By PAUL GOTHAM
The Syracuse Salt Cats came within one win of advancing to the 2014 New York Collegiate Baseball League East Division Championship Series. If Syracuse is to climb that next rung in 2015, the Salt Cats will be led by the likes of Cameron Dias (Rutgers-Newark), Deilyn Guzman (Molloy), Myles Taylor (Coppin State) and Cory Vogeli (Misericordia).
Dias is a two-year starter for the Scarlet Raiders. In 34 games this past season, the 6-3, 215 pound outfielder hit .339 with eight extra-base hits including three home runs and 19 RBI.
“As big as he is, he looks to go opposite field, so he’s not going to be a guy with double-digit home runs.,” Rutgers-Newark head coach Mark Rizzi said. “He’s pulled a couple of balls over the fence the past couple years. His power is opposite field a lot. He has the unique combination of both.”
Dias has played in the outfield for the past three seasons but could be making a move to first base for his senior campaign.
“He has a chance to play first base next year,” Rizzi added. “We’re very deep in the outfield, and our first baseman graduated.
“His work ethic is outstanding. He’s really a good hitter. I know a lot of coaches will say that about players, but that’s as simple as I can get. He doesn’t strike out a lot. He can hit in all counts. He knows how to hit in two-strike counts, but he knows how to be aggressive early in the count. He has done a very good job of adjusting his game to the college level.”
Guzman started 41 games mostly at shortstop for Molloy this season. Batting leadoff he hit .309 with 11 extra-base hits. His largest upside is on the mound.
“It was so hard to get him into a closer role for the back part of our season this year because we were struggling so much,” Lions head coach Joe Fucarino said. “We just put him as a DH/closer to utilize him on the mound as much as we can.”
With a fastball sitting 88-90 that he can run up to 94 miles per hour, the right-hander also commands a slider. He struck out 11 and walked seven in 14 innings of work finishing with one save on the season.
“He’s lanky. He’s long,” Fucarino added. “He’s got the arm. He’s got some movement.”
Running 6.5 in the 60 yard dash, Guzman led the Division II East Coast Conference with 30 stolen bases.
“He’s a catalyst offensively when he’s rolling,” Fucarino noted. “I want him to get more confidence. When his confidence is high, he’s a draftable kid just because of his athleticism and the way he is on the mound.”
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Vogeli was named Freedom Conference Pitcher of the Year and earned DIII All-American Honorable Mention. The southpaw went 8-0 with a 1.14 ERA. His 63 strikeouts were the third highest in Misericordia history. He commands three pitches with a changeup at 73-76. His fastball sits 84-87, and he can run it up to 89.
“It’s a heavy pitch with good late action to it,” Misericordia head coach Pete Egbert noted. “He can pound the strike zone with it. He lives away from right-handed hitters. His better secondary pitch is his changeup with good late action and runs away from right-handers. He uses his breaking ball pretty much exclusively to left handers.”
Vogeli appeared exclusively out of the bullpen his freshman season before moving into a starter’s role late last year. He was the ace of the Cougars staff this spring.
“His work ethic is unmatched,” Egbert stated. “He’s an animal in the gym. He works out three, four times a day… He’s an unbelievable competitor.”
Taylor hurled 24-plus innings in 11 appearances for the Eagles this spring.
“He’s coming back off an arm injury,” Coppin State head coach Sherman Reed said. “He was at about 80 percent. The last two outings he was closer to 100 percent. We’d like him to really get some innings. He’s a really good 60-pitch guy out of the bullpen.”
The right-hander commands three pitches with a fastball at 85-87. He has a deceptive changeup at 72-74 and can go to a slider.
“You have leaders, and you have quiet leaders,” Reed added. “Myles is one of those guys that is very vocal. He keeps the guys up and on task. It’s not odd to hear his very distinct voice to yell something and bring the guys back on task. He’s a very, very emotional leader.”
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The Salt Cats open the season on Monday, June 1st against their cross-town rival Syracuse Jr. Chiefs.
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