Collegiate baseball: Watertown Rapids trend local as season gets started tonight

Jun. 2—WATERTOWN — During the Watertown Rapids' second day of practice Wednesday, new coach Mike Kogut took a moment to take in the atmosphere at the Alex T. Duffy Fairgrounds.

Heading into his first season of coaching a collegiate summer league team, Kogut sure likes what sees in the team already.

Kogut sees a balanced team, which includes plenty of local flavor from the coaching staff to the players.

"We had a great practice (Tuesday), got a lot of work in for our hitters, pitchers and did some defensive stuff," said Kogut as a light rain fell on the field. "We had the guys kind of come out and have some fun with each other for the first time. I think we've got a solid ball club, so we're excited for (today)."

The Rapids will open their Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League season when they host the Adirondack Trail Blazers at 6:30 p.m. today at the Fairgrounds.

"We've got a good mix, we've got some power guys, some speed guys, lefties and righties, both offensively and defensively," said Kogut, also Beaver River's baseball coach, a position that has allowed him to recruit local talent for the Rapids. "So I think we'll be able to put a competitive lineup together and hopefully have some fun this summer."

Watertown's 48-game regular season, which includes 24 home games against league opponents, stretches into the last week of July.

"The field's beautiful," Kogut said of the Fairgrounds. "The organization's done a good job, our sponsors have been amazing to get us up to par for the year. We've got a brand new tarp, so hopefully on the rainy days we'll be good to go."

Kogut took on a new challenge when he was hired by the Rapids in December, but has hit the ground running.

The team coaching staff, which also includes assistants Dan Myers, a former Lowville coach, and current Watertown High School coach Riley Moonan, have helped Kogut build a Rapids team that includes north country talent, as the team sports seven players from the area, as well as two more from the Central New York area.

"It will be good to have some experience coming in, guys who have been in leagues before, guys coming from different teams who have played in collegiate summer leagues before," Kogut said. "I think that's what gives us a great mix, we've also got a good mix of kids coming from different backgrounds, different types of schools and places. I think with the variety it will be good for them to mesh with each other, not only from a baseball aspect, but from a leadership aspect."

Pitchers Ryan Peters, Owen Parliament and infielder Brett Myers, who all played for the Rapids last season, are back with the team for this summer.

"It's so much fun to be here, it's very exciting," said Peters, who pitched for SUNY Brockport this spring after transferring from Herkimer College.

"It's great, we've got a great environment coming back, we've got a new coaching staff," said Brett Myers, who played this past season at SUNY Oswego after transferring from Gardner-Webb in North Carolina. "We're making a lot of upgrades, which is nice."

Among its local contingent, this year's Rapids' team will also include Wyatt Parliament, who just finished his freshman season at Rutgers, as well as fellow pitchers Jonah Shearer from Beaver River, and Lyme's Derrike Goutremout and Mike Flyzik.

"It's nice to see that there's more local guys out here, because this is a Watertown team," Peters said. "It's good to have guys from the area, but I also love seeing guys from across the country play for us. I think it's a good mix."

Shearer wrapped up his scholastic career as Beaver River reached the quarterfinals of the Section 3 Class C tournament a year after guiding the Beavers to a sectional Class C2 championship.

Goutremout, who is a cousin of Peters, and Flyzik just concluded their high school season as Lyme reached the Section 3 Class D semifinals.

"Derrike is my neighbor, he lives on the same road as me, so it's about a couple mile drive from my house to his, we both live in Chaumont," Peters said. "So it's nice having a throwing partner right down the road, and I went to Watertown because my parents both teach there. So they (Goutremout and Flyzik) are both very good."

"We've got a good core of local players, especially in our arms department here," Kogut said. "Which will be great, for them to get to come back home and share their talents with the local fans as well as continuing to develop and go on to their programs next fall and next spring, so we can send them back ready to produce when they get there."

Both Parliaments grew up in LaFargeville and Owen Parliament is still with Binghamton University, which won the America East Tournament to qualify for the NCAA Tournament, while Wyatt Parliament will join the Rapids in the coming week, according to Kogut.

"Obviously the brothers are very talented, they've had successful high school careers and are off to successful collegiate careers," Kogut said. "So it will be nice to have them with us and we're excited to see them play, for sure."

Kogut also recruited brothers Connor and Aidan Maxwell, both from SUNY Cobleskill, who played their high school ball at West Canada Valley.

In fact, Aidan Maxwell was outdueled on the mound by Shearer in last year's sectional final won by Beaver River.

Rapids general manager Nick Czerow has stressed the importance of pitching depth all through the offseason, something Kogut has taken to heart.

"Obviously we're playing so many games in two months that our pitchers are going to have to take care of themselves and be ready to go," Kogut said. "Having pitching depth is really the key to the whole thing when you're playing this many games in such a short time frame."

While Kogut plans to coach the team's pitchers and catchers, both Myers and Moonan will take on the responsibility of hitting instruction, as well as coaching the infielders and outfielders, respectively.

"Absolutely, coach Myers, he's got over 20 years experience and played collegiately and also has worked with collegiate athletes," Kogut said. "And obviously coach Moonan is a great addition for us and was an All-Star in this league for Adirondack, so it will be great having those guys to work with."

The Rapids are one of 16 teams in the league, with Watertown competing in the eight-team East Division, which also includes Albany, Amsterdam, Adirondack, Glens Falls, Saugerties, Mohawk Valley and Oneonta.

Last year, Watertown finished in last place in the PGCBL's Central Division, recording a 13-29 record.

"We're definitely trying to take a different step and bring a different type of excitement and celebrate kind of the baseball in our area that does exist," Kogut said. "And to motivate the youth in our area that they someday can be here, and get them working hard and that's part of the vision that the entire organization has in going local with coaches and players."

The Rapids will turn to Adam Drewry, a pitcher out of Maryville University in Missouri, as their opening-night starter on the mound.

"We've got some good players from all over the country," Kogut said. "We've got guys from New Jersey, Texas, Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, Virginia, Pennsylvania and Missouri, so it's not just about our local guys."

"We have some excellent young talent assembled here," Rapids co-owner Mike Schell said. "We're really excited."

It's already been a whirlwind of a week for Kogut, who is keeping busy in making the quick transition of coaching in the high school season to a summer collegiate campaign.

"It's been pretty crazy," Kogut said. "We finished up at Beaver River, we had another successful season, so we got done on Thursday night and Friday morning I was at the Fairgrounds getting to work for the Rapids. There hasn't been much rest in between, but I'm really excited and grateful for the opportunity the Rapids have given me."