Dirt Dawgs Record Breaking 2014 Campaign
August 14, 2014 - Futures Collegiate Baseball League (FCBL)
Wachusett Dirt Dawgs News Release
The 2014 Wachusett Dirt Dawgs were eliminated from the Futures Collegiate Baseball League playoff post-season picture on Friday, August 9, but memories and standout moments from their third season in the league will remain.
The team finished with an impressive 26-29 record, garnering the most wins in a season in Dirt Dawgs franchise history. Their longest win streak came in at five straight games, tying the streak set in 2013.
The Dawgs provided offensive fireworks for their fans as they scored a record breaking 326 runs on the season, becoming the first team in the Futures Collegiate Baseball League to score more than 300 runs on the year. They also racked up 483 hits and a solid .262 team batting average.
Of course, a discussion of the Dirt Dawgs 2014 season would not be complete without mentioning the long ball. The final season total stood at 69 homeruns, good for first all-time in the Futures League and third in New England Summer Ball history! Michael Corin (URI) led the team with fourteen blasts on the season, setting another Futures League record on the final night of play. Joe Breen (Southern CT) had 9 dingers of his own on the year, good for second in the league, while Austin Botts (Lock Haven) and Mattingly Romanin (Chicago State) followed closely behind with 8.
Other impressive moments included three player of the week nominations (2 for Breen and 1 for Corin) as well as eleven player of the night awards scattered throughout the summer.
The Dirt Dawgs faired well in the All-Star game, sending six representatives to Brockton. Mike Corin, Joe Breen, Mattingly Romanin, Richie Fecteau, Mike Lundin and Kurtis White all played and participated in the Scout Day activities, proudly representing Wachusett. White's ticket to the game was punched thanks to the fan vote as he blew away the competition with 27,000 total votes!
2014 was undoubtedly the year of the record breaker as the Dirt Dawgs earned many other titles this year. Mattingly Romanin is now the Dirt Dawgs single season stole base king with 15 swipes on the year. Michael Rizzitello (Dowling College) threw out 32 runners, earning the Dirt Dawgs record for runners caught stealing. Dirt Dawgs ace Mike Lundin (Franklin Pierce) just missed the ERA record, but does hold the title for wins with five on the year. Ben White (Holy Cross) set another impressive pitching record with his transition to the bullpen. White had 4 saves on the year, earning the Dirt Dawgs single season save record.
The fans also broke a record this year as the Dirt Dawgs saw a 50% increase in attendance.
This impressive year would not have been possible without the Dirt Dawgs wonderful sponsors. The Mall at Whitney Field, Leominster Crossings, LUK Mentoring, Warmer Winters, Fitchburg Civic Days, and Texas Roadhouse all contributed to exciting promotional nights for the fans. UNOs of Leominster provided delicious post game meals and kept our players full while Coldstone Creamery, Nichols College, Doubletree by Hilton and WPKZ were also instrumental in the success.
Special thanks also goes out to the crew who helped keep Doyle Field groomed and baseball ready, our interns who worked tirelessly behind the scenes, our marketing manager, Kaylee Grosso, our owner and general manager, John Morrison, our coaches Kevin Barnaby, Raul Rivera and Bryan Davis, our dedicated and talented players and of course to our loyal fans. The 2014 season brought hard fought victories, records shattered and wonderful memories; here's to a great 2015 campaign!
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Futures Collegiate Baseball League Stories from August 14, 2014
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- Dirt Dawgs Record Breaking 2014 Campaign - Wachusett Dirt Dawgs
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