Mountaineers pitchers in the spotlight

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Pitching by committee is simply a fact of life in the New England Collegiate Baseball League, where complete-game efforts are virtually unheard of in the modern era of strict innings limits.

Last Saturday, however, Vermont Mountaineers standout Evan Hoeckele bucked that trend by throwing six innings to fuel a 4-2 win over the Upper Valley Nighthawks. When a player like that has a good thing going, sometimes the last thing managers want to do is mess around with his juju.

Hoeckele's memorable performance marked the longest pitching stint by any Vermont player this summer. And with the 11-17 Mountaineers poised to end the regular season with 16 games in 21 days, his durability and willingness to face 22 batters sent a message to the rest of the league that Vermont can't be counted out of the title conversation quite yet.

"He definitely seems to be one of those guys who could end up in the big leagues and he's throwing really well for us," Vermont General Manager Brian Gallagher said. "He's only had two appearances, but he's very calm and he's just getting the job done. Other coaches are shaking their heads and they're like, 'He's legit.'"

It may be a stretch to call the St. John's University star an ace for the Mountaineers because he's only appeared in two games so far. But after two stellar outings, it's likely that he'll continue to play a vital role in the rotation as Vermont attempts to turn some heads – and leapfrog past other teams — over the next few weeks.

The 6-foot-3, 165-pound righthander made his Vermont debut June 27 and threw the first four innings against Sanford, limiting the Mainers to no hits and zero earned runs. He struck out four batters and issued one walk to give his team early momentum before Sanford rallied to a 4-2 victory.

Last Saturday he put on an absolute clinic against the Nighthawks, pounding the strike zone 30 times out of 58 pitches to trigger a much-needed win. He allowed three hits and no earned runs during the first six innings and wound up recording four strikeouts while issuing two walks.

An All-Big East Second Team selection, Hoeckele made 16 appearances for the Johnnies last spring and finished with a 4.50 ERA after throwing 30 innings. He boasted a 2-0 record and a team-high six saves for a St. John's team that was eliminated by Alabama in the NCAA Super Regionals.

By the time St. John's played its final game June 7, the Mountaineers already had three contests under their belt. It wasn't immediately clear what the NECBL timeline would be for Hoeckele – or if he'd arrive in the Capital City at all.

As luck would have it, Vermont manager Kevin Smith eventually received word that reinforcements were on their way.

"(Hoeckele) was a closer at St. John's when they went to the regionals," Gallagher said. "And when the phone rang to Kevin, he was worried, 'Oh no, he's not coming.' But they said, 'We want you to make him a starter and give him five innings every time he's out there.' So that's the easiest call you can make."

One big loss for the Mountaineers was the recent departure of Villanova University closer Matthew Kahn, who notched two wins and one save during his time with Vermont. And while other pitchers like Samuel Franco and Ryan Brown have also left the squad in the past few weeks, newcomers like Jack Pye have arrived just in time.

Gallagher isn't the type of GM who sugarcoats the perpetual challenge of making late-season additions to fill big voids in the lineup. But with eight out of 13 teams set to qualify for this year's postseason, he's hopeful that Vermont can string together enough late-season wins to make the playoffs.

"We've lost some really good positions players too and it's going to be tough," Gallagher said. "The hard part is we had a backup plan with a lot of guys who went home for awhile and some guys had limits and had internships. We had had a plan in place where we said, 'Go home for the month of June and come here in July.' There were a couple of guys who were in that same boat and we were hoping that when guys left, we'd just call them. We're hoping we can turn things around in the next few weeks, but there's not much time left and we have to get our winning percentage into the top eight."

Vermont ranks 10th in the league with a team ERA of 4.50 and has suffered five losses during games when the Mountaineers plated at least five runs offensively. Last Wednesday's setback was one of the most frustrating of the season because Vermont pounded out 10 hits but watched Upper Valley rally to a 13-10 win.

"It makes it hard when you score 10 runs and lose," Gallagher said.

The Mountaineers still have roughly 20 pitchers who are healthy and ready to go, so there's no need to sound the alarm bells yet. However, with so many games packed into the upcoming two weeks, the ability of guys to chew up a few extra innings here or there could make a world of difference.

It may be rare to see another six-inning night from anyone on the team, but three decades ago those kind of outings were a familiar sight across the league. In 1994 Eastern's Stu Perry spent 81 innings on the mound, Danbury's Todd Incantalupo threw seven complete games a year later and Keene pitcher Aaron Kirby made 11 starts in 1999.

As Vermont prepares to host Sanford on Saturday, here's a glance at several other members of the pitching staff who have proven that they can keep their team in contention during any game:

Brendon Miller

The Fairfield University southpaw ranks 11th in the league with 24 strikeouts. Even though he's started five games and thrown 14-plus innings, he still hasn't earned a decision either way in the win-loss column after setting a high bar with a 1.88 ERA.

A 6-foot-3, 185-pound San Diego native, Miller has allowed nine hits and three earned runs while issuing nine walks and hitting one batter. This past spring he was teammates on the Stags with Stowe pitcher Ben Alekson, who excelled for the Mountaineers last summer. Miller appeared on the mound in 18 games for Fairfield and ranked second on the team with 59 strikeouts. He recorded a 4.56 ERA after 51-plus inning and gave up 52 hits and 26 earned runs.

Eli DeRossi-Cytron

The 6-foot-3, 210-pound righty from Mount St. Mary's University leads the Mountaineers with three victories this season. He's made six appearances on the mound, showcasing impressive durability over the course of 18-plus innings. DeRossi-Cytron was on the mound for at least three innings during each game while picking up victories over the North Adams SteepleCats, Bristol Blues and Danbury Westerners. He was especially sharp against the SteepleCats, surrendering two hits over four innings during an 11-0 rout.

DeRossi-Cytron has given up 18 hits and 11 earned runs this summer while registering 15 strikeouts. Last spring he played in 12 NCAA games, throwing 53 innings and piling up 50 strikeouts while limiting opponents to 59 hits.

Rex Hauser

The University of Maine standout has a commanding presence on the mound with his 6-foot-5, 205-pound frame. And his actual performances have been just as intimidating, evidenced by a 0.55 ERA after 16-plus innings spanning five games. He's allowed 10 hits and one earned run while striking out 16 batters and issuing one walk.

Hauser has also connected for five hits offensively and has carried on a family tradition at Recreation Field after his father Rick competed at the same venue during Vermont Senior League action.

"I grew up going to all those games every Sunday," Rex Hauser said. "Bill Lee was on the Burlington team and he's got that big personality, so it was always a joy watching those games. And my dad actually still plays in that league for the Randolph Jays team that he created."

Nicholas Falla

After making seven appearances and four starts, Falla owns a 2-2 record and ranks third on the team with 20 strikeouts. He's given up 16 hits and 11 earned runs over 18-plus innings and walked away with victories against the North Shore Navigators and North Adams. The 6-foot-1, 185-pound righty from San Diego State University played in five games last spring and recorded six strikeouts to help the Aztecs lock up the top seed for the Mountain West Tournament.

Rounding out the Mountaineers' pitching staff are Nick Kelly, Andrew Tringe, Max Weber, David Budd, Nolan Urian, Dominic DeLoreto, Luke Deschenes, Kody Collins, Andrew Gendi, Owen Crowe, Jackson Hulcher, Jack Sheldon and Hank Lippman.