Just a guess, but it may be that his new job at UConn has additional responsibilities that preclude him from doing the interviews that we are used to. That would be to bad, as I look forward to them as well.
UConn Baseball 2020
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Just a guess, but it may be that his new job at UConn has additional responsibilities that preclude him from doing the interviews that we are used to. That would be to bad, as I look forward to them as well.
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Dom Amore: Meet freshman Reggie Crawford, who could be the star attraction as UConn baseball christens its new ballpark, plays national schedule
>>Crawford turned down a chance to play pro ball when the Royals drafted him in the 37th round, staying the course for Storrs.
“I felt like I needed to get more experience in the game before I would take a step like that,” he says. “I’d get a lot of reps if I came here. UConn, it’s a really big name. It’s a school that people look up to. People would see I was going to UConn and think it’s a really big deal.”
So here he is with all these raw skills, nasty curve spun from that big left hand, mid-90s fastball when he’s right, and bat speed that propels the ball with even greater velocity, and often out of sight. Two-way players are rare at this level, but since Shohei Ohtani arrived with the Angels, it’s no longer unfathomable. Penders is willing to let Crawford do both, may at times move him from first base to the mound and back within games.
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>>Crawford turned down a chance to play pro ball when the Royals drafted him in the 37th round, staying the course for Storrs.
“I felt like I needed to get more experience in the game before I would take a step like that,” he says. “I’d get a lot of reps if I came here. UConn, it’s a really big name. It’s a school that people look up to. People would see I was going to UConn and think it’s a really big deal.”
So here he is with all these raw skills, nasty curve spun from that big left hand, mid-90s fastball when he’s right, and bat speed that propels the ball with even greater velocity, and often out of sight. Two-way players are rare at this level, but since Shohei Ohtani arrived with the Angels, it’s no longer unfathomable. Penders is willing to let Crawford do both, may at times move him from first base to the mound and back within games.
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Some interesting nuggets about shortstop and dh....
While most of the above story is about Reggie Crawford, there is also this piece of news towards the end of the article:
>He (Coach Penders) is hoping the NCAA will grant a waiver and allow Ben Casparius, transferring from North Carolina, to play this season; an appeal has been made since the original application was denied. Casparius, the 2017 Connecticut Gatorade player of the year from Staples-Westport, could provide high-level starting pitching.<
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Presumably we're running out of time. Don't the 35 man rosters have to be set before the season starts? The season starts in less than 100 hours.
The 35 man roster needs to be set before the first game. However, I believe there is an NCAA rule that mandates that any player who is receiving any baseball scholarship money has to be included on the roster. I do not know if Casparius is getting any scholarship money, but if he is, he will be on the roster no matter what.
Somehow I overlooked this interview until now. The main thing with Ben Maycock is consistency and confidence. Sounds like he is going to be in the lineup to start the year, presumably in RF. Andy Hague sounds like the leading candidate at SS, at least for now. Kevin Ferrer comments very similar to what appeared recently in the New London Day article. Bat looks good, has had some injuries to deal with in preseason, but his bat will get him chances in the lineup. He's certainly a D.H. candidate. Interesting stuff on Josh Cohen, Penders thinks he has a big upside.
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Wurster also listed by D1 @ #16.
Aaron Fitt @aaronfitt 4m
Position Power Rankings: Here’s our list of the top 50 relief pitchers in college baseball, headlined by
@VandyBoys closer Tyler Brown, who is joined by another Commodore inside the top 20. Find out who else made the cut:
2020 Preseason Power Rankings: Relief Pitchers • D1Baseball
Vanderbilt closer Tyler Brown headlines our list of the top 50 relievers in college baseball, and another Commodore joins him inside the top 20. Find out who else made the cut.
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For all the interviews and articles, the one name I can't recall hearing that I would have thought I'd be hearing is Nucerino. We lost all 3 outfielders, and here's a guy that before he got hurt was getting regular playing time and coming through with the bat.
Has anyone heard anything? Does anyone know why we've heard nothing?
Has anyone heard anything? Does anyone know why we've heard nothing?
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Kyler Fedko is back... didn't we lose two outfielders?
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Sorry -- you are correct.
Ben Maycock is another guy who had an impressive stint in summer ball, albeit it was only about 3 weeks long for him. Another guy with big upside (Kyler Fedko falls into this category as well) that Penders wants to give a shot to. Guessing that Nucerino will get time if someone in the group of Kyler, Maycock, or Kevin Ferrer falters.
Another spot that we haven't heard anything about recently is 3B. David Langer was looking good early in the fall season, but he also got hit in the face early in fall ball. I haven't heard anything about him since, so I don't know if he is healthy enough to play or what.
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Bang!!!! Here they come (appetizer):
Finally, yes!!!
This short interview focuses on catcher and shortstop. Gozzo, with Brodnansky backing up. Hourigan says that Gozzo has been a team leader since he showed up on campus. Brodnansky had a nice fall after Pat Winkel got hurt, both behind the plate and at the bat. A three player competition at shortstop with Andy Hague, Zach Bushling, and freshman Todd Petersen. All three have done well in fall and the preseason.
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Coach Hourigan is expecting big things from the Fedko brothers. Kyler has dropped some weight, so that should help his quickness and speed. One of the fastest guys on the roster, Hourigan says he can probably play all three outfield spots and be a threat to steal bases. Hourigan is expecting Christian to take another jump at the bat this season after making a big jump in his sophomore year. One thing they are looking from Christian is more consistency. While there was no mention of his defense, it sounds like he will be the main guy at 2B again this season, while getting the spot start at D.H. They then get into Chris Winkel's great defense at 1B, but the need to take his athleticism to CF to make room for Reggie Crawford. In addition to the potential at the bat that we've heard about, it sounds like the coaches think Crawford will provide good defense at 1B as well.
