Six from County Open Bay State Games Baseball Play on Monday

Six Berkshire County baseball players representing six different schools and three county towns have been selected to showcase their skills as members of the Western Massachusetts team at the 2015 Bay State Summer Games.  

 

The Bay State Summer Games is Massachusetts’ own Olympic-style athletic competition that has been held since 1982. The Bay State Games Baseball Showcase is one of the most elite High School Baseball Showcases in the Northeast, drawing more than 100 professional and college scouts from across the country. Players are selected through a four-day tryout with the hopes of representing their home region of the state. 

 

The six Berkshire County residents who have been selected to the 2015 West team (with class for 2015-16 academic year) include :

 

Ryan Abel, Taconic High School, Pittsfield resident, junior, third baseman 

Simon Nassif, Pittsfield High School, Pittsfield resident, senior, pitcher

Jack Scarafoni, Berkshire School, Pittsfield resident, junior, outfielder

Matt Koperniak, Hoosac Valley High School, Cheshire resident, senior, outfielder

Matt Schneider, Wahconah High School, Dalton resident, senior, catcher

Adam Hall, Mount Greylock High School, Williamstown resident, senior, pitcher

 

The 2015 Bay State Games Baseball Showcase will take place July 6 to10 on the campus of Bentley University in Waltham. Each team plays one game per day, providing players the opportunity to compete against the best from throughout the state and a chance at a Gold medal.

 

Former Springfield College pitcher and current Eastern Connecticut State University coach, Tim Mayo, will serve as the manager for the West team at the Bay State Games. The Berkshire County players know Mayo has a proven track record of developing young players and look forward to the opportunity to learn from the veteran college coach. 

 

In recent years, the West teams have had tremendous success in Bay State Games competitions.

 

“The athletes of the West region bring a unique energy to the Bay State Games”,  Mayo said. “It’s a testament to the wealth of skilled athletes who live in Berkshire County and Western Massachusetts, as well as their ability to quickly form a bond and unite as a team in a short period of time.“

 

Although they each attend different high schools, Pittsfield residents Ryan Abel, Jack Scarafoni, and Simon Nassif are no strangers to being teammates. The trio were key members of the Pittsfield Babe Ruth All-Star teams that advanced to three consecutive New England Regionals from 2012-14, and were also teammates on the 2010 Pittsfield South Little League All-Star squad that brought home a State Championship. 

 

Abel, Taconic’s third baseman, recently finished up his sophomore season in which we racked up 26 base hits and a .426 batting average for the Braves.  Nassif, the PHS pitcher heading into his senior season, was 4-0 on the mound with a 1.16 ERA for the Generals this past spring.

 

Scarafoni, who recently finished his sophomore campaign at Berkshire School in Sheffield, patrolled the outfield hitting .340 with 13 RBIs for the Bears.  All three players have aspirations to play at the college level and are also members of the Pittsfield Pirates Junior Legion travel team coached by Paul Procopio and Pat Bassi this summer.  The Pirates play a 30-40 game schedule against some of the top programs in the Northeast. 

 

Koperniak, a three-sport standout for Hoosac Valley heading into his senior year, hit .394 with 14 RBIs for the Hurricanes this spring.

 

Schneider had an impressive junior season behind the plate for Wahconah – managing the Warriors pitching staff while hitting at a .350 clip.

 

Hall had a breakout season on the mound for Mount Greylock’s state finalist team, going 5-0 with 38 strikeous in 41 innings pitched.

 

Mayo plans to use each player in specific roles throughout the week-long competition in Waltham. The West team’s schedule begins with a matchup versus Central Mass. at 2 p.m. Monday, July 6, followed up by a 9 a.m. game on Tuesday, July 7 vs. Northeast Mass. The squad then plays CoastalCape Cod, Metro Boston, and Southeast Mass. on consecutive games scheduled for July 8th, 9th, and 10th.