2010 season opens

The Shrewsbury Thunder opened the season Saturday the 5th at home against RBI Storm. The Thunder swept the double-header behind solid pitching of James Zatsiorsky, Zach Graham, and Jimmy Smith.
The Thunder traveled to Nashoba to take on the Chieftans and ace Dan Avery on Sunday. Thunder hurler Jack Hodgens and Avery were terrific, and defensive game-saving gems were turned in by Nashoba’s left fielder and Thunder catcher Adam Barry. The game had to be suspended due to weather in the 10th inning with the scored tied at 2.

2010 Schedule – All Double-headers
Home games in bold
JUNE
5TH RBI STORM 8AM
6TH NASHOBA 3PM @ Nashoba HS (suspended to TBD)
12TH GID NOON
13TH STRIKEZONE 9AM @ (field across from Anna Maria)
19TH MILFORD 8AM
20TH WARRIORS 1PM @ SPM
26TH EDGE NOON
27TH TRIBE NOON

JULY
3RD WARRIORS 1PM @ SPM
10TH
11TH N.E. STATE
12TH
17TH B.V. THUNDER 10AM @ Sutton MS
18TH BOSTON RAMS NOON
24TH R.B.I HAWKS NOON
25TH SHAMROCKS NOON
31ST N. EAST BB NOON @ Assumption

Tryouts for 2010 15u team

If you are interested in trying out for next year’s team please send an email with your name, phone number, baseball experience, and positions you’re interested in to shrewsburythunderbaseball@yahoo.com, so a coach may follow up with you. Positions are available.

You do NOT need to be a Shrewsbury resident to play.

Thank you.

Thanks to all for a great season

The team performed great at Myrtle Beach, going 4 – 1 before a defeat in the championship round. Highlights included offensive and defensive gems by Jay Reynolds, Matt Loomer’s bat and spectacular catches by he and Manny Bautista in the outfield…Tyler Buck’s closing job and work at first, Anthony Razzano’s hitting performance, great pitching contributions by Kyle Nocera, solid defense by Anthony at 3B along with Aditya (nice hit) and Mitch Pierce, Mike Coggeshall at SS, Mike Centerbar at 2nd and C, Pete Ambrose at C, Tyler and James Z. at 1st, and complete game pitching wins by Centerbar, Coggeshall and Navani who shines at Myrtle Beach tournaments (the curve and knuckle like 1000% humidity). The team placed in the top 5 (out of 16 teams) in the “turn two” skills competition with Aditya Dharampuriya, Manny Bautista, Matt Loomer, Pete Ambrose, Mitch Pierce and Varun Navani, and Mike Coggeshall tied for 3rd in the HR Derby.

It was a successful season by all. Final stats for the top four hitters includes Coggeshall with 74 hits/.425 avg., Twitchell – 69/.420, Razzano – 58/.394, and Loomer – 61/.383. Reynolds, Buck, Coggeshall, Navani, and Centerbar emerged with solid pitching performances…..the outfield of Manny Bautista, Jay Reynolds, Matt Loomer and Varun Navani made one great catch after another, exhibited great speed and range, and emerged as one of the best outfields around….the defense all around was very good. Thanks to all and have a great summer.

Thunder in New England Regionals

Although the Thunder did not take the Regionals, highlights included a 2 run HR for Mike Coggeshall clearing the fence at East Park in Worcester, a solid pitching performance by Varun Navani in a loss against the BC Eagles, and a nice catching job by Zack Twitchell against the Eagles.
Congratulations to Legends Navy for the win – a classy team won.

Thunder secure division win

With Saturday’s victory over the Bulldog Baseball Club, the Shrewsbury Thunder captured their second straight division title. Mike Coggeshall shut down the Bulldogs to earn the victory. Zack Twitchell and Coggeshall continue to lead in the hits and average categories respectively, with RBI damage coming from Anthony Razzano and Matt Loomer, and multiple hit contributions from John Roy, Manny Bautista, and James Zatsiorsky.

