Cortland Standard .net

By TANEY BEAUMONT
Staff Writer
The Cortland Crush will look to improve on last year’s initial season in its 2015 New York Collegiate Baseball League campaign, which begins with a home game against the Geneva Red Wings Monday in a 6 p.m. start on Greg’s Field at Beaudry Park.
The Crush went 15-31 last summer, finishing at the bottom of the league’s Eastern Division and 12th overall among the 13 NYCBL teams.
“We recruited heavily on character, athleticism, and the ability to put the ball in play consistently,” manager Bill McConnell said. “We recruited hard-nosed ballplayers who want to win. Our motto, coined by team president Garry VanGorder, is ‘We’re in it to win it.’ We invited our Core Four back in pitcher Yale Brian Hughes (a Cortland High graduate), first baseman Zephan Kash (from Homer Central), pitcher Greg Jasek and infielder Wesley Burghardt (both from Chittenango). We build a middle lineup of Burghardt, Jasek, catcher/first baseman Chris Mattison and Kash that will hopefully be extremely productive.
“Shortstop Matt Alberino is a great number six guy in the lineup who can produce too. Chris has led the NJCAA’s Division II in the majority of offensive categories all season. Around these middle order guys, we have speed and the ability to get on base with outfielders Grant Hoover and Luke Gilbert.”
In discussing his pitching staff, O’Connell noted that the Crush will use a six-man staff in order to adjust to matchups and give pitchers ample rest.
“Hughes will be our number one pitcher, is slated to open up for us on June 1 and will wear the number 28 this season in honor of Greg Partigianoni (in whose honor the team was named)” he said. “T.J. Peterson will be our number two starter, Shaelim Edmonds will be in the third slot and Patrick Graham will be number four.
“Chris Rupprecht will hold down long relief and will work as a starter. Tyler Saundry (long relief) figures to keep developing. Matt Yonta, whose father played at SUNY Cortland, is a right-hander from Jamesville-DeWitt and will be a matchup guy. We have two left-handed closers at the moment in Cody Barnes and Ryan Smith. Both could also develop into starters during the season.”
O’Connell said that Mattison, Smith, Hughes and Jasek are the 2015 Crush’s top prospects.
Joining McConnell as members of this season’s on-field Crush staff are head coach Daniel Payne, assistant coach Myron Jellison and hitting coach Matt Frey.
The Crush will once again be in the Eastern Division this season, along with the Red Wings, Oneonta Outlaws, Sherrill Silversmiths, Syracuse Junior Chiefs and Syracuse Salt Cats. Geneva Red Wings, Sherrill Silversmiths and Syracuse Junior Chiefs. The Western Division will once again include the defending league champion Hornell Dodgers as well as the Genesee Rapids (Houghton), Geneva Twins, Niagara Power (Niagara Falls), Olean Oilers, Rochester Ridgemen (Webster) and Wellsville Nitros.
In a departure from last season, the Crush will play all 45 of its games against its fellow Eastern Division teams -- 10 each against the two Syracuse teams, nine against Sherrill and eight each against Geneva and Oneonta. Last year’s 46-game schedule included four games against Western Division squads — two each against Wellsville and Rochester.
There have been a number of improvements made to Greg’s Field since last summer. The dugouts have been rebuilt and expanded, a fence will encircle the entire field, the area down the right-field line has been sodded and leveled off, there is a new windscreen for the outfield fence and there is also a new pressbox.
There are also some new interns working for the team this summer. Connor Peterson is the Director of Game Day Operations and Promotions, Lorena Silva is the Director of Social media and Media relations and Sam Bloomquist is the Director of Audio-Visual Productions.
The Crush has scheduled a number of promotions for this season in addition to Opening Night. June 5 is Greg’s night, honoring the team’s namesake, Greg “Crusher” Partigianoni, for whom Greg’s Field is named, and will feature a special post-game fireworks presentation. June 7 and June 28 are both Crown City Little League Days; Bring A Veteran To The Game Day is June 13; June 19-22 is Parents’ Weekend/Father’s Day and Fireworks Night is July 17.
The team’s top sponsors this season are Cortland Regional Medical Center, Tompkins Trust Company and A Pizza & More.
2015 CRUSH SCHEDULE
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June 1- GENEVA RED WINGS, 6; 2- at Geneva (McDonough Park), 7; 4- at Syracuse Salt Cats (Onondaga CC), Noon; 5- SYRACUSE JUNIOR CHIEFS, 6- SYRACUSE JC, 3; 7- SYRACUSE JC, 3; 8- at Oneonta Outlaws (Demaschke Field), 7; 9- SYRACUSE SC, 6; 10- at Syracuse SC, 7; 11- SYRACUSE SC, 6; 12- ONEONTA OUTLAWS, 6; 13- SHERRILL SILVERSMITHS, 3; 14- at Sherrill (Noyes Park), 5; 15- at Sherrill, 5; 17- at Sherrill, 5; 18- at Syracuse JC (Onondaga CC), 2; 19- at Syracuse JC, 7; 20- SYRACUSE JC, 3; 21- SYRACUSE JC, 3; 22- at Syracuse JC, 7; 23- ONEONTA, 6; 24- at Oneonta, 7; 25- at Geneva, 7; 26- GENEVA, 6; 27- at Geneva, 5; 28- SYRACUSE SC, 3; 29- at Syracuse SC, 7; 30- SYRACUSE SC, 6.
JULY 1- at Oneonta, 7; 2- ONEONTA, 6; 4- GENEVA, 3; 5- at Geneva, 3; 6- GENEVA, 6; 7- at Syracuse JC, 7; 8- at Sherrill, 9- at Syracuse JC, 7; 10- SHERRILL, 6; 11- SHERRILL, 3; 12- at Sherrill, 5; 13-16- All Star Break; 17- SHERRILL, 6; 18- at Syracuse SC, 2; 19- SYRACUSE SC, 3; 20- SYRACUSE SC, 6; 23- ONEONTA, 6; 24- at Oneonta, 7.
Home Games (CAPS) played at Greg’s Field, Beaudry Park.