Contact:  Jeremy Winig

jnwinig@cazenovia.edu

For immediate release: Friday, March 21, 2008

Golden Eagles Welcome New Assistant Coach

 Glens Falls, N.Y. – The reigning Eastern Division regular season and post-season champion Glens Falls Golden Eagles of the NYCBL have introduced Joe Sinicola as the newest member to their coaching staff.  Sinicola is currently in his first-year assistant to coach Bill Mathews at Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, Florida after completing a four-year career with the Tritons.  

“We’re proud to have another student of the game on board to add to an already-impressive lineup of coaches, and hopefully that will continue to translate to success on the field,” said team owner Darin Williams.  

Sinicola was the #1 starter for the Tritons during his senior season.  Sinicola tallied a 6-7 record on the hill, including a seven-inning no-hitter against Sunshine State Conference foe Saint Leo.  A resident of Warwick, Rhode Island, Sinicola graduated from Bishop Hendrickson High School prior to earning a bachelors of arts in history at Eckerd.  

Sinicola joins a returning staff of Head Coach John Mayotte (fifth season), pitching coach Brett Merritt (second season) and bullpen coach Dan Kelley (second season) that guided the Golden Eagles to a league-best 34-6 record in 2007.  The 34 wins tied a modern-day NYCBL record and set the record for highest winning percentage.  The .850 winning percentage was tops among the 71 teams associated with the National Alliance of College Summer Baseball (NACSB).  

John Mayotte begins his fifth season at the helm of the Golden Eagles. He is currently 12th on the All-Time Wins list for NCAA Division II Baseball with 821 victories in 25 years split between Eckerd College and Troy State. In addition to last year’s first-place finish, Mayotte's first year as the manager resulted in a 31-10 record and a first place finish in the Eastern Division. Originally from Hudson Falls, the Golden Eagles skipper now resides in St. Petersburg, Florida.  

A native of Mantua, Ohio, Brett Merritt translated an outstanding high school career at Crestwood High School to two great years at Cuyahoga Community College, posting a 5-1 record from the mound in his sophomore campaign. From there, he transferred to King College in Tennessee where he helped the team post its first winning record ever. Following that season, Merritt elected to re-unite with his Cuyahoga CC coach Brian Harrison who was then at Urbana University. His year at Urbana produced 13 school records and the biggest turnaround in NAIA history with a 30-win improvement. In August of 2006, Merritt was named pitching coach for Urbana. Merritt helped lead the Knights to a 32-win season.  

 A resident of Lake Luzerne, Bullpen Coach Dan Kelley played at Corinth High School and American Legion Baseball in South Glens Falls. Kelley played Junior College baseball at Fulton-Montgomery Community College and Schenectady County Community College.  Kelley achieved second team all-star honors in NJCAA Division III as a sophomore. Dan holds the Schenectady County CC record for most strikeouts in a game with 15.  Kelley also participated in the Albany Twilight League for several seasons.  

The Glens Falls Golden Eagles are a member of the New York Collegiate Baseball League.  The wooden-bat summer league plays its season in June, July and early August.  The NYCBL was founded in 1978 and is partially-funded by Major League Baseball.