Eight Newport Gulls Named to NECBL Eastern Division All-Star team

Eight Newport Gulls were named to the 2012 NECBL Eastern Division All-Star team. Newport has five starters on the Eastern Division roster including catcher Jeff Melillo, second baseman Conor Keniry, outfielders Yale Rosen and Kasey Coffman and starting pitcher Daniel Wright. First baseman Brett Winger and relief pitchers Peter Kelich and Mitch Horacek were named to the team as reserves.

The 2012 NECBL All-Star game, the 19th in league history, will take place at Recreation Field in Montpelier, Vermont on July 22. First pitch is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.

The Newport Gulls are 24-7 overall this season, and have a one-game edge over the Keene Swamp Bats (23-7) for the best record in the NECBL. The Gulls have a four and a half game lead over the New Bedford Bay Sox for first place in the Eastern Division. Newport is 13-2 at home and 11-5 on the road this season.

Newport leads the NECBL in batting average (.317), runs (277), hits (348) doubles (82), total bases (577) and walks (180), on base percentage (.430), slugging percentage (.526) and are third in home runs with 47 as a team this season. The Gulls boast the leagues second-best ERA (4.35) and are third in strikeouts as a team with 274 this season. 

Daniel Wright, a junior right-hander from Arkansas State, back for his second season with the Gulls, will be the Eastern Division’s starting pitcher. He is 5-0 with a 3.86 ERA in six starts this season. Wright has allowed just 17 runs, all earned, on 39 hits with nine walks and 34 strikeouts in 39.2 innings this season. Wright has one complete game shutout this season, a seven-inning effort against the Mystic Schooners on July 3.

Jeff Melillo, back for his second season with Newport after a breakout junior campaign at Rutgers, is batting .390 (30-for-77) with 27 runs scored, 10 doubles, five home runs, 25 RBI and one stolen bases in 21 games this season. Melillo has committed just one error behind the plate all summer. Melillo is the league-leader in on base percentage (.544), third in the league in walks (22) and slugging percentage (.714) and fourth in the league in batting average this season.

Conor Keniry, the Gulls everyday second baseman is batting .333 (37-for-111) with 29 runs scored eight doubles, one triple, one home run, 15 RBI and two stolen bases in 28 games this season. Keniry back for his second stint with Newport coming off a solid sophomore campaign at Wake Forest, is tied for fourth in the NECBL in walks with 21 on the season.

Yale Rosen, who is on pace to re-write the franchise record book, is batting .339 (38-for-112) with 34 runs scored, 10 doubles, 12 homer runs and 36 RBI and one stolen base in 28 games. Rosen is the NECLB league-leader in RBI with 36, second in home runs (12), runs scored (34), total bases (84), extra-base hits (22) and slugging percentage (.750). Rosen, a dynamic freshman from Washington State, broke the Newport Gulls single-season home run record with his 12th blast of the season on the road at Keene earlier this week. 

Kasey Coffman, the Gulls leadoff man this season, is fifth in the league in on base percentage, batting .343 (35-for-102) with 26 runs scored, seven doubles, five home runs, 28 RBI and four stolen bases in 24 games. Coffman, a sophomore at Arizona State, has not committed an error all season.

Brett Winger, a junior at Michigan, has split time at first base and designated hitter this summer, is batting .337 (33-for-98) with 21 runs scored, five doubles, three home runs and 23 RBI in 26 games this summer. Winger will be a reserve on the Eastern Division All-Star team.

Peter Kelich, a junior right-hander from in-state Bryant University, has been electric out of the bullpen all season and made the shift to the Gulls starting rotation earlier this week. Kelich is 2-1 with the sixth-best ERA (2.54) in the NECBL in 10 appearances (two starts) this season. Kelich, who also has a team-leading four saves, has allowed just 12 runs, nine earned, on 28 hits with nine walks and team-high 40 strikeouts in 32.1 innings of work this summer. Kelich will be a reserve on the Eastern Division All-Star team.  

Mitch Horacek, a sophomore left-hander from Dartmouth, is 4-1 with a 3.68 ERA in eight appearances, three starts this season. The southpaw has allowed just 14 runs, 12 earned, on 28 hits with four walks and 30 strikeouts in 29.1 innings this season. Horacek, who also has one save, will be a reserve on the Eastern Division All-Star team.