Ex-NBHS Players Finding Baseball Joy in Upstate NY
By Ken Lipshez | Sports Correspondent at May 3, 2024 | 8:45 am | Print
The theme for recent graduates of the New Britain High School baseball program is to head for the mountains.
Opportunities to play junior college ball in the state are limited, particularly with the demise of athletic programs at Manchester Community College.
Bob Godlewski, a former assistant coach at Castleton (Vt.) State College who once played under legendary University of New Haven coach Frank “Porky” Vieira, began scouting state schools and given a few looks at the Hurricanes, he liked what he saw. He recruited outfielder Jorel Aleman to the school.
When Godlewski took over the program at State University of New York (SUNY) Adirondack, he brought Aleman with him to the picturesque campus a stone’s throw from Lake George in Queensbury, N.Y. Now his roster has five other New Britain players.
Outfielder Chris Aleman joined his brother. Outfielder Kian Downes transferred from Western New England. Pitchers Justin Lemanski and Mike Sturges left Mitchell College. They were joined by NBHS 2013 graduate, center fielder Nestor Velazquez.
“Castleton came to a bunch of our games last year,” said Roberto Mercado, NBHS head coach. “They said we played the game hard and played the game right. They kept in contact with us.
“Assistant Bob Godlewski went to Adirondack. He has the reputation of turning programs around and said he would take some of our kids for two years.”
Godlewski loves the tenacity of his New Britain core. He saw central Connecticut as having great potential for his recruiting excursions.
“I always knew Connecticut to be a hotbed,” said Godlewski, former head coach at Columbia-Greene (N.Y.) Community College where he was 276-118 and twice guided teams to the National Junior College Athletic Association World Series. “I’ve always been a coach that enjoys the inner-city kids. I think they’re tougher, and it’s been a great fit.”
Godlewski accepted the Adirondack job last October and brought his positive relationship with Mercado to the forefront as he began the recruiting process. The pieces began to fit together like a puzzle.
“Sturges wasn’t playing because he was unhappy. Lemanski called me, too, so I drove to New Britain one Saturday and invited them to a meeting with the thought if could get two or three of them, I’d be very happy,” Godlewski said. I got all of them. It was the luck of the draw.”
Spring comes a little late to the Adirondack Mountain region, and Godlewski said the New Britain boys generally struggled with the cold, but the connection continues to work out well.
“It’s a big change for them but it’s a beautiful area. The kids love it and they’re playing a lot of baseball,” he said.
All of the New Britain boys play significant roles. When Godlewski met with the Aleman family about Jorel, he asked about Chris.
“I asked him what he was doing and he said he wasn’t big enough. I told him I always considered the smaller kid who wasn’t given a chance. Let me be the person who decides if you’re too small or not. Come on up for one semester,” Godlewski said.
The Timberwolves had themselves a leadoff batter.
“He needs to get stronger but he has a great eye at the plate,” Godlewski said. “He hasn’t been caught stealing yet. He gets on base and the pitcher starts thinking about him more than the batter.”
The progress Jorel Aleman has made both on the field and off is a source of excitement and pride.
“Jorel is a very mature young man who has become leader on and off field for us,” Godlewski said. “He’s been a big brother, not only to Chris but to others.
“Sturgis is just a natural hitter. He can take a swing and look like he’s never played before than he drives one to the wall in right center. Lemanski’s had a couple of good outings.”
Downes went to Western New England University with the notion of playing football. Godlewski feels he has great potential to advance as a pitcher.
“Downes is a bright kid who came to us as an outfielder but we turned him into a pitcher,” Godlewski said. “He has a very strong arm. The more I see him on the mound, the more I think he may have a shot at the next level (four-year college). He throws in the upper 80s and has great control but he’s just learning how to pitch. I know he loves playing the outfield but I think the mound is his ticket. I’ve coached a lot of guys who have gone to play pro ball and he’s only getting started. I’ve talked to several colleges about him.”
Velazquez is learning how to catch.
“His upside is through the roof,” Godlewski said. “He’s a very green baseball player with an abundance of talent. Because we have a number of outfielders, we moved him behind the plate. He was a kid who struggled to catch the ball. Recently he had a tremendous game blocking balls and he has a strong arm.”
Godlewski is now working on bringing former NBHS All-CCC West center fielder Allen Nunez to the mountains.
“He’s coming next year. We’re getting him straightened out academically,” Godlewski said. “He’s a tremendously talented kid. I did some bird-dogging [scouting] with Cincinnati and they were watching him his senior year.”
Nunez, who played in the Connecticut High School Coaches Association All-Star Game in 2012, played previously at Post University in Waterbury.
“He looked like he was throwing hard. The gun said 87 to 89,” Godlewski said. “He was a scrawny kid but he’s put on about 20 pounds. I wonder what he’s throwing now. He’s an athletic kid. He can wreak havoc on the basepaths.”
Given his Polish heritage, New Britain and Godlewski sound like the perfect match, and he’s found a second home on Broad Street.
“I found this street with all these Polish restaurants and I was in heaven,” he said.
While the Polish delicacies may offer an indirect journey to his heart, it’s the quality of athletes that Mercado and the Hurricanes continue to churn out that keep him coming back. And according to what he said, he will be back … often.
