NEWTON, Mass. (2/28/14) - The Lasell College baseball team was selected fourth in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) pre-season coaches poll.
The Lasers are coming off an 18-14 (10-4 GNAC) season, having lost to Saint Joseph's College of Maine in the GNAC semi-finals.
The squad will feature a mixture of veterans and incoming players. In addition, the baseball team welcomes two new members to the coaching staff.
Mike Smith, a University of Richmond alumni, enters the Lasell baseball program after competing professionally for 14 years. Following his stint in Richmond, Smith was signed by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 5th round of the 2000 amateur draft. He made his Major League debut on April 26th, 2002 and went on to play in Major League games for the Blue Jays and the Minnesota Twins.
Billy Uberti returns to his Alma Mater as an assistant coach after being a key member of the Lasell baseball team for four years. Uberti wrapped up his senior year with 33 hits, 23 runs, and 15 RBI's before graduating in May 2014. Follwing graduation, the Newton, Mass. native played for the Breakthrough Bandits out of Cairns, who are the minor league affiliates of the Brisbane Bandits of the Australian Baseball League. Uberti was awarded the opportunity to play overseas after excelling in his summer baseball league, winning the batting title and a gold glove.
The Lasers will open their 2015 season on Sunday, March 1 with a doubleheader against MCLA at the New England Baseball Complex in Northborough, Mass.
2015 GNAC Baseball Preseason Coaches Poll
1. Saint Joseph's (Maine) (6) - 61
2. Suffolk (1) - 54
3. Johnson & Wales (1) - 53
4. Lasell - 35
5. Norwich - 28
6. Albertus Magnus - 27
7. Anna Maria - 17
8. Rivier - 13