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| Nick Lorusso unloads for a home run for the Brass City Bombers during the 2020 CCBL championship doubleheader against the Manchester Eagles. Both Lorusso and Charlie Pagliarini, background, were drafted this June. |
Players made most of their chances during COVID season
BY KEVIN ROBERTS
REPUBLICAN-AMERICAN
The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the summers of so many baseball players, but it also brought an incredible collection of them together in the Connecticut Collegiate Baseball League in 2020.
“That summer put the CCBL on the map for future players and college coaches. Commissioner Tim Vincent made the unpopular decision to have a season and was creative in how we were to operate with all the COVID restrictions,” said Scott Ouellette, who was the general manager of the Brass City Bombers in 2020.
Division II and III players stepped onto the field and played alongside Division I players.
There were some who played for Eastern Connecticut State University’s 2022 Division III national championship team, and there were others who suited up for UConn, Central Connecticut State University and the University of Hartford.
The Bombers were the 2020 CCBL champions, and five of their players have been drafted over the past three seasons.
In 2021, Watertown native and shortstop Justin Guerrera (Fairfield University) was selected in the 20th round by the New York Mets with the 592nd pick.
“I started coaching him when he was 15 and playing 19U Legion (for Oakville),” said Ouellette. “He was our best hitter even at that young age. Hard worker, smart and a great kid.”
In 2022, Washington native and pitcher Dominic Perachi (Salve Regina University), who won both games of the CCBL championship against the Manchester Eagles, was selected in the 11th round by the Pittsburgh Pirates with the 320th pick. All Perachi did for that Brass City team was win the first game of the CCBL championship matchup against the Manchester Eagles. He also started and won the second game.
“Here was this skinny lefty going to a D-III school shutting down a Manchester team that featured many UConn, Hartford and CCSU players,” Ouellette said.
Three more 2020 Brass City players were selected last month. Danbury native and catcher Luke Shliger (University of Maryland) was selected in the sixth round by the San Francisco Giants with the 180th pick. Shliger was one of the last players picked up by Ouellette after Shliger’s original summer league canceled their season.
“We had two other talented catchers already, but he had the ability to play some second base and another catcher could play outfield, so he got the opportunity to play for us,” Ouellette said. “He became our No. 1 catcher and leadoff hitter.”
Monroe native and third baseman Nick Lorusso (Maryland) was selected in the ninth round by the New York Mets with the 276th pick. Ouellette’s memories of Lorusso trace back to when he played for Monroe against Oakville in Zone 5 Legion games.
“Probably the best overall player we faced in Zone 5 Legion baseball,” Ouellette said. “He was a very good pitcher back then, and obviously a very good hitter.”
Lorusso was the CCBL Offensive Player of the Year in 2020.
“He was just huge for us in the playoffs and so clutch,” Ouellette said. “He set the tone for us in the championship doubleheader.”
Trumbull native and third baseman Charlie Pagliarini (Fairfield) was selected in the 19th round by the Seattle Mariners with the 577th pick. Offensive records that Guerrera held at Fairfield were later broken by Pagliarini.
“He was an early recruit because I knew he could hit. Luke, Justin, Nick and Charlie were in the top five in the lineup,” Ouellette said. “Charlie was a bit streaky for us, but he just kept getting better and better at FU and ended his career with a monster year that got him drafted in the 19th round.”
In addition to the draft picks, Stamford’s Adam Stone was signed as a free agent by the New York Yankees in 2022. Stone plays for the Single-A Tampa Tarpons. Trumbull’s Jack Lynch plays for the Trenton Thunder along with Guerrera.
Also of note, 2020 Bombers Garrett Coe (Lakeside) and Rob Taylor (Wolcott) earned all-star nods in their respective summer leagues – Coe in Cape Cod as a reliever for the Falmouth Commodores and Taylor in the Futures as an outfielder for the Pittsfield Suns. Like several of his 2020 Bomber teammates, Brookfield’s Billy Oldham used the transfer portal, going from Eastern Connecticut State University to the University of Southern Mississippi. All Oldham did was post an 8-3 record in his first year of Division I baseball.
“The funny thing is that we went into the championship series as the underdog because Manchester had all the D1 guys who most people knew about,” Ouellette said. “We had a bunch of guys from D1, D2 and D3 who knew the CCBL was the best place to play in 2020 and wanted to play against great competition and make themselves better for their college teams. That hard work is now paying off with all these guys getting drafted and earning all-star nominations.”
