There’s a familiar face in a new place at the helm of the Massachusetts Maritime baseball program heading into the 2016 season, as longtime assistant coach and Hall of Famer Mike Kelley is set to begin his inaugural campaign as the Buccaneers’ mentor this spring.  But as some things change, they also remain the same, as Kelley welcomes back 18 veterans, six starting position players and a talented pitching corps looking to claim the squad’s second straight Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference title.

Kelley, who took the head coaching reins last June after the legendary Bob Corradi retired after 43 glorious seasons, brings impeccable credentials to the position after a standout playing career and an 11-year stint as an assistant.  One of those credentials is outstanding leadership, something that he will look to seniors Kyle Kennedy (Woodbury, Conn./Nonnewaug), Kevin Kwedor (Marshfield, Mass./Marshfield), Alex Rozak (Plymouth, Mass./Plymouth North) and Everett Walsh (Marstons Mills, Mass./Barnstable) to provide in their role as team captains.

“Kyle, Kevin, Alex and Everett have not only set high expectations for themselves, they have met and exceeded them, and that example is the same one they will set for their teammates,” Kelley, who helped guide Massachusetts Maritime to 17 overall victories, its first MASCAC crown in 33 years and a berth in the ECAC New England semifinals in 2015, says of his captains.  “They have played a large part in the success that our program has had over the past three seasons, but they also know that there are many more goals we want to accomplish, and I have full confidence that they will help us achieve them.”

Here’s a look at how things are shaping up for the 2016 edition of Buccaneer Baseball:

INFIELD.  Senior Greg Downs (Marshfield, Mass./Marshfield) returns at first base after earning all-MASCAC accolades a year ago, as he batted .295 in 29 contests with eight doubles, a triple, two homers and 15 RBI.  Junior Jake Petruzzelli (Abington, Mass./South Shore Voke) is back at second after collecting 10 hits and nine RBI in 24 starts last spring, while sophomore Nathan Anderson (East Longmeadow, Mass./East Longmeadow) looks to take over at third base after gaining valuable experience for Massachusetts Maritime as a rookie.

Filling the vacancy at shortstop created by the graduation of three-time all-conference performer Bobby Rosano is the pressing need for Kelley in the infield, as junior Tommy Walls (Hawthorne, N.J./Hawthorne) and sophomore Casey Furnas (Boca Raton, Fla./Olympic Heights) will compete for that role.  Walls rapped out three hits in eight starts (12 total appearances) as a sophomore last season, while Furnas served in a back-up role during his inaugural collegiate campaign in 2015.

Sophomore Cobie Gerbis (Holmes Beach, Fla./Tampa Catholic) and freshman Justin Pickering (Uxbridge, Mass./Uxbridge) will be vying for time at first base for the Buccaneers, as Gerbis rapped out a pair of doubles in nine contests last spring.  Freshman Oliver Moore (Mint Hill, N.C./Independence) seeks time at the middle sack for Kelley as a newcomer, while fellow freshmen Riley Fusaro (Nantucket, Mass./Nantucket) and Daniel O’Kane (Pocasset, Mass./Bourne) will look to impact as rookies in 2016.

OUTFIELD.  Walsh leads a trio of veterans that return to their starting outfield spots for Massachusetts Maritime, as he batted .306 with 26 hits that included a double, triple and nine RBI in right field.  Sophomores Connor Kennedy (West Barnstable, Mass./Pope John Paul II) and William Keane (Braintree, Mass./Braintree) are back in left and center field, respectively, after stellar freshman campaigns last spring, as Kennedy batted .300 with 27 hits and 12 RBI in 28 starts while Keane added a .286 batting average with six doubles, seven RBI and six stolen bases in 26 overall appearances (20 starts). 