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Only the friggin UConn athletic department. I kept looking on our website for our roster, or game notes, or something, but nothing. Because we hadn't produced game notes for the weekend yet? Wrong. You can find/read them on the Cal Poly website. Just not on ours. I don't mean Cal Poly's media package -- I mean friggin ours.
So it shows a 36 man roster, but that includes Pat Winkel who is noted as won't be playing this year. Does not show any redshirts but maybe if we put a roster up on our website .... It shows Casparius, but I don't know whether to interpret that as we got clearance or we have him on the roster and we'll change it if he doesn't. Of the 4 redshirts last year, Bigelow and Ferrer are on the squad but Bonvicini and Bagdasarian are not. The surprise to me was the pitcher from Jersey who was the cancer surviver I don't see on the roster. The other surprise is we only show two Catchers on the roster. I hope someone else can play it if there is an injury to Gozzo or Brodnansky.
Not counting baby Wink, 35 as follows: 3 two way players (Crawford, Casparius and Stock); 18 other position players (Gozzo, Brodnansky, Langer, Moriarity, Hague, Bushling, Peterson, C. Fedko, Lucas, Brown, Donahue, Griggs, K. Fedko, Ferrer, C. Winkel, Chiovitti, Maycock and Nucerino); and 14 other pitchers (Simeone, Dunlop, Wang, Haus, Krauth, Willis, Mayock, Polonia, Favieri, Bigelow, Gallagher, Marrero, Wurster and Nielson).
Couldn't find anything about our starting pitching for the weekend. Cal Poly will start a lefty against us who had good numbers as a reliever this year but is being converted to a starter.
So it shows a 36 man roster, but that includes Pat Winkel who is noted as won't be playing this year. Does not show any redshirts but maybe if we put a roster up on our website .... It shows Casparius, but I don't know whether to interpret that as we got clearance or we have him on the roster and we'll change it if he doesn't. Of the 4 redshirts last year, Bigelow and Ferrer are on the squad but Bonvicini and Bagdasarian are not. The surprise to me was the pitcher from Jersey who was the cancer surviver I don't see on the roster. The other surprise is we only show two Catchers on the roster. I hope someone else can play it if there is an injury to Gozzo or Brodnansky.
Not counting baby Wink, 35 as follows: 3 two way players (Crawford, Casparius and Stock); 18 other position players (Gozzo, Brodnansky, Langer, Moriarity, Hague, Bushling, Peterson, C. Fedko, Lucas, Brown, Donahue, Griggs, K. Fedko, Ferrer, C. Winkel, Chiovitti, Maycock and Nucerino); and 14 other pitchers (Simeone, Dunlop, Wang, Haus, Krauth, Willis, Mayock, Polonia, Favieri, Bigelow, Gallagher, Marrero, Wurster and Nielson).
Couldn't find anything about our starting pitching for the weekend. Cal Poly will start a lefty against us who had good numbers as a reliever this year but is being converted to a starter.
If what is on the Cal Poly website is accurate, my guess is Casparius is not on a scholarship this season. The past few years UConn has not posted a roster until final cuts were made. I suspect we will not see a roster on the website until a decision is made on his eligibility, since someone else will have to be off the roster if Casparius is declared eligible.
No surprise to me that there are only two catchers on the roster. They had two others during fall ball, Pat Winkel who got hurt and Gavin Kee who left at some point and who is no longer at UConn. My guess is that someone on the roster has caught in the past, and will probably see time there in case of some emergency.
Edit: I didn't realize that the Cal Poly website has the UConn game notes that UConn produces. So this is a solid roster, and UConn is porbably waiting on the Casparius decision before posting the roster. No way of knowing, but I would guess that if the tradition of the four man "taxi squad" redshirts continues, my guess is that it would consist of Garrett Coe, Josh Cohen, Tim Pfaffenbichler, and either Casparius or one of the freshmen position players currently listed on that roster. Also don't know the status of JUCO transfer Devin Kirby, but either he is on the taxi squad or is joining the team next season.
By the way, @businesslawyer, that was good snooping to find that roster!
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hardcorehusky
Lost patience with the garden variety UConn fan
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So where are Jake Sanderson and Tyler Briggs from last year's team? Too much info floating around for me to retain it all!! Also, wasn't there a 3rd baseman who played football as well but hurt his shoulder and was out for last year?
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Just because I'm too old to link doesn't mean I can't google!
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Others had already found them on rosters at other schools in the last few weeks.
Redshirt freshman RHP Tyler Briggs apparently is no longer at UConn. Briggs is listed on the baseball roster of Wabash Valley College, the same JUCO school where UConn recruit Austin Peterson is playing this spring.
As for that 3rd baseman who played football, that sounds like Mike Yarin. He did not make the team last season.
A 40 player roster has been posted on the UConn athletics website. All the players listed by @businesslawyer are on the roster. Matt Bonvicini, Garrett Coe, Tim Pfaffenbichler (medical redshirt) are listed as redshirting and not on the 35 man roster. No mention if Ben Casparius is eligible, and Josh Cohen is not mentioned as a redshirt. At any rate, two more cuts are needed to get down to the 35 man roster. Looks like the redshirt "taxi squad" might be five players this season.
uconnhuskies.com
2025 Baseball Roster - University of Connecticut Athletics
The official 2025 Baseball Roster for the University of Connecticut Huskies
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I thought anyone getting scholarship money had to be on the 35 man roster. Looks like that rule has been changed or I was just wrong. Pat Winkel is listed as redshirting and not on the 35 man roster. So one more cut is needed to get down to the 35 man roster.