Groton — When considering his summer baseball options, Sam Nepiarsky did his research.

He heard good things about the Mystic Schooners from UConn teammate Aaron Hill and former Amity Regional High School teammate Michael Concato, who both gave their experience last summer rave reviews.

The clincher was that Fitch High School, the home of the Schooners, is only about an hour from the former all-state pitcher's hometown of Orange.

Nepiarsky is very pleased the way it worked out.

He's pitched well for the Schooners, who own the New England Collegiate Baseball League's best record at 16-8.

"It's been great," Nepiarsky said. "I like the town and the environment. I love my host family. It's really good."

Nepiarsky is spending the summer making the transition from being a reliever to a starter. After red-shirting his first year at UConn, he worked out of the bullpen last spring.

While making only 11 appearances, he ended the season on a high note. He allowed only one run in a career-high 6.1 innings in a season-ending loss to East Carolina on May 23 in the American Athletic Conference Championship semifinal round. He finished with a sparkling 1.25 earned run average in 21.2 innings.

"I proved a little bit what I could do just in long relief," he said.

By the fall, Nepiarsky plans to be ready to compete for a spot in the starting rotation next season at UConn.

The NECBL is a step up in competition from the Futures Collegiate Baseball League, where he played for Nashua (N.H.) last summer and achieved all-star status.

Judging by the right-hander's results, he's making a smooth transition. He's 1-2 with a 3.04 earned run average in five starts. He's struck out 25 and walked just six.

"I think I've been doing all right here," Nepiarsky said. "Not as good as I wanted to do. I'm learning a lot about myself every new outing, how to prepare, how to handle batters, pitch sequences."

His fastball tops out at around 89 and he mixes in a slider and curveball.

"Sam has very good tempo when he pitches," Mystic manager Phil Orbe said. "He has control of the strike zone very well. And you don't see that too often in young pitchers that haven't pitched a lot of innings.

"He has some stuff to work on, as everyone does. If not, he wouldn't be in this league. ... He's pitched very well for us."

Orbe saw Nepiarsky pitch in high school when Montville played a scrimmage against Amity. He continued to follow his career at UConn.

"He was a guy who was a natural pick for us," Orbe said. "He was one of the first guys that we signed in mid-August."

Pitching depth is one big reason the Schooners reside in first place in the Southern Division. Mystic (16-8) has a league-best 2.98 earned run average.

"We have a lot of depth, particularly our bullpen," Orbe said. "Our bullpen has carried us."

A few Mystic pitchers are NECBL all-star candidates, including former St. Bernard standout Willie Rios who earned a no-decision in a 3-2 loss to Danbury Tuesday. Rios allowed two runs and six hits in 5.1 innings. Ben Ruta's two-run home run accounted for Mystic's runs and increased his team-leading RBI total 19.

The NECBL will announce its all-star selections Saturday.

"We don't have a guy who is a clear-cut all-star," Orbe said. "That's a testament to the amount of talent that we have and the fact that we're not burning anybody out."

g.keefe@theday.com

Twitter: @GavinKeefe