BLACK DOG
COUNTRY CLUB
MASSACHUSETTS
2016 GSWL HALL OF FAME CLASSIC CHAMPION
TOURNAMENT ROSTER
Matt Griffin (c) – RHP/RHB – Age 33 – Massachusetts
2008 Fast Plastic national championship runner up;
2012 Ultimate Wiffler; 2014 GSWL fast pitch national
championship runner up; 2017 Fast Plastic national
championship runner up
Brian DiNapoli – RHP/LHB – Age 30 – Massachusetts
2011, 2012 GSWL fast pitch national champion; 2014 GSWL
fast pitch national runner up; 2015 GSWL fast pitch national
runner up
Jay Ventresca – LHP/LHB – Age 44 – New Jersey
2002 USPPBA national runner up; 2013 GSWL fast pitch national
runner up
Dan Whitener – RHP/RHB – Age 24 - Virginia
2018 Palisades WBL Cy Young
TEAM OVERVIEW
Last year in Cedar Park, Texas - on the second and final day of the 2019 Fast Plastic national championship - Remember the Name found themselves on the threshold of playing for a national championship. Up by a score of 4-1, the team needed only six outs to eliminate the two-time defending champions, C4, and punch their ticket to the finals. It was not to be, however, and by the time the 5th inning ended RTN’s lead was gone. C4 closed out the game in the top half of the 6th and Remember the Name was left pondering how a victory that they had in hand had so quickly slipped through their grasp.
Losing a tournament in that fashion is going to leave a bad taste in the mouth of any team. Perhaps that is why team captain Matty Griffin is - at least for 2020 - pushing “Remember the Name” aside in favor of another go-to team moniker of his, Black Dog Country Club. While the name may have changed, the roster for the 2020 BDCC squad is largely the same as the 2019 RTN roster. In addition to Griffin, Brian DiNapoli and Dan Whitener are back for another go around. They will be joined by veteran hitter Jay Ventresca, who is essentially replacing Ryan Foley on this year’s roster.
This four-man roster does not have many holes and as a result, several of BDCC’s peers have already tabbed them as an early favorite at this year’s national championship. Teams that are seriously competing for a national title almost always have at least one roster spot dedicated to a top tier two-way player who can be counted on to win a couple games with his arm and win a couple with his bat. For Black Dog Country Club, that player is Brian DiNapoli. DiNapoli is an extremely tough out and - barring any additions - will likely be counted on to pitch several games for his team during both the early and mid-portions of the tournament. Dan Whitener will likely slot in as the late-tournament starter for BDCC this year, as he was for RTN last year. Whitener increased his workload in Mid Atlantic this year on a per-tournament basis and seems ready to pick up a heavy workload in October, should the need arise. It is conceivable that BDCC could get through the entire tournament using just DiNapoli and Whitener, but Griffin gives them another quality, veteran arm to deploy throughout the event.
Offensively, Black Dog Country Club stacks up very well. DiNapoli, Whitener, and Griffin are all well-above average hitters. The addition to Ventresca, however, turns them from a very good hitting team into a potentially lethal one. Jay has given pitchers nightmares over the duration of his 20+ year career and shows little sign of slowing down. He continues to be one of the better hard-contact and overall hitters in the game. This BDCC lineup has the potential to put up copious amounts of runs against any pitcher, which gives them a huge edge in a tournament like this.
