Falmouth had a murderer’s row lineup last summer and rode it to the West Division regular-season championship and the second-best record in the Cape League.

The sluggers from that team have moved on to big things. Casey Gillaspie is the Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year, Kevin Cron has had a solid year for TCU, Rhys Hoskins has hit nine homers for Sacramento State and Dylan Davis has helped Oregon State to a national No. 1 ranking.

But quite a few other Commodores will be back in the fold, as Falmouth is set to bring in one of the league’s more experienced teams this summer. The list includes reigning batting champion Kevin Newman, some key position players and a host of solid bullpen arms.

It’s a good starting point, a luxury that a lot of Cape League teams don’t often have. Falmouth will build on that foundation with a solid group of newcomers, led by guys like Steven Duggar, Tyler Krieger, Tate Matheny and Heath Quinn.

I don’t know if the Commodores will hit the long ball like they did last year, but they’ll take the same success either way.

 

THE SKINNY

Manager: Jeff Trundy
Last Year: 26-18; Lost in West Division Semifinals
Returning Players: 7
Juniors: 1
Sophomores: 15
Freshmen: 4

 

NOTABLE

Four returning pitchers will lead the Commodores’ staff. Three have been bullpen guys in the past – Garrett Cleavinger, Kevin Mooney and Jared Price – while Kevin McKanna should return to the rotation. McKanna didn’t have a great summer last year, but his spring with Rice – coupled with the experience he gained last summer, could mean big things.

Colin Poche has not emerged as a star for Arkansas yet, but he was tabbed as the top prospect in the Northwoods League last summer by both Perfect Game and Baseball America. Perfect Game also ranked the Northwoods as the second-best summer league behind the Cape, so it’s high praise.

For the second straight year, Missouri top prospect Alec Rash was on the initial Falmouth roster but has since been removed. Rash has made only 10 appearances this spring. He was an unsigned second-round pick in 2012.

Clemson is sending two of its best hitters to Falmouth in sophomores Tyler Krieger and Steven Duggar, two of the ACC’s top sophomores. Both also bring speed to the table.

Kevin Newman is the top returning hitter in the league, and there’s no disputing that. Newman won the Cape League batting title as a freshman last year.

Leon Byrd and Sam Gillikin were big parts of a really good Falmouth team last year. Neither has the kind of spring they’d like, so I imagine they’ll be excited to be back in Falmouth.

Oregon State freshman Trever Morrison’s lists as his favorite athlete former Beaver and current Chicago Cub Darwin Barney. Like Barney, Morrison is defensive wiz for a very good Beaver club, but if he ends up in Falmouth, he’ll get an experience Barney did not. Barney was on the 2006 Falmouth roster but played for Team USA instead.

Missouri State’s Tate Matheny ranks third in the Missouri Valley Conference in home runs. The leader? Former Commodore Casey Gillaspie, who just earned conference Player of the Year honors.

Also of note, Matheny is the son of St. Louis Cardinals manager Mike.

Samford has sent a few sluggers to the Cape the last few years – Phil Ervin to Harwich in 2012 and Caleb Bryson to Cotuit late last year. Heath Quinn is next in line. The freshman has slugged nine homers this spring.

 

FIVE TO WATCH

1. Colin Poche
2. Tyler Krieger
3. Kevin Newman
4. Steven Duggar
5. Tate Matheny

 

PITCHERS

*Garrett Cleavinger – LHP – 6’0 220 – Oregon – Sophomore
Justin Dillon – RHP – 6’4 225 – Sacramento State – RS Freshman
Chandler Eden – RHP – 6’4 175 – Oregon State – Freshman
Matt Hall – LHP – 6’1 190 – Missouri State – Sophomore
*Kevin McKanna – RHP – 6’1 185 – Rice – Sophomore
Sean McLaughlin – RHP/OF – 5’11 184 – Georgia – Sophomore
Sutter McLoughlin – RHP – 6’5 225 – Sacramento State – Sophomore
*Kevin Mooney – RHP – 6’2 215 – Maryland – Sophomore
Colin Poche – LHP – 6’3 220 – Arkansas – Sophomore
*Jared Price – RHP – 6’2 190 – Maryland – Sophomore
* – returning player

