Testo to coach NECBL West All-Stars

KEENE, NH –  Marty  Testo, Keene State College's associate baseball coach and head coach of the Keene Swamp Bats  will be in the dugout at the  New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL) All-Star Game on Wednesday, July 27 in Lynn, Massachusetts at Fraser Field, home of the North Shore Navigators, with first pitch scheduled for 6:30 pm.

Testo, who will manage the Western Division for the second time in his four-year career in the NECBL, has led the Swamp Bats to a 19-12 overall record this season. To date, Testo’s regular season record over his four-year career currently stands at 90-64 overall which is good enough for a .584 winning percentage.

Right-handed pitcher Jeff Thompson (Greenville, IN/Louisville) will get the start for the Western Division All-Stars. Based upon available data, the last Swamp Bats pitcher to start an All-Star Game was Matt Miller (Cortland St.) in 2003. Thompson, who is tied for the league lead in strikeouts with 41, has compiled a 2.51 earned run average over 28.2 innings of work. The right-hander has also recorded an impressive 4.1/1 strikeout-to-walk ratio (K/BB) and a 1.186 walks plus hits per inning pitched (WHIP) this season.

Fellow Louisville Cardinal teammate Alex Chittenden (Indianapolis, IN) has been tabbed as the starting shortstop for the Western Division All-Stars. On the season, Chittenden is batting .308 (33-for-107) and is tied for the NECBL lead in runs scored with 23 total. The freshman shortstop also has five doubles, one home run, 15 runs batted in and five stolen bases this summer. In the field, Chittenden leads the NECBL in putouts (48) and assists (79) while guiding the Swamp Bats middle infield to a league-best 32 double plays and second-best fielding percentage – one percentage point behind the leader – at .971.

Swamp Bats left fielder Kevin Brown (Northborough, MA/Bryant) rounds out the list of starters for Keene in the NECBL All-Star Game. Brown ranks in the top-five in almost every offensive category in the league ranking second in hits (37), second in runs (21), third in home runs (5) and fifth in RBI’s (20).

Outfielder Brett DeLoach (Blackshear, GA/Georgia), right-handed pitcher Brad Monroe (Hampton, NH/Southern NH) and catcher David Lyon (Emporium, PA/Kent St.) have been tabbed as reserves for the Western All-Stars.

 DeLoach, who was chosen as an All-Star with the coach’s selection by Testo, is batting .302 (29-for-96) on the season with three doubles, one triple and six round-trippers (tied for second in the NECBL). DeLoach has also knocked in 26 runs which is second-best in the league.

In six appearances (five starts), Monroe is 3-2 overall in 26.1 innings pitched this season. The right-hander has compiled a 3.08 ERA and fanned 26 batters with a game-high seven coming against the New Bedford Bay Sox on July 10 in a 4-0 shutout win for Keene.

Lyon has only played in 11 games for Keene this summer splitting time between the Swamp Bats and as an alternate for the Team USA Collegiate National Team. In only a short amount of playing time, Lyon has still posted solid numbers including a .326 batting average (14-for-43), three doubles, one triple, three home runs and 11 RBI’s. Against the Danbury Westerners on June 16, Lyon smashed two home runs and drove in seven runs batted in to lead Keene to a 13-3 victory.

(Courtesy Keene Swamp Bats)