The Martha’s Vineyard Sharks are rigged and ready for summer baseball with an almost entirely new roster of collegiate athletes this year.
With only four Sharks returning from last year’s team, general manager Russ Curran has recruited new talent from coast to coast to assemble this summer’s squad.
“It’s been great,” Mr. Curran told the Gazette by phone recently. “We’ve got two guys from [University of] Miami coming and we’ve never had Miami guys since I’ve been here. One of them is actually starting for them every day right now at second base.”
That player is Dorian Gonzalez Jr., Miami’s freshman second baseman. Gonzalez is off to a hot start this year with nine hits in eight games along with nine runs batted in. He has also been perfect defensively for the 22nd-ranked Hurricanes.
Along with Gonzalez, the Sharks roster boasts players from top collegiate teams like fifth-ranked Vanderbilt, 10th-ranked Florida State, 17th ranked Tennessee and 18th ranked Georgia Tech.
Ryan Nicholson, a redshirt sophomore infielder at the University of Cincinnati, had three home runs against Florida Gulf Coast University on opening weekend.
Nicholson, along with his future Sharks teammate Logan Chambers, a junior utility infielder at the University of Tennessee, will have their games broadcasted on the ESPN+ streaming platform. Henry Weycker, a sophomore pitcher at Virginia Tech, Jake Elbeery, a freshman infielder at the University of Richmond and Ryan Ramsey, a junior pitcher at the University of Maryland can all be seen on ESPN+ too.
Ramsey is one of the four returning Sharks from last season. The left-handed pitcher was a key player for the team, dominating on the mound all summer as the Sharks came within one game of reaching the New England Collegiate Baseball League championship.
This season, Ramsey picked up right where he left off for the Terrapins, winning both his starts while only allowing three runs with nine strikeouts through 13 innings of work.
With the Sharks roster set and player contracts signed, Mr. Curran said he looks forward to the first scrimmage on June 6.
In that game the Sharks will play the Cotuit Kettleers of the Cape Cod Baseball League. Admission will be free.
On other highlights to come, on July 24, the NECBL All-Star game will be held at the Shark Tank and is scheduled to be broadcasted by New England Sports Network (NESN).
Mr. Curran said there are also plans for an all-new grassy area in between the foul pole and light tower by the bullpen at the Shark Tank.
“It’s all been flattened out and people can sit and see over the fence now to watch the game,” the general manager said.
The Sharks are also planning a new scholarship fund for two Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School graduates. Mr. Curran said they are looking to award the scholarships to students who have a background in community service.
Anyone interested in becoming a host family for a Sharks player, cooking meals for players, or becoming a banner sponsor for the Sharks, can contact Mr. Curran at russ.curran@mvsharks.com, or by calling 508-813-0380.
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