A Chance to Shine
| Now in its seventh season of existence, the Atlantic Baseball Confederate Collegiate League gave a group of all-stars a chance to work out for MLB scouts as well as measure their skills against the best the league has to offer in its annual all-star game at FirstEnergy Park on Thursday.
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By Scott Stump - Managing Editor
LAKEWOOD - While the Atlantic Baseball Confederation Collegiate League All-Star game provided a chance for players to work out before a host of Major League Baseball scouts before kicking off the game, it may have meant the most to the lower-level college players trying to see how they stack up against those from the big-name schools.
With players from schools like Rutgers, Seton Hall, Lousiana State University and Florida dotting the all-star rosters, this was a chance for players like former Toms River North standout and current Brookdale Community College catcher Chad Sloboda to show what they can do as well.
"We've got a kid from Florida (Jared Kubin) on our (all-star) team, we've got kids from Division I's and top Division II's, (and) a lot of good (Division III) NJAC schools,'' said Sloboda, who plays for the Toms River Black Sox in the ABCCL. "You want to see how you match up against them being from a juco (junior college).''
Sloboda belted an RBI triple with the pure crack of a wood bat, which is used exclusively in the league, to help the Larry Doby All-Stars edge the Yogi Berra All-Stars, 7-6, in a scheduled 10-inning affair at FirstEnergy Park on Thursday.
"It's great to play at a minor-league stadium,'' Sloboda said about the idyllic setting on Thursday at the home of the Lakewood BlueClaws, a Philadelphia Phillies minor-league affiliate. "It's just icing on the cake to win it.''
The game also raised over $1,000 for the Jackie Robinson Foundation,
which was established in 1972 by Robinson's widow, Rachel, and grants
four-year scholarships to minority students based on academics, public
service, leadership and financial needs.
The ironic nature of the event is that, while there were a handful of
Hispanic players participating, there were no black players in the
game. League president
Monique Koehler said that there are some black players in the league,
and the league is certainly looking to increase the number of black
college players participating. The decrease of black players in
baseball has been documented across the nation during the 60th
anniversary of Robinson breaking the color barrier with the Brooklyn
Dodgers in 1947. |  | Former Jackson standout and current Wagner College catcher Dan Morvay tags out Caldwell College's Adric Saxon as he tried to score the potential tying run in the ninth inning for the Yogi Berra All-Stars, who lost 7-6 to the Larry Doby All-Stars in the annual ABCCL All-Star game.
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While that is certainly something the league hopes to improve upon just like most baseball organizations across the country, a decent-sized crowd and some solid talent showed that the ABCCL continues to grow in the midst of its seventh season of existence.
"It definitely allows you to use your time the right way in the summer and sharpen your skills,'' said former Raritan star and current Montclair State outfielder Mike Nunes, who played for the Larry Doby All-Stars. "(Learning about) getting reads on outfield balls (is important) for me, because I'm a new outfielder. You also see top line pitching.''
That top line pitching was honored following the game as both Most Valuable Player awards went to pitchers, including UNC-Wilmington righty Ryan Doolittle, a former Seneca star and the brother of University of Virginia pitcher/first baseman Sean Doolittle, who was recently selected by the Oakland A's with the 41st overall pick of the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft. The other MVP recipient after tossing a scoreless inning was Rutgers lefty Dennis Hill, and both, ironically, were presented with bats as their trophies.
"It's good competition at Brookdale, but this is right up there,''
Sloboda said about the league's pitching. "We went to the (Junior)
College World Series and saw good pitchers. This (league) has helped me
against good pitchers.''
What certainly helps the pitchers is the wood bats as opposed to the aluminum bats used during collegiate games.
"It's a big difference,'' said former Jackson standout Dan Morvay, who
is currently a catcher at Wagner College. "You have a transition
period. I know personally I got off to a slow start, but I'm starting
to pick it up with the bat again.''
Morvay was also involved
in one of the more exciting plays of the game when the Yogi Berra
All-Stars cut it to one run in the ninth inning before an overthrow
from the outfield had Caldwell College's Adric Saxon rounding third to
try and make it home with the tying run. |  | Former Toms River North standout and current Brookdale Community College catcher Chad Sloboda takes a lead off third after hitting an RBI triple in the ABCCL All-Star game.
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St. Peter's pitcher Kevin Kallert nabbed the carom of the errant throw and flipped it to Morvay just in time to nail Saxon in a close play at the plate to preserve a one-run lead.
"All of a sudden I saw the ball getting overthrown,'' Morvay said. "I knew we had (Saxon), all I needed was a good feed from the pitcher. It saved the game.''
It highlighted a solid day by former Shore Conference athletes, as Nunes scored a run, Rutgers-Newark's Brian Gill (Wall) had an RBI single, Princeton's Derek Beckman (Wall) made a diving catch in center field while also singling and scoring a run, Marist's Travis Musolf (Manchester) singled, and The College of New Jersey's Nick Amabile (Holmdel), Caldwell College's Mark Wettengel (Manchester) and Seton Hall's Scott Fisher (Toms River East) each pitched scoreless innings.
There was also a workout for big-league scouts preceding the game in which the players' speed, throwing arms, hitting ability, etc., were all measured. That's a nice perk to have a shot to get on a major league team's radar, especially for those heading into their senior years.
"I'm going to try (and play at the next level), and if I don't get drafted, I'm going to try out, try out and see what happens,'' Morvay said.
"It's not really nerve-wracking,'' Sloboda said. "You just try to do your best and open some eyes.''
Most of the players in the league are from Division II and III programs, while the players from the high-level Division I programs are usually freshmen and sophomores who are not ready for the loaded talent of the marquee summer league in the country, the Cape Cod League. The ABCCL also allows former Shore Conference players to come back home for the summer without having to most likely travel to New England or to the South to play in a competitive league.
Koehler said that the ABCCL will be very active at the annual convention of Division I-A coaches to convince more high-level programs to send their players as the eight-team league continues to grow.
"We're really trying to put the pedal to the metal on that to increase the level of play and increase the profile of the organization,'' she said.
She added that an award-winning documentarian is hopefully going to be following the league next summer for a movie.
The ABCCL has had numerous players drafted in the later rounds of the MLB draft and signed as free agents by affiliated and independent minor-league teams, so the scouts are watching. However, for one day, the main objective was the same as at any T-ball game.
"It's just a fun day,'' Nunes said. "It's a great field, with a bunch of talent.''
E-mail: stump@digitalsports.com
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