 

Garrett Cleavinger – LHP – 6’0 220
Oregon
Sophomore

Cleavinger had a great freshman year in Eugene then spent last summer in Falmouth. His ERA was over six with the Commodores but he struck out 22 in just 12.1 innings, flashing the potential that put him at No. 57 on Perfect Game’s top 100 CCBL prospects. Cleavinger has continued to be a big piece of the Ducks’ bullpen this spring, making a team-high 32 appearances with a 3.00 ERA and 44 strikeouts in 27 innings.

Justin Dillon – RHP – 6’4 225
Sacramento State
RS Freshman

A 39th-round pick out of high school, Dillon redshirted last year and has had a solid first season for the Hornets this spring. Pitching in the weekend rotation, Dillon has a 3.57 ERA.

Chandler Eden – RHP – 6’4 175
Oregon State
Freshman

A 36th-round pick out of high school, Eden hasn’t seen a ton of action for the top-ranked Beavers this spring, pitching in only seven games. He had some summer success last year, earning top prospect honors in the Horizon Air Summer Series, a competition for summer collegiate teams from out west.

Matt Hall – LHP – 6’1 190
Missouri State
Sophomore

Hall had a 2.50 ERA in a swing role as a freshman last year. His ERA has risen to 4.40 this season in 15 appearances, 10 of which have been starts. He has struck out 43 and walked 25.

Kevin McKanna – RHP – 6’1 185
Rice
Sophomore

McKanna was a 22nd-round draft pick out of high school. After a decent freshman year, McKanna had some struggles on the Cape, starting five games for Falmouth and finishing with an ERA over six. Back at Rice, he has settled in as a sophomore. In 15 appearances – 11 starts – McKanna has a 2.84 ERA.

Sean McLaughlin – RHP/OF – 5’11 184
Georgia
Sophomore

McLaughlin was a weekend starter for the Bulldogs as a freshman and also had a decent year with the bat. This year, he’s made only three pitching appearances, while hitting .274.

Sutter McLoughlin – RHP – 6’5 225
Sacramento State
Sophomore

Another Sacramento State Hornet, McLoughlin has done his work – and done it very well – out of the bullpen. McLoughlin set a program record for saves as a freshman with 17. He’s picked up nine more this year to go with a 1.99 ERA.

Kevin Mooney – RHP – 6’2 215
Maryland
Sophomore

Mooney made a splash as a freshman when he saved nine games for the Terps. After a strong summer in the Falmouth bullpen, Mooney has been up to the same tricks this spring, saving nine games again. He owns a 3.25 ERA with 38 strikeouts in 27.2 innings.

Colin Poche – LHP – 6’3 220
Arkansas
Sophomore

A Texas high school star and a fifth-round pick of the Orioles in the 2012 draft, Poche made only eight appearances in his freshman season with the Razorbacks. But last summer, he was catching everybody’s eye again in the Northwoods League, where Perfect Game picked him as the top prospect. This spring Poche has started seven games and made nine relief appearances, posting a 2.55 ERA.

Jared Price – RHP – 6’2 190
Maryland
Sophomore

Price joined his Maryland teammate Mooney in Falmouth last summer and had a 4.90 ERA in 14 appearances. This spring, his ERA is over seven out of the Terps bullpen, though he has struck out better than a batter an inning.

