Team Connecticut: Future Games Continues To Grow And Impress

Max Foster RHP / OF / Bethel, CT / 2023

 We are waiting to hear.

Zion Fraser RHP / OF / Ledyard, CT / 2023

PBR: What were your Future Games highlights?
My Future Games highlight was striking out 4 of the 6 batters I faced. 

PBR: Assess your performance.
I was happy with my performance, the only thing I wasn’t happy with was walking a batter.

PBR: Give your thoughts on being part of Team Connecticut and what stood out.
I really liked being on team CT. The kids were great. What stood out to me was how good the defense was. 

PBR: Touch on the competition you faced at the event.
The competition was great. I liked how good everyone I pitched against was, so it felt more rewarding having success against them. 

PBR: How can participating in the Future Games help you in the future?
It can help me by getting seen by a good college. 

PBR: What, if any, college coaches did you talk to at the event or hear from since the event ended?
I’ve talked to Stonybrook college since the event ended.

Thomas Galusha RHP / 1B / Salisbury School, CT / 2023

PBR: What were your Future Games highlights?
For me personally, the highlight of my Future Games experience was being able to go out and compete with other players from Connecticut who I have known outside of baseball. Many of the kids on Team CT were kids who I have played against before during high school and summer games and events. This made it really fun to go out with a new group of studs.

PBR: Assess your performance.
I was given the opportunity to start the first game for Team CT. Unfortunately, I had a terrible outing. Walking four batters and giving up a grand slam while all of my velocities and spin rates were down was an incredibly humbling experience. I would love to be able to go back and make adjustments on my outing but there are always benefits to failure. At the same time, I feel like I failed Team CT because if I had my best stuff we would’ve won the game. 

PBR: Touch on the competition you faced at the event.
While being a pitcher I was only able to be involved in the game for two innings, the competition at this year’s Future Games was spectacular. I spent a lot of time watching my own teammates and the teams we played against and they were all filled with incredibly high-level talents. 

PBR: How can participating in the Future Games help you in the future?
As I said before, Future Games was a humbling experience. I played against a lot of very good baseball players and in front of a lot of high-level coaches. Going forward, I will definitely be more relaxed and confident playing in similar environments. 

PBR: What, if any, college coaches did you talk to at the event or hear from since the event ended?
I have been in contact with UConn, Maryland, UPenn, Columbia, and Northeastern.

Kyle Kipp RHP / Westhill, CT / 2023

  We are waiting to hear.

Jamie Jr Leggett RHP / OF / ST. Paul Catholic, CT / 2023

PBR: What were your Future Games highlights?
My Future Games highlight was two scoreless innings on the mound. I had two strikeouts and allowed no hits.

PBR: Assess your performance.
I was decent on the mound even though I had 3 walks in total.

PBR: Give your thoughts on being part of Team Connecticut and what stood out.
Being part of Team CT was a great experience. Getting to know some of the better players in the state that are my age was really eye opening and I see where I have to get to now to be a better player. 

PBR: Touch on the competition you faced at the event.
The competition was great. I wasn't able to just blow a fastball by anyone or snap off a curve and freeze anyone. My sequences are to be a lot more methodical on the mound.

PBR: How can participating in the Future Games help you in the future?
Participating in the Future Games can help me in the future by showing me what I have to do if I want to play at the next level.

PBR: What, if any, college coaches did you talk to at the event or hear from since the event ended?
No coaches have been in contact with me.

Jayden Longdin RHP / 3B / Lewis S. Mills, CT / 2023

PBR: What were your Future Games highlights?
The big time highlight of the Future Games for me was earning Player of the Game when Team Connecticut faced off against Team New York. But honestly, just stepping on that mound in that beautiful facility in the amazing atmosphere created could be a highlight in itself. 

PBR: Assess your performance.
I’d say my performance was about as good as I could ask myself to do. I had 5 strikeouts out of the 6 batters I faced, with the outlier getting a lazy pop up to right field. My fastball command was good in my opinion. I think I did a good job of mixing my pitches and keeping batters off balance and guessing. My curveball worked like the “out pitch” that I’ve been working toward. I didn’t give up any walks or a base runner at all which I’m very proud about. The one thing I wish I could change was just throwing a little harder. But with that being said, I’d trade command for velocity any day of the week.

PBR: Give your thoughts on being part of Team Connecticut and what stood out.
Being a part of Team Connecticut was an amazing experience. I had only known a few people on the team by simply competing against them on separate occasions in tournaments and such. I think the thing that brought us together was how we all had a genuine love for the game, a desire to win, and a drive to see ourselves and our teammates succeed. Something that stood out to me was how well the team gelled together, and how quickly we did it, too. We all wanted to see our new brothers succeed and win the games.

