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Baseball Announces Four 2015 Captains

By Billy Cather

Coach Cather’s fall season recap

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Lesley University Head Coach Billy Cather has announced seniors David Hersey (Wolfeboro, N.H.), Joe Mu-ratore (Mamaroneck, N.Y.), Robert Parson (Commack, N.Y.), and Tyler Plourd (Canton, Conn.) as captains for the 2015 baseball season.

“We’re very excited to name Dave, Joe, Rob and Tyler as our captains for the 2015 season,” said Cather. “They’re great repre-sentatives of our program and Lesley University, as is our entire senior class. We were lucky to have a great group of guys to choose from and we will rely on all of them to set the tone for our team this season.”

The group will lead a veteran-laden team that will dress 14 upperclassmen, including 11 seniors. The 2014 season saw the Lynx gain entrance to the New England Collegiate Conference Championship Tournament for the first time in program history.

“It is a great honor to be named captain this year,” said Hersey. “It is great to think that all of my friends and teammates can look at me and think of me as a leader. Though we have four guys that were named as “captains,” that does not exclude anyone to lead or take over this team during the course of the season. As a team we will look to rely on our 11 seniors to get us motivated for the season – we have played together for three years and we know by now what it takes to compete and win. We need to push ourselves and the younger guys to get better every day and lead by example throughout the season.”

The Lynx wrapped up their fall baseball season on October 17, 2014. The 2014 fall season was very successful as we were able to see the progression of the upperclassmen, along with being able to evaluate our new talented group of freshmen. We went hard for 5 weeks and were able to get a lot accomplished with the time that the NCAA allows us. The fall concluded with our first ever Grey vs. Black World Series. Coach Gaffney and his Grey squad took three straight games against Coach Kenneally and his Black Squad. We are all excited for winter workouts and can’t wait to get outside and start the 2015 campaign!

W I N T E R 2 0 1 5 N E W S L E T T E R

see CAPTAINS p4

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My name is Rob Parson, and I play centerfield for Lesley University. I am a Business Management major with a specialization in Sport Management and a minor in Psychology. I plan on being a personal trainer and owning my own gym designed specifically for athletes. The goal of the gym would be to attract athletes who play many different sports, and to create better overall athletes. This is my dream job assuming baseball does not work out for me. I’d like to play baseball at the highest level possible, and I am doing everything I can to get there. My plan for next year is to be playing baseball somewhere where I’d get professional looks, or, if I’m lucky, I’d be playing professional ball.

My favorite experience about Lesley is the fact that I have made friends that will last a lifetime in my baseball team, and that I have had the opportunity to play all four years of my college career. I am lucky that I have had the experience I’ve had with my teammates. We grew up together from freshmen to seniors and I got to experience what it was like to grow from boys to men in four years. I got to experience what it was like to develop team chemistry and become a great team when it seemed impossible to do. I’m proud to say that I am a part of the Lesley community and I will miss it dearly.

New faces of Lesley Baseball:201 Lesley Baseball Recruiting Class

Brian HildebrandHildebrand is from Milford, Mass. and played his AAU ball for the RBI Storm out of Northbridge, Mass. He was an all-star selection for his summer league team, the Milford Micros, and was a top pitcher in the league. Academically, Hildebrand was listed on the Honor Roll in every semester in his high school tenure.

Nick IadevaioIadevaio is from Mineola, N.Y. where he attended and played at Mineola High School. As a player, Iadevaio was named a Top 100 Player on Long Is-land, was an All-County Baseball Award recipient, and voted League MVP in his senior campaign. He also played on the varsity golf team.

Tom MuratoreTom Muratore, brother of Lynx senior Joe Mura-tore, hails from Mamaroneck, N.Y. where he gradu-ated from Mamaroneck High School. As a senior, he compiled a 1.58 ERA with 63 strikeouts in 53.1 innings pitched and was named All-Section Honor-able Mention, All-League, and was named to the NYHSPHAA All-Academic Team.

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Lesley University Head Baseball Coach Billy Cather has announced a five-member recruiting class that will step onto the Cambridge campus in the fall. The Lynx, who graduated four seniors off last year’s squad, will look to gain entry into the New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) Champion-ship for the second straight season in 2015.

Lesley welcomes the additions of Justin Clark, Jeff Heinz, Bryan Hildebrand, Nicholas Iadevaio, and Tom Muratore.

