2014 Team Captains Selected

After player voting, second baseman Conner Lorenzo and first baseman Kyle Koslowski have been named team captains for the 2014 season.

Both players are four-year seniors in our program whose work ethic is second to none.  They embody Blue Devil baseball day-in and day-out in their actions on and off the field.

Lorenzo received as high of a percentage in the players' captain voting as any player in team history.  He will be the team's unquestioned leader following a steady, productive junior season.  "Scoot" leads the way before and after we take the field, but (he'll be the first to tell you) talk is cheap; if you look at Conner at any point, you'll see a model teammate.  Fitting, then, that he's our leadoff hitter, showing our lineup the way on game day.  A wrestler as well as ballplayer in high school, Conner has a ferocious competitive fire and can be counted on to leave every ounce he's got on the game or practice field.

Kos received a large number of votes as well, and scored as one of the most respected teammates on our squad in our Peer Evaluations.  He is strong as an ox, and never complains or makes an excuse; he just gets the job done.  The son of a steel worker, Kos is never afraid to stick his nose in there if necessary.  Watching him for even five minutes of a practice will convince you that he gives you his all, and his teammates (and coaches) have clearly taken notice.

So congrats to Conner and Kos, but any team with only two leaders will not go very far.  That's why in our program "captain" should not be confused with "leader."  Those two players will represent the team as captains, but several other players will be expected to step up into leadership roles.  Guys like juniors Kenny Johnston, Erik Krohl, and others received captain votes and ranked very high in the Peer Evaluation polls as respected teammates.  They and the captains will be counted on to continue demonstrating the Blue Devil way, on and off the field.

Devils participating in "Movember"

A few of the Devils have grown out their facial hair and are participating in "Movember" to raise awareness for men's health. Here are a few photos of FSU's top participants. The poll on the right-hand menu is open until the end of the month, so make sure you vote for the best "Movember" look.

In addition, our campus has the Movember Momentum in full swing. Here is a message from FSU campus spokesman for Movember, Aaron Marshall...
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Soon it will be 'Movember' and I'll be growing a moustache to raise funds and awareness for men's health. It's going to be a hairy journey and I want you to be part of it.

Fight for your right to change the face of men’s health, enlist for Movember and join SUNY Fredonia's team now.

A moustache is the mark of a man, and today it is a symbol to spark conversations about important health issues. So guys, pledge to grow a Mo today, or ladies, join the team to support my Mo.

Find out more about why you should join me by taking a look at the causes we are fighting for.

Thanks for supporting Gen Mo and helping us change the face of men's health.

United We Mo!
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
-Aaron

Contestant #1 Quinn Danahy

 

Contestant #2 Tommy Morris

 

 

Contestant #3 R.J. Spinnella

 

 

Contestant #4 Erik Krohl

 

 

Contestant #5 Kyle Koslowski

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Questions with Quinn: Spinning with Spinnella... on the D.L. with R.J.

R.J. Spinella is a freshman from Cassville, N.Y. and attended high school at Sauquoit Valley. R.J. is a second baseman majoring in Exercise Science. He is constantly in the batting cage and weight room everyday trying to get better. He came in as a walk on and did everything he could to earn his spot on the team. At Fredonia State, he has quickly figured out what it means to Run With the Wise.

Participating in "Movember" with T Mo

Tommy Morris is a junior pitcher from Syosset High School which is located on Long Island. He is participating in "Movember" which is a spin off of No Shave November. T Mo expressed extra excitement for this year's Movember because the Boston Red Sox are the World Series champions. Members of the Red Sox kept their beards from spring training up until the conclusion of the World Series.


Tommy isn't the only member of his family who plays college baseball; he has a brother named Joey who plays at Queens College. Queens College is located in Queens, New York and is a member of division two NCAA athletics. Joey, however, is an outfielder unlike his brother who is a member of the Blue Devil pitching staff.

Besides baseball, Tommy has an avid love for basketball and is a huge New York Knicks fan. He is not happy with their start to the young season and thinks there is not enough team play. He feels the offense is centered too much around isolation plays for Carmelo Anthony and not enough set plays run by the offense. Tyson Chandler, the Knicks starting center, is out 4-6 weeks with an injury and Tommy said that this injury will hurt their rebounding and low post defense.

I asked Tommy what one teammate he would choose to be stuck on a deserted island with and why? Tommy chose sophomore outfielder Quinn Danahy because he is a team player and he will do what is necessary to get the job done. You may be familiar with Quinn already as he has conducted video interviews in previous blog posts with other members of our team.

T Mo also wanted to point out one interesting fact about himself: he shares a birthday with former big league pitcher Randy Johnson. He also pointed out they both throw left handed and bat right handed.

Habitat for Humanity, Round 1.

One of our goals as a coaching staff this year was to get more involved in giving back to the community. So to fulfill that goal we reached out to Habitat for Humanity to see if we could help out. 

