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Home Run Hitter

Matt Davis hit his league-best seventh home run Saturday.
Matt Davis hit his league-best seventh home run Saturday.

 
Six current Cape Leaguers hit 14 home runs or more for their college teams this spring. Harwich’s Nick Feight (UNC Wilmington) finished tied for second in the nation with 21. Two more had 18, two had 17 and one had 14. Three players took a break from their time on the Cape to head to Omaha for the TD Ameritrade College Home Run Derby, and Chatham’s Hagen Owenby (East Tennessee State) came back with the crown.

That’s all to say that there is no shortage of sluggers in Cape League uniforms this summer.

But the guy leading the pack isn’t among that group.

Brewster’s Matt Davis (VCU) hit his league-best seventh home run in Saturday’s win over Cotuit. The 5-foot-10, 175-pound infielder — coming off a spring in which he hit six home runs — now has two more blasts than any of his Cape League mates.

A rising senior at VCU who’s been the anchor of the Rams’ offense the last two seasons, Davis is also hitting .314 this summer, leads the league in slugging percentage and ranks second in RBI with 18. He’s been the top performer for the top-performing offensive team on the Cape and has done it all while playing out of position. An infielder at VCU, he’s been slotting in mostly in left field for the Whitecaps.

His homer Saturday was a solo shot in a 5-0 burst for the Whitecaps over the first four innings. Davis finished 2-for-3. Nick Dunn (Maryland), Kel Johnson (Georgia Tech) and Kekai Rios (Hawaii) added hits.

The offense was more than enough for starter Konnor Pilkington (Mississippi State), who struck out five in seven shutout innings. Hanson Butler (North Carolina) and Tyler Zuber (Arkansas State) finished off the win.

 

Falmouth 4, Chatham 2

Falmouth is the hottest team in the league, topping Chatham for its fifth straight win. Brady Singer (Florida) made his second start and delivered another scoreless outing, allowing three hits in five innings after six shutout innings in his debut. Three relievers kept Falmouth in front before Seth Elledge (Dallas Baptist) worked a scoreless ninth for his second save. Singer’s Florida teammate Deacon Liput went 1-for-4 with an RBI in his second Cape game. Ryan Chandler (Rice) also knocked in a run. With the win, Falmouth improved to 15-10 and has a three-point lead on Wareham for first place in the West. Chatham fell to 11-14, which leaves them in a fourth-place tie with Brewster.

Wareham 3, Harwich 3

Wareham played to a tie for the second night in a row after 12 innings failed to yield a winner against Harwich at Whitehouse Field. The Gatemen were likely happier with the tie than the Mariners. Harwich led 3-0 into the eighth inning before Wareham rallied. The Gatemen got an RBI single by Austen Wade (TCU) in the eighth and tied it in the ninth on a Joey Bart (Georgia Tech) RBI triple and a Robert Metz (George Washington) bunt single. Both runs were unearned due to a one-out error. The runs came off Harwich closer Zach Schellenger (Seton Hall), who had yet to blow a save chance. Wareham kept Harwich off the board the rest of the way thanks to four scoreless innings from Jake Matthys (Angelo State). Brad Bass (Notre Dame) and Teddy Rodliff (Notre Dame) were also lights out for Harwich. Both teams left two runners on base in the 11th. Bart and Metz led the Wareham offense with three hits each. Ernie Clement (Virginia) had four hits for Harwich and leads the league with a .394 batting average. Before the Harwich bullpen lost the lead, Packy Naughton (Virginia Tech) went seven shutout innings, striking out four and allowing just two hits.

Y-D 3, Bourne 1

The Red Sox won their fourth straight and handed Bourne its sixth loss in a row. Oliver Jaskie (Michigan) allowed just an unearned run in six innings for the Red Sox, Nathan Kuchta (San Diego) tossed two scoreless frames and Bryan Pall (Michigan) picked up his sixth save, which is tied for the league lead. Pall has saved three games in Y-D’s four-game streak. J.J. Muno (UC Santa Barbara) paced the offense with two hits, a run scored and an RBI. Deon Stafford (St. Joseph’s) had a hit and a run scored and Will Toffey (Vanderbilt) had two hits. Y-D moved to 15-10 while Bourne fell to 11-13-1.

