The Dean Baseball team is gearing up for the 2022 season. (Photo Courtesy: Nathan Minese).
The Dean College Baseball team is getting set for the 2022 season to kick off after having their previous season cut short last year because of a spike of COVID-19 cases on campus.
The Bulldogs were in the middle of a practice in late April when manager Ernie May was notified that the season was ending. “I did not tell the team and instead waited until the next day because I wanted to speak to the administrators to get the whole story first.” While Coach May admits that the cancellation was good for other schools like Albertus Magnus and Johnson and Wales, since they got into the playoffs, it was bad for the Bulldogs because he believes that they could have done more damage and were in a good spot considering they were a senior heavy team. May also felt bad for the seniors that were graduating and had their last dance cut short.
“I told the seniors that they worked really hard and that all of their work was not for naught, and they had really set the tone for the next group of leaders on the team as well as the younger guys.” May went on to explain.
“We first found out through the Dr. Rooney email. A bunch of us were in Horne Hall reading the email, and we thought this had nothing to do with us. But it was heartbreaking because I thought last year was the year we were going to win it all. I was heartbroken for the seniors, and everyone was crying when we had a team meeting with Coach May on Zoom. I started bawling my eyes out in front of the seniors since everyone else was, and then Coach May calls me out to see if I was OK, why was he picking me out?” Senior captain Josh Cerretani recalled with a laugh.
Looking ahead to this season, the Bulldogs are senior heavy again this time with 17 seniors on the roster. They also have several freshmen catching Coach May’s eye, and he acknowledged that they are making the seniors work even harder. He believes there may be one or two spots up for grab this season, specifically on the mound and in left field, mainly during the non-conference games. Some of the freshman that May mentioned include pitcher Fabian Barnett and Tyler Fleet, who have been doing well in pitching workouts. Coach May also said to keep an eye on outfielder Cam Watkins, who has been performing well so far. May emphasized though that a lot of the freshman have been opening some eyes during practices. Dean has been out practicing outside as well as next to Gillette Stadium in the New England Patriots practice facility. From talking to both Coach May and a few players, everyone is very excited to get the upcoming season started. “We are definitely in the right place where we should be at this point,” May continued.
“We look good. I think the freshman have played a big part in that by bringing a lot of energy. In years past, the energy level from the freshmen wasn’t how they are this year. There are a couple of guys that everyone loves and are always bringing the energy. Knowing the last two years were cut short makes everyone more enthusiastic since we haven’t had a full year, so we just want to play,” junior captain Brian Dovidio mentioned. The Ramsey, New Jersey native is a team-first player and only cares about winning and doing whatever he can to help the team. “I just want to win the championship and help the team as much as possible. I am not someone that cares about their stats or have a goal of what I want my batting average to be,” Dovidio went on to explain.
“We look really solid, and our hitters are always mashing the ball and it is always a new guy.” Senior Josh Cerretani explained. The Peabody, Massachusetts product went on to mention that the feeling with the team this year is vastly different from last season, which he sees as a positive factor. “Our strength is our leadership, because even the guys that are older and not captains are buying in. For example, Ryan Gallagher isn’t a captain but is not a guy that pouts about not being one and instead leads by example. I believe that is an even better guy for a freshman to look up to because he is not a captain but is still putting the work in.”
While Cerretani acknowledged that he would like to see the team improve on having better communication when out in the field calling guys off for a flyball, he believes that the energy that the freshman are bringing to the practices everyday will help them get through this challenge. “I am excited because this is the best group of guys I have seen since I have been here. When I was a junior last year the freshman that came in were not really looking to make a stamp immediately. This year, the freshman came in and are hungry and pushing the seniors to be better because they are trying to take our spot. Now we expect to win where in the past we were hoping to win.”
Cerretani went on to explain that the team goal is to win the conference championship, and he is more confident than ever before. “We want to win the conference championship, and I think we can really do it this time because everyone has bought in. For example, when I finished hitting groups and I went downstairs, there were a bunch of guys in the weight room trying to get better. In the past, only four or five guys were working out where now 15-20 guys are working out.”
After fighting off injuries for the past couple seasons, Cerretani would like to see himself start in every game and believes that he is in the best shape of his life.
Dean will have a scrimmage on Saturday, February 26th versus Worcester State University before they take the field for their season opener against the same Worcester State team on Wednesday, March 2nd at the New England Sports Complex in Marlborough, Massachusetts with first pitch scheduled for 1:30pm.
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