, and the lineup kept hitting. We're heading out to Long Island this week for a midweek game versus New York Institute of Technology, and then head up to Albany for a conference series with Siena.
Check out the blog throughout the year.
Coach Darcy
Head Coach Kevin Leighton ? March 18, 2009
Greetings from the Manhattan College Baseball Office,
This is Head Coach Kevin Leighton. I am excited to keep Manhattan baseball fans, family members and friends updated on the Jaspers through this blog for the remainder of the season.
We have played a competitive non-conference schedule, so far, which began with our season opening series in Stillwater, Okla. versus #13 Oklahoma State and Brigham Young University. Overall, we had a good experience while stationed in the Midwest and I saw several bright spots we can build upon.
The team is starting to make big strides, and is coming off a four game winning streak. We picked up two wins at Delaware last weekend, and recently defeated Temple and Saint Joseph's in Philadelphia. There is a long road ahead of us, but we have to take it one game at a time. Today, we travel to South Orange, N.J. for a game against my alma mater Seton Hall, and then we open our MAAC schedule on Saturday to begin a three game series at Saint Peter's.
Thanks for logging on to the Manhattan College Baseball ?Coaches Blog'. Look forward to our next entry real soon.
Coach Leighton
