Giants coach ready for nearly-new team By Ben Warwick, Special to Reminder Publications HOLYOKE Coach Joel Southern enters his third season as skipper of the Holyoke Giants and will be featuring only one returning player (Bryan Adamski, Jr., UMass from last year's 23-18 club). Southern led the Giants to the team's first ever playoff appearance last season and hopes to go deeper into the postseason this summer. He will be assisted by Erik Mandell, Jim Woods, and Tim Mayo during the Giants run at its first New England Collegiate Baseball League championship. Pitching was a major contributor to the Giants success in 2005 as they compiled the lowest team ERA in the NECBL at 2.38. An entirely new staff will be firing strikes this season for the Giants which will hopefully continue with last season's success on the mound. The Giants staff features 10 pitchers on its opening roster, seven RHP and three LHP. Pitchers Bryan Hallberg (Pace University, Jr., RHP) had success for the Setters this season winning 6 games and posting a 2.53 ERA. Sacred Heart stud Jay Monti (Sacred Heart University, So., RHP) led the Pioneers in several pitching categories during the past season and helped them advance to the NCAA tournament. In his first full season for NC State Kyle Rutter (NC State, Fr., RHP) had a strong campaign to open his collegiate career. Rutter should provide depth to the Giants staff as he pitched 16.2 innings and recorded the team's lowest ERA at 0.54 for the Wolf Pack. Relief pitcher Dan Stanley (Creighton University, So., RHP) transferred from St. Johns University to Creighton University this past fall and should offer quality innings out of the bullpen as he did for Creighton this past season holding the opposition .259 batting average. Tyler Thornton (Northeastern University, Fr. RHP) is another pitcher with prior wooden bat league experience. Thornton pitched in the New York Collegiate Baseball League last summer, winning three games for the Watertown Wizards. Southern sees Jairo Mendez (Montclair St., Jr., RHP) as the wildcard to the Giants pitching staff. Mendez missed this past regular season due to injury, but is ready to pitch for the 2006 Giants. Andy Mayer (Quinnipiac, Fr., RHP) comes to the Giants after a solid freshman season at Quinnipiac. Mayer was a work horse throwing 72.1 innings while leading the team with six victories. Nick Jones (UConn at Avery Point, Fr., RHP) another right hander was very successful on the mound compiling a 1.15 earned run average and 6-0 record. There are three southpaw pitchers on the Giants club this year. Justin Albert (Vermont, Fr., LHP/OF) should add versatility to the Giants roster by being able to play different positions on the diamond. Scott Barnes (St. Johns, Fr., LHP) is one of the local players on the Giants roster this season. Barnes has continued his success on the mound from Cathedral High School and then onto St. Johns University as he recently beat South Florida 4-3 pitching 7.2 innings, striking out 11 batters. Catchers Southern will miss his solid catching core from last year of NECBL All-Star Matt McGraw and Jeff Mayo. Both were excellent defensive catchers and managed the Giants pitching staff to one of the top units in the league. Replacing these two players will be Tommy Hill (Albany, Jr., R/R) and Patrick Irvine (Elon University, Fr., L/R). First Base Local and returning player Bryan Adamski (UMass, Jr., R/R) will be looking to get a majority of the first base time. Adamski, a graduate of Frontier Regional High School, had a great season with the Minutemen leading the team in homeruns (4) and RBI's (27). Middle infield Defense was a weakness for the Giants last year as they committed 76 errors which was second to last in the NECBL last season. The additions of Eric Reese (Fordham, So. S/R) and Vince Gutierrez (Siena, Jr., L/R) should strengthen the Giants up the middle defense. Reese could see time at both short stop and second base. He is also a switch hitter that provides most of his power from the left side of the plate. Gutierrez is known for his exceptional hands and defense at the shortstop position. He battled injuries in his first season with Siena, however should be ready for a strong season with the Giants. Third base Looking to see time at the hot corner this season is Billy Mottram (Dowling College, Jr. L/R). Dowling College sent Wilberto Ortiz to last year's Giants team, and now provides Mottram to this year's club. Mottram had a tremendous year at the plate hitting .364 and slugging five homeruns and 38 RBIs. He also has the ability to play second base. Wheaton College's top slugger Scott Gillerault (Wheaton, So., R/R) comes to the Giants this season. Gillerault batted .341 while leading his team with 13 homeruns and 54 RBIs. Outfield Leading the outfield crew this season is Mike Lyon (Northeastern, So., R/R). Lyon hit 8 homeruns last year to lead the New York Collegiate Baseball League. He also has the ability to play third base for the Giants, which allows for more depth for the infield. Phil Allen (UTSA, So., S/R) is looking to be a menace on the base paths for the Giants. Not only can Allen run, but he can also play excellent defense which is needed at the spacious Mackenzie Stadium. Allen led the Roadrunners in stolen bases this past season. Scott Powell (Tulane, Fr., R/R) and Jason Rago (NC State, Fr., R/R) are both red shirt freshmen who hope to add depth to the Giants outfield. Southern will have the difficult task of coaching an entirely new Giants club this summer. However, with the improved defense and new bats added to the lineup, the Giants should be prepared for another successful season in the NECBL.