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Boston Renegades Player and Coach Biographies

The Renegades are built of a team of blind players and sighted volunteers. One thing that makes beepball somewhat unique is the fact the coaching staff acts as both coaches and part of the team. Our sighted help teaches strategy, implements game plans and teaches fundamentals. The sighted help also contributes on the field. Offensively sighted coaches pitch and a catch, acting as a team to help the player hit the ball. Defensively, we have sighted help on the field to help position players and call zones when the ball is put into play, these people are called spotters. The Renegades view the players and coaches as one team. The Players: #19 Darren Black Garbage Man (Short Fielder), 3rd Base. Mid-Fielder Black was the captain of the team till 2005 and we named a position after him. Darren put the G in Garbage as he plays the short man position in our defense. Black is the all-time leader in putouts for the Renegades with 295 put-outs from 2002 to 2009. He won awards for his defensive prowess in the Bolingbrook tournaments from 2004-2007, won the defensive MVP at the 2006 Long Island Classic and made the World Series Defensive All-stars in 2004 and 2006.  Black wants to be known as more than a defensive player and he set a career high of 11 runs scored in the 2007 season. #30 Rachel Buchanan  1st Base, Rover Buchanan  showed her toughness in a try out in 2008 when she took a ball off the face, came away bleeding, "rubbed some dirt on it" and kept playing.  When you see her grip a bat, you see the girly side as she will be sporting fashionable pink batting gloves.  Rachel is an athlete.  She has excellent balance as a 15 year veteran of gymnastics with experience on the balance beam.  That balance will help her on the field as she looks to become just the third female Renegade in team history to play in a tournament.   #15 Joey Buizon 3rd Base, 1st Base, Rover Wrong Way Buizon has one of the biggest swings in the NBBA.  Buizon is third all-time in career batting average at .351 for the Renegades.  He won his first Offensive MVP by hitting .556 (5 for 9) in the 2008 Philadelphia Hall of Fame Classic.  Defensively, he improved his skills and made the play of the year in 2007 on a 160 foot smash to center field by Indianapolis Thunder, Steve Michaels.  He graduated from Bridgewater State College in May, 2005 with a degree in Social Work and is currently working at the Massachusetts Commission for the blind. #28 Justen Cantan Shorty Justen moved to Boston from Hawaii to attend college and decided to stay here after graduation.   He heard about the team from his younger brother and became interested after talking to a few of the Renegades.  Justen does not have much of a background playing organized sports but he possesses a competitive side that has shown his teammates he is ready to play.  One of his driving forces is trying to outdo his younger brother as they push each other to become better players.  Justen finished up his rookie season by making the World Series team.  His .316 batting average as a rookie is the 2nd best in Renegade history...behind his younger brother Shayne. #37 Shayne Cantan 3rd Base At just 19 years old, Shayne was the second youngest player in Renegade history in 2010.  He had been playing High School sports with sighted kids despite being visually impaired.  Most recently he was the co-captain of his high school football team in Hawaii where he played offensive lineman.  Playing line in football has transferred into beepball.  His power on the line has become power at the plate.  In 2009, he shattered every rookie record held in Renegade history on the offensive side of the plate.  He also led the Renegades in runs scored in 2009 with 25 while hitting .463 which is the 3rd best average of any Renegade in a single season.  The dirt dog mentality that every lineman needs has become a love for the defensive side of the game as Shayne was the only player to start all 14 games in the field. #38 Joey Duggan Designated Hitter Duggan becomes the fifth active Renegade named Joe but the first Rookie of the 2009 class to get a nickname.  In 2009, "Hacksaw" Duggan became the youngest player in Renegade history at just 17 years of age.  Duggan graduated High School in Foxboro during the 2009 season.  He lives waking distance from the three time World Champion, New England Patriots but will be found sporting the Green and gold of the Green Bay Packers.  Duggan picked up the offensive side of the game as the 2009 season progressed and has shown promise to be a power hitter.  He had 4 at-bats in 2009 and put 3 of his balls into play.  With a little more experience the Renegades hope Duggan can dig in and contribute with some thunderous shots #35 Chris Genikos Designated Hitter Genikos joined the Renegades late in the 2008 season to join Tony Flinn as rookies on the squad.  His first look at the game was during a charity game against Chen PR.  Chen signed Genikos to a one game contract and placed him in the line-up.  In batting practice Genikos was launching balls over 100 feet in the air on his first few swings ever.  In his first at-bat he hit the ball hard in the game but found himself running to the wrong base as his baseball instincts took him to first base instead of third which was buzzing.  A common mistake by most people who play the game for the first time.  This is a mistake he will not forget and you can expect him to be scoring runs for the Renegades in the near future. #81 Larry Haile Rover, 3rd Base They call him the "L-Train".  