'Smallest roster in the country': Quincy College baseball making it work with 11 players

QUINCY − When the average baseball team takes the field, the dugout thins out.

When the Quincy College baseball team takes the field, the dugout REALLY thins out.

"Yeah, two guys left on the bench," said sophomore catcher Michael Scibilio, a Quincy High grad.

The Granite, a Division 3 program that's headed to the Yankee Small College Conference playoffs, somehow has managed to navigate a 25-game regular season with just 11 players − a numbers game that, as you can imagine, comes with a host of challenges.

Staying healthy would be at the top of that list since the Granite essentially are working with the flimsiest of safety nets.

"We all have to have a super strong mentality," said sophomore infielder/pitcher Anthony Franco, who hails from Mystic, Connecticut. "A lot of our guys are dealing with injuries right now, but we just have to keep pushing through, take care of ourselves on the field and off the field. Eat right, do what we can to keep ourselves on the field."

Coach Jim Dolan, who is best known around here as the Weymouth High boys basketball coach, says the program, which began at the club level in 2021-22, has had as many as 20 players on the roster during its three-year history.

"This year is kind of a weird mix of a couple of kids not playing, a couple of kids leaving school, a couple of kids ineligible, a couple of kids hurt and then all of a sudden you've got 11 guys," Dolan said last Friday as the team practiced at Pond Street Field. "I would argue that 11 guys is the smallest roster in the country. The fact that we're even functioning is pretty cool."

Despite the lack of depth, the Granite (11-14) will host a conference play-in game Thursday at Adams Field in Quincy (4 p.m. against New Hampshire Technical Institute). A win there sends Quincy on to the main bracket in Maine over the weekend.

Quincy's roster includes three out-of-state players in Ethan Cohen (Florida), Haruki Maruyama (Quincy by way of Japan) and Franco. The rest of the Granite are locals − Anthony Tilton (Stoughton), Anthony Ferreira (Taunton), Mitch Murphy (Plymouth), Jonathan St. Ange (Hingham), Craig Sandler (Hingham), Nathan Hicks (Halifax), Perkins (Middleboro) and Scibilio (Quincy).

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"I'm so proud of this group," said athletic director Jack Raymer, who's in his seventh year. "We call them the 'Dirty Dozen.' I gotta give them all the credit in the world, and the coaches, too – Jim and (assistant) John Colitti. They just love to play baseball. They're doing a great job representing the school. And we're not just playing; we're winning. We're one game away from getting to the final four, so we're excited about that.

"It's been a fun year to watch them. But they're tired. I might have to pitch (in the playoffs) if they go one more game."

Pitching is the biggest issue with a roster this small. The Granite, which has a team ERA of 7.13 and a team batting average of .294, prioritizes conference games in terms of setting up the rotation. Non-conference games are kind of a free-for-all with everybody − pardon the pun − pitching in. Ten different players have logged innings so far.

"There have been some times where I make a trip to the mound and we're all standing there and I go, 'OK, who wants to throw now?'" Dolan said.

Scibilio, the team's No. 1 catcher, got the nod in a recent 20-7 win over Roxbury Community College, throwing 5 innings to get the decision. Despite not being a pitcher in high school, his repertoire includes a knuckleball.

"I actually met Tim Wakefield when I was younger and I went to one of his baseball camps," Scibilio said proudly. "I was just messing around throwing it with my friends, but then eventually it was good enough to throw in games. People see it and there's no spin on the ball; no other pitch has that. They don't know what to do with it. I don't even know where it's going when I throw it."

Things haven't always been pretty, but the roster challenges have fostered an us-against-the-world mentality.

"We made a pact early, that no matter what, we're going to get through this," said Dolan, whose extensive baseball coaching career includes founding the Lasell University Division 3 program in Newton back in 2008. "I can't say enough about the kids; they've been unbelievable. In 30 years of coaching, it's one of the most rewarding and enjoyable groups I've ever been around."

"It's definitely been bringing us together," agreed Perkins, a Middleboro High grad who leads the team in RBIs with 22. "Everyone's playing for each other. Everyone's got each other's back when they need it."

Quincy College's men's hockey club team made the national tournament this winter, and the men's basketball team has become a Division 3 JUCO power with back-to-back 20-win seasons. The baseball team hasn't reached those heights yet, but a first-ever playoff appearance, amid trying circumstances, is a big achievement.

"This is a completely different experience than any of us have ever had," noted Franco, who is hitting .404 and is getting some Division 1 looks. "We treat this as if we're literally a family. Every game is a laugh. Of course, we want to win, but no matter what, we're in high spirits because this is incredibly hard what we're doing right now. We always have our energy up. We don't get down on ourselves because we don't have room for that."

This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Quincy College baseball making it work with just 11 players