Summer Baseball Update: Eight Golden Bears Participate in Summer Leagues Across New England
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (July 20, 2023) – The Western New England baseball team has seen eight of their own student-athletes compete in various summer league baseball teams across New England for the 2023 summer.
Futures Collegiate Baseball League (FCBL)
Westfield Starfires
Rising Golden Bears seniors Troy Donohue and Aaron Cole took their talents to the Westfield Starfires this summer. Cole played in 17 games for Westfield this summer before departing the team. The Forestdale, Massachusetts native hit .277 at the dish, collecting 47 at-bats. Cole put together 13 hits and nine total runs on the summer, amassing seven RBIs and six stolen bases for Westfield. Cole had four multi-hit outings for the Starfires this summer and had one game during the summer where the rising senior collected three hits in four at-bats against the Pittsfield Suns.
Wilbraham, Massachusetts native Troy Donohue made six appearances for the Starfires prior to his departure, collecting one save and 11 strikeouts over 12.2 innings pitched. Through his first five appearances with Westfield, the lefty allowed just three earned runs while walking just one batter.
The Westfield Starfires sit in 5th place in the FCBL standings with a 23-25 record and have won two straight.
New Britain Bees
Madison, Connecticut native Jared Kuryan and East Haddam, Connecticut native Matt Lauria have been key contributors to the success of the New Britian Bees this season. Kuryan has pitched in eight games this season for the Bees, making five starts. The six-foot righty has collected a 3-1 record while dotting a 3.97 ERA. Kuryan tossed a seven-inning no-hitter, walking one and striking out six on June 18 against the Brockton Rox. The rising senior has pitched in 34 total innings this summer for New Britain, striking out 32 batters while allowing just nine walks. Kuryan was recently named as an FCBL All-Star.
Right handed pitcher Matt Lauria has seen success with the Bees this season, also pitching in eight games so far, making three starts. Lauria has notched a 6.55 ERA, throwing 23.1 innings for the Bees on the year. Lauria made his first start of the season against the Brockton Rox and threw five innings while giving up just three hits and no runs while striking out eight. Lauria has struck out 26 batters this summer while walking 12. Most recently, Lauria threw a perfect 1.2 innings, striking out two against the Norwich Sea Unicorns on July 11.
The Bees sit in fourth place in the FCBL standing and are five games back of the top seeded Worcester Bravehearts. New Britain has a record of 26-21 this season.
Norwich Sea Unicorns
Upcoming senior Robert Zawacki has made six appearances out of the bullpen this season for the Norwich Sea Unicorns, collecting a 2-1 record over nine innings pitched. Zawacki tossed 2.2 innings against the Pittsfield Suns on June 30, giving up just one hit, facing 14 batters in the game. The Waterford, Connecticut native struck out two and got the win against the Brockton Rox in 1.1 innings pitched on June 16.
Norwich sits in second place and is just a half game back of first place Worcester in the FCBL standings with a record of 31-17.
Brockton Rox
Incoming sophomore Tyler Curtis was recently added to the Brockton Rox roster, having pitched in two games thus far. Curtis has thrown 1.1 innings for Brockton, giving up just three hits.
New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL)
Valley Blue Sox
Woburn, Massachusetts native Kohtaro Shimada has played in nine games for the Blue Sox since the summer has started, collecting 16 at bats over those nine games. Shimada has collected five hits and two walks, dotting a .313 batting average. Shimada came through with a 2/4 performance at the plate in a 7-2 Blue Sox win over the North Adams Steeplecats on June 21.
Rising junior Jacob Hobart was just added to the Blue Sox roster and has yet to make his first appearance of the season.
Valley has a record of 17-16-1 this season and are in first place in the West Division by a half game.
To follow the Futures Collegiate Baseball League, click here.
To follow the New England Collegiate Baseball League, click here.
