News

Hoffman Steps Down as NCHS Varsity Baseball Coach

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Officials said Saturday that the head coach of the New Canaan High School varsity baseball team has stepped down after seven years in the role. Mitch Hoffman will continue to be involved in the Rams’ program as an assistant coach, according to NCHS Athletic Director Jay Egan. “Mitch’s decision to step down is based on increasing demands on his time from his business and young family,” Egan said in a letter to baseball families. Geoff Lambert, a 28-year veteran of the New Canaan Police Department who since last fall has served as the NCHS school resource officer, will step into the role, Egan said. “Geoff is an excellent baseball technician and has broad coaching experience both at the high school and travel team level,” Egan said in his letter.

Around Town

MLB’s Curt Casali to Host New Canaan Baseball Clinic

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Most New Canaan youth baseball players have dreams of one day playing in the Major Leagues. This upcoming Monday, those kids will have a chance to get up close and personal with a real-life major leaguer who—not too long ago—started his career on the very same fields they’re playing on today. Tampa Bay Rays catcher Curt Casali will return to New Canaan High School to headline a youth pitching/catching clinic on Monday, December 26th, from 12 to 2pm. Casali, a 2007 NCHS graduate, will be joined by current high school players as well as a veritable who’s-who of Rams baseball alumni, all of whom took their talents to the next level—collegiate baseball. This group includes Casey Ouellette (University of Bridgeport), David Giusti (Lafayette), Dan Rajkowski (UCONN), Zack Smith (Salve Regina), J.R. Anderson (Amherst) and Matt Toth (Trinity).

News

NC Baseball Falls To New Fairfield, 6-0, in Possible Season Finale

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After a convincing 7-1 victory Wednesday at Greenwich, ranked second in the FCIAC, the New Canaan Rams took to the field at Mead Park on Thursday afternoon needing a win over New Fairfield to clinch a spot in this year’s CIAC Class L Tournament field. It would not come. Though the Rams (7-13, 6-10 FCIAC) had one of their more reliable arms starting on the mound in Zach Lopez, who just last Wednesday notched a complete game victory, two three-run innings from New Fairfield (11-9) combined with the New Canaan bats just not coming alive proved to be too much for them to overcome as they were defeated, 6-0. When head coach Mitch Hoffman took his team out to left field after the game for possibly the final time this season, the seventh-year coach did so with a distinct message in mind. “I said to them that I learned as much about coaching and myself that they could ever imagine,” Hoffman told NewCanaanite.com.

News

Lopez’s Complete Game Propels NC Baseball to 6-1 Victory over Central

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Coming into Wednesday’s contest against the Bridgeport Central Hilltoppers, New Canaan baseball had been struggling to find any offense. In their most recent four games, the team was only able to score two runs, combined. So a well-pitched game from starting pitcher Zach Lopez was needed to give the offense a chance to rediscover their punch—and Lopez delivered. The junior threw a complete-game, allowing just one run and striking out six in seven innings of work on the mound, while the offense provided him with more than enough support by plating six runs on nine hits to propel the Rams (6-10, 5-8 FCIAC) to victory over Bridgeport Central (1-14, 0-13 FCIAC), 6-1. “Zach’s been doing a great job all year,” head coach Mitch Hoffman told NewCanaanite.com.

News

Bats Silenced: NC Baseball Loses to Rival Darien, 8-0

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It started out as an opportunity for New Canaan Baseball to hand its rival, the Darien Blue Wave, its first loss of the season. But behind a complete-game shutout from starting pitcher Andrew Winsch, and back-to-back homers from shortstop Richard Brereton and first baseman Casey Brown in the sixth inning, Darien (6-0, 3-0 FCIAC) was able to put the Rams (2-4, 1-2 FCIAC) away quietly, 8-0, and claim bragging rights for the rivalry in 2016. “I think Darien came out and did a great job,” Rams Head Coach Mitch Hoffman told NewCanaanite.com. “He [Winsch] pitched well. We did not swing the bats like we were supposed to but it was a good, hard fought game until the end when it just got away from us.” Coming off a win on Wednesday afternoon over Brien McMahon, New Canaan got an early baserunner when Robby Jones laced a single to right field, and stole second during the next at-bat.