PBR: Touch on the competition you faced at the event.
The competition that we faced during the Future Games was, in my opinion, top tier. If you looked at a lineup card for every team at the event, there are no easy outs for a pitcher and defense to get. Kids had blazing speed, or were amazingly powerful, and no matter what you threw them, they were putting the bat on the ball. Everyone had tools to use, and played great. I don’t recall there being any defensive errors, since everyone was just so smooth, making things look incredibly easy. Even down to the simple things, like fielding and throwing, it was mesmerizing to watch during warm-ups. All in all, it was a great experience and a time to get better and test yourself against some of the best of the best.

PBR: How can participating in the Future Games help you in the future?
Participating in the Future Games will help me in a few ways in the future. First being, ideally, it’ll really help my recruiting process take off, and hopefully lead to some higher-level schools seeing me and thinking I have what it takes to play at their school. Secondly, being that I pitched in front of a bunch of different schools, it really helped me learn how to control my nerves and mind which will be tremendously helpful in the future in bigger games, or high-pressure situations in and out of baseball. Third, this event helped prove to me that I belong, and that I am capable of playing baseball at a high level and pursuing my dreams.

PBR: What, if any, college coaches did you talk to at the event or hear from since the event ended?
I was in touch with some local schools that reached out to me, like Eastern CT State, and American International College. Ideally more schools will start talking to me after I did, in my opinion, well in front of those in Georgia at the Future Games.

Griffin Polley RHP / SS / Fairfield Warde, CT / 2023

 We are waiting to hear.

Frank Spirito IV RHP / 1B / Bristol Central, CT / 2023

PBR: What were your Future Games highlights?
The highlight of the Future Games experience was being able to pitch against the best kids from Massachusetts. They were all great ball players. It was a fun and challenging time.

PBR: Assess your performance.
I arrived at the field early and completed a thorough warm-up. I wanted to feel as prepared as possible. I was happy with a few of my fastballs and my mechanics. The environment was new to me as I have only participated in one other showcase. I was nervous at times and I recognize the more I put myself in these opportunities the more comfortable I will get. I know I have more speed behind my ball and I can’t wait to show it.

PBR: Give your thoughts on being part of Team Connecticut and what stood out.
Being selected as part of Team Connecticut was a complete honor. I enjoyed meeting the other players and seeing so many colleges.

PBR: Touch on the competition you faced at the event.
The competition and sportsmanship was high quality. It appeared that everyone was equally as honored to be there. 

PBR: How can participating in the Future Games help you in the future?
I think participating in the Future Games can help me by exposing me to coaches and possibly getting into a school to further my baseball career. In the bigger picture, being exposed to higher stress game situations is an important life skill that transfers off the field.

PBR: What, if any, college coaches did you talk to at the event or hear from since the event ended?
I have been in touch with St. John’s University.

TJ Winn Jr RHP / 1B / East Catholic, CT / 2023

PBR: What were your Future Games highlights?
My main Future Games highlight was my 2 innings I pitched. I was very successful as I didn't get into much trouble.

PBR: Assess your performance.
I am happy with my performance. I threw 2 scoreless innings with a few strikeouts which was my goal coming into the event.

PBR: Give your thoughts on being part of Team Connecticut and what stood out.
Being on Team Connecticut was a good experience. I would say what stood out to me was how much talent is in the state.

PBR: Touch on the competition you faced at the event.
The competition I faced was very good. I feel like everyone who gets invited to this event is a really good player so altogether it makes the competition great.

PBR: How can participating in the Future Games help you in the future?
Participating in the Future Games can help with my future with exposure for schools as well as facing good competition.

PBR: What, if any, college coaches did you talk to at the event or hear from since the event ended?
As of now nothing new since the event has ended.

Devin Wolff RHP / 1B / Kingswood Oxford, CT / 2023

PBR: What were your Future Games highlights?
My highlights were being able to pitch against great competitions while competing to my best ability. 

PBR: Assess your performance.
My performance was ok, not my best. Definitely different pitching against that type of talent and in the hotter weather that I am not used to. 

PBR: Give your thoughts on being part of Team Connecticut and what stood out.
Being a part of Team Connecticut was great. Everyone was so nice and it was a great experience because we competed and played well.

PBR: Touch on the competition you faced at the event.
The competition was really good. It was definitely different from what I am facing back home.

PBR: How can participating in the Future Games help you in the future?
Competing in the Future Games will not only help me get better and help me with connections with colleges in the future but it also shows me how many good players there are in the world and that you need to keep putting in the work to reach your goals.

