College Park Bombers ready to roll

The team plays in the Cal Ripken Sr. Collegiate Baseball League, one of several summer leagues for college players that use wooden bats rather than the aluminum bats used in NCAA baseball. The Cal Ripken Sr. League and others like it — such as the well-established Cape Cod League in Massachusetts and the Shenendoah Valley League in Virginia — are designed as a proving ground for college players looking to get noticed by pro teams. Indeed, it’s possible some of the players tentatively on the Bombers’ roster could be selected in Major League Baseball’s annual draft in a couple weeks.

‘‘I think we’re going to be very competitive this season,” said Bombers’ manager and founder Gene Bovello. ‘‘This is my 57th year coaching and if I’m excited about a team, this group must be special.”

The Bombers will play a 38-game schedule, with 21 home games at the University of Maryland, College Park’s Shipley Field. The season begins June 8, with the home opener June 10.

The team has a 28-man roster, with players coming from college programs from across the country. One of the team’s key players will be High Point High School graduate Joel Gonzalez, who just completed a career season with the University of Maryland-Eastern Shore.

Gonzalez hit .381 this season with UMES on his way to earning All Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Second Team honors. Gonzalez led the MEAC in five offensive categories, including batting average. He is one of about 12 returning players for the Bombers.

‘‘I’m expecting to prepare myself to get better,” Gonzalez said. ‘‘This is the time for me to get more experience and more playing time. It’s convenient for me to play here. The Ripken League is a very competitive league and I’m glad to be playing in it.”

Also returning from last season is Jimmy Britton, who finished this past season at St. Bonaventure University with a 7-2 record and a 4.23 earned run average. Mike Castrenado returns from last summer, coming off of a successful season with Delaware Technical and Community College, where he went 6-0 with a 2.10 ERA and threw the program’s first perfect game last month. Pitcher Mike Bell returns after going 5-2 with a 3.80 ERA this past season with St. John’s River CC (Fla.).

Matt Bodenchuck returns as perhaps the league’s top shortstop. Bodenchuck hit .401 this season for Mesa State College (Colo.).

The team also expects to have University of Maryland catcher⁄outfielder A. J. Casario.

The Cal Ripken Sr. League features seven teams including the Bethesda Big Train, Rockville Express, Silver Spring-Takoma Thunderbolts, Herndon (Va.) Braves, Youse’s Maryland Orioles, the Maryland Redbirds and the Bombers.

Bombers assistant general manager Scott Weaver said that the team wants to reach out even more to the community this season.

‘‘We’re really trying to get the word out to the community,” Weaver said. ‘‘Our goal is to get as close to the Cape Cod League as possible. We have all kinds of neat community activities planned for this season from the mayor of College Park throwing out the first pitch June 10 to a Father’s Day event going on. We hope to bring a really good caliber of baseball that is inexpensive entertainment for the family.”

E-mail Terron Hampton atthampton@gazette.net.