While an early-March snow shower might have Islanders reverting to winter blues, summer baseball is not far away. In just a few months, the Sharks return to the Shark Tank looking to prove that last year’s championship appearance was no fluke.
General manager Russ Curran said he has been constructing his roster since the day after the Sharks fell in the final game of the championship series last summer to the Keene Swamp Bats. Recruits ranging from the states of Washington to Texas, Maryland to Florida round out a roster filled with division one and division two college athletes.
“The big difference between this year and last year is we didn’t start our roster until January last year because we joined a new league,” Mr. Curran said. “I think we’re going to be better than last year. This year our guys are playing for their colleges right now.”
Standout recruits include two big bats currently playing for Colorado Mesa University.
Haydn McGeary, a sophomore infielder, is currently batting .500 through 15 games and has eight home runs and only five strikeouts. His teammate, Spencer Bramwell, a junior infielder, is hitting .344 through 15 games with six home runs, three of which came in a game against Southern New Hampshire last month.
Mr. Curran has also recruited a pair of 2019 draft picks for the Arizona Diamondbacks and Colorado Rockies in Ryan Vanderhei, a right-handed pitcher, and Hunter Fitz-Gerald, a switch-hitting infielder. In addition to these major league draftees, the Sharks roster boasts starters from Vanderbilt, the University of Tennessee, Duke and Florida State — teams that have started the collegate season ranked 5th, 11th, 12th and 14th in the nation.
Last year, the Sharks ran into trouble when they began their postseason run. With pitchers on inning restrictions and college coaches calling for their players to return before the conclusion of the playoffs, the Sharks roster was depleted by the time they reached the championship. However, that will not be the case this year if they make another championship run.
“I put something in their contract this year that said they had to commit to the dates for the entire season or don’t even sign the contract,” Mr. Curran said.
Mr. Curran added that manager Jay Mendez will be back and that the Shark Tank will hopefully have a new and improved concession stand and apparel shop. There are also plans for more activities for kids and advanced statistics collection for pro and college coaches and scouts.
Mr. Curran noted that during the recruiting process few of the players know where or what Martha’s Vineyard is. For these players he has a clear response.
“If you’re not afraid of dogs or boats, you’re going to have a good time.”
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