2021 Roster Update
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Chuck Paiva
March 22, 2021 President & General Manager
` 401-845-6832// gm@newportgulls.com
2021 Roster Update
Incoming Gulls Performance Thus Far
NEWPORT, RI- Finally, baseball is back. After spring sports were cancelled in 2020, college baseball has returned to play, recently wrapping up its fourth week of the 2021 season. Although each conference had a wide array of start dates, as of this past weekend, all incoming Gulls have begun their journeys towards the College World Series in Omaha. Justin Guerrera and his Fairfield Stags were the last to start, playing the first games of their schedule over the weekend. With under 75 days until the first pitch of the New England Collegiate Baseball League season is thrown, here is an update on how some of the upcoming season’s roster is doing while at school.
The previously mentioned Fairfield Stags have only played four games in 2021, a series sweep against Canisius College which included doubleheaders on March 20 and March 21. However, Guerrera already has four home runs which is the most of any incoming player. He is hitting .533 while also being successful on three of four stolen base attempts. He scooted into the number one spot among Gulls passing Stephen Reid (Georgia Tech) and Johnny Piancentino (Penn State) who have three home runs each on the season. Piancentino, an outfielder from Cherry Hill, New Jersey, is third among Nittany Lions in hitting at a mark of .314, having started all 10 of the team’s games this spring.
Jayden Kiernan, of The University of Utah, has played first base, caught games, and been placed in the Utes lineup as a designated hitter over the course of 14 starts. Regardless of what is listed for position next to his name in the box score, he has performed with the bat. His .309 batting average, 17 hits, and four doubles are tops on his team.
The Brigman brothers, Dawson and Coleman, are poised to be integral parts of this summer’s squad as they are for the Santa Clara Broncos. Both brothers have started all 18 games in 2021, currently second and third in runs scored for the Broncos and tied for the most hits with 16.
On the mound, Jack Aldrich has shined for the Tulane Green Wave. A left-handed pitcher from Oak Park, CA, Aldrich has appeared in five games for the Green Wave, all of which starts, amassing 31 innings pitched. He currently has a 1-1 record, striking out at least six opposing batters in four of his five starts and posting a 2.88 ERA heading into this past weekend’s start.
Jimmy Kingsbury (Villanova) is returning to play for Newport this summer after leading the 2019 pitching staff in saves. He has started four games for the Wildcats this spring, winning two games and striking out 26 batters in 20.1 innings pitched. The hard throwing righty from Phoenixville, PA has only allowed a .197 batting average against.
It has been extremely positive to see freshman from a Power 5 Conference such as the ACC get a taste of college ball this early on in their careers. LHP Peter Sakellaris and LHP Grant Umberger have appeared in five and four games respectively for Virginia Tech, while LHP Luke Schauer and LHP Rece Ritchey have both received innings for the Virginia Cavaliers. 6’6” Seamus Barrett of Arlington, MA has pitched in five games for the Louisville Cardinals including a start in his most recent appearance on March 16 against Eastern Kentucky.
In addition to the players highlighted, there are lot of talented ballplayers to look forward to seeing at Cardines Field as they return to play in hopes of capturing a league-leading seventh Fay Vincent Sr. Cup. The Gulls roster can be viewed online at http://necbl_newport.wttbaseball.pointstreak.com/team_roster.html?teamid=6458. Stay tuned to the Gulls Social Media Accounts and Website for the latest updates on players, the schedule, and all things Gulls.
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The Newport Gulls, members of the 13-team New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL), are a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, founded as the Rhode Island Gulls in 1998 in Cranston, R.I., before moving to Newport in 2001. In addition to recruiting, fielding, and developing a team of the nation’s top collegiate baseball athletes and attracting 50,000 fans annually to Cardines Field, the predominantly volunteer organization strives to benefit the community of Newport County via summer camps, reading programs, fundraisers, scholarships, and charitable donations – totaling over $1 million since 2001. The Gulls are six-time champions of the NECBL – the winningest franchise in league history – and were ranked as the overall No. 1 summer collegiate baseball team in the country by Perfect Game USA in 2012.
For more information about the Newport Gulls, visit facebook.com/newportgulls, follow the Gulls on Twitter @NewportGulls or visit www.newportgulls.com.