Habitat for Humanity's focus is to build and repair houses all over the world using volunteer labor and donations. Their partner families purchase these houses through no-profit, no-interest mortgage loans or innovative financing methods.

To learn more about the organization and how to volunteer or donate visit http://www.habitat.org/


Our first weekend of working with the organization was rained out.

But today myself, Matt Casilio, Kenny Johnston, Tommy Morris, Anthony Schiro, Joe Korszun, Dan Cecilia, Liam "Trot" Kelly, Tyler Shaw, and Dan Lumadue piled in the van and took off to their Silver Creek location to get to work.

A good mix of returning players, transfers, and freshman.

When we arrived on location we learned that the family moving into the house was a mother and her three children (she was also there working).

After the initial introduction to what and who we were helping we jumped right in and got to work.

Our main focus was getting the foundation level, digging paths for a drainage system, putting up insulation, and hauling gravel. In order to accomplish all of this in the time we had it was necessary to split up into small teams.

The organization provided the guys with a lunch a few hours into the day consisting of chili, muffins, cookies, chips, and apples.

During the break each player had a chance to introduce themselves to the fellow volunteers and program coordinators. T-mo even found a fellow Long Islander on staff.

After lunch we finished up what we started, all hands on deck.

The guys worked their tails off and I think I speak for all of us when I say that we accomplished a lot, helped a good cause, and were able to bond more with each other.

It was a lot of work but a great experience and I learned a lot about some of the new guys on the team and more about the returners.

I'm looking forward to bringing a fresh set of guys to help out again next weekend.

Down on the Ranch with Melo

Evan Carmello has attended a handful of camps at the Baseball Ranch which is located in The Woodlands, Texas. Evan has attended four different times his most recent trip coming in December of 2010.

The Ranch is run by Ron Wolforth who started the facility he is also assisted by Brent Strom. Strom was recently hired to be the pitching coach of the Houston Astros. Before accepting this position he was the pitching coordinator of the St. Louis Cardinals. Other coaches from other MLB organizations have attended but Wolforth and Strom are always in attendance.

Pictured below is Brent Strom (left) and Ron Wolforth (right).
            



A lot of big league players have been in attendance at The Ranch a few of the big names are Scott Kazmir, C.J. Wilson, Trevor Bauer, and Raul Ibanez. There are plenty more players that could be listed but they have not made it to the majors yet.

On his first trip Evans main objective was to just get better at pitching and wasn't really sure what to expect from it. He said his whole philosophy on pitching changed once he went and he changed his entire routine when it comes to pitching once he attended.

The main concept he took from his trips to The Ranch was being a better athlete as a pitcher. He developed his throwing motion to get the most out of his body by being more efficient and explosive with his delivery.

To conclude our interview I asked Evan what teammate he would choose to be stuck on a desert island with and why? Evan chose Kyle Grey (which didn't come as a surprise) because they get along well. Evan and Kyle are long toss buddies and they have a very detailed routine together when they are at the field or working out in the offseason.

Listed below is a link to the website for The Ranch.
http://www.texasbaseballranch.com/

Questions with Quinn: The Lighter Side of a Freshman Brute

Quinn Danahy conducted a brief interview with the barrel-chested Brian Castonguay so everyone can get to know him. Brian is a freshman corner infielder from Orchard Park and went to Hamburg High School with fellow freshman Tyler Shaw. 

Brian speaks about his love for playing racquetball with his buddy Mike Prentice (freshman catcher, St. Francis HS). Coach Palisin has since scaled back the NRBL (National Racquet Ball League) and told the two freshmen to spend more time studying.

The Devils favorite color out of the pen is Grey

I sat down with senior relief pitcher Kyle Grey. Kyle went to Frewsburg high school which is also where Blue Devil alum Ricky Carlson attended. I asked him a couple questions about Ricky in his interview.

First I asked about when he first learned his pick off move and he responded that Ricky and his stepfather first approached Kyle at one of his age 13 practices. This is where Kyle first learned the move and then his 8th grade year of middle school Ricky was on the JV baseball staff at Frewsburg. Ricky would go more into depth with Kyle on JV and help him really master his pick off move.

I then followed up asking Kyle how much easier is it pitching knowing you have this move with a runner on first base. Kyle responded that he always has his pick off move in the back of his mind when he takes the mound. He knows he can rely on it to get out of a jam if he needs to and he referenced his first ever appearance when he didn't throw a pitch and picked the runner off to end the inning.

Thirdly I asked Kyle who he modeled his game after and he responded with Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Cliff Lee. He chose Cliff Lee because he attacks hitters with a lot of strikes, he loves to pitch in big games, and he can throw any of his pitches for a strike in any count. 

The final question I asked was if you were stuck on an island with one teammate who would it be and why? Kyle responded with Evan Carmello who is also a pitcher on our pitching staff. Kyle chose Melo because he is his partner in crime when it comes to long toss along with following the same routine as Evan. He also responded that he felt Melo would have some crazy knowledge of this type of situation.