Mike Centerbar and Jay Reynolds have delivered solid pitching performances of late, as well. Centerbar pitched very well in a rain-shortened CT Triple Crown tournament and against the RI Tides Sunday. Reynolds returned from the DL and pitched very well in Sunday’s win in the double-header split with the Tides. Manny Bautista drove in the winning run in the extra inning tilt.

The Thunder are prepping for upcoming tournaments in Long Island during the long holiday weekend, and the New England Regionals next week.

4 week round-up: May 16 thru June 7

The Thunder completed a decent month finishing with an 10 – 6 record. The hitting has been consistent and very good.
Mike Coggeshall currently leads the team and the league with a .625 in-division avg. with 20 hits over 10 in-division games, and is hitting .490 overall after 38 total games (includes in-division and out-of division-games). Thunder hitters also at the top of league stats are:
Zack Twitchell: .559 in-division avg., 19 in-division hits, .458 avg. overall after 38 games
Anthony Razzano: .560, 14, .388
James Zatsiorsky: .560, 14, .397
Tyler Buck: .423, 11, .380
Matt Loomer: .346, 9, .373
Manny Bautista: .353, 6, .300

Injuries and walks-allowed have plagued the Thunder, but Tyler Buck, Aditya Dharampuriya, Varun Navani, Manny Bautista, Jay Reynolds and Mike Coggeshall have been pitching well as of late.

Losses to very good teams, Legends Navy, Blackstone Valley Thunder, and Blackstone Valley Spinners, included too many walks. Those teams capitalized like good teams do. Double-header wins were against Soughegan Valley Saints, N’oreasters, and Southern Maine. Double-header splits were with South Coast Shamrocks and Nashoba Jr. Chieftans.

John Roy turned in his finest pitching performance of the year against the Shamrocks, while Tyler Buck pitched very well in a 5 – 3 loss in an extremely entertaining game against the Chieftans, who showcased their fine ace, Dan Avery. Varun Navani has pitched very well, going 2 – 0 in his last two outings against Nashoba and Soughegan Valley. Aditya Dharampuriya, the youngest member of the Thunder, has shown real ability to throw hard and throw for strikes. Jay Reynolds pitched perhaps his finest game of the year against the N’oreasters.

Pictures from 5.16 vs. BV Thunder

Buck Delivers

Reynolds delivers against BV Thunder

Aditya against BValley Thunder

Pictures from 5.23 vs. the N’oreasters

Navani vs. N'oreasters

Bautista being Manny

Ambrose delivers

Pictures from 5.24 vs. Southern Maine

Coggeshall hits against Southern Maine

Centerbar pitching

Twitchell delivers a hit

Pictures from 5.31 vs. Nashoba

Buck pitches vs. Nashoba

Pictures from 6.6 vs. Blackstone Valley Spinners

Roy with a hit

Zatsiorsky at first

Razzano and Twitchell

Razzano

Thank you to Steve Buck for the pictures…more on gallery page

Thunder over Connecticut Capitals

May 9
The Shrewsbury Thunder traveled to Manchester CT on Saturday to take on the Capitals and took the two game set. The Thunder ran its division record to 9 – 0 and it’s overall record to 14 – 4, bouncing back from last Sunday’s difficulty with pitching and defense by pitching well enough to win and playing solid and sometimes great defense. Varun Navani pitched game 1 to earn his third win of the year. Thunder bats were alive with multi hit days up and down the line up.

Jay Reynolds earned his third win of the year in the second game of the double header. Jay was backed by Tyler Buck, who pitched the final 2 innings, shutting down the Caps chances for a comeback. Varun Navani made the catch of the year – a full sprint, dive job in foul ground to end the Cap’s 4th inning. Wish we had that one on film.

Happy Mother’s Day to all the Moms!

