For two years in a row, the Cotuit Kettleers watched the other team celebrate. In 2010, it was finally their turn. Catching fire in the playoffs, they beat Y-D for the championship. The team that celebrated looked a lot different than the one that opened the season, but the Kettleers put things together when it counted.
2010 Notes
Playoff MVP Jordan Leyland wasn’t a superstar for UC Irvine last year, but you can bet he’ll bring some confidence back to the Anteaters, who were tabbed as the second-best team in the Big West Conference preseason poll.
Paul Hoilman, who struggled a bit during the summer, was voted the Atlantic Sun preseason Player of the Year.
Baylor’s Brooks Pinckard, a key player down the stretch, opted not to sign with the Cubs after getting picked in the 18th round last June. Baseball America tabbed him as a preseason all-conference player for the Bears.
Playoff hero Nick Tropeano returns to Stony Brook as perhaps the top pitcher in the America East Conference. BA has Tropeano as the pitcher of the year, and the league’s second-best prospect for the 2011 draft.
Austin Wood, the fourth-round pick who flashed the best velocity on the Cape, didn’t sign either and he’s set to begin his career at Southern California after playing in junior college last year. BA ranks him as the 26th-best college prospect in the country.
Deven Marrero is set to begin his sophomore season at Arizona State and is back on Cotuit’s roster for 2011. He was the picked by BA as the seventh-best prospect in the league last summer, tops among Cotuit players.
2011 Notes
Cotuit has only 18 players on its roster at this point. Marrero, Michael Faulkner, Mike Yastrzemski and Brady Rodgers are the returning players. Rodgers joined Marrero in BA’s list of the top Cape prospects, checking in at No. 21.
Lots of good newcomers, led by Oregon freshmen Ryon Healy and Stefan Sabol. Healy was the top prospect in the California Collegiate League last summer while Sabol was tops in the West Coast League. Sabol was a 17th-round pick out of high school and is a cousin of Steelers safety Troy Polamalu.
Cory Spangenberg, of Indian River CC, also had a strong summer last year, ranking as the third-best prospect in the Valley League. Florida freshman Keenan Kish was rated the third-best prospect in the Cal Ripken Collegiate League.
Catcher Chris O’Dowd was Dartmouth’s top hitter last season, finishing at .384 with six home runs.
Michigan’s Patrick Biondi hit .313 last year and earned Freshman All-America honors.