Justin ClarkClark comes to Cambridge from Chino Hills, Calif. after graduating from Chino Hills High School. Clark played club baseball through the ABD Acad-emy under head coach Randy Curties. In the 2014 season, Clark was named ABD Spring League Player of the Week and finished in the top-10 in the league with a team-best .364 batting average.

Jeff HeinzHeinz was part of a historic 89-game winning streak and New Hampshire State Champion while at Portsmouth High School. Heinz has enrolled as a double-major here at Lesley as he will study both Secondary Education and Mathematics.

Senior Spotlight: Rob Parson

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LU BASEBALLNewsletter Order Form

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O Yes! I’m a graduate of Lesley University!

It is an exciting time for LU Baseball. In just five seasons, our program has experi-enced tremendous growth, opportunity and success. The commitment from players and coaches has elevated the program and allowed us the opportunity to compete for championships.

Many times, the resources necessary to allow our program to compete at the high-est level possible surpass our annual operating budget. Your support will provide equipment, uniforms, travel funds and will help advance our program to the next level of baseball excellence.

Thank you for being a part of our success…GO LYNX!

To make a donation to our program, please visit www.lesley.edu/givetolesley and be sure to designate your gift to Baseball.

Make checks payable to Lesley University Baseball and send to 29 Everett St, Cambridge, MA

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“Dave is a much respected player both in our locker room and throughout the league,” said Cather. “We will look to him to lead us both on and off the field for us.”

Hersey earned NECC Second Team All-Conference honors in 2014 follow-ing a stellar season at the plate where he hit to a .413 clip in conference action.

Muratore is coming off a career-year at the dish in which he finished sec-ond on the team with a .343 batting to go with 12 RBI and four doubles.

“Joe is a proven winner and leads by example with everything he does,” Cather said. “His work ethic is contagious and will trickle down to everyone on the roster.”

Plourd was named NECC Second Team All-Conference for the third straight season in 2014 after he led the team with three home runs and 21 RBI at the plate.

“Being named captain is a huge honor for me,” said Plourd. “This is a very experienced group that has gone through a lot over the past three sea-sons and I couldn’t think of a better group of guys to share a conference championship with.”

Parson will return to the top of Lesley’s lineup once again in his senior campaign. The speedy centerfielder was second on the team with 29 hits last year and led the squad with eight steals and 25 runs scored.

“Rob is one of our hardest workers on the team,” said Cather. “He will do whatever it takes to win and always puts the team first.”

CAPTAINS cont.

Athlete HighlightMike Slaby INF #7

Second year infielder Mike Slaby

had both a successful season

on the field as well as in the

classroom. Slaby batted .259

in his rookie campaign, as well

as being awarded the First Year

Success Award at the Annual

Athletic Banquet.

Lynx Trivia *Answers on schedule page Guess that Lynx

A LHP from Fall River, MA. Lead the 2014 pitching staff in apperances and pick offs.

1.) Which Lynx struck out most opposing batters in 2014?

2.) Who was the team leader in home runs in 2014?

3.) What is the name of Lesley’s home field?

4.) Who is the only Lynx to currently reside from California?

5.) How many players were born outside of the country?

6.) Which player currently studies at the LU College of Art and Design?

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By Captains Dave Hersey, Joe Muratore, Rob Parson, Tyler Plourd

Captains’ CornerThis year is going to be a big year for us. With a strong senior class, we have the experience and leadership that helped us get to the NECC tournament last year. Our program has continued to develop over the last four years and now has a roster of over twenty guys, all of whom have poured blood sweat and tears into this program.

We have added transfer Gus Poildor and freshmen Justin Clark, Jeff Heinz, Bryan Hildebrand, Nick Iadevaio, and Tom Muratore to our arsenal. These additions will add the necessary depth and talent to our lineup to help us

make a push for our first conference championship. Everyone is eager to board the plane to Florida and start the season in early March. As a team we have all the components necessary for a championship: work ethic, competitiveness, focus and skill. We can’t wait for winter workouts to get underway and we are looking forward to a successful senior season!

End Season HonorsThree members of the 2014 Lesley University baseball team were honored by the New England Col-legiate Conference as postseason award teams were announced. David Hersey (Wolfeboro, Mass.) and Tyler Plourd (Canton, Conn.) were both named to the NECC Second Team All-Conference team while Ryan Genua (Prospect, Conn.) earned an Honorable Mention distinction as voted on by the league’s coaches.

