By Kenny Barto
First team all-conference, first team all-New England, first team all-Eastern College Athletic Conference, Louisville Slugger third-team all-American and American Baseball Coaches Association third-team all-American. These are just some of the accolades that former CCSU shortstop Sean Allaire has earned.
Allaire finished his last year of eligibility in 2010 with style. He led the team in batting average (.426), hits (100), doubles (22), triples (6), RBI’s (tied at 73 with Pat Epps), total bases (173) and stolen bases (10). Despite his standout season that drew the attention of many teams, Allaire was missed in the MLB draft in June.
“I was actually laying in bed the two days the draft was on the Internet,” Allaire said while attending CCSU’s matchup against Stony Brook. “I was really excited, the Red Sox called me the night before the draft and said they might be interested, but I guess it didn’t work out.”
After the draft, Allaire shifted his focus to coaching. A native of Bristol, Conn., Allaire coached in his hometown for Bristol Collegiate, a member of the New England Collegiate Baseball League, a summer wood bat league that hosts college players from around the country. Bristol’s head coach, Pat Hall, is CCSU’s assistant coach/pitching coach.
“I was able to coach over in Bristol with Coach Hall,” Allaire said. “It was a great experience and I really noticed that I have a passion for coaching and it might be something I can definitely do in the future.”
CCSU head coach Charlie Hickey noticed Allaire’s frustrations, but also knew that he shouldn’t quit baseball.
“I know Sean was definitely disappointed at not being drafted,” Hickey said. “But I know he is a great player and there’s always been no doubt he can play at the next level.”
As it turns out, there was someone who wanted Allaire to keep playing. The call came from the Washington Wild Things, an independent baseball team with the Frontier league out of Washington, Penn., about 32 miles southwest of Pittsburgh.
“I thought I was never going to play baseball again,” Allaire said. “But they contacted Coach Hickey and he contacted me and I decided I wanted to play again.”
As it turns out, the Wild Things weren’t the only offer that Allaire had received, as he actually rejected an offer earlier in the winter from another independent league team and member of the Canadian-American League just a couple hours away from Bristol.
“The Worcester Tornadoes called me and wanted me to make a decision in an hour,” Allaire said. “I told them I wasn’t going to play again, but after that Coach Hickey strived to get me to play again.”
The Wild Things begin play on May 12th and Sean Allaire will begin play with wood bats for the first time since he played with the Saratoga Phillies of the New York Collegiate Baseball League in the summer of 2009, where he led the team in games played (38), runs scored (24) and stolen bases (11).
“I actually like wood better,” Allaire said. “I think that’s what made me so successful with metal, after being able to hit with wood in the summer, I just think it made me a better hitter.”
As CCSU’s own season continues, there’s no doubt that Sean Allaire’s role is missed on a team that won the Northeast Conference in 2010.
“He’s obviously still close with a lot of guys on the team and he’s been around hitting in the cages lately,” said coach Hickey. “But when you have a player that goes out and makes a team like that, it’s definitely good for the program and it looks good all around.”
Although it remains uncertain of what Allaire’s exact role will be with the Wild Things, it looks like Allaire will play infield and hopefully show teams at the next level what he has to offer.
“I definitely missed being out there every day,” Allaire said. “I just can’t wait to get back out there and play baseball again.”
Other Blue Devils that have made the pro’s are Evan Scribner (2007), who was drafted by Diamondbacks and now plays for San Diego’s Triple-A team, Robert Hosgood (2004) and Barry Hertzler. Skip Jutze (1968) and Ricky Botallico (1991) are are the only CCSU alums to play in the major leagues.
