2017 has been a year to remember for two Long Island natives, Bryan Kaufman and Nick Herzog, while playing for UMASS-Boston. They put together a great season (38-12 overall record) that culminated in an appearance in the Div-III College World Series in Appleton, WI.
They were able to win one game in the CWS, but ultimately had their dreams cut short by North Central College, 5-4.
Kaufman, a senior pitcher from Farmingdale HS, had a stellar season. He compiled an ERA of 1.03 over 61.1 IP with an unblemished record of 3-0 with five saves. Herzog, a junior from Riverhead HS, compiled a slash line of .291/.385/.370 over 189 AB with 40 RBI.
The duo spoke to Vinny Messana and here’s what they had to say…
Vinny: Can you describe the 2017 season which culminated in an appearance in the College World Series?
Nick: The season was unbelievable. Coming into the 2017 season, we returned most of our roster and after having a sour exit from the regions in 2016, the team was focused from the get-go. It all starts in the weight room in the fall and winter before the season starts, getting us prepared physically for the season. Our strength coach, Geoff Ebbs, does a great job at making sure we get strong during the off-season and stay healthy during the process. Our season started off pretty average. Playing inconsistent baseball, not hitting with runners in scoring position and making too many errors. As the season went on, however, we started to clean up the defense and the hitting heated up. Through out the whole year, the pitching has carried us so it was nice when the hitting came around to take pressure off the pitching staff. The attitude of the team when we were in the regionals was much more focused than the attitude we had in the 2016 regionals. I feel like in 2016 we were just happy to be there, but this year we were expecting to win it. Coach Eygabroat does a great job at letting us play loose and aggressive, but smart at the same time, and I think that is a big part of our success. Playing in the College World Series was a surreal experience. From the beginning of the season, it is every team’s goal to make it there, and we were fortunate enough to be one of the eight teams that make it.
Bryan: Last season was a crazy one. We started off a little slower than we wanted too when we were down in Florida. We had some injuries affect us but that didn’t slow us down or distract us. We ended up having a historic year, which included a Conference Championship, Regional Championship and an appearance in the CWS. We played hard every single game and practiced even harder, we knew the talent we had and what we were capable of. There were multiple games where we went down early but battled our way back to come out on top. Everyone knew their role and what they had to do. A few sayings that get thrown around are, “do your job” and “keep the line moving” and we played with that in mind. No one tried doing too much or more than they were capable of. Everyone on that roster had a special role which all contributed to the success we had as a team.
Vinny: Why did you decide to attend UMASS-Boston from Long Island?
Bryan: One of the main reasons I decided to come to UMass Boston all the way from Long Island was because of the location of the school. We are located right on the Boston Harbor in South Boston, making it very easy to get into the city. On top of that, the school offered a great opportunity for me to study what I wanted. The biggest reason though, was the field I was promised to play on. With construction beginning towards the end of my freshman year, Monan Park is now one of the nicest fields to play on in NE. A brand new, all turf field with the exact dimensions as Fenway Park was what sold me the most.
Nick: Going into my senior year of HS at Riverhead, I was still unsure whether or not I wanted to play college baseball. Once I eventually made the decision that I was going to play college baseball, one of the biggest things for me was that I knew I wanted to go away to college and the Boston area has always been a place that I wanted to go to. So I started looking up colleges in the Boston area and when I found UMASS Boston and saw that its campus was within a couple miles of the city, I looked more into the school. What ultimately sealed the deal for me was not only the coaching staff, but the new field being built that it is a turf replica of Fenway Park. The field is unbelievable to play on an the turf gives us an advantage over other teams being that we can usually always practice outdoors unless it’s too cold.
Vinny: The 2017 season was an especially cold spring for the northeast. How did you guys manage to play so well in such an incredibly rough stretch of weather?
Nick: I think we did so well in the cold weather because we practice in it so much before the season, so when it is game time, we already have experience playing in that weather. I don’t think anyone gets used to the cold, it is always uncomfortable, having to constantly try and keep your hands and legs warm, however, with practicing outside for about a month before our first game the cold comes as no surprise to us, we know what to expect. Whereas other teams that we play do not have a turf facility, they might not be able to get outside and practice as much as we do.
Bryan: Playing baseball in the beginning of the spring in NE is definitely something we don’t look forward too. Between the cold temperatures and the constant wind coming off the water, it definitely makes the game a little more interesting. We pretty much just have to accept the fact that it’s freezing and to keep playing the game. Being so cold, the game tends to change a little. The offense has a more “small ball” approach since the ball doesn’t carry as much. We’re all bundled up in the dugout and bullpen, but once you’re moving around it makes it better. Complaining about it isn’t going to make it warmer, so we pretty much just accept it and go out and play.
Vinny: Do you feel baseball in the northeast has gotten underappreciated historically?
Bryan: I’d say yes, considering most of the powerhouse teams are typically from down South or out West, with the exception of the Jersey schools and the upstate NY schools. But as of late, the NE region has begun producing more and more winning teams. Our conference alone has teams bouncing around the top 25, such as Southern Maine and Eastern Connecticut State. Outside of the LEC, other conferences see teams having top 25 rankings as well. The competition up here is considered one of the best in D3 baseball and with two Massachusetts teams (us and Wheaton College) making the CWS, I think there will be even more attention being directed to NE baseball this upcoming season.
Nick: I don’t think baseball in the northeast has gotten underappreciated, I just think that it has gotten overlooked. There are many good teams up in the northeast, however, teams in the south have an advantage over the northern teams because they are able to practice outside all year long in warm weather. It hasn’t been terrible the last two years, but sometimes if there’s a cold front, we may not be allowed to practice outside for a couple days, or if there’s snow on the ground it takes the facilities crew about a day to remove it all from the field. The reason I feel northern teams get overlooked is because the southern teams are able to start earlier and get off to better starts. For many northeast teams, their first time outside could be their first game in Florida.
Vinny: Who are some athletes you look up to?
Bryan: There are a few athletes I look up to. One being Bryce Harper just because of the intensity and emotion he brings to the field. My favorite MLB player has to be Stroman though. He pitches with his emotions on his sleeve and watching him pitch is awesome. He works hard and it shows through the success he’s been having. He brings a ton of energy and style to the mound, which makes him so easy to like. Plus, him being from the Island just makes it that much easier to pull for him.
Nick: Andrew Benintendi and Tom Brady.
Complacency is something that has been the worst enemy for baseball teams coming off a great season. For example, I was at Farmingdale in 2010 after their World Series appearance and that is something we may have been guilty of. How do you think you can avoid that?
Bryan: It’s definitely going to be tough considering we lost some very important seniors from last year. With that being said, we also have a ton of returners who’ve had CWS experience. So when it comes to that, I think we’ll be just fine. We also have a very talented freshman and transfer group and they’re definitely going to be huge for us. The main thing we have to remember is that no one cares what we did last year. Last year is over. After having a year like that, every team we play is going to come at us with their absolute best. We just have to play the style of baseball we know and control what we can. It’s good to be confident, but we have to make sure we don’t cross the line towards cocky. But like I said, if we work hard in the off-season, play our game and do the right thing, I find it hard to believe we won’t have another very successful year.
Nick:I think the best way to avoid complacency is to forget about last season. This year we have a new team, new focus and different things we have to work on. In college, where there are incoming players and players lost due to graduating every year, every team is going to be different than they were last year, including us. We need to just continue to work hard and compete every day, and have the mindset that we need to get better everyday. Being named a captain this year, along with Bryan Kaufman, it is our job along with Dave Murphy to make sure the team stays focused on getting better everyday, and if we can do that, I think we will be happy with where we are when the season ends.