Hersey crushed NECC pitching this season, hit-ting a career-best .413 with a team-leading 26 hits, eight doubles, and 14 RBI in 18 conference games played. The junior hit safely in 15 of the 18 confer-ence games while collecting two or more hits in nine of them. The Second Team honor is the first time Hersey has been recognized in his career.

For the third consecutive time in his career, Plourd was named NECC Second Team All-Conference. The right fielder led the Lynx with three home runs, 16 RBI and 14 runs scored in 18 NECC games played while compiling a .305 average.

Genua was named Honorable Mention for the second straight year after compiling a 3-2 record for the Lynx this season. The lefty led the team with two complete games and was second with 29.0 innings pitched in conference play. In his final start of the regular season, Genua tossed a complete-game, allowing just seven hits, and one earned run to earn the win and clinch the first postseason berth in Lesley baseball history.

2014 Season Recap

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2015 Roster

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1 Jeff Heinz INF/OF/P R/R Fr. Portsmouth, N.H. / Bridgton Academy

4 Gustavo Polidor INF R/R Jr. Caracas, Venezuela / IMG Academy

6 Tyler Plourd OF R/R Sr. Canton, Conn. / Canton

7 Mike Slaby INF R/R So. Foxboro, Mass. / Foxboro

8 Casey Blanchard INF/P R/R Jr. Bernardston, Mass. / Pioneer Valley

10 Matt O’Donnell P R/R Sr. Somerville, Mass. / Somerville

11 Bryan Hildebrand P L/L Fr. Milford, Mass. / Milford

15 David Hersey C/INF R/R So. Wolfeboro, N.H. / Kingswood

16 Ryan McQuade INF R/R So. Rochester, N.H. / Spaulding

18 Adam Ciampi INF R/R So. Westford, Mass. / Westford Academy

19 Justin Clark INF/P L/R Fr. Chino Hills, Calif. / Chino Hills

22 Koby Mitchell P L/L Jr. Fall River, Mass. / Bishop Connolly

23 Robert Parson OF R/R Sr. Commack, N.Y. / Commack

24 Ryan Haas OF R/R Jr. Lake Grove, N.Y. / Stony Brook

27 Nick Iadevaio OF/P R/R Fr. Mineola, N.Y. / Mineola

29 Joe Muratore C L/R Sr. Mamaroneck, N.Y. / Mamaroneck

30 John Gosnell P/INF R/R Sr. Toronto, CA / York School

31 Tom Muratore P R/R Fr. Mamaroneck, N.Y. / Mamaroneck, N.Y.

33 Ray Cohen P/OF L/L Sr. Coventry, Conn. / Coventry

34 Kevin Hopwood INF/P R/R Sr. Winter Haven, Fla. / Lake Region

35 Matt Gianoni P R/R Sr. Berlin, Conn. / Suffield

MARCHSat. 14 Bard TBA Bard TBASun. 15 at MCLA TBA at MCLA TBA Mon. 16 at Utica TBA at Utica Wed. 18 at Keene State College TBA at Keene State College TBAThur. 19 St. Michael’s TBA Sat. 21 Newbury College * 1:00 PM Newbury College * 3:00 PM Sun. 22 at Newbury College * 12:00 PM Wed. 25 at Framingham State College TBA Thu. 26 at Fitchburg St. 3:30 PMSat. 28 at Daniel Webster College * 1:00 PM at Daniel Webster College * 3:00 PM Sun. 29 Daniel Webster College * 1:00 PM Tue. 31 New England College 3:30 PM at Elms College * 4:00 PM at Elms College * 6:00 PM APRILWed. 1 New England College 4:30 PMMon. 6 at Nichols College 3:00 PM at Nichols College 5:00 PMTue. 7 Eastern Nazarene College 3:30 PM Eastern Nazarene College 6:00 PM Sat. 11 Southern Vermont College * 1:00 PM Southern Vermont College * 3:30 PM Sun. 12 Southern Vermont College * 12:00 PM Tue. 14 Elms College * 3:30 PM Wed. 15 at Rivier College 7:05 PM Sat. 18 at Mitchell College * 12:00 PM at Mitchell College * 2:30 PM Sun. 19 Mitchell College * TBA Tue. 21 at Eastern Nazarene College 3:30 PM Wed. 22 at UMass Boston 5:00 PM Sat. 25 Becker College * TBA Becker College * TBA Sun. 26 at Becker College * 12:00 PM

* Denotes NECC game

2015 Schedule

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