#	Position Players	B/T	Ht.	Wt.	Pos.	College	Hometown

School:	University of Rhode Island
Year:	Junior
Home Town:	Cranston, RI
Height:	5' 11"
Weight:	180
Position:	C
Bats:	L
Throws:	R

A two-year starting catcher on the University of New Haven, Shane O’Connell joins fellow URI teammates Nick Narodowy and Jeff Roy in the Berkshires this summer eager to get back behind the plate after sitting out the 2012 season due to NCAA transfer rules.

If his past numbers at New Haven are any indicator, the SteepleCats should have themselves a skilled player calling the game this summer. Alongside Nova Southeastern’s Brett Clements, North Adams should have two of the more skilled catchers in the league.

Last summer, O’Connell split time between the Chatham Anglers of the Cape Cod Baseball League and the Torrington Titans of the Futures Collegiate League. He appeared in three games with the Anglers before joining the Titans, where he batted .309 (third on the team) on 17 hits in 16 games and also drove in eight runs while going 3-for-4 in stolen bases.

In 2011, O’Connell was a 41-game starter, hitting just shy of .300 (.294) and ranked third on New Haven in hitting. He scored 23 runs – ranking second – and drilled seven doubles, a triple and a homer while plating a team-high 29 runs over the course of the year. He also went an impressive 13-for-16 on the base paths. As a freshman, he made 38 appearances, including 34 starts for the Chargers, while recording a .258 batting average with 15 runs scored, 32 hits, 17 RBI, nine doubles, a .331 slugging percentage and a .326 on-base-percentage.

The son of Jason and Julie O’Connell, Shane has a sister, Casey, and is pursuing a degree in Arson Investigation. 

Favorite MLB Team: Boston Red Sox
Favorite Athlete: Ted Williams
Favorite Movie: Goodfellas
Favorite TV Show: Entourage
Favorite Musician: R Kelly
Best Athletic Moment: Going 4-for-5 with inside-the-park grand slam, bases-clearing triple, RBI single and a single to win the R.I. State Championship in high school


Statistics (As of May 3)
Year AVG. GP-S  AB  R   H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SLG OBP SB-AT
2011 .294  42-41 160 23 47  7   1   1    29   22 .369  .378 13-16
2010 .258  38-34 124 15 32  9   0   0    17   12 .331  .326   4-6