This train was running off the tracks in 2008 as he had a break out year and led the team in runs scored with 20 which more than doubled his production of the previous two seasons.  He followed this up with 19 runs in 2010 and a career best .388 average   When this train gets rolling, he is hard to stop.  Haile became just the third Renegade in team history to score five runs in a game as he led the Renegade offense over the North Carolina Pride in the 2008 World Series.  Larry works for the MBTA in Boston.  The subway systems have had a few collisions in recent months and this train is getting ready to collide with the NBBA in 2010 as he sets his sights on becoming one of the elite hitters in the league.   #3 Melissa Hoyt 1st Base, Rover Hoyt picked up a bat in spring, 2007 and became the second female player in Renegade history to play in tournament  competition.  As a child, she played soccer and basketball until her vision loss seemed to put an end to her participation in team sports.  “As a kid I was an avid sports fan, following football, basketball and baseball, wishing at times I could be on a team again.”  That wish is now reality, as Hoyt brings her desire and her positive attitude to a team sport that allows her to develop her skills and her abilities. #17 Sengil Inkiala Rover, 1st Base, Shorty A rare combination of speed and age is what this African born player brings to the Renegades. Inky was born in the Congo many, many years ago. He is the oldest member of the team and arguably is the fastest player as well.  In the 2005 Bolingbrook tournament, Inkiala came an at-bat shy of making the all-offense team as he hit .571.   Inky has won championships in blind sailing and fencing, and looks to add Beepball to the list of his achievements.  After taking the 2007 season off, Inky returned in 2008 and scored the tying run in Boston's amazing 5 run come from behind walk off victory against the Chicago Comet B team to clinch the first ever tournament championship for the Boston Renegades #23 Joe O'Neill Designated Hitter, Rover O'Neill has been playing beepball longer than anyone on the team in the boson area. He got his start playing recreationally for the Lowell Association of the Blind in the 1990's. He saw his first competition in tournament play in 2004 at the Bolingbrook tournament. Despite his tourney inexperience, he managed to get the bat on the ball as he was the only player not to strike out in the 2004 season.  O'Neill has put 64% of his at-bats into play in his career and had a career high of 6 plate appearances in both  the 2007 and 2009 seasons.     #14 Joe Quintanilla Rover, 1st Base Q was Captain of the Renegades from 2005 to 2007. Q may be one of the quieter guys on the team, but his bat is one of the loudest. He has been the offensive leader of the team since the inception of the franchise. Q is the all-time team leader in At-bats (354) and runs scored (110).  He was named the Offensive MVP of the 2007 Long Island Classic with his .600 batting average.  One of his biggest highlites came in a home game during the 2008 season against the Pennsylvania Wolfpack.  In that game, Q hit the walk-off hit in front of a few hundred Renegade fans to lead the Renegades to their 6th consecutive victory.    #16 Aqil Sajjad Rookie Aqil joins the Renegades in 2010 as the 7th person on the active roster with an advanced degree as he is getting is PHD in Physics from Harvard University.  Aqil played in a charity game against the Renegades in 2009 with Chen PR and found he could apply his intelligence to the game as he was able to make contact at the plate and almost made a defensive stop in the field in his first try.  He has a unique perspective of the game as he played cricket before losing his sight in Pakistan.   #29 Evan Silver Midfielder, Rover HI HO SILVER!  You will hear that call every time Evan steps to the plate or makes a defensive put-out.  Silver has been a pampered athlete on the Renegades in the past because he was one of the first players to have his own personal pitcher.   He thrived on the pitching of Rob Weissman in the 2004 season.  Since then, Weissman has not pitched often and Silver has struggled at the plate.  That struggle ended in the 2008 Long Island Classic as Evan Silver was named co-offensive MVP (with Luis Marquez) for his five runs scored and his .500 batting average.  Silver's bat  represented 26% of the offensive output for Boston in their Long Island Classic championship.   #43 Melissa Smith Rookie #13 Dino Vasile 1st Base, 3rd Base, Garbage Man (Short Fielder) Vasile is one of the oldest players on the team but may have become the most improved player over the past few years.  Dino has been big on both sides of the ball.   Offensively, he is fourth all time in batting average at .348.  He is one of three players to score 5 times in a game in team history.  Defensively, Vasile has quickly become one of the Renegade's all-time best defenders.  He led the team in stops with 40 in 2008 and 59 in 2009.  Vasile earned his first defensive MVP as he placed 2nd on the 2009 Bolingbrook defensive all-star team and may have made the World Series All-star team if his season was not cut short with an injury against Tyler. #10 JJ Ward 1st Base, 3rd Base, Rover, Shorty Ward fell in love with hitting.  He spent the entire 2006 off season working on his swing in the batting cages on his own.  That work paid off in 2007 as he had his best season ever.  JJ scored 17 times in 2007 which almost equaled the 20 runs he had scored in the previous 4 seasons of play.  