 

POSITION PLAYERS

*Leon Byrd – 2B/SS – 5’7 170 – Rice – Sophomore
Shaun Chase – C – 6’1 214 – Oregon – Junior
Conor Costello – OF/RHP – 6’3 204 – Oklahoma State – Sophomore
Steven Duggar – OF – 6’2 190 – Clemson – Sophomore
*Sam Gillikin – OF – 6’2 198 – Auburn – Sophomore
Tyler Krieger – INF – 6’1 175 – Clemson – Sophomore
Tate Matheny – OF – 6’0 190 – Missouri State – Sophomore
Trever Morrison – INF – 5’11 173 – Oregon State – Freshman
*Kevin Newman – SS/INF – 6’1 180 – Arizona – Sophomore
Heath Quinn – OF – 6’3 195 – Samford – Freshman
* – returning player

 

Leon Byrd – 2B/SS – 5’7 170
Rice
Sophomore

Byrd was drafted in the 25th round out of high school. After a solid freshman year, he was a valuable part of Falmouth’s big summer last year, hitting .252 and stealing eight bases. He’s taken a step back this spring, hitting .239.

Shaun Chase – C – 6’1 214
Oregon
Junior

A late addition to the Falmouth roster, Chase had a career .194 batting average before a breakout this season. Chase is hitting .292 and leads the PAC-12 in home runs with 12. He has a .370 OBP and a .658 slugging percentage.

Conor Costello – OF/RHP – 6’3 204
Oklahoma State
Sophomore

Costello spent the 2012 season at Arkansas before transferring to Oklahoma State. After sitting out last year, he’s hitting .226 this year with six home runs.

Steven Duggar – OF – 6’2 190
Clemson
Sophomore

Duggar was a Freshman All-American for the Tigers last year and made a good impression on the Cape in a brief stint with Cotuit. For the Tigers this spring, Duggar has continued on the upward trajectory, hitting .301 and ranking second in the ACC in stolen bases with 25.

Sam Gillikin – OF – 6’2 198
Auburn
Sophomore

Gillikin hit under .200 as a freshman but got a shot with Falmouth last summer and made the most of it, earning the everyday center field job and hitting .256. He has hit .214 for the Tigers this spring.

Tyler Krieger – INF – 6’1 175
Clemson
Sophomore

A late-round pick out of high school, Krieger grabbed hold of the shortstop job for the Tigers as a freshman and turned in a solid season, hitting .252. He was Perfect Game’s sixth-best prospect in the California Collegiate League last summer and has followed that up with a big jump in his sophomore campaign. Still the everyday shortstop, Krieger has also been the Tigers’ leading hitting. He’s at .337 with two homers and has added 19 stolen bases.

Tate Matheny – OF – 6’0 190
Missouri State
Sophomore

A 23rd round pick out of high school by his hometown Cardinals – who are managed by his father – Matheny still opted for Missouri State, and his Bears are very happy about that. After hitting .336 on his way to a parade of Freshman All-America accolades last year, Matheny hasn’t slipped a bit as a sophomore. He’s hitting .330 with 10 home runs and 37 RBI. He ranked third in the Missouri Valley Conference in home runs and earned first-team all-conference honors.

Trever Morrison – INF – 5’11 173
Oregon State
Freshman

Morrison was a 36th-round pick of the Red Sox last year but headed to Corvallis, where he’s grabbed the starting shortstop job for the No. 1 team in the country. He hasn’t hit a ton, batting .220, but he’s also made just seven errors on the season.

Kevin Newman – SS/INF – 6’1 180
Arizona
Sophomore

Newman hit .336 on his way to Freshman All-America honors last year but even that didn’t signal what was to come. Playing for Falmouth last summer, Newman hit .375 to become the first freshman in Cape League history to win the batting title. This spring, Newman has hit .292 for the Wildcats.

Heath Quinn – OF – 6’3 195
Samford
Freshman

Quinn went 4-for-5 in his first collegiate game in February and didn’t slow down much on his way to Southern Conference Freshman of the Year honors. Quinn is hitting .321 with nine homers, 47 RBI, a .401 OBP and a .534 slugging percentage.