UConn Avery Point on a roll heading into regional
Pointers have won 14 of last 15 as they prepare to host district tourney
UConn Avery Point is riding some serious momentum entering tournament season.
The Pointers have won 14 of their last 15 games, including beating Community College of Rhode Island five times to clinch a spot in the NJCAA Division II East District series, running Sunday and Monday at Washington Park in Groton.
"I'd say we're playing close to our best baseball," coach Mike Aldrich said. "We're a little banged up with injuries. Obviously, it's a long season. We're playing some pretty good baseball. We've just got to keep doing it."
The three-team, double-elimination tournament begins Sunday with Avery Point (29-10-1) facing Westchester Community College (28-10) at 10 a.m. Game two will pit Westchester vs. Monroe Community College (27-18) at 1 p.m.
The first day ends with Avery Point taking on Monroe at 4 p.m. Sunday's championship round begins at noon.
Aldrich summed up his approach to the format this way: "It's going after every single game with everything you've got. Not planning for the next game. That's what my philosophy is going to be."
Avery Point and Westchester are familiar foes, having played each other four times in March. The Pointers swept a doubleheader on the road, winning 8-5 and 6-2. They split a home doubleheader, losing 12-5 and winning 3-2. Sophomore Andy Grant of Norwich earned two of those victories with Collin Bakken of Waterford collecting two of his
four saves this season.
There's more mystery about Monroe, which is from Rochester, N.Y. It will be the first meeting this season between the junior college programs.
"I'm sure they're a lot different team now than when we played them," Aldrich said of Westchester. "They're definitely a good club and have a lot of good lefty bats in the lineup and they've got some good arms. Regardless that we're 3-1 against them this season, I can guarantee they're a much better club now than when we played them.
"What I've been saying to the boys since January, it's really never about who we play. It's all about how we play and handle our own business."
Avery Point has received contributions from nearly the entire roster this season.
Six players have driven in at least 30 runs, including Waterford's Alex Petchark (47), Mike Chiovitti (37), Ryan Bagdasarian (35), Omar Montalvo (34), Michael Savino (30) and Waterford's Justin Keating (30). Chiovitti is having a MVP-type season, leading the team in home runs (10), runs (50), doubles (13) and hits (51).
As a group, they make life tough on opposing pitchers.
"We definitely have some depth in the lineup," Aldrich said. "Guys that just compete. Offensively, we're just a bunch of grinders. We might not hit a ton of home runs but we're going to compete. It's a tribute to the guys, because they've really bought into what we've been trying to teach them since day one."
It's been a collective effort with the pitching staff. Bakken (6-2, 2.12), Mystic's Trevor Bolduc (4-1, 3.76), Grant (5-2, 4.11) and Gary Costello (7-1, 5.09) made the most appearances and had the biggest impact during the regular season.
"We've been harping on them since January that it's about pounding the strike zone and keeping the ball down," Aldrich said. "I think we've done an okay job of that, which is why we are where we are."
The Pointers are attempting to reach the NJCAA Division II World Series in Enid, Oklahoma for the second straight year and seventh time overall.