UVM SPORTS
photo by Keith Robinson
On the mound, in the field, at the plate
Senior Rembisz is man of many talents
There are many reasons why pitchers don’t play other positions or rarely get the chance to bat: They might get hurt; they can’t concentrate on pitching; or their skills are one-dimensional. Baseball-reference.com defines the rare “two-way player” as a “gentleman with versatile talents, especially in pitching and hitting, thus allowing a team to fill a roster spot with a pinch hitter, pinch runner, position player, and pitcher with only one man.”
For UVM, that versatile gentleman has been senior Bryan Rembisz—the nation’s only Division I college second basemen who is also a regular starting pitcher. Named to the watch list for the 2007 Roger Clemens Award, given to college baseball’s national pitcher of the year, Rembisz’s hitting and fielding apparently hasn’t hurt his pitching.
He joins Derek Miller ’05 and Chris Blazek ’06 as the only Catamounts ever named to the Clemens watch list.
Despite all the attention to his versatility, Rembisz, an English major and America East Academic Honor Roll member in 2005, doesn’t see it as unique. It’s really just an extension of his Little League days in Connecticut when he didn’t care where he played as long as he was in the game. “I never really thought about it. I’ve just always loved to play as much as possible. I don’t really care where as long I’m somewhere on the field,” Rembisz said after a May practice at Centennial Field. The next day he led the Catamounts to a 4-3 win over Maine by striking out thirteen batters and going three-for-three with two runs scored.
Rembisz’s total Catamount contributions are substantial. He led the team in both batting average and ERA, earning Most Valuable Player recognition at year’s end. Rembisz stood out in the conference as well, posting the lowest ERA and the second highest strikeout total in America East this season. And his national profile rose with fifteen strikeouts in eight innings versus Sacred Heart, a performance that earned Rembisz the Louisville Slugger National Player of the Week award.
In many ways, Rembisz is a throwback. Two-way players were considered valuable in the early days of baseball when rosters were much smaller and teams couldn’t afford a large bench. No less than Babe Ruth contributed as both a pitcher and hitter early in his career, but players rarely have filled both roles simultaneously. A return to those days has seemed unlikely until recently as pro teams, many carrying as many as twelve pitchers on their twenty-five-man rosters, are starting to seek two-way options. In the National League, where pitchers hit, Rembisz could be a valuable addition.
“He’s a good fielder with breaking stuff, and that’s attractive,” head coach Bill Currier ’84 says. “I think he’s got a chance to be a short reliever (in the majors). He just keeps getting better and better.”
Rembisz’s stats coming out of high school indicated big things ahead. The 2003 Louisville Slugger Preseason High School All-American went 10-0 on the mound and was named the Connecticut Coaches Player of the Year. But his size (he’s listed at a generous 5-foot-9, 170 pounds) kept elite programs from heavily recruiting him. That was fine with Currier, who thought he was capable of playing major-college caliber baseball for him at UVM.
With strong upperclassmen filling most positions when Rembisz arrived at UVM, it took a few years for him to get the chance to prove himself. He jumped on his first opportunity to pitch by striking out seven batters in seven innings against Ball State during his junior year. Rembisz started hitting the weights prior to his senior year and has reaped the benefits of increased hitting and pitching power.
For Currier, who has a history of using one or two players in more than one capacity, it simply made sense to use Rembisz in every possible capacity. He also uses the many talents of junior Kyle Henry, who plays first base, pitches, and hits over .290. “If a player can hit, pitch, field, and run why not utilize him in all those areas?” Currier asks. “Bryan is one of the best athletes on the team and is a fierce competitor who plays hard all the time. He was overlooked by some schools as a pitcher because of his size. If we see a kid who plays hard and gets the job done we don’t care how big he is. Rembisz definitely gets the job done.”
—by Jon ReidelRally Awards
The Athletic Department closed the year at the Flynn Theatre with the third annual Rally Awards, a celebration of the accomplishments of student-athletes. In addition to honoring seniors and announcing team MVPs, the department handed out six annual awards to athletes.
The Jeff Stone Memorial Award, in recognition of a student-athlete’s exceptional contributions in community service and campus leadership, went to seniors Lindsey Carfagna, a soccer player and javelin thrower, and Art Femenella, hockey.
The Underclass Athletic Achievement Award, which recognizes outstanding athletic accomplishments by student-athletes in the freshmen, sophomore, and junior classes, was awarded to Danielle Collins, field hockey, and Mike Trimboli, basketball.
The Semans Trophy was awarded to seniors Nikki Desch, field hockey, and Martin Klimes, basketball. The award recognizes senior student-athletes who have demonstrated a high level of athletic achievement and who earned the respect and regard of their fellow students for leadership, loyalty, and service to the University.
The Russell O. Sunderland Memorial Trophy recognizes senior student-athletes who, throughout their college careers, have demonstrated a high level of athletic achievement and exemplified the qualities of character, leadership, and persistence in overcoming obstacles. This year’s winners: Cassandra VanLeeuwen, soccer, and Chris Holm, basketball.
The Wasson Athletic Prize in recognition of exceptional athletic and academic achievement by senior student athletes went to Emilia DeMarchis, Nordic skiing, and Corey Bronner, soccer.
The 2007 winners of the J. Edward Donnelly Award, presented to Vermont’s top senior student-athletes, were Brittney Cross, basketball, and Bryan Rembisz, baseball.
(for UVM staff)