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Currle getting feel for players

By Staff | Jun 16, 2015

NASHUA – Eight games certainly does not a season make, but Nashua Silver Knights manager Ted Currle is starting to get a feel for his team.

“We usually go 10 to 15 games before we define roles,” Currle said, “and figure who is going to be filling in, runners, and all that stuff. We’ll get there, we’re only into eight games right now.”

The question is, what did that eighth game tell him? How much can he dismiss Sunday night’s 19-inning, 4-3 loss to Martha’s Vineyard as just a tough performance?

The local Futures Collegiate League nine showed a couple of things that plagued it a year ago: low baseball “IQ” and a penchant for leaving runners – 17 of them – on base.

“I think we’ve got a good group of baseball players here, a good group of kids in all facets of the game,” Currle said. “We battled and battled and we saw some good arms and we sent out some good arms (on Sunday).

“I think we’re going to compete every night, we’ve got a chance to win every night. We’re going to put (Sunday’s loss) behind us.”

The Silver Knights, also as one would expect, have altered the lineup from game to game, as there are a lot of players vying for time. But on Sunday night, the top three in the order – Brett Chappell, Ben Bengston and Ryan Sullivan – went 0-for-20 with 10 strikeouts. The team has a number of middle infield options that are part of that ever changing lineup, with Max Burt out of Northeastern (.333), Manny Cruz of Southern New Hampshire (.346) and Chappell from UMaine (.267) rotating from game to game, from second to short, etc.

“We’re rotating guys in the middle infield, we’ve used two or three leadoff guys,” Currle said. “I think we have an idea of what we’re going to go with soon. Sunday was a tough night but they’re all good hitters.”

Another UMaine player, Tyler Schwanz, is off to a good start, hitting .300 with two homers and five RBIs hitting in the cleanup spot. He got the start in center field the other night.

“He’s got a nice easy swing, he’s coming on,” Currle said.

Sullivan leads the team with seven RBIs while catcher Eric Ostberg, who threw out three runners the other night, has six.

Meanwhile, pitching has really not been that much of an issue. The team lost potential starter Tyler Brown to injury but will start another local product, Brookline’s Cam LaFleur, in his place on Tuesday at Holman Stadium at 7 p.m. vs. North Shore. LaFleur (1-0) already has a win in relief.

The question is, who will the closer be? Pittsburgh’s Ryan Campbell has two saves but took the loss the other night, and Currle said he sees him more in a setup role. Boston College lefty Kevin Connor has a save, and may be the likely candidate. But also don’t count out newly signed Brandon Walsh, the onetime catcher from last year who also relieved a bit and is now considered a full-time pitcher. Walsh was impressive in a five-inning stint the other night and once he recovers from that, he could be a big part of the pen.

It will be interesting down the road, to say the least.

“From who I’ve seen, I think we can compete with everyone I’ve seen,” Currle said. “We’re solid everywhere. It’s going to be a matter of getting it all jelled together, and going forward.”

More MLB picks

Aside from Chris Shaw being taken in the first round by the San Francisco Giants, another former and one current Silver Knight were also taken.

First, last year’s shortstop, Michael Pierson, a senior at Appalachian State, was plucked by the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in the 21st round. Pierson led Appalachian this past season in batting average (.346), hits (66), walks (41) and RBI (38). While playing for Nashua in 2014 he was second on the team in batting average (.317), and he lead the team in hits with 61.

Meanwhile, current Silver Knights catcher/outfielder Matt Foley (Rhode Island College) was drafted in the 40th round (1,196 overall) by the Miami Marlins. And no wonder since Foley won the Little East triple crown, hitting .456 with 11 homers and 45 RBIs this past spring.

Campbell connection

Why the grin recently on Silver Knights stadium operations/concessions manager Tyler Bonin? Bonin’s old high school team, Campbell, won its second straight Division III crown the other night. He still has close ties to the team, having served last year as a volunteer assistant.

Bonin had to work at the Knights’ game Saturday night and thus missed the Cougars’ 11-3 win over Monadnock, but was on the phone at 1 a.m. Sunday with fellow alum John Coughlin to find out who won. He then read the details in The Sunday Telegraph when he arrived at the stadium later that morning.

He wasn’t surprised at how close-knit the team was.

“I couldn’t have been prouder as an alum,” Bonin said. “I worked with the team a lot last year and a little bit in the winter before they got started. With that many seniors it’s hard to not be close, and with all the emotions, this being their last game together, they’re all playing for each other at that point.”

Campbell was the first area team to win back-to-back baseball titles since the Charlie Mellen-coached unified Nashua High School teams of 1993-94.

“When I was in high school Prospect Mountain did the same thing,” Bonin said. “They won it my junior year and again my senior year, so I was always jealous of them.”

Notes

Tuesday is the first of four Tuesday night games for the Silver Knights, more than they have had in recent years. To try to attract fans, the team is offering a $10 ticket that includes all the popcorn and hot dogs you can eat. …

The Silver Knights game last Friday at Martha’s Vineyard was abruptly halted due to fog – not uncommon on the Vineyard – and will be resumed on July 2 prior to the regularly scheduled 7 p.m. game.

The Silver Knights will play their annual exhibition game on Thursday against the Lowell Spinners at LeLacheur Park in Lowell at 6 p.m. Currle said he’ll divide the innings amongst the bullpen.

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