Thunder sweeps Cape Ann Mariners – swept by Bristol County Eagles (May 2 and 3 wrap up)

May 2, 2009 – Thunder vs. Mariners
Mike Coggeshall pitched a complete game for his first win of the season and helped himself with a towering home run in the first of two played against the Cape Ann Mariners on Saturday. Anthony Razzano contributed with 3 hits, one a blast to left-center, and Zack Twitchell had three hits including a triple. Manny Bautista had the catch of the day, snagging a long fly ball while in a full sprint back and towards the foul line.

Aditya Dharampuriya, John Roy, and Manny Bautista pitched very well, combining to take game 2 of the double-header. Manny, Jay Reynolds, John Roy, and Matt Loomer all had multiple hits to earn the victory.

Coggeshall

Roy backed by Bautista

Reynolds

Manny Bautista

Loomer swings

May 3, 2009 – Thunder vs. Eagles
The Thunder traveled to East Providence on a cold and drizzly Sunday and got thumped by the Bristol County Eagles. The Thunder saw their 10 game win streak snapped by the Eagles who took great pleasure in sweeping the Thunder.
The Thunder bats were kept silent in the first game by excellent lefty, Aaron Chouinard of the Eagles. Chouinard got stronger as the game progressed, locating his fastball and throwing a curve for strikes. Heck of a job by the young pitcher.
The second game saw a continuation of defensive lapses from the first game by the Thunder, which the Eagles were more than willing and very happy to capitalize on. The Thunder never really got it going on this day, unable to match the level of play they had been showing all year, allowing too many walks and extra outs. Credit, however, goes to the boys from Bristol County who took advantage of every opportunity to really enjoy their Sunday. They topped the day with a 2 run blast by Logan Sullo that cleared everything and further enhanced the party happening in the Eagles dugout.
Bright spots on the day for the Thunder included an excellent pitching performance by Varun Navani, who entered the game with his team down on the scoreboard. Varun settled things down and located pitches very well. Mike Centerbar returned to action from a stint on the DL and caught a very nice game, showing off a great arm whenever possible. Zack Twitchell made some great plays at short and Manny Bautista played well in left.

(more pics on Gallery page)

Thunder improves to 10 – 2 (April 25th and 26th wrap up)

First, a word from….

Now, the baseball update…
The Shrewsbury Thunder upped its record to 10 and 2 this weekend with a win over the Uxbridge Owtlaws on Saturday (a rare non-double-header for the Thunder) and 2 wins over the talented Central Mass Smash on Sunday.

The weather was warm and the Thunder bats continued to stay hot; producing 93 runs in their 8 game win streak, giving up just 11 runs over that span.

M. Coggeshall, A. Razzano, Z. Twitchell, and T. Buck have continued to mash and produce RBIs, while batting in the high and mid .400′s.

Coggeshall loads up

Twitchell at bat

Buck leads off first

Pitching and defense have been consistently strong for the Thunder with Tyler Buck following up last week’s no-hitter with a one-hitter against the Smash, striking out 9 along the way.

Jay Reynolds and John Roy, both with wins in the early season, combined to allow just 4 hits against the Smash, while Mike Coggeshall and Aditya Dharampuriya partnered to give up 4 hits to the Owtlaws.
The Thunder will look to fare well against some tough upcoming opponents – the Cape Ann Mariners and undefeated Bristol County Eagles.

Reynolds gets the sign

Roy at bat

(New Gallery Pics available on Gallery page)

Tyler Buck no-hits Strike Zone

Tyler Buck no-hit the Strike Zone on 4/19 with 7 K’s in one of the Thunder’s 4 wins this weekend. Buck was tremendous, keeping the Zone hitters at bay, while the offense continued producing runs. The Thunder improved to 5 – 0 in the division and 7 – 2 overall with Saturday and Sunday double-header sweeps over the Zone and the NE Blizzard. Pitching has been stellar for the Thunder with John Roy, Varun Navani, James Zatsiorsky, Jay Reynolds and Buck all earning their first wins early in the season.
The Thunder takes on the Outlaws on Saturday the 25th, and the 4 – 0 Central Mass Smash on Sunday the 26th.