Schooners looking for return to playoffs

Their home baseball field at Fitch High School may be buried in snow, but the Mystic Schooners already are compiling a competitive roster for the 2015 New England Collegiate Baseball League.

The Schooners will be attempting to qualify for the postseason for the third straight year under the direction of manager Phil Orbe and general manager Dennis Long.

Their preliminary roster looks familiar to last year's team that won 23 games, sent a team-record six players to the all-star game and reached the Southern Division semifinals before losing to Plymouth, which owned the best regular-season record.

Eight players will be back, including NECBL all-star and first team selection Danny Hoy (Princeton), a second baseman, and league home run co-leader Brad Zunica (State College of Florida), a first baseman and all-league second team selection.

Mike Concato (Dartmouth), Frank Trimarco (Monmouth), Tre Gonzalez of Montville and Eastern Connecticut State University, and Doug Domnarski, a Stonington High School graduate and UConn Avery Point ace, will re-join the pitching staff. Lou Ianotti (Quinnipiac) will be behind the plate.

The Schooners also will feature five former major league draft picks: outfielder C.J. Moore (Lamar), pitcher Mike Mediavilla (Miami), shortstop Jesse Berardi (St. John's), outfielder Jacob Heyward (Miami) and pitcher Willie Rios (Maryland), an all-state selection at St. Bernard. Rios was selected in the 26th round by Arizona in last year's draft.

UConn will be represented by Joel Rivera and Sam Nepiarsky, two pitchers.

A few roster changes are expected before opening day due to injuries, major league draft and other factors.

Mystic will open the 2015 season in the first week of June. The official schedule has yet to be released.

- Gavin Keefe