Joel Collado C / 3B / Notre Dame Catholic, CT / 2023

PBR: What were your Future Games highlights?
I would like to say that my Future Games highlights were that I was able to meet some great new guys and also share some fun moments with kids from other states. I also feel that the exposure I was able to receive was one of my biggest highlights here at Lakepoint. 

PBR: Assess your performance.
I feel that I played very hard and was a huge contributor to my team in every way. I also felt that I brought some great leadership to this team. 

PBR: Give your thoughts on being part of Team Connecticut and what stood out.
It was an honor to be chosen to represent Connecticut down in Georgia. What stood out to me the most was the relationship that we all created immediately.

PBR: Touch on the competition you faced at the event.
The competition of this event was very elite I would say. Every arm that I faced was very solid and I have nothing bad to say about them. They all worked in a great sequence throughout their innings. 

PBR: How can participating in the Future Games help you in the future?
This experience will carry with me a long way. It really helps with reaching out to coaches and letting them know that you were here at the Future Games event. 

PBR: What, if any, college coaches did you talk to at the event or hear from since the event ended?
I have not had any new coaches reach out, but I have talked to several schools prior, including URI and Stonybrook.

Connor Edo C / OF / Seymour, CT / 2023

PBR: What were your Future Games highlights?
My highlight was catching. I love catching and I’m happy when I get to do it

PBR: Assess your performance.
I had an alright performance, I wish I did better, but I learned a lot and ways to be better

PBR: Give your thoughts on being part of Team Connecticut and what stood out.
The atmosphere was great. Everyone there wanted to be there. It was just great baseball

PBR: Touch on the competition you faced at the event.
The competition was all good. I didn’t see any slackers, everything moved quickly

PBR: How can participating in the Future Games help you in the future?
It’s made me want to better myself because I see who’s out there. It’s made me want to be better than them

PBR: What, if any, college coaches did you talk to at the event or hear from since the event ended?
None as of now.

Ian Wirtz C / 3B / Cheshire, CT / 2023

PBR: What were your Future Games highlights?
The first highlight would be meeting all my teammates and probably getting that first hit. It felt like a heavy backpack got off my shoulder. 

PBR: Assess your performance.
Honestly, I did as good as I expected, I didn’t out achieve or under achieve, at least based off my expectations. Obviously both my hitting and defense could’ve always been better but I’m not disappointed in myself. 

PBR: Give your thoughts on being part of Team Connecticut and what stood out.
It felt good that I was selected to help represent Team Connecticut. Even with Connecticut not being known as the best baseball state, it stood out to me that we were able to compete and come out as a winning team. 

PBR: Touch on the competition you faced at the event.
The competition was great, truly some of the best players in the states we faced. The pitchers knew how to pitch and the hitters knew how to hit. 

PBR: How can participating in the Future Games help you in the future?
Not only will it help me get my name out there for all these college coaches, but will help me compare myself to different talent in Connecticut and other states to help me develop into the best player I can be.  

PBR: What, if any, college coaches did you talk to at the event or hear from since the event ended?
No schools yet.

Pierce Cowles SS / 2B / Fairfield Prep, CT / 2023

PBR: What were your Future Games highlights?
Meeting new people and making lifelong friends 

PBR: Assess your performance.
I think I played great and had great opportunities to succeed.

PBR: Give your thoughts on being part of Team Connecticut and what stood out.
What stood out was the energy team CT brought. 

PBR: Touch on the competition you faced at the event.
It was the best competition in the United States. 

PBR: How can participating in the Future Games help you in the future?
It helps you set a base on your recruit-ability and shows coaches in person who you really are instead of over a video. 

PBR: What, if any, college coaches did you talk to at the event or hear from since the event ended?
Elon, Bryant, James Madison and UNC-Wilmington.

Brett Davino SS / 2B / Nonnewaug, CT / 2023

PBR: What were your Future Games highlights?
A couple highlights from the Future Games would have to be when Javar and I hit back-to-back triples and then turned a couple clean double plays throughout the week. 

PBR: Assess your performance.
I would say I had a pretty solid week. I didn’t make an error so my defensive game was solid and I went 2-6 at the plate with 2 of my outs being hard line outs. Overall I thought I caught a barrel in the majority of my at-bats.

PBR: Give your thoughts on being part of Team Connecticut and what stood out.
I enjoyed being part of Team Connecticut. I think we all went in only knowing a select few on the team, but by the end I thought we built a pretty good bond between each other. On top of that we won 2 of the 3 games so the skill level was also good.

