15 minute read
Player Bios
Dawson Brigman, the older brother of his collegiate and Gulls teammate, Coleman, joins the Gulls having played all 50 games for the Broncos in 2019 as a freshman. In 2020 Brigman started all 17 games as the second baseman and finished the season with a .254 batting average.
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COLEMAN BRIGMAN - OF
Brigman is a mainstay in the Broncos lineup starting 64 of a possible 65 games in his first two seasons at Santa Clara. The sophomore outfielder led the team in at-bats (193) and is third in hits (49) this season. He joins his brother and Santa Clara teammate Dawson Brigman on the Gulls in 2021.
GAVIN CASAS - 1B
VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY FR HOMETOWN: Pembroke Pines, FL HEIGHT: 6’3” WEIGHT: 225 Lbs BATS: Left THROWS: Right
Casas arrives at Cardines Field as one of four Commodores on the 2021 roster. The freshman came off the bench in nine games for #2 Vanderbilt, beginning his career with a double against UIC for his second career base knock. Gavin is the younger brother of 2018 Boston Red Sox First Round Pick and Top Prospect Triston Casas.
COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON SR HOMETOWN: Ocala, FL HEIGHT: 5’11” WEIGHT: 185 Lbs BATS: Left THROWS: Right
Cochrane joins Newport after completing his career at Eckard College. He will transfer to the College of Charleston for his final season of eligibility once the summer is complete. He last played for Eckerd College in 2020 and hit .308 with five doubles and 10 RBIs while stealing a teamleading 12 bases, all in just 19 games. The Ocala, Florida native is no stranger to the NECBL, spending the 2019 season with the Winnipesaukee Muskrats, where he was arguably the team’s best player with team leads in batting average (.352), home runs (6), and RBIs (38) in 41 games. Cochrane also played with the Muskrats in 2018.
JUSTIN GUERRERA - 2B/SS
FAIRFIELD UNIVERSITY JR HOMETOWN: Watertown, CT HEIGHT: 5’9” WEIGHT: 185 Lbs BATS: Right THROWS: Right
Guerrera comes to Newport after being at the center of a historic Fairfield team that began the 2021 season 27-0. The infielder played a big part in hitting .354 with team leads in home runs (11), RBIs (41), slugging pct. (.709), and OPS (1.139). Guerrera spent the 2019 summer with the Mohawk Valley Diamond Dawgs of the Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League, hitting .309 in 31 games.
LUKE HANCOCK - 1B/C
MISSISSIPPI STATE UNIVERSITY JR HOMETOWN: Houston, MS HEIGHT: 5’11” WEIGHT: 190 Lbs BATS: Left THROWS: Right
Hancock is one of three Gulls catchers for the 2021 season, offering versitility being able to play first base as well. The junior is part of the Bulldogs core as one of just two players to start in all 53 regular season games. The backstop led Mississippi State with 36 walks, while finishing second in both home runs (10), and RBIs (53) in 2021. Hancock was also teammate of 2019 Bulldog and Newport Gull Hayden Jones in 2019.
LOYOLA MARYMOUNT UNIVERSITY JR HOMETOWN: Trabuco Canyon, CA
Oyama arrives in Newport off the heels of an outstanding 2021 season with Loyola Marymount. The outfielder was one of three Lions to start all 48 games, during which he led the team with a .409 on-base percentage and ranked second in batting average, hitting .326. Oyama played with the Edenton Steamers of the Coastal Plain League in 2019, where he hit .275 across 30 games. Before that, he played summer ball in 2018 with the Purcellville Cannons of the Valley Baseball League, hitting .309 and starting in 41 of 42 possible games.
JOHNNY PIACENTINO - OF
PENN STATE UNIVERSITY SO HOMETOWN: Cherry Hill, NJ HEIGHT: 5’11” WEIGHT: 185 Lbs BATS: Right THROWS: Right
Piancentino joins the Gulls after shining for two seasons with Penn State. The outfielder and right-handed pitcher started his college career with a bang, hitting .400 in the shortened 2020 season, where he was named a Collegiate Baseball Freshman All-American. He hasn’t missed a step in his first full season in 2021 either, batting .284 with team leads in home runs (6), doubles (13), RBIs (27), total bases (71), and slugging pct. (.511). He joins Nittany Lions teammate Matt Wood in Newport this season
CJ PITTARO - 3B/SS
VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY FR HOMETOWN: Hamilton, NJ HEIGHT: 6’1” WEIGHT: 195 Lbs BATS: Left THROWS: Right
CJ Pittaro joins Newport as one of two Vanderbilt infielders on the Gulls in 2021. The freshman wasted no time in making his mark at the plate in Nashville, connecting on a two-RBI single against Western Kentucky for his first career hit in the first week of the season. As the 59th best shortstop in the 2020 class according to Perfect Game, Pittaro can play both positions on the left side of the infield.
UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN SO HOMETOWN: Chicago, IL HEIGHT: 5’8” WEIGHT: 175 Lbs BATS: Right THROWS: Right
Rogers joins Newport after a strong first full season with Michigan, starting 23 games and batting .289. The redshirt sophomore is a utility player in Ann Arbor, playing center field, second base, and catcher in 2021. Rogers made an immediate impact with five RBIs in his first two collegiate starts, while beginning the season 7 for 20. Rogers is one of two Wolverines to join the Gulls this season along with freshman pitcher Logan Wood.
PETER SERRUTO - C
RUTGERS UNIVERSITY JR
Serruto returns to Newport after playing 19 games for the Gulls in the 2019 season. Drafted by the Cincinnati Reds in the 2018 MLB Draft, the NJ native chose to continue his career collegiately at Rutgers, less than an hour from his hometown. The redshirt sophomore appeared in 33 games this spring, walking 12 times in 100 plate appearances. Serruto recently completed his second full season as the Scarlet Knights primary backstop and was selected as a Big Ten Distinguished Scholar and Spring Academic All-Big Ten member in 2020.
SPENSER SMITH - SS
NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY JR HOMETOWN: Wellesley, MA HEIGHT: 6’2” WEIGHT: 190 Lbs BATS: Left THROWS: Right
Cardines Field is a familiar place for infielder Spenser Smith. The native of Wellesley, MA played in the Newport Collegiate Baseball League in the summer of 2020, scattering 11 hits across eight games. In 2021 with the Huskies, Smith hit .235 in with a team-leading 20 walks, starting in 40 of 41 possible games. Smith also played with the Brockton Rox of the Futures Collegiate Baseball League in 2019.
PENN STATE UNIVERSITY FR HOMETOWN: Gibsonia, PA HEIGHT: 6’0” WEIGHT: 190 Lbs BATS: Left THROWS: Right
Wood joins the Gulls coming off a breakout season at Penn State. Playing just a couple of hours from his hometown, the PA native led the Nittany Lions with a .881* OPS boosted by his teamleading 19* walks. Wood’s .421* OBP and .485* SLG both ranked second among team qualifiers, and in limited time behind the plate, he gunned down six* runners in nine* attempts. The redshirt freshman is coming off his first full collegiate season after a pandemic shortened debut in 2020.
CHRIS ALDRICH - RHP
UCLA FR
Aldrich travels across the country to join the Gulls. In the 2020 summer, Aldrich competed in the Northwoods League with the Fond du Lac Dock Spiders where he appeared in ten games. He posted a 0-1 record with a 2.70 ERA and 12 strikeouts in 16.0 IP. Aldrich attended Notre Dame High School in Sherman Oaks, California where he was ranked the No. 47 RHP in California by Perfect Game.
JACK ALDRICH - LHP
TULANE UNIVERSITY JR
Aldrich is the older of two Tulane pitchers on this year’s roster, coming to the Gulls after his third collegiate season. The redshirt junior was the ace of the Green Wave rotation this spring, recording a 5-2* record in 76.1* innings and leading the team with 86* strikeouts and a 3.66* ERA. Adding in his dominant run from the pandemic shortened 2020 season (1.86 ERA in 19.1 IP), Aldrich has a 3.29* ERA and 10.1* K/9 in 95.2* innings at Tulane. The CA native spent one season at Santa Barbara City College before transferring to Tulane.
UNIVERSITY OF LOUISVILLE FR HOMETOWN: Arlington, MA HEIGHT: 6’6” WEIGHT: 225 Lbs BATS: Right THROWS: Right
Barrett is one of the two Louisville pitchers on Newport’s roster. The MA native returns to New England after making his debut with the Cardinals this spring, amassing an impressive 18* punchouts in just 11* innings. Barrett made ten* appearances, including one* start, in his freshman season. The towering righty was an All-ISL Honorable Mention after a solid 2019 season at Brooks School in North Andover, and Perfect Game rated him as the No. 10 right-handed high school pitcher in MA.
