Jack Fiengo scores on a fifth-inning single by Carson Andrick for Upper Valley.
By Rich Bevensee
Two of the most important lessons Pat McBride learned during his eight years living in New Jersey revolved around baseball.
McBride, who worked in athletic communications at Seton Hall and Rutgers, gained valuable insights from legendary baseball coaches Mike Sheppard and Fred Hill in terms of what they expected from their players.
He also gained an understanding of how New Jersey in general, and Diamond Nation in particular, maintain a genuine appreciation for college recruiting.
With those two things in mind, McBride, who now lives in New Hampshire, built a New England-based, fall travel program called Upper Valley ‘Rauders 18U, composed of players from New Hampshire, Vermont and New York.
On Saturday, McBride’s club made quite an impression in its debut at the ‘Nation.’ Three ‘Rauders pitchers combined for 17 strikeouts and pitched a two-hit shutout in a 2-0 victory over All-Star Baseball Academy Futures Gold 2027 in the Fall Classic in Flemington.
Later Saturday, the ‘Rauders (16-2) followed up with a 5-3 decision over Diamond Jacks 16U Gold.
The remainder of the Fall Classic was canceled due to Sunday’s rainstorm, forcing the ‘Rauders to cut short their visit to the Garden State and make the nearly six-hour return trip home a little sooner than expected.
McBride complimented Diamond Nation for its facilities and what it represents to players like his, who, by his own description, are used to being big fish in a small pond and need to experience a larger sample size of baseball talent.
“It’s the reputation, the brand, the facility and the quality of teams that brought us to Diamond Nation,” McBride said. “And location. You can be seen by (college) coaches from Philly, New Jersey, New York. So it’s all those components. I know they run great tournaments, and at this time of year, playing on turf matters because it doesn’t take long for a dirt field to get soggy.”
In the ‘Rauders win over ASBA, St. Bonaventure commit Braden White, a 6-4 righty and a senior at Christian Brothers Academy in Albany, pitched three scoreless innings and struck out seven while walking three, primarily with a fastball that ticked 89 on the radar gun.
Jacoby Dicranian followed with 1⅔ innings of scoreless baseball with five strikeouts and two walks. Dicranian is a senior righty at Mount Anthony Union in Bennington, Vt., and a SUNY Plattsburgh commit.
Lefty Will Schlomm handled the final 2⅓ innings and allowed two hits and two walks while striking out five. Schlomm is a resident of Atlantic Beach, N.Y., and a senior at Vermont Academy in Rockingham.
Carson Andrick drove in an insurance run with a fifth-inning single for the Upper Valley ‘Rauders.
Between the three ‘Rauders hurlers, that’s 17 strikeouts out of a possible 21 outs.
“We throw a lot of strikes,” said McBride, offering a hands-down candidate for understatement of the year. “We’re always talking about working ahead and they did that really well today.”
“We don’t try to do that but this is a talented team and I’m not surprised,” Dicranian said. “I mean, we don’t practice. We’re a tournament team from all over – Vermont, New Hampshire, New York – but I know that if I don’t do my job the next guy will definitely pick me up.”
The ‘Rauders took a 1-0 lead when leadoff hitter Brayden Bull, a senior at LaSalle Institute in Troy, N.Y., began the game with a single, stole second, advanced to third on a Chase Mears base hit and scored on a groundout by Cam Castillo (senior, Mount Abraham Union, Bristol, Vt.).
Upper Valley’s Carson Andrick, a classmate of Dicranian at Mount Anthony, was responsible for driving in a huge insurance run in the top of the fifth. Jack Fiengo (junior, St. Mark’s School, Southborough, Mass.) singled to lead off the inning, advanced to second on a walk to Collin Miller and scored on Andrick’s base hit through the left side.
“That was pretty indicative of the kind of at bat he has with us,” McBride said. “He comes through when we need him to, and making it 2-0 changes the dynamic of the game.”
“I got down 1-2 and I was like, I’m swinging here because I’m not getting punched out,’’ Andrick said. “I’m just trying to catch barrels and spray the ball all over the field. It’s the same mindset every single at bat. It’s our last tournament of the year so I’m just thinking about having fun and swinging the bat.”
Zachary Chubb pitched exceptionally well in a losing cause for ASBA, a club made up of players from South Jersey and Pennsylvania. The senior righty from William Tennent in Warminster, Pa., allowed two runs in 6⅔ innings on five hits and two walks with seven strikeouts. Danny Brady recorded the final out.
Ryan Peloso went 2-for-2 with an RBI for Upper Valley in its 5-3 win over the Diamond Jacks. Castillo doubled and Dicranian and Fiengo both drove in a run. Avery Powers and Alex Trudel combined on a three-hitter over six innings for the ‘Rauders.
When McBride started the Upper Valley program five years ago, he recalled the advice he sought years earlier from college coaching legends Sheppard and Hill, because in his mind talent was only part of the equation.
“We’re grateful that they come to us with talent but our job is finding out what final piece each of these kids need,” McBride said. “For us it’s identifying the right kids to be in the program. We don’t do a tryout – it’s really word of mouth. We base it on character, work ethic, and recommendations from coaches that we know in New England. It’s high character kids that are fun to be around and want to play at the next level.”
The reason he tapped into Sheppard and Hill’s knowledge is because he respected their old school approach to coaching, which McBride feels is based on respect and work ethic.
McBride’s approach is working. He said every single player in the last four years has received an offer to play at the next level, “and we’re on track for that to happen again this year.”
“Men like Fred Hill, Mike Sheppard and Bob Whalen, who just retired from Dartmouth, they’re the last of the old school coaches,” McBride said. “A lot of how I coach is drawn from how they coached, because for the most part these kids are good, so they don’t need coaching. It’s more the mental side. How you carry yourself. How you handle failure. It’s not just showing up to play. It’s helping them understand that their coach’s success is directly linked to their job security, so they better be ready to show up and play every day.”