BNN Report
News from the CBO, Minors, CCBL, and CYL
by Nat Wright-Kawolski
9 February 2319
College Season Preseason Begins
The 2319 collegiate season is set to begin in just over a month. We are featuring here the changes and newcomers. There are now 98 collegiate teams with 24 making the playoffs, from the Play-in Round to the final two of the College Series.
Tufts University is the defending champions, downing the New Hampshire State Giants. While still talented, the Jumbos lost several key people, including #1 overall pick, 1B Bear Jones, both the College Series MVP and Top Collegiate Hitter.
There are 10 new teams:
Mitchell College Mariners (ASC)
Olin College of Engineering Phoenix (MCC)
Brandeis Judges (MCC)
Bowdoin College Polar Bears (NEAC)
Husson Eagles (NEAC)
Emerson Lions (Independents)
Norwich Cadets (Independents)
New England College Pilgrims (Independents)
Trinity College Bantams (Independents)
Colby College Mules (Independents)
The only other change was the U.S. Coast Guard Academy moving from the Independents to the Atlantic Sound Conference, making that conference the largest with 14 teams. CBO Commissioner Jason LaRue has indicated that the plan is to continue building the CCBL but that a total of 128 teams would be the maximum in a well-balanced design.
The make up of each conference appears at the end of this update.
Freshmen to Watch
SS Top Dog Fowler, UMass - Fowler enters the college ranks as the top collegiate middle infielder. Scouts love his ability to be a patient hitter and drive the ball where outfielders are not. Some have questions about his attitude, with a few concerned that he must be with a winner to be happy. His arm is really good, meaning he is likely to stay at SS at this level.
SP Stumpy Gilmore, Quinnipiac - Gilmore gets his nickname for being short throughout his early years. He grew but is a bit undersized at 5/10". Still, he has a durable arm that relies on his knuckleball to fool hitters. Scouts believe that his great potential for control and developing his knuckleball into an elite pitch will help him to become a future ace.
LF Mackie Braveheart, Rivier - Braveheart may be the elite hitter of incoming freshmen. Scouts believe he will be an all-tools hitter who could eventually shatter some OBP/SLG records. Scouts love most his ability to find the right pitch and added ability of swinging at balls in the strike zone. His defense is not great, but he does not need to be good there to be a star.
3B No Hands Humphrey, Nichols College - Humphrey is the elite power hitter of his class with scouts seeing him battling for home run titles from day one for the Bison. 1B Randall Marcus of Roxbury College may be the only player in the CCBL with more power than Humphrey. Marcus hit 34 last season, a goal Humphrey can shoot for.
1B Antonio Smithjones, Lesley - Smithjones is another powerful hitter entering the CCBL. He is large, measuring 6'8" and 250 pounds. When he puts his large frame into a swing, the ball can travel just about as far as anyone else can hit it. He is a decent fielding 1B, so he should be on the field from Day 1 with the Lynx.
Top CCBL Players
1. SP Maverick Rizzy, Quincy Coll - Rizzy finished his sophomore season with a 10-3, 1.40 season. Based on those numbers, he was the Top Collegiate Pitcher Award winner. Assuming 2319 is similar, we should see Rizzy among some of the CCBL's all-time lists and his name called early in the draft.
2. SP Snag Favre, ECSU - Favre has a shortened freshman season, pitching in only three games and finishing 0-1 with a 2.08 ERA. Scouts believe he has only one factor stopping him from being the top overall pick in 2320: his health. There are concerns that his body is not built to handle the pitching load expected of him. His snappy pitches have a lot of movement, so he may need to upgrade his straight fastballs to pitch an entire career.
3. SS Monster Milam, American Int'l - Milam burst onto the scene as an exciting defensive SS who will one daty develop into a major league hitter. He did not have a bad start, hitting .354/2/30 and stealing 24 bases.
4. SP Ronnie Rants, Roxbury College - Rants is the "stuff" pitcher, using his blazing fastballs to frustrate hitters. He finished 9-4 with a 2.43 ERA as a freshman, showing that he is one of the top pitchers in the CCBL. His 4-seamer and cutter are equally detrimental, helping him to 143 strikeouts in 115.0 innings pitched.
5. RF Old Blue Sandoval, Narragansett - Sandoval is considered a 1st-round talent for the 2319 draft. Scouts love his eye and how he is a great all-around hitter. In two seasons, he is hitting .366 with 45 home runs and 114 RBI. A 25 homer 2319 would put him as one of the CCBL's best homer hitter of all-time.