NELSON BERKWICH - LHP
VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY FR HOMETOWN: Boca Raton, FL HEIGHT: 6’0” WEIGHT: 190 Lbs BATS: Left THROWS: Left
Berkwich arrives at Newport along with three of his Vanderbilt teamates. He attended American Heritage High School in Boca Raton, Florida where he was the nation’s 17th-ranked left-handed pitcher by Perfect Game. He posted a 25-4 career record in 212.0 innings and 324 strikeouts. In his first collegiate season, Berkwich came out of the bullpen and appeared in eight games with a 1-0 record. He recorded a 2.79* ERA in 9.2* IP with an impressive 13* strikeouts to just two batters walked.
BO BRUTTI - RHP
Brutti returns to Newport after making one appearance for the Gulls in the 2019 season. The RI native has spent his entire career in the Ocean State, playing for South Kingston High School before moving on to the collegiate level at the University of Rhode Island. Brutti recently completed his third season with the Rams, appearing in 15 games with an 8.7* K/9 ratio. In the righty’s 40.2* career innings pitched for Rhode Island he has surrendered just one longball leading to an outstanding rate of 0.2* HR/9 innings.
Justin Cherry returns to the Gulls after pitching in the summer of 2019 where he struck out 35 batters in the regular season and another 5 in the playoffs. Cherry was a workhouse for the Gulls with 42.2 innings pitched and 6 wins under his belt. This spring the Rhody Ram struck out 19 batters in 7 games.
DANIEL COLWELL - LHP
U C L A JR
Colwell is the older of the two UCLA pitchers on the Gulls staff, coming off his junior season. The lefty was a reliable weapon out of the Bruins pen this spring,appearing in 25* games with a 4.00* ERA over 27* innings. Colwell showed impeccable command, allowing just seven* free passes for a sterling 2.3* BB/9 ratio and consistently kept the ball in the park, giving up just one* roundtripper on the season (0.3 HR/9*). The CA native was named to the Pac-12 Spring Academic Honor Roll in 2020.
BRANDYN GARCIA - LHP
QUINNIPIAC UNIVERSITY FR HOMETOWN: Granby, CT HEIGHT: 6’4” WEIGHT: 220 Lbs BATS: Left THROWS: Left
Garcia comes to the Gulls having finished his sophomore year for the Bobcats. Although he finished with a 1-5 record, Garcia’s stats are promising for the future. He appeared in seven games this past season in 33.1 IP. He recorded 42 strikeouts and finished the year with a 4.32 ERA. Garcia had a season high in strikeouts against Canisius with ten. Last summer, Garcia was seen playing in the Futures Collegiate Baseball League for Westfield Starfires, where he appeared in nine games, pitching 20.2 innings and recording 26 strikeouts.
UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN FR HOMETOWN: Macomb, MI HEIGHT: 6’2” WEIGHT: 200 Lbs BATS: Left THROWS: Left
Wood travels from Michigan to be with the Gulls this year. Coming out of the bullpen, Wood has appeared in seven games for the Wolverines, notching a team best 2.53 ERA over 10.2 IP. He has the team’s best ERA this season at 2.53* in 10.2 IP*. Wood has become a larger part of Michigan’s bullpen as the season has progressed. In his outings, Wood has 14 strikeouts*. Perfect Game ranked Wood out of high school as the number one LHP in Michigan and the number three overall pitcher in the state.
JIMMY KINGSBURY - RHP
VILLANOVA UNIVERSITY SR HOMETOWN: Phoenixville, PA HEIGHT: 6’1” WEIGHT: 185 Lbs BATS: Right THROWS: Right
Kingsbury arrives for the Gulls as the only senior pitcher. His career with the Wildcats has continued to improve each year. He has pitched in 52 career games with 34 starts and one shutout. He owns a 12-18 overall record going 5-4 this past season. He has a career 238.2 IP with a 4.68 ERA and 216 strikeouts. Kingsbury posted a career high with 86 strikeouts this season. Early in the 2021 season, Kingsbury was named BIG EAST Pitcher of the Week.
