Maine Baseball Adds Casals, Dewaine, Noviello, Pena, Quintal and Ridley
11/18/2014 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
University of Maine baseball coach Steve Trimper announced that his program has received six commitments for the 2016 season. It is a talented class that is expected to make an immediate impact.
Andrew Noviello (Raynham, Mass./Bridgewater Raynham) is a 6'0, 205-pound infielder/pitcher. Danny Casals (Miami, Fla./Christopher Columbus) is a 6-0, 175 pound shortstop. Jeremy Pena (Providence, R.I./Classical) is a 5-11, 165 pound shortstop. Colin Ridley (East Harwich, Mass./Avon Old Farms) is a 6-1, 190-pound outfielder/first baseman. Buddy Dewaine (Uncasville, Conn./Montville High School) is a 6-3, 215-pound third baseman/right handed pitcher. Zach Quintal (Eliot, Maine/Marshwood) is a 5-10, 165-pound infielder.
Noviello, number one ranked player in the state of Massachusetts by Perfect Game, is one of two players from New England that was voted to the Perfect Game Pre-season All-American team. He plays at Bridgewater-Raynham HS, coached by John Kearny, and helped lead them to their first ever Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association Division 1 state championship in 2013. Noviello is expected to be a two-way player at Maine, playing the infield and pitching. "We are counting on Andrew to make an immediate impact for the Black Bears as a two-way player," said Trimper.
Casals is a slick fielding shortstop from Christopher Columbus High School, coached by Joe Weber, in Miami, Fla., which also produced current Black Bears Christian Garabedian and Danny Diaz. He has been selected as 2015 Pre-Season All-American by Perfect Game and is ranked in the Top 500 by Perfect Game. "Danny is going to be an offensive and defensive contributor for our program right away," said Trimper.
Pena, shortstop, is the second ranked player in the state of Rhode Island by Perfect Game and is ranked in the Top 500 in the country also by Perfect Game. Pena is the son of former major leaguer Geronimo Pena, who played for the St. Louis Cardinals and the Cleveland Indians. He attends Classical High School in Providence and played summer ball for the Providence Sports and Leadership AAU team who are coached by Franklin Salcedo, older brother of current Black Bear Jonathan Salcedo. "Jeremy is the best defensive player I have seen in years, we are very excited to welcome him to the Black Bear program" said Trimper.
Ridley is attending Avon Old Farms in Connecticut, coached by Robert Dowling, and previously attended Nauset High School in Eastham, Mass. As a sophomore, he was an Atlantic Coast Conference all-star for Nauset, and was an all-star performer at Avon Old Farms this past spring. He played for Team Cape Cod in the Senior Babe Ruth World Series this past summer and was named to the All World Series team. Ridley also received an invite to the Area Code game tryouts. "Colin will be a strong left handed bat and he will give us versatility in the outfield and first base," said Trimper.
Dewaine is expected to be a two-way player at Maine. He is the fourth ranked player in the state of Connecticut by Perfect Game, a Top 500 player for Perfect Game, and a Connecticut all-star. He was also selected to the Connecticut High School Coaches Association Junior Select game. Dewaine is coached by Phil Orbe at Montville High School. "Buddy is power arm that has a chance to be a legitimate two-way performer for the Black Bears," said Trimper.
Quintal is a native of Eliot, Maine and the fourth ranked player in the state of Maine by Perfect Game. He is an infielder that helped lead Marshwood High School, coached by Eric Fernandez, to the Class A state runner up in 2014. Quintal was invited to the Northeast Underclass Showcase in 2014. He also plays for the South Berwick American Legion program. "Zach brings us high end speed with a Black Bear grit and toughness that will be sure to impact our program," said Trimper.
The eligibility of all student-athletes is contingent upon admission to the University of Maine and compliance with all NCAA rules, including registration with the NCAA Clearinghouse.
