Weekly Roundup: May 31, 2017

Although the academic year closed with commencement exercises last week, the athletic calendar rolled on. Seemingly lacking an offseason, Boston College student-athletes continued to compete last week, even as homework and studying faded into the rearview mirror.

A notable on that list is Matthew Naumec. A member of the golf team, the sophomore from Wilbraham, Mass., began a run at qualifying for the 117th US Open Championship by winning the local qualifying tournament with a consistent round of 68 (or -4) at the Crumpin-Fox Club in Bernardston, Mass.

Naumec picked up the victory by shooting par or better on all except for three holes, one of which was the last hole of the day. He eagled the 527-yard par-5 on 14 and added five additional birdies, including two in his first six holes. After the eagle on 14, he birdied the par-3 15th before scoring par on both holes 16 and 17. With a two-stroke lead into the 18th hole, he was able to coast home with the final hole bogey.

The local qualifier at Crumpin-Fox was one of two New England qualifiers, with the second coming in Rhode Island at Newport Country Club. Naumec is one of three golfers advancing out of Bernardston's field of 59, joining five amateurs who advanced from Newport's field of 84, none of whom bested Naumec's 68.

The United States Golf Association fills the field for its US Open Championship through several different avenues. The first slots are filled by past and current champions on the PGA Tour, but it allows for qualification for up to 156 players. Those slots are filled by qualifying tournaments beginning with more localized competitions. Local qualifiers advance to sectional tournaments, which grant slots into the US Open field.

Just under 9,000 golfers entered for the local tournaments, with 525 advancing. They fill out a field of 980 golfers now competing in 12 sectionals. Of the 12 currently-running tournaments, 10 are in the United States with one in Japan and one in England. Ninety-seven golfers are currently qualified for the 156 US Open spots.

The sophomore now heads to Canoe Brook Country Club in Summit, N.J., for his sectional qualifying tournament on June 5. It's his second straight year competing at this level after advancing during qualifying last year.

*****

Oh - And He Played Four-Ball

One more note on Matthew Naumec. Teaming with Rhode Island's Billy Walthouse, he advanced to the Round of 16 in the US Amateur Four-Ball Championships.

Entered as the 13-seed in the Round of 32, the duo defeated 20th-ranked Drew Mayhew and Peter Sauerbrei, 3 and 2, to advance before losing to Patrick Christovich and Garrett Rank, 2 and 1.

That means Naumec and Walthouse clinched victory after the 16th hole. "3 and 2" means they had a three hole lead with two holes remaining, while they lost essentially after the 17th hole by going into a two-hole deficit with one to play. All square for seven consecutive holes, they lost by a single stroke on the 14th before rallying to even the match on 15.

That turned the last three holes into a virtual playoff, and after Christovich and Rank won both the 16th and 17th, the match was conceded.

*****

Fighters To The End

When the Eagles arrived in Louisville for the ACC Championship, it was obvious the Boston College baseball team faced a steep uphill battle. In order to advance from Pool B play, they had to win both games against NC State and North Carolina, and both the Wolfpack and Tar Heels were locks for the NCAA Tournament.

Though they surrendered three runs in the first inning against NC State, the Eagles never quit fighting. Facing one of the ACC's best pitchers in Johnny Piedmont, they simply couldn't find any more magic, and after cutting the lead to 3-1 in the middle innings, a three-run homer simply gave off an air of inevitability.

The losses in the ACC Championship ended a season defined by BC's toughness and grit. With a roster gutted by the MLB Draft, head coach Mike Gambino rebuilt his team using new faces. Quite literally a different team from a year ago, the team showed a completely different type of resilience and toughness.

"This is a resilient ball club," senior captain Johnny Adams said. "When we were down 1-14 in the ACC, we all believed, we all knew we would be playing in the ACC Tournament. There was never doubt in the clubhouse. I can't say enough about the kids that I played with this year."

"The coolest thing to be around is just they want to keep playing," Gambino said. "They just wanted to stay together - steal one more week, keep the seniors around one more week. That's a fun special group to be around, and it takes senior leadership to go (from) 1-14 and then go 10-5 in the second half."

The season doesn't quite end here, though. BC's underclassmen are on their way to play summer ball in amateur leagues throughout the nation. Several will remain local, playing in the ultra-elite Cape Cod Baseball League.

*****

Movin' on Up

It hasn't even been two years since the San Francisco Giants made Chris Shaw their first-round draft choice. Expected to develop over a couple of years' time, Shaw instead is rocketing up the pipeline. This past week, the Giants promoted him to Triple-A Sacramento, moving him to the West Coast and one level away from the parent club in the proverbial "Show."

Shaw lasted just 37 games in Double-A this year. After hitting .301 with a .901 OBP for the Richmond Flying Squirrels, he forced the Giants to move him up to Sacramento. In his first six games, he's already hitting .292. In his last two games, he's accumulated three hits with eight total bases, including a four-RBI game against the Reno Aces.

There's a catch to this story, though. The River Cats already had a glut of first basemen between Kyle Blanks and Jae-Gyun Hwang. The Giants, meanwhile, are working out Buster Posey, an All Star catcher and franchise centerpiece, at the base while Brandon Belt continues to sit atop the depth chart.

So they moved Shaw to left field.

How is this a catch? If you go back to Shaw's last season in Chestnut Hill, he was one of the team's starting corner outfielders.

It's almost like that versatility would predictably come in handy or something.

Players Mentioned

Johnny Adams

Matt Naumec