He was also second on the team in 2007 in putting balls in play at 88% which is the 2nd best season ever of any Renegade.  Ward suffered an injury early in the 2008 season and worked hard to return in 2009.  While fighting through multiple injuries Ward hit .417 in 2009 and lead the team in batting average.  Off the field, Ward has led the team in coordinating the teams fundraising activities to help them achieve their financial goals to enable them to travel. #9 Guy Zuccarello Midfielder, 1st Base, Shorty Guy was one of the original players from the 2002 squad.  He left the team to have a baby after the first season of play.  As his child has grown, he was coaxed back to the sport of beepball in 2005 and made an instant impact making the starting line-up.  In five seasons of play Guy has made his mark on both sides of the ball.  He is third all-time in defensive put-outs (97).  His career high was 6 stops against the Indy Thunder in the 2007 World Series win and the 2009 World Series loss.  Despite his dimunitive stature, he enters the 2010 season tied for 6th all-time with 45 runs and comes off his best offensive season at .342. The Coaches and Staff: John Oliveira The Owner John is the man behind the Renegades. You may not see him on the field or hear him in team meetings, but his influence is everywhere. John met Coach Weissman in 2000 and the two had a vision to create a competitive beepball league in the Boston area. That vision may have been tweaked over time, but the Association of Blind Citizens found a way to fund the Boston Renegades Beepball program. John helped get the team started in 2000 and coached them in their first World Series in 2002. In 2003, he moved "upstairs" and left the coaching duties to new coach Rob Weissman. Oliveira's passion to promote programs for visually impaired people has been the number one reason the Boston Renegades exist as a team.   #62 Rob Weissman Head Coach & Catcher/Pitcher Weissman helped start Beepball as a competitive sport in the Boston area. He got his start as the head coach of the Lowell LAB Retrievers in 2000. In 2003, he returned to the coaching ranks as the head coach of the Boston Renegades. He brings a unique style to the team where he is heavily involved in every aspect of the game as a hands on vocal coach. Those vocal chords get a work out during the season as he is known to lose his voice during tournaments yelling words of encouragement and barking out strategy. He may be the only head coach who catches during the game, which helps him keep a unique perspective.   #42 Nick Bebas Hitting Coach & Spotter Nick has been with Boston since 2003 as he joined the team to bring some needed baseball background. Bebas was the first coach assigned to help players learn the fundamentals of the swing. During the games you can find him manning the on-deck circle helping players prepare for their at-bat and in the field helping players align themselves in the Boston defense. Nick's calming attitude helps the players relax in the pressure situations. #44 Ron Cochran Pitcher Cochran returned to beepball in 2006 as he along with Weissman and Grillo helped get beepball started in Massachusetts back in 2000 with the Lowell LAB Retrievers. In his first year as a pitcher he set many of the Renegade records including best batting average against (.368).  Cochran continued to improve into his fourth year as he is currently the all-time leader in batting average against (.345), Putting balls into play (76%) and at-bats (1215).  Ron has helped 4 players win 6 offensive MVP awards in the 2007-2008 seasons.  Ron brings with him experience in pitching, a hard core competitive fire and years of coaching experience.     #21 Dan Cotter Pitcher/Catcher Some call Dan Cotter fearless. That is good, because it takes a lot of nerve to stand 20 feet from a batter as they are trying to wail on the ball. Dan plays this spot with no protection at all. Yes, we said, no protection! Cotter has the longest tenure of any coach on the staff. Dan got his start with the team as the catcher in the 2002 World Series. In 2003 he became the team's pitcher.  Danny is one of two Renegade pitchers who have let up 100+ runs in his career.  One of his most memorable moments as a pitcher came in 2008 as he connected with Sengil Inkiala for the game tying hit against the Chicago Comet B team in the bottom of the 6th inning which led to the Renegades first ever tournament victory. #12 Laura Genikos Defensive/Running Coach Laura was just looking for anything she could do for the team in 2009.  She found a niche as a volunteer for the Renegades.  She can be found doing just about anything. Laura has been instrumental in helping organize some of the teams' fundraising events.  Laura is the ultimate team player and is willing to take on anything for the team.  She is one of the main reasons the Renegades will be hosting their first ever four team tournament in July because she has the drive to make it the best event the Renegades have ever had.  She is also instrumental in getting the team together socially and is quickly becoming an instigator planning out pranks to keep things loose.    #33 Bryan Grillo Defensive/Running Coach & Spotter Grillo gets his beepball roots from coaching with the Lowell LAB Retrievers in 2000 with Rob Weissman. While in Lowell, he was often found wearing a blindfold and playing the game as player. The perspective of being a player has helped him to lead the team in the field. Grillo is the Renegades Caller. When there is a ball put into play you will hear Bryan yelling out signals to the players to help them zone in on the ball.  