PBR: Touch on the competition you faced at the event.
I thought the competition we faced was pretty good as well. Most pitchers brought good velocity and sat in the upper-80s while their offense was overall pretty good throughout the entirety of their lineup.

PBR: How can participating in the Future Games help you in the future?
I think participating in this event was not only a very good exposure to very good schools but also a great experience for players to understand the environment and expectation that you have when playing with and against high-tier players.

PBR: What, if any, college coaches did you talk to at the event or hear from since the event ended?
From this event I gained attention from a couple colleges, which includes Wofford, Radford, and Stonybrook.

Justin Higgins SS / RHP / St. Luke's, CT / 2023

PBR: What were your Future Games highlights?
My highlight was when I helped record 6 outs in 2 innings by 2 double plays, a hard hit forehand up the middle, and a slow roller. 

PBR: Assess your performance.
For fielding, I felt I did very well at the Future Games, as I felt smooth in the defensive workout and the games. For hitting, I wish I did better in games, as I only had one hit and one walk. In the BP round, though, I thought I hit well, as I barreled line drives to both gaps.

PBR: Give your thoughts on being part of Team Connecticut and what stood out.
Being part of Team Connecticut was really fun, as I became friends with almost all of my teammates. We all became very tight in a short amount of time, which I thought was really cool and special. I also felt like our team had a chip on our shoulder, as people don’t really see Connecticut as a baseball state and more of a lacrosse state instead. That led to us having a gritty mentality.

PBR: Touch on the competition you faced at the event.
The competition we faced was really good, as we faced some of the best players from Massachusetts, New York and New Jersey. It was really fun to play against high-level competition.

PBR: How can participating in the Future Games help you in the future?
Participating in the Future Games definitely helped me get in front of lots of schools, which will help me in my recruiting process. Also, playing at high-level competition on a big stage definitely helped prepare me for the next stages of my baseball career.

PBR: What, if any, college coaches did you talk to at the event or hear from since the event ended?
During and after the event, I have been in contact with Duke, West Virginia, Rutgers, Fordham, UPenn, Columbia, UConn, Princeton and Bryant.

Jack LaRose SS / RHP / Bishop Hendricken, RI / 2024

PBR: What were your Future Games highlights?
Future Games was an awesome event with as much exposure as you will get anywhere. 

PBR: Assess your performance.
I felt I had a good showing. 

PBR: Give your thoughts on being part of Team Connecticut and what stood out.
Being a part of Team Connecticut was awesome as I got to play with the best players from the state.

PBR: How can participating in the Future Games help you in the future?
The Future Games gave every player unbelievable college exposure that you won’t find anywhere else. 

PBR: What, if any, college coaches did you talk to at the event or hear from since the event ended?
I’ve been in contact with Duke, UConn, BC, Northeastern.

Ryan Preisano SS / RHP / Fairfield College Preparatory, CT / 2024

  We are waiting to hear.

Alex Benevento 2B / OF / New Canaan, CT / 2024

PBR: What were your Future Games highlights?
My Future Games highlights were meeting a lot of really cool guys that just enjoy the game as much as me. Everyone there is so passionate about baseball and it was just so fun to be around them in such a great place like Lakepoint.

PBR: Assess your performance.
Overall I felt I did pretty well in the Future Games. I think I could have done a little better here or there in certain spots, but the pitching was really strong as expected so I was happy with how I performed.

PBR: Give your thoughts on being part of Team Connecticut and what stood out.
What stood out to me with being on Team CT was that I got to know a bunch of really fun people that I probably wouldn’t have been able to meet otherwise. People that I’ll continue to talk to and hopefully see around from time to time, which I’m very happy to bring home from the whole experience.

PBR: Touch on the competition you faced at the event.
The competition at the event was very strong. Especially from a hitting standpoint, there were some pitchers who could really chuck the ball at a high level with good off-speed to back it up as well. And it was also really good to see some guys who had some elite swings and could hit the ball hard in play often.

PBR: How can participating in the Future Games help you in the future?
I think participating in the Future Games could help me in the future ’cause I was able to see a good glimpse at not only what people in New England can do on a baseball field, but people around the country as well. So I think the event definitely helped me to see some higher level competition, and will drive me to work harder so I can compete at those levels.

PBR: What, if any, college coaches did you talk to at the event or hear from since the event ended?
I wasn’t really in contact with any coaches before or after the event besides a few phone calls.

Dominic Gabardi OF / RHP / Austin Prep, MA / 2023

PBR: What were your Future Games highlights?
I had a hard hit line drive in the gap for a double and an RBI and I was very pleased with my outfield performance during the workout. I also led Team Connecticut in exit velocity and outfield velocity

PBR: Assess your performance.
I thought I played well and I feel I fit in well with a group of great players at the Future Games. I just wished I had a few more line drives. 

