By Joshua Koch
Holyoke Blue Sox Media Director

Following a season where the Blue Sox,  instead of battling for a playoff spot but rather trying not to finish in dead last in the Western Division, the expectations were high entering this summer.
For Holyoke a lot of changes occured within the organization since last season including the hiring of a new General Manager in Kirk Fredrikson, who has been in the league for now 15 years.
Fredrikson did not waste his time in assembling a team with players of high talent caliber and high character – the two keys to a successful season usually.
With players from across the country from USC, Stanford to Kennesaw State and even all the way up in Buffalo the team came together and bonded quickly in the few days allowed before the beginning of the season on June 8 at Mackenzie Stadium.
The Blue Sox started clicking almost immediately on the field as the squad started the season 6-1, and in first place of the Western Division, where the team would find itself the majority of the season.
Holyoke would finish the month of June with a mark of 9-3, the reason for the lack of games played was thanks to Mother Nature as the entire New England Collegiate Baseball League was affected.
With so many rain outs the month of July would prove to be challenging for even some of the best built teams in the NECBL.
The Blue Sox would be faced with four doubleheaders in the month, and three of those came in the span of five days. In all of the doubleheaders Holyoke finished 5-3 essentially splitting all of them except the set against the Mystic Schooners, which was a clean sweep.
Entering the All-Star break the Blue Sox were sitting just a half game out of first place behind the Keene Swamp Bats, who would eventually win the NECBL Championship in August.
Holyoke sent not one, two but seven players to the All-Star Game at Fraser Field in Lynn, Massachusetts.
After the All-Star game in which the East won 3-1, it was back to business for the Blue Sox as they looked to clinch their first regular season Western Division Pennant.
On the final day of the season it looked as though they had it, but because of a previous rainout the Swamp Bats had one more game left on their schedule while other teams were finished.
The Swamp Bats would win that final game which put them in a virtual tie for first place in the Western Division with the Blue Sox, but because Keene had taken the season series 4-2 against Holyoke the Swamp Bats took home the regular season pennant.
Entering the playoffs the Blue Sox were having their best season in franchise history and it continued in the playoffs as Holyoke swept Vermont right out of the way en route to its first Western Division Championship Series appearence.
The Blue Sox took the first game in extra innings at Alumni Field taking a 1-0 advantage in the three-game set, but the Swamp Bats would respond with a huge road victory tieing the series 1-1 heading into the final game.
Keene sent their ace to the mound in Jeff Thompson and he delivered in the 4-0 victory sending the Swamp Bats to the Championship series against Laconia and clinching the Western Division Championship at the same time.
For the Blue Sox their season was over, but there was no reason to hang their heads over a season where they had two pitchers finish 5-1 on the season, three players in the top five of offensive categories across the NECBL.
Ben Mount, pitcher out of USC, finished the season 6-1 with a complete game in the playoffs, and Brett Yarusi, pitcher out of Wesleyab College, was one of Holyoke’s best relievers on the season.
Mount is entering his senior campaign following a great season in Holyoke as he struck out 45 batters, which led the Blue Sox pitching staff, and recorded an ERA of only 1.36.
Desmon Paulson was another starting pitcher who was an ace for Holyoke as he finished the season 4-0 striking out 43 and will return to BYU for his junior season.
Yarusi finished the regular season 5-1 with a 1.30 ERA, and struck out 28 batters on the way to a quality season, and another pitcher that was Ryan Harvey out of Seton Hall. Harvey led the Blue Sox with six saves, struck out 29 batters in just 19 innings of work.
On the offensive side of the stat sheet multiple players lit up the scoreboard night in and night out at the stadium.
Trey Mancini a freshman out of Notre Dame University enter the summer coming off a spring where he led the Fighting Irish in multiple offensive categories and came up just short in the race for the Notre Dame Triple Crown.
Mancini would open eyes around the NECBL and would threaten the RBI record as he would come close, but not break it in the end as he finished the regular season with 34 RBIs and would tack on three more in the playoffs.
The Notre Dame product hit seven home runs along with nine doubles and two triples on the season.
Another dangerous hitter was Tom Murphy, who could not have had a better season considering his performance at the Team NECBL vs. Team USA game where he hit a solo home run over the Green Monster at Fenway Park.
Because of his performance there he was signed by Team USA for their series against Japan and after this it seemed as though Murphy came back with a new born fire in his bat. Following his stint with Team USA, Murphy went on a tear where he hit nine home runs in the short time that was left in the season.
Finally Ronnie Freeman another catcher, who came out of Kennesaw State, had himself a great season completing the one-two punch behind the dish along with Murphy.
Freeman led the team in batting average and doubles with a .373 batting average 12 doubles. The Kennesaw State product also raked in 25 RBIs and drew 17 walks as well.
With all of the great things that happened with the Blue Sox this season the players made everything, and helped the franchise reach new heights that were only a dream at one point but became a reality this summer.