Which CMass Baseball Players Are Being Recruited?

Thursday, July 05, 2012

William Dayton, GoLocal Worcester Sports Contributor

Several high school baseball stars in Central Mass will be heading off to play college baseball in the fall.

The list includes three players from St. John's-Shrewsbury, which finished 21-3 this season. Left-handed pitcher Anthony Perry has committed to Assumption College in Worcester. Perry won 20 games in his career at St. John's, and posted a 6-2 record with a 1.76 ERA this season. He also struck out 51 batters and walked just 13 in 55-plus innings. Both of Perry's parents attended Assumption.

Teammate Nick Sieber will be heading to Stevens Institute of Technology in New Jersey in the fall. Sieber hit .333 with 18 walks and had a .501 on-base percentage for St. John's this season. Sieber had been a shortstop for the Pioneers for 3 seasons, but was moved to first base this year because the team needed him there.

St. John's standout Mike Badjo hopes to pitch for UMass next season.

"He was one of the best shortstops in Central Mass," said St. John's head coach Charlie Eppinger. "This year, he was the best first basemen I've seen. He's got unbelievable hands, he probably saved us double digits in runs this year. Bailing out infielders, ranging and getting balls no other first basemen could get. He's just an extremely versatile athlete." Eppinger expects Sieber to play shortstop in college.

St. John's outfielder Jimmy Smith is heading to Division III Wheaton College in the fall. Smith was the team captain this season, and hit .301 with a .429 on-base percentage. "He's got unbelievable speed, and he takes full advantage of it," Eppinger said. "He steals a lot of bases, can bunt for hits, and in the big moments, he's the type of player you would want to have at the plate."

Pitcher Mike Badjo will look to become the fourth St. John's player to suit up in a collegiate uniform next season. He is trying out for UMass in the fall.

Badjo went 6-1 with a 1.07 ERA this season, and struck out 52 batters while walking just nine in 45 2/3 innings pitched.

"He had just a ridiculous year," said Eppinger. Badjo chose UMass for academic reasons, but has impressed coaches enough that they have decided to give him a tryout.

Burncoat shortstop Reagan Aghdam will be taking his talents to the University of Rhode Island in the fall. Aghdam hit .436 this season and also went 6-0 on the mound with a 2.34 ERA. "He's a fantastic fielder, and a really good hitter," said Burncoat coach Brian Sergeant. "He's gotten better every year we've had him at Burncoat. We're very happy he's going to get the opportunity to play Division 1 baseball."

Wachusett shortstop Cody Hall is heading to Endicott College. Hall hit .459 this season and was named as a Central Mass All-Star, a TNG Division 1 All-Star, and was chosen to play on the All-Massachusetts team. "He was one of the best shortstops in the state," said Wachusett head coach Matt Gull.

Five players from Nashoba will be playing college baseball. Charlie Butler (Maine), Sam Ashline (undecided), Nick Sestito (Flagler College in Fla.), Josh Raymond (Westfield State), and Brandon Radziewicz (undecided) have proven their worth to college coaches.

University of Maine head coach Steve Trimper said that Butler will be a two-way player for the Black Bears, both as a pitcher and first baseman or designated hitter. "We think he can be a tremendous D-1 pitcher," Trimper said. "He's a big boy, he's got a good breaking ball, and he throws a ton of strikes. He throws 85, 86 miles an hour now, and we think he'll hit 90 [mph] before you know it."

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