Sentinel & Enterprise: "Former Local Stars Lead Lancers"
By Ross Edwards, Sports Editor
May 19, 2010
Fitchburg, MA --- A quartet of former local stars will suit up today when Worcester State College opens its NCAA Division III baseball tournament run.
The fifth-seeded Lancers (31-9-1) earned an automatic berth to their fifth NCAA tourney by defeating Westfield State College, 3-2, in last week's MASCAC tournament championship game. The Owls were granted an at-large bid to the NCAAs as the No. 6 seed, also in the New England Regional division.
Helping lead the way for Worcester State this season have been seniors Ryan LaPrade and TJ Magnell, both Leominster High School graduates. Also making solid contributions in their freshman seasons are catcher Shawn Trombley, another former Blue Devil, and Gardner High School graduate Shaun Slattery.
"It's definitely more than we can ask for, speaking for a lot of the seniors," LaPrade said about earning a trip to the Division III tournament. "Every year you want to do good, but that last year you really want to go out on top, win your conference and leave that last impression that your senior year you got to do something big."
The second baseman has certainly made his presence felt in his final year with the Lancers, leading the MASCAC with 23 steals on 25 attempts -- Magnell is tied for second in the conference with 13 successful swipes. LaPrade is also batting .292 with 17 RBIs and 31 runs scored.
Defensively, LaPrade joined forces with a familiar face this season when Magnell, who transferred to Worcester State from Bryant before his junior season, moved from third base to shortstop.
The pair have filled out the middle infield on teams in Babe Ruth, high school, American Legion and even as members of the Lunenburg Phillies.
"When he moved to shortstop this year, it was an instant click; right back where he left off," LaPrade said. "We've been doing it together for a long time and to finally come together our senior year through all we've been through together ... it's been really special."
Magnell leads Worcester State in hits (57) and runs (46), batting .368 with four homers and 34 RBIs.
The Lancers have also benefited from a talented group of underclassmen.
Trombley has appeared in 13 games in his freshman season, batting .381 with seven runs and seven RBIs. Slattery, a left-handed hurler, struck out 26 batters in 34 1-3 innings, boasting an impressive 2.88 ERA and a 4-0 record.
"We're definitely playing as a team," LaPrade said. "Personally, I've always been on great teams, not just successful-wise, but just great-chemistry teams. And coming to Worcester State, it was just the same thing. ... You get to know these guys really well just bonding as brothers."
Worcester State opens play in the double-elimination New England Regional tournament today at 10 a.m. in Mansfield, Conn. The winner of the region advances to the Division III World Series in Appleton, Wisc.
The Lancers, victorious in eight of their previous nine games, most recently appeared in the NCAA tournament in 2008, splitting their first two contests before being eliminated by Western New England.
"We all have pretty high hopes to possibly win this whole thing (or at least) to win a few games," LaPrade said. "I'm just saying we're going to go out there and try our hardest, but I think everyone on the team has the mindset that we're going to go try to win this regional tournament and go to Wisconsin."