Tucker Healy - Ithaca College Senior

On Sunday, May 6th, nearly 100 people gathered in the Morrison Athletic Center at Noble and Greenough School.  The occasion was the annual Organizational Meeting for the high school players in the Ruffnecks College Development program.  The rosters for the 15U through 18U teams feature close to 60 players from Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Hampshire, and Vermont.  Dozens of communities and high school programs are represented in the Ruffnecks program.  It is our privilege to assemble so many talented and focused players.  The meeting outlined the details of the summer travel schedule, which features more than 40 tournaments in 15 different states for Ruffnecks teams.  All of the College Development teams from 15U to 18U will spend up to a month on the road in a challenging schedule during which the teams will compete at places such as Auburn University, Richmond University, the University of South Carolina, and numerous college venues in the Northeast, including Bryant University, Harvard, Northeasterm, Tufts, Babson, Brandeis, among others.  Even the 14U Ruffnecks will be playing an intensive travel schedule that features a 14 day stretch in which the team could play up to 20 games.

Alumni Prosper in College; Prepare for the Draft

Nearly 50 Ruffnecks alumni are currently competing in College Baseball.  Several of them eagerly await the MLB June Amateur Draft. Even a few high school Ruffnecks may get a call from a Major League organization.  Among the college players most likely to get a call are Tucker Healy (D-3 Ithaca College), Sean Reilly (D-2 Rollins College), and Chris Munnelly (D-1 University of North Carolina).  There will undoubtedly be a few surprises as well.  Lawrence Academy senior Max Tishman is also attracting attention.  In addition to being draft-eligible, he is college bound for Wake Forest University.  There are four Ruffnecks currently playing professional baseball: Ryan Westmoreland (Red Sox); Nelfi Zapata (NY Mets); John Pedrotty (Diamondbacks); Jordan Cote (NY Yankees).  Just as important, many of our Ruffnecks alums will be graduating from college having had the benefit of a good education and the opportunity to play college baseball.  We wish all the best of luck.  We appreciate the trail they have blazed for our current players.

Jack Kingman Slides

The Ruffnecks are a development program, first and foremost.  The April-May portion of the season for the 13U and 14U Ruffnecks provides the perfect opportunity for developing deep rosters.  Understandably, some folks recoil from teams or programs that field 15 or more players on a roster of 13 and 14 year old teams (our 14U Ruffnecks have an 18-man roster).  Properly managed and coached, the larger rosters work to develop players effectively.  Both the 13U & 14U Ruffnecks have three to four coaches working with the teams during April and May.  Pitching is a particular focus, as the Ruffnecks have added former college and professional pitcher Jason Kosow to the coaching staff.  Coach Kosow is working with the 13U pitchers to build endurance and command as they deal with the transition to the big diamond.  The 13U Ruffnecks are off to a good start with their 15 man roster, and each player has shown significant improvement.  Several injuries, and cautious return-to-playing protocols, have actually benefited players through the distribution of playing time, opportunities at multiple positions, and the development of pitching depth.  The result shows… not in wins and losses, but in the contributions players make.  Ten of the fifteen players have contributed to pitching; three have contributed to the catching corps; virtually all have had opportunities and an impact on the lineup and at other positions on the field.  Roles are evolving, along with the players’ understanding of how to prepare and contribute to the team success.

The 14U Ruffnecks are engaged in a slightly different journey of development.  With an 18 man roster one would expect some frustrations… indeed they exist… but not due to a lack of opportunity.  The 14U Ruffnecks have one third of their roster involved with high school baseball during April and May.  This creates fantastic development opportunities for the remaining players, mostly 8th graders.  As with the 13U roster, several players are not at full strength, and our approach is deliberate and cautious.  Again, the end result should be greater depth.  Obviously, when school is out, and assuming all 18 players are healthy, roles will be better defined and some players may experience less playing time than in April and May.  However, our goal is to have our players prepared for an intensive summer schedule.  The 14U Ruffnecks have one stretch during which they play for 14 consecutive days.  They have another stretch during which they could play up to 15 games in 10 days.  This demands depth, roles, and a team of players who buy into development.  There are times when all players need a rest.  These kids love to play baseball.  As Ruffnecks players grow in the program their roles for high school contributions will emerge with greater clarity.  Self-awareness of particular strengths and abilities relative to prospective collegiate careers will also evolve as they matriculate to the high school level College Development Ruffnecks teams from 15U to 18U.  These squads all are characterized by large rosters of between 18 and 20 players.  We give Ruffnecks players a lot of baseball, but we also give a lot of thought to the baseball we give them.