Westfield starting pitcher Kenny McLean delivers a pitch during a 2014 regular season game. McLean is settling into his increased role for the Bombers. (Photo by Frederick Gore/www.thewestfieldnews.smugmug.com)
WALTHAM – The Bay State Games have long been a prime opportunity for athletes from every corner of the state to strut their stuff in any of 25 sports.
For years, baseball has been one of the most competitive sports played at the games, and this year’s showcase tournament, which began Monday, will feature several area players.
Already burdened with the most arduous travel schedule of all the regional teams, the west regional squad is the defending gold medalist of the event, and Westfield Bombers Kenny McLean and Colin Dunn and Southwick-Tolland-Granville Ram’s Vinnie Fortini and Robert Hamel will factor prominently in whether or not the west can repeat as champions.
After opening the tournament with a 4-0 loss to the central regional team yesterday, these four will be called upon heavily to help power the west through the rest of the showcase, which features one regional team from metro Boston, the north and south shores, and Cape Cod.
McLean, a pitcher coming off a 5-1 season with an earned run average of 0.9, figures to be a key cog in a rotation filled with talent from all four of the Commonwealth’s westernmost counties.
“It’s good for our local guys to get in the mix,” said the lefty yesterday, adding that his 20-man team also has players from as far west as Pittsfield and Lenox.
“It’s a two hour drive all the way to Bentley (University), but it’s worth it in the long run. It’s a real good time, with a lot of really good competition from across the state.”
McLean, whose pitching repertoire includes a curveball, a sneaky changeup and an 83 mph fastball. He said he is taking the game a little more seriously now than he did as a kid.
“I’m just trying to improve and get better every day, play hard with my teammates and in the end it’ll all pay off,” said the soon-to-be WHS senior, who hopes that the Bay State Games and his performance on the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) circuit this summer will help boost his stock with college coaches.
Westfield’s Colin Dunn connects during a game against Central. (Photo by Frederick Gore, www.thewestfieldnews.smugmug.com)
Dunn, another holdover from this season’s 15-6 Bombers, is devoting much of his summer to playing shortstop for Post 124 coach Don Irzyk in American Legion ball, and will be looking to continue the torrid hitting he gave WHS this season for the west team in Waltham.
“I had a pretty good defensive and offensive season. I know I had 22 hits and 25 steals, and my average was about .320,” said Dunn, who started every game for the Bombers this season while serving as the leadoff hitter in their lineup. “It was a big year for me.”
Westfield’s disappointing loss to the Taconic Braves in the MIAA Division I playoffs still smarts for Dunn and McLean, key components of a core who hope to make this upcoming campaign one for the record books.
“Whenever we’ve got free time, we’re hitting the gym or we’re in the ballfield,” he said, adding that the tryout period for the west regional squad has been good for them. “(Players are) from all over, so you get intimidated. But you just have to remember that, no matter what, you’re just playing baseball.”
Rounding out the greater Westfield contingent of the west regional team are shortstop Vinnie Fortini and pitcher Bob Hamel, who led Southwick-Tolland-Granville Regional to a 16-2 regular season before bowing out in the first round of the MIAA Division II playoffs to Greenfield for the second straight season.
Southwick-Tolland’s Vinnie Fortini smacks a hit against Monson. (Photo by Chris Putz)
Fortini clubbed in over 20 hits for the Rams this spring and batted .340 in the number three spot in the STGR lineup.
When asked how he felt going into tryouts, Fortini said he was confident coming off a stellar junior season.
“I tried out the year before and the ‘legion rule’ came into play,” he said of a Bay State Games clause that restricts the number of players who play on the same American Legion team for a regional roster. “This year I didn’t play legion, and was a little more confident because I’d had a better year too.”
Like McLean and Dunn, Hamel and Fortini make no secret about their desire to play at the collegiate level, and are honing their game in very specific ways during the Bay State Tournament.
“I’m trying to work on my hands in the field and on my footwork,” he said. “My hands have always been quicker than my feet in the field, so I’ve been working on that with my coaches. Hitting-wise, I’ve just been adjusting my hands to offspeed pitches and what-not. Just the little things to get me through and get better.”
Southwick’s Robert Hamel delivers to a Wahconah batter. (Photo by Frederick Gore)
“I’m one of those guys who doesn’t throw too hard. I mix speeds a lot so I think that could be valuable,” said the softspoken Hamel, who recalled going ‘6-3 with a 2.3 ERA or something around there’ last season. “We have a couple of hard throwers on the team, so having them start and I come in relief, or vice versa, could really throw (batters) off balance.”
Hamel said he is always pumped to team up with Fortini, and has been impressed by the performance of the Westfield duo thus far.
“Vinnie is a really good player. I’ve played with him since I was six years old. He’s got power and he’s an overall good player,” said Hamel. “I played against Colin once this year in the Westfield/Southwick game, and from what I’ve seen, I know he’s got a good glove and I’m impressed with his swing.”
Hamel plays on the same AAU team as McLean, Fortini, and several other members of the west roster, and respects his ability on the mound.
“He’s a big, lanky lefthander like me, and he’s got a really good curveball, really good changeup,” he said. “I didn’t know him until this year, but he’s really impressed me.”
The squad’s next game will be at 2:00 p.m. today against the coastal region. The western team will then face the northeast team Wednesday at 11:30 a.m., the southeast team Thursday at 11:30 a.m., and metro Boston Friday at 11:30 a.m.
