New home, different outlook for BCC baseball

 The Brunswick Community College baseball team begins the 2012 season on a new field.

Michael Paul

Tory Schroff was 6-2 with a 1.26 ERA last season. BCC opens its season at its new home field at noon on Feb. 11.

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When the Dolphins play Catawba Valley Community College in the first game of a doubleheader that starts at noon Feb. 11, it will be the first game on the field across from the Dinah E. Gore Fitness & Aquatics Center.

The field was the result of donations and services by many people, BCC coach Robbie Allen said.

“If we have had to raise the money—$500,000 to $700,000—the field wouldn’t be there,” he said. “It’s been beg, borrow and plead.”

Of course, money still has to be raised to pay for some of the construction, and toward that end advertising signs on the outfield fence will be sold for $500. Allen said he wants to sell 40 signs.

The field itself—330 feet down the lines, 370 feet in the gaps and 380 feet to center—is the completion of the first phase of a baseball stadium. A roofed hitting facility (with a pitcher’s mound); locker rooms; permanent stands with a concession area and a pressbox; and lights are the next phases.

Having lights, Allen said, will attract yearly tournaments, and that would be another way to raise money for the BCC field and generate tourism revenue.

“I have been in touch with two different organizations that hold big tournaments every year,” he said. “They called and asked about doing it here.”

As for the 2012 BCC team, it is different from the record-setting 2011 team, which finished 31-16 and graduated eight players to four-year colleges. That success has carried over to expectations for this year, where the NJCAA Division II preseason poll has the Dolphins ranked No. 18 in the nation and ranked second, behind Lenoir Community College, in the Southeast District.

Allen, a two-time Region 10 Coach of the Year, thinks the rankings are misleading, considering this BCC team has not yet played a game.

“Actually, I don’t like that,” Allen said about the ranking. “I don’t think there is enough there to warrant having a ranking this early with us. “We lost a great group of guys. Guys that set all the records here.

“I’ll be honest—I actually voted for Catawba Valley to be ranked.”

Catawba Valley is ranked No. 3 in the district but is not nationally ranked.

“They have (a lot) of guys returning,” Allen said. “They picked up three really good pitchers that pitched last year in the NCAA. All three (pitch) upper 80s, lower 90s. So we’ll see what were made of right out of the gate.”

One benefit about any ranking is that it attracts prospects, such as infielder-outfielder Bryson Benton, of South Jordan, Utah.

“We got a ton of email from players,” he said. “We got one kid from Utah that saw (a ranking) on the website and called and sent a video. I did some background checking on him. He played on a high school championship team and was instrumental in their winning. He came without us ever seeing him play. And he’s a pretty good player. We found a diamond in the rough.”

Pro scouts also pay attention to rankings.

“We have some players that the scouts like right now on our team,” Allen said. “I got an email today wanting to know who was starting Saturday and who was throwing the second game and who was throwing on Sunday and what my lineup was going to be. We’re followed on a regular basis by them.”

Allen said he had not yet set an Opening Day pitching rotation but sophomores Michael Green, a right-hander, and Tory Schroff, a left-hander, would be in the top two. Each already has signed with four-year colleges: Schroff with Charleston Southern University and Green with Winthrop. Schroff was 6-2 with a 1.26 ERA. He struck out 64 and walked 20 in 71.1 innings. Green was 2-1 with a 2.69 ERA in 16.2 innings. An injury shortened his season.

A couple of transfers from four-year colleges will help BCC this year. Joe Pistacchio, from Appalachian State, is a right-handed pitcher. Anthony Colantino, from N.C. State, is a catcher. Colantino became even more important after an injury sidelined catcher K.J. Walters, who caught at least two games a week last year. Other catches are Ryan Brendle and Matthew Archer.

“You could put them all in there,” Allen said. “They’re all about the same.”

Allen said Josh Hardwick would play third base and freshman Hunter Allen shortstop. Freshman Alex Sasser or Nick Hunter will play second base. Tyler Ruffin will play first.

The outfield “is a battle,” coach Allen said. “All of those guys out there are under 7-flat runners.”

Ryan Collins will probably start in center field, coach Allen said. “It will be a platoon,” he said, noting that three left-handed outfielders most likely will play against right-handed pitching.

Another transfer is Ryan Hill, who has switched from football to baseball.

“I think he has caught up,” coach Allen said.

Overall, team defense will be the key to this season, Allen said.

“The park is going to play deep,” he said. “We worked a lot on backing up bases.”

As an example, in one drill a first baseman was timed retrieving and throwing to third base a ball that gotten past him at first and rolled to the fence. The time was 12.5 seconds, more than enough time for runner to advance from first to third. If there is an errant pickoff attempt at first, a runner will reach third “no problem,” Allen said. The situation will be the same for wild pitches and passed balls, as there is 60 feet of space behind home plate, Allen said.

 “It is going to change the way we have played baseball,” Allen said about the new field. “The ball carries in right field. We’re going to try to recruit several left-handed sticks every year and we’re going to try to recruit speed for the outfield. And we’re going to recruit really good defensive players for the infield.

“We’re going to bunt early and steal early. We’re not going to sit back and wait for something to happen.”

The BCC baseball program has reached every goal in its four-year history except playing in the World Series. Pitching depth, coach Allen said, has been one reason for the team’s inability to advance to the series.

“We haven’t had enough bench depth and haven’t had enough arms,” coach Allen said. We had players who were worn out. We didn’t have enough pitching to make it down the stretch. I think we have enough arms now to get the job done when we get to the (region) tournament.”

Among the pitchers is Tim Powell, who was an infielder/outfielder at West Brunswick.

“He throws 85, 86, with a lot of run and a good breaking ball,” coach Allen said. Powell will be a middle reliever.

“He may start some midweek games,” coach Allen said.

Powell is an example how deep the Dolphins are.

“This time we have at least two (players) at every position,” coach Allen said. “We have 15 pitchers and we have three catchers. (Depth) is not going to be as big an issue this time as it has been in the past.”

Besides baseball skills, coach Allen said, another key to the season will be “discipline.”

“Almost every practice at the end we talk about priorities,” he said. “We talk about getting to class in the morning. You don’t have school tomorrow, behave tonight, get some rest. We’re preaching the priorities and make them understand that in the long run that’s going to benefit them.”

The proof is the many former BCC players now on four-year college baseball teams.