Junior Aidan Desrosiers (North Attleboro, Mass./Xaverian) lends additional experience in the outfield and the designated hitter spots for Kelley after collecting a pair of two-baggers in 13 games in 2015, while sophomore Drew Tardif (Yarmouth Port, Mass./Dennis-Yarmouth) scored a pair of runs in 16 total appearances during his inaugural collegiate season.  Freshmen Paul Sances (Middleboro, Mass./Middleboro), Robert Dembitzki (North Dartmouth, Mass./Dartmouth) and Kevin Troy (Braintree, Mass./Braintree) will all be vying for roles in the Buccaneer outfield as well this spring.

PITCHER.  Kelley welcomes back one of the most talented and deepest pitching staffs in the region, as Kennedy, Kwedor and Rozak combined for 76 percent of Massachusetts Maritime’s victories last season.  Kwedor posted a 6-3 mark with a 3.69 earned run average in 10 overall appearances (nine starts), as he led the team with 49 strikeouts in 46 1/3 innings pitched en route to earning all-MASCAC accolades, while Rozak chipped in with four wins in six decisions and fanned 18 in 27 innings of action.  Kennedy has collected back-to-back all-conference nods on the mound while earning CoSIDA Academic All-District honors in the classroom, as he served in starting, relief and closing roles for the Buccaneers in 2015 and notched three wins, four saves and a 2.20 ERA in 15 total appearances that included 32 strikeouts in 45 innings of work.

Junior Daniel Avery (Milford, Mass./Milford) rounds out Massachusetts Maritime’s rotation after recording two victories and averaging nearly a strikeout per inning (30 in 31 1/3 frames of work), as he posted a 2.01 ERA and held opponents to a .214 batting average in eight appearances.  Sophomore Justin Nichols (Adams, Mass./Hoosac Valley) could mirror Kennedy’s role on the staff in 2016, as he recorded a 1.32 ERA in five appearances last year that included a complete-game six-hitter in a 9-2 triumph over Wentworth.

Four newcomers provide additional pitching depth for Kelley, as sophomore Trevor Brown (Rehoboth, Mass./Dighton-Rehoboth) gives the skipper another left-handed option after transferring in from Bridgewater State.  Freshmen Travis Zurowski (Brooklyn, Conn./Killingly), Joseph Carter (Mullica Hills, N.J./Gloucester Catholic) and Brian Kwedor (Marshfield, Mass./Marshfield) will also seek to impact the Buccaneer mound fortunes as rookies.

CATCHER.  Sophomore Logan Sullo (Acushnet, Mass./Bishop Stang) returns behind the dish after posting a record-setting campaign that shattered numerous school marks last spring.  Sullo became the first player in Massachusetts Maritime’s storied history to earn the nod as both MASCAC Player and Rookie of the Year in the same season, as he batted .446 with eight doubles, six triples, two homers and 18 RBI in 23 contests.  Logan also recorded a .797 slugging percentage and a .543 on-base percentage to rank among the national leaders in five different categories, as he reached base in 50 of his 92 overall plate appearances in 2015 en route to earning spots on both the NEIBA All-New England and ABCA All-New England Region squads.

Sophomore Nicholas Bergantim (New Bedford, Mass./New Bedford) will look to contribute after gaining experience as a newcomer last year, while freshmen Robert Beane (Hingham, Mass./Hingham) and Brandon Gallahue (Plymouth, Mass./Archbishop Williams) are also vying for spots behind the plate for the Buccaneers this spring.

SCHEDULE.  A challenging 35-game slate awaits Kelley during his first season as Massachusetts Maritime’s mentor, as the Buccaneers will host 17 contests in the confines of Commodore Hendy Field that include MASCAC twinbills with Worcester State, MCLA and Westfield State.  The 2016 non-league schedule features dates with Johnson & Wales, Fisher, WPI, Wentworth, Clark, Thomas, Emerson, Gordon, Becker, Tufts, Newbury, Coast Guard and Suffolk, and Kelley’s crew will also head to Fitchburg State, Salem State, Framingham State and Bridgewater State for conference doubleheaders.

The Mike Kelley era of Massachusetts Maritime baseball begins on Saturday, February 27^th when the Buccaneers take on Immaculata (Pa.) in the first of three non-league outings to be played in Fort Pierce, Fla., with first pitch set for 7:00 p.m. EST.