PBR: Give your thoughts on being part of Team Connecticut and what stood out.
Being a part of Team Connecticut was an unbelievable experience. I was nervous at first being a kid from Massachusetts playing on Team Connecticut because I knew nobody, but the kids were super welcoming and overall just amazing kids. I believe I made friends for life just by being a part of that team!! 

PBR: Touch on the competition you faced at the event.
The competition was amazing. The kids I faced were some of the best players from around the northeast. I believe it was awesome to play against them just to see how I fit in with some of the best players around the area. 

PBR: How can participating in the Future Games help you in the future?
It was very eye opening for me to see how physically built and how much hard work these players are putting in from around the country. I am determined to get in the gym and baseball facilities to match their commitment and dedication and become the best version of myself and player I can be. It also has helped me tremendously starting off my college recruiting process. I feel that I am an under-the-radar college prospect and I believe the Future Games has put me on the radar of many potential college programs. 

PBR: What, if any, college coaches did you talk to at the event or hear from since the event ended?
My college advisor was in touch with several schools including Northeastern, Davidson, the Big East Schools and even a few ACC schools like Duke and Wake Forest. Since we have been home I have already been reached out to by The University of Maine due to my performance at the event.

Gavin OBrien OF / 3B / East Lyme, CT / 2023

PBR: What were your Future Games highlights?
My Future Games highlights had to be the team accomplishments of beating NY and NJ, as they are bigger states and typically are thought of as better baseball players than us kids a little farther north in a smaller state. 

PBR: Assess your performance.
My performance was pretty consistent, as I constantly got the bat on the ball and got on base. Toward the end of the week I started barreling more balls, getting a double and a line out, which I think comes from getting used to the harder pitching we were facing.

PBR: Give your thoughts on being part of Team Connecticut and what stood out.
Being a part of Team CT was great. Some of us knew each other and some kids didn’t know anybody, but that didn’t stop us from becoming friends and being comfortable with each other. The best part of Team CT was our chemistry led us to create a group of friends for life. That will hopefully give us familiar faces when we go play in college or in tournaments.

PBR: How can participating in the Future Games help you in the future?
Participating in the Future Games helps me for the future as it gets my foot in the door with a lot of colleges that I could potentially play ball at. Also, the experience of playing against higher-level competition was a reality check compared to some of the summer ball weekend tournaments. It also gave me a chance to play in a pressured situation, where I still showed out, which is crucial to any athlete who has a big game where they feel the pressure on their shoulders.

PBR: What, if any, college coaches did you talk to at the event or hear from since the event ended?
I wasn’t in contact with many coaches outside New England before the event, but during and after I got camp invites from schools like Maryland, NKU, Northeastern, Lafayette and others.

Ryan Perez OF / Greenwich, CT / 2023

  We are waiting to hear.

Javar Williams OF / Tabor Academy, MA / 2023

PBR: What were your Future Games highlights?
My best highlight was my triple to the right-center gap.  

PBR: Assess your performance.
I had a pretty good performance, I ended the week going 3-6 with a couple walks and a few stolen bases.

PBR: Give your thoughts on being part of Team Connecticut and what stood out.
I had a great time with Team Connecticut. Most players on the team had known each other and I was new.  I think I was able to form a relationship pretty quickly.

PBR: Touch on the competition you faced at the event.
The competition was great. I was able to face many pitchers from the northeast who will probably play baseball at a high level in the future.  

PBR: How can participating in the Future Games help you in the future?
I think the Future Games helped me see much tougher players. In order to make it at the next level I think that you have to face really good players such as those in the Future Games.  

PBR: What, if any, college coaches did you talk to at the event or hear from since the event ended?
During the event I was in contact with Duke, Maryland, Missouri, Wake Forest, and URI.

Colby Barker 3B / RHP / Pilgrim, RI / 2023

PBR: What were your Future Games highlights?
My highlights were getting to play with some of the best players from around my area and just the overall experience. 

PBR: Assess your performance.
I think I did pretty good in the field but I had some struggles at the plate. 

PBR: Give your thoughts on being part of Team Connecticut and what stood out.
I liked how we were all just playing for ourselves, but we got to know each other and played as a team. 

PBR: Touch on the competition you faced at the event.
The competition was great and I enjoy getting to see how good the kids are from around the country.

PBR: How can participating in the Future Games help you in the future?
It can help me get seen by college coaches and help me to continue to the next level which is what I want to do in my future. 

PBR: What, if any, college coaches did you talk to at the event or hear from since the event ended?
Unfortunately, none have contacted me.