Baseball
America tabs Five Silkworm Alumni as Pre-Season All
Conference
By Don
Leypoldt
2/22/08- Right handed pitchers Zach Groh (Binghamton/America
East), Matt Nevins (Manhattan/MAAC) and Rob Hallberg
(Brown/Ivy League), catcher Ryan Lavarnway (Yale/Ivy League)
and infielder Kyle Higgins (Monmouth/Northeast) were all
recently named to their respective pre-season all-conference
teams by Baseball America. Lavarnway was further tabbed as
the Ivy League preseason Player of the Year.
Groh compiled a 7-1 record with a 3.28 ERA for Binghamton in
2007. He struck out 86 batters in 71 innings. Groh earned
national headlines as a sophomore in 2006, when he finished
11th in Division I in ERA. During his 11 starts, Groh’s ERA
was a puny 1.85. The 2006 Silkworm had a 4.20 ERA in six
starts for Manchester. Groh fanned almost a batter per
inning (29 strikeouts in 30 innings pitched) during his
summer in Silk City.
Groh’s Manchester teammate, Matt Nevins, posted a 2.38 ERA
in twelve appearances for the 2006 Silkworms. The versatile
righty made four starts and pitched in relief eight times.
As a Manhattan Jasper, Nevins redshirted in 2007 but twirled
impressively in 2006. His 21 appearances and 2 saves led the
team; his 3.44 ERA was third best on the Jaspers. Nevins
surrendered just two home runs in 55 innings of work in
2006.
Hallberg, whose brother Bryan was a Silkworm pitcher in
2005, closed for the Ivy League champion Brown Bears last
season. He was 2-0 with 3 saves and 30 strikeouts in 22.1
innings pitched. His 22 appearances by far led the team. As
a Silkworm in 2007, Hallberg closed out the NECBL All-Star
game for the South Division. It was a continuation of
bullpen dominance that lasted all summer. Hallberg had 12
saves, a microscopic 1.05 ERA and struck out 41 in just 25.2
innings for Manchester.
Catcher Ryan Lavarnway is coming off one of the greatest
seasons in Ivy League history. His 2007 campaign, where he
hit .467, slammed 14 homers and drove in 55 runs, re-wrote
Yale’s record books. All three statistics are Yale single
season records- his batting average and .873 slugging
percentage led all of Division I. Lavarnway’s torrid spring
carried into Manchester. The 2007 Silkworm started the
All-Star game, earned NECBL Player of the Week honors in
early June, and led Manchester with a .313 batting average,
.462 on base percentage and .478 slugging percentage.
Lavarnway is on the watch list for the Brooks Wallace
National Player of the Year Award; he was a semi-finalist
for the award last year.
Lavarnway’s Manchester teammate, shortstop Kyle Higgins,
started all but one game for the 2007 Silkworms. Higgins
tied for the Silkworm lead in steals (11) and runs scored
(23). His 16 RBI was third best on the squad. At Monmouth
during the 2007 regular season, Higgins hit .344, stole 9
bases, was second on the team with 38 RBI and helped lead
the Hawks to an NEC championship.
The Silkworms congratulate their five alumni on these
accomplishments and wish them continued success in the 2008
baseball season.
For more information on Zach, Matt, Rob, Ryan, please
contact GM Ed Slegeski (SilkwormsGM@aol.com) or Don Leypoldt.
The Silkworms are a proud member of the NECBL; over 30
former Silkworms have been drafted by Major League Baseball.