LIAM LEVANGIE - RHP
BRYANT UNIVERSITY SO
LeVangie finished his first season at Bryant after the cancellation of the 2019-2020 season. He started in two games for the Bulldogs and appeared in 11. LeVangie posted a 0-1* record in 17.2* innings pitched with 14* strikeouts. In high school, LeVangie was named Brockton Enterprise Player of the Year in 2018 where he posted a 6-1 record, a 1.06 ERA, and struck out 103 batters. Before college, LeVangie got experience playing in the Futures Collegiate Baseball League for Brockton Rox where he pitched 17.1 innings and erased 20 batters.
TULANE UNIVERSITY FR
Mahmood is one of two Tulane hurlers to join the Gulls pitching staff this summer. The MN native was named to the Perfect Game Preseason All-Region First Team in 2020. Mahmood’s 93 MPH fastball velocity ranked in the 98th percentile amongst respective members of the class of 2020 according to Perfect Game. The righthander, who also mixes in a curveball, slider and changeup, made two* appearances for the Green Wave as a freshman this spring.
GRAYSON MOORE - RHP
VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY FR HOMETOWN: Longwood, FL HEIGHT: 6’3” WEIGHT: 195 Lbs BATS: Switch THROWS: Right
Moore, another collegiate athlete who is arriving in Newport after finishing their first year at Vanderbilt University, is a dynamic player. Moore is a RHP and OF who can hit from both sides of the plate. His first year at Vanderbilt saw Moore appear in five games with a 9.00 ERA* in 6.0 IP* and recorded six strikeouts. He was the nation’s 19th-ranked outfielder by Perfect Game and recorded a 1.50 ERA in 17.2 IP during his shortened senior year.
PETER SAKELLARAS - RHP
VIRGINIA TECH UNIVERSITY JR HOMETOWN: Milton, MA HEIGHT: 6’0” WEIGHT: 190 Lbs BATS: Right THROWS: Right
Sakellaris travels to Newport as another pitcher finishing his freshman collegiate season. For the Hookies this season, Sakellaris appeared in five games, all coming out of the bullpen. He pitched 7.1 innings* and recorded six strikeouts* with his best pitching coming at the end of the season. Last summer, Sakellaris played for the North Shore Navigators in the Futures Collegiate Baseball League where he appeared in 14 games and posted a 2.25 ERA with 17 strikeouts in 24 IP.
UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA FR HOMETOWN: Washington D.C. HEIGHT: 6’2” WEIGHT: 210 Lbs BATS: Left THROWS: Left
Schauer will be the sole Virginia ballplayer to suit up for the Gulls this season. The southpaw appeared in 16* games out of the bullpen for the Cavaliers as a freshman, accumulating 14* strikeouts in 11.1* frames. Schauer hails from DC, where he helped St. John’s College High School to a State Championship in 2019. That same season he earned First Team All-DC State honors and was the No. 2 ranked high school prospect in the state according to Perfect Game.
KELLEN TULIO - LHP
UNIVERSITY OF LOUISVILLE SO HOMETOWN: Emmaus,PA HEIGHT: 6’3” WEIGHT: 210 Lbs BATS: Left THROWS: Left
Tulio is the second Louisville member of the Gulls roster. The redshirt freshman appeared in four games for the Cardinals this spring and has a total of eight appearances in his collegiate career. Tulio was a star at Emmaus High School, where he became the No. 81 ranked high school prospect in the country by Perfect Game and the No. 4 prospect in his home state of PA. He participated in the highly select 2018 National Showcase at Tropicana Field in Tampa Bay FL.
GRANT UMBERGER - LHP
VIRGINIA TECH UNIVERSITY FR HOMETOWN: Chester Springs, PA HEIGHT: 6’4” WEIGHT: 225 Lbs BATS: Left THROWS: Left
Umberger comes to Newport as the other Hokie on the roster finishing up their freshman season. Umberger came out of the bullpen this season and only pitched in 3.2 innings* but struck out seven batters* and all three in his one inning stint against Notre Dame late in May. With his fastball velocity in the low-90s, he was the 9th-ranked pitcher in the 2020 class of Pennsylvania and the 3rd-ranked LHP. In 2018, Umberger was 4-1 with a 1.33 ERA eliminating 42 batters in 31.2 IP.
Without whom it would not be possible.......
