Boston College Athletics
Baseball Adds 13 to Roster
August 31, 2015 | Baseball
The Eagles welcome eight pitchers and five position players
Chestnut Hill, Mass. -- With the start of the 2015-16 year, the Boston College baseball team welcomed 13 new players to the roster for the upcoming season, head coach Mike Gambino announced on Monday. The incoming class consists of 12 freshmen and one junior transfer.
The thirteen-member group consists of INF Jake Alu (Hamilton, N.J.), OF/1B Connor Bacon (Hudson, Mass.), 1B Chris Balogh (Allen, Texas), RHP Austin Batchelor (Peabody, Mass.), OF/LHP Blake Gould (Kingwood, Texas), C/OF Dominic Hardaway (Philadelphia, Pa.), RHP Sean Hughes (Williamsburg, Va.), RHP Thomas Lane (Georgetown, Mass.), C Gian Martellini (Johnston, R.I.), LHP Dan Metzdorf (Burlington, Mass.), RHP Jacob Stevens (Darien, Conn.), LHP Zach Stromberg (Lafayette, Calif.) and RHP John Witkowski (Melrose, Mass.).
"I couldn't be more excited about this incoming group," Gambino said. "It's heavy with pitching and some guys we think could make big impacts right away on the mound. For positional players, the class is a bit lighter as far as numbers but not as far as the talent. We have some players who could fit into our lineup immediately.
"I love the group we have returning and this incoming class will be a great compliment to them. Most importantly, they are a group of hard-working, tough, competitive kids with high character who will represent Boston College and the Birdball family extremely well on and off the field."
Alu, a 5-foot-10, 165-pound middle infielder who graduated from Princeton Day School in New Jersey and played for Ray O'Brien. He holds the school's record for career hits, tallying his 100th during the 2015 season. As a senior captain, he recorded a .523 batting average with 38 runs, 45 hits, including 10 doubles, three triples and three home runs, and 18 RBIs. Alu earned Princeton Packet Baseball Player of the Year honors, New Jersey State Prep B first-team honors in 2015 and second-team honors in 2014 and 2013.
Bacon, a 6-foot-2, 220-pound outfielder and first baseman, graduated from the Hudson High School in May, where he batted .460 for coach Tim Reinhardt. He was named the team captain as a senior and earned Mid-Washusett League All-Star honors as a junior and senior. Bacon's mother is a graduate on Boston College.
Balogh is a junior transfer from Ranger College in Texas where he played two years of baseball. The 6-foot-4, 230-pound first baseman batted .353 with six home runs and 48 RBIs for head coach Josh Blakley. At Allen High School, Balogh was named a NTHSBCA All-Star as a senior and played for his coach, Paul Coe, in the all-star game. That year, the Eagles were District 8-5A champions and went the regional semifinals.
Batchelor, a 6-foot-4, 195-pound righty, played for Steve Frecker and Patrick Driscoll at Malden Catholic High School. He led the league in stolen bases and was first with a .426 batting average as a senior. He was a two-time selection to the Boston Globe and Boston Herald All-Star teams and was the recipient of the Malden Catholic 2015 Sportsman of the Year award. Batchelor also played in the 2009 Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pa., with the Peabody West team, pitching in two games and hitting a home run. His mother graduated from Boston College and his brother, Beau, played four years of baseball at Merrimack College.
Gould is a 5-foot-10, 200-pound two-way player. He was a three-year varsity player under head coach Kelly Mead at Kingwood High School. He earned all-district honors and was tabbed the Vype Magazine Player to Watch. With club team Dynasty Texas, Gould earned Houston 5A Tournament MVP honors and was named Perfect Game Texas Region All-American honorable mention. His father, Don, played football at Baylor University.
Hardaway, a 6-foot-1, 207-pound catcher and outfielder, graduated from Devon Prep in June, where he played for Mark Aquilante. As a senior, he earned First-Team All-Bicentennial, league MVP, First-Team All-Main Line and first-team all-state honors. The Tide earned the school's first state title in 2014 and Hardaway earned first-team all-state, BAL first-team and First-Team All-Main Line honors.
Hughes, a 6-foot-1, 215-pound right-hander, graduated from Jamestown High School in June where he played for head coach Mike Kuebler. He went 4-1 with a 0.94 ERA as a senior, logging 29.2 innings, allowing just eight hits and striking out 55. He was also an above-.300 hitter with three home runs and 33 RBIs as a career hitter. He was named Region 4A South All-Region Second Team, Daily Press All-Region All-Star and took home All-Conference 19 First-Team honors for pitching and second-team honors as the designated hitter.
Lane, a 6-foot-5, 250-pound righty, played at Phillips Academy for Kevin Graber. He went 8-0 with two saves, while tallying a 0.30 ERA, 49 strikeouts, 17 walks and 26 hits over 49.0 innings as a senior captain. He was a New England Prep School All-League selection, was named the league's player of the year and earned a spot on the ABCA/Rawlings First-Team All-Northeast Region team in 2105.
Martellini is a 6-foot-1, 210-pound catcher, who played at Bishop Hendricken High School, the alma maters of current junior Mike King.and associate head coach Jim Foster. Martellini earned all-state honors as a sophomore, junior and senior under head coach Ed Holloway, and was named the Gatorade Player of the Year in Rhode Island in 2014 and 2015. He was also deemed a Louisville Slugger 2015 All-American.
Metzdorf, a 5-foot-9, 158-pound southpaw, was a three-year varsity player at Buckingham, Browne and Nichols for head coach Rick Foresteire. He played one year of varsity baseball at Burlington High School and helped the Red Devils to a Division 2 North Championship. At BBN, led the Knights to a 2015 Independent School League (ISL) Championship, going 7-0 with a 1.40 ERA and 44 strikeouts. He was named the ISL Pitcher of the Year. His mother played tennis at Ithaca College.
Stevens is a 6-foot-3, 220-pound right-handed pitcher, who graduated in June from Choate Rosemary Hall in Wallingford, Conn. He captained the baseball team as a junior and senior under the tutelage of head coach Doug James. The Wild Boars were co-Founders League champions in 2014 and 2013 and took home the Walker Cup the last three seasons. He earned Perfect Game USA All-America honorable mention and collected Northeast All-Region first-team accolades in 2015. His father, Joel, played football at Cornell.
Stromberg, a 6-foot-2, 180-pound lefty, played for Justin Santich-Hughes at Acalanes High School. He earned Diablo-Football Athletic League (DFAL) MVP honors to go along with First-Team All-California Bay Area accolades. He also picked up All-DFAL honors as a junior and senior and the Dons were two-time North Coast Section championship.
Witkowski is a 6-foot-5, 205-pound right-hander who split his high school career between Tilton School (2011-13) and Avon Old Farms (2013-15), the alma mater of current sophomore Anthony Maselli.. While at Tilton, he pitched for Ken Hollingsworth and helped the Rams to back-to-back Lakes Region titles. Under Rob Dowling at Avon Old Farms, Witkowski was a captain as a senior and earned Pitcher of the Year award in 2014. He helped the Beavers to the 2014 and 2015 Colonial and Founder's League titles. His father, Jan, played football at the University of Massachusetts - Lowell and his mother was a majorette in the BC marching band.
