Maryland JUCO Team Preview: Montgomery Raptors

February 26, 2021
Kyle Campbell
Maryland Scouting Director

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JUCO programs across the state of Maryland are eager to get back on the field after their season's were cut short by Covid-19 in 2020. As the calendar quickly turns and teams begin to ramp up for their season's to begin in early March, we begin our coverage of the Maryland JUCO Conference with a preseason preview of all fourteen schools. In each preview, we will take a look back at the shortened 2020 season, examine key players that return and those that have moved on or left the program, look at new faces, and finally take a sneak peak at whats ahead for the 2021 season. Today we continue our preseason previews with a look at the Montgomery College Raptors.

Montgomery COLLEGE 2021 SEASON PREVIEW

Head Coach: Dan Rascher (16th Season)
Mascot: Raptors
2020 Record: 5-8
2020 MD JUCO Finish: N/A
2020 DIII Region XX Finish: N/A
Twitter Handle: @MC_Raptors
CLICK HERE to view the Montgomery College Baseball Website
CLICK HERE to view the Montgomery College 2021 Baseball Schedule
CLICK HERE to view the Montgomery College 2021 Baseball Roster

Returning Starters: 7

PLAYER	POS	GP	AVG	OBP	SLG	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB
Chris Burger	C	8	.261	.393	.478	6	6	2	0	1	7	0
Seamus Harrigan	C	6	.294	.368	.471	6	5	1	1	0	4	1
Miles LeVere	INF	11	.276	.488	.414	11	8	2	1	0	1	6
Jaden Minnick	INF	10	.214	.267	.321	5	6	3	0	0	1	1
Aivis Natividad	OF	5	.500	.556	.688	4	8	1	1	0	2	0
Ethan Semones	OF	6	.333	.429	.611	5	6	2	0	1	5	1
Dan Weeden	INF	11	.250	.357	.375	5	6	3	0	0	4	2

Returning Pitchers: 3

PLAYER	POS	APP	W	L	S	IP	H	R	ER	BB	K	ERA
Khalil Carroll	RHP	DNP
Ben Davis	LHP	3	0	0	0	5.0	4	6	3	2	0	5.40
Jaden Minnick	RHP	4	0	2	0	8.1	5	2	1	7	6	1.08

Key Losses

PLAYER	POS	GP	AVG	OBP	SLG	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB
Gerald Buchanan	OF	11	.542	.658	1.042	10	13	3	0	3	13	3
Jefferson Casillas	1B	10	.261	.292	.478	6	6	2	0	1	6	0
PLAYER	POS	APP	W	L	S	IP	H	R	ER	BB	K	ERA
Jefferson Casillas	LHP	4	1	1	0	12.1	15	12	10	4	12	7.30

Top Newcomers

Phaly Moravek INF Tuscarora (VA)
Ty Morris RHP Manchester Valley (MD)
Nathan Proctor 3B Clarksburg (MD)
Dan Reyes Immaculata-La Salle (FL)
Julio Suero George Washington (NY)

Committed Players on Current Roster

None at this time.

2021 Season Snapshot

Dan Rascher returns for his 16th season at the helm of the Montgomery College baseball program in 2021. At the DIII level, Rascher guided the Raptors to three Region XX Championships and World Series appearances in 2013, 2015, and 2016. A move up to DII back in 2019 came with mixed results as the Raptors finished 4th but fell in the opening round game of the mid-week pod. With Covid-19 washing out the 2020 season for the most part; the Raptors, perennially one of the top programs in Maryland JUCO will look to bounce back this season and make some noise come postseason.

Montgomery returns seven pieces from their starting lineup last year in infielders Miles LeVere, Jaden Minnick, Dan Weeden, outfielders Aivis Natividad, Ethan Semones, and catchers Chris Burger and Seamus Harrigan. Losing their biggest bat from 2020 in Gerald Buchanan will be tough but look for some of the aforementioned returners alongside freshmen Phaly Moravek and Nathan Proctor to collectively help bridge that gap.

On the mound, Rascher returns just three arms in righties Minnick, Khalil Carroll, and lefty Ben Davis. Freshman righty Ty Morris will add some much needed depth with innings leader Jefferson Casillas also gone from a season ago.

This year Montgomery will only play their 26 game Maryland JUCO Conference schedule, forgoing all non-conference games. Early season practices and intra-squad opportunities will be critical for Rascher to make sure the Raptors hit the ground running opening day against CCBC Dundalk on March 6th. Twenty of those 26 games are also NJCAA Region XX games with postseason implications on the line as only eight teams will qualify for the regional tournament once again in 2021.