Grillo has been the Renegades sole caller in a single caller system in 80 of 82 games since he joined the team in 2003. #5 Jacki Jones Base Running Coach, Spotter Jacki joined the Renegades in 2008 and embraced the team quicker than any other first year coach.  Not only is she at every practice helping to improve the Renegades base running, she is a driving force behind the scenes.  She works with many of the players outside of practice to help them get into shape.  She is one of the "guys" in the weight room as she can be found yelling at players to get extra reps out of them.  She has made a very quick impact and has helped players on many different levels on and off the field. #31 Kristen Kirk Defense/Running Coach Volunteers can be found in many places.  Kristen was discovered after talking to Luis Marquez on a public bus.  It all started innocently with a conversation about his dog, Xion.  By the end of the 2005 season, Kristen was very interested in helping out the team.  Kristen’s attention to detail (as an accountant at Mass Eye and Ear) has paid immediate returns in helping the team stay organized.  Committing herself to a bunch of strangers for 20+ dates of practice proves that accountants now how to socialize. #32 Jason Lenicheck Hitting Coach Jason "Ace" Lenicheck has more coaching experience than the entire Renegade staff, with years of coaching girls soccer. In 2004, Ace joined the coaching ranks to help the Renegades with their hitting. Back in his playing days he was known as an all hit no field 3rd baseman for Acton Boxboro High School. The combination of his hitting and coaching skills quickly have made him an impact coach on the staff.   #7 Justin Manjourides Defensive/Running Coach & Spotter While getting a graduate degree at Harvard University in Bio Statistics, Justin was asked to see if he could apply his brain power to the sport of Beep Baseball.  2010 marks his sixth year as a coach and he has stepped it up big time.  Justin worked very hard to help the Renegades develop a new defensive plan for the 2006 season.  Justin has spent more games in the spotter role than any other coach as he has teamed with Grillo to lead the defense for 25 games in his career.   #26 Rick Myers Defensive Coach & Spotter Myers was introduced to the game of beepball in 2000 as he was part of a sighted team asked to play the Lowell LAB Retrievers in a scrimmage game. He was one of the few sighted people to score a run in those contests. In 2004, Myers joined the coaching ranks to help Boston with their defensive skills. One important lesson he taught was the importance of wearing a protective cup as he accidentally hit a player three times before they made the all important purchase. Myers has a PHD in Physics which has been helpful off the field repairing bases, studying breakage in bats and developing defensive charts for the coaches to use to set up the team defense. #25 Matt Nippins Defense Coach, Spotter, Catcher,Trainer Since 2000, Nippins has had season tickets in the bleachers next to Weissman and Grillo.  He heard stories of the Renegades for years until one day at work he bumped into a co-worker asking her about her hat.  In a small world story, he quickly found a link to his co-worker (Carolyn Tassini) and his seats at Fenway.  His deep love of baseball and these friendships kicked started him into action with the Renegades in 2006.  Nipps has been willing to do anything at practice including coaching all aspects of the game.  He has found a love for the defensive side of the game and you can hear him breaking balls (literally and figuratively) at all of the Boston practices. #39 Jeff Paladino Hitting Coach Jeff joins the squad officially as a hitting coach in 2009.  It has been an easy transition for him because he has been around the team since his wife joined the team in 2006.  Jeff has been acting as the team's umpire.  During a game between Boston and the Pennsylvania Wolfpack, Jeff quickly learned that beepball has some different rules.  During one of his first innings as an umpire he just missed having a nasty collision as a Renegade player ran down the third base line trying to score a run.  In baseball, players don't run from home to third but in beepball its a common occurrence.   Thankfully everyone was safe and collisions were avoided.  Aaron Proctor Umpire Aaron joined the Renegades half-way through the 2009 season.  He spent the first half of the season observing the team before deciding he was interested in helping out.  Aaron spent most of the season as the team's umpire learning the ins and outs of the game.  He was working toward umpiring the first ever beast of the east tournament before it was canceled due to tropical storm Danny.  Aaron's hard work off the field has been noticed as he provides rides to players and has worked hard to learn the game on his own time. #4 Emily Snow-Bebas Base Running Coach Snow joined the squad as a coach in 2004 after hearing about the game from other coaches.  She stayed with the team on the field until the end of the 2007 season and then returned for 2010 as Snow-Bebas (after getting married to coach Nick Bebas). She helps bring the testosterone level down a notch, and keeps both the players and coaches in check. Her perspective is welcomed to the team as she helps players see their potential. Snow can also be found on the field helping teach players better form while running the bases.   Click here to see information on retired Renegades Retired Renegades Click the box to the left to see information on players and coaches of Boston Renegade past (from 2002 forward)