Orleans 7, Hyannis 1

Orleans stopped a four-game losing streak with a home win over Hyannis. Joe Ryan (Cal State Northridge) struck out seven and gave up just two hits in five scoreless innings, his second straight scoreless start. Kevin Smith (Maryland) gave up one run in three innings of relief and Calvin LeBrun (Gonzaga) worked the ninth to finish off the win. Leadoff man Brian Miller (North Carolina) had three hits, an RBI and a run scored, while Will Golsan (Ole Miss) and Zach Kirtley (St. Mary’s) had two hits each. Seven different Firebirds drove in a run. Hyannis got two hits from Cody Henry (Alabama).

 

What to Watch

The top two teams in the West, Falmouth and Wareham, square off a Spillane Field at 7 p.m. Brendan King (Holy Cross), who has pitched as a starter and reliever with a 3.70 ERA, goes for the Commodores against Zachary Pop (Kentucky), who allowed one run in five innings his last time out.
 

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Walk-off Welcome

chatham
 

He hit .379, earned first-team all-conference honors and helped lead his team to Omaha, so Tanner Gardner (Texas Tech) was already a welcome addition for the Chatham Anglers.

Then came his debut.

Gardner made his first appearance on the Cape Wednesday and hit a walk-off three-run home run in the bottom of the 11th inning as Chatham beat Wareham 6-5.

The Anglers had fallen behind 5-3 in the top of the 11th but put two men on and watched Gardner go to work. I don’t recall a Cape League debut with such an emphatic opening statement. The sophomore outfielder was down 1-2 in the count when he launched the game-winner over the fence in right field.

The dramatic win improved Chatham’s record to 11-12. With Orleans dropping its third straight, the Anglers are only one game out of third place in the East.

Gardner finished 2-for-5 with three RBI and two runs scored. Gunnar Troutwine (Wichita State) – who singled ahead of Gardner’s walk-off – went 2-for-3 with two runs scored. Hagen Owenby (East Tennessee State) added two hits and an RBI.

Connor Moore (Seattle), who stranded two runners on in the top of the 11th, earned the win. Long before the rally, college teammate Nick Meservey went three scoreless innings in his second start of the summer.

Wareham got four hits from Joey Bart (Georgia Tech), who bumped his average from .276 to .353.

The loss was costly for the Gatemen, who fell into second place as Falmouth jumped into first.

 

Falmouth 13, Brewster 8

Falmouth’s leap into first place came via a slugfest win over sliding Brewster. The Commodores had 14 hits and reached a season-high in runs in improving to 13-10 on the year. Matt McLaughlin (Kansas) hit a grand slam to power the big third inning and finished 2-for-3 with five RBI. Cadyn Grenier (Oregon State) went 3-for-3, scored four runs and drove in two. Michael Gigliotti (Lipscomb) added two hits and two RBI. Brett Gilchrist (Dallas Baptist) nabbed the win in relief of starter Jake Bird (UCLA), who was touched up for four runs in 3.1 innings after a dominant start last time out. Brewster lost for the sixth straight time and fell to 9-14 and last place in the East. The Whitecaps still lead the league in runs scored, but have also allowed the most. Brent Rooker (Mississippi State) had two hits and now leads the league with a .386 average. Zack Gahagan (North Carolina) added two hits and two RBI and Logan Warmoth (North Carolina) hit his fourth home run.

Y-D 7, Orleans 3

Y-D scored a key win to move ahead of Orleans for second place in the East. The Red Sox – not too far removed from an 0-5 start to the season – are 13-5 since and are tied with Falmouth for the second-best record in the league. Wednesday, Y-D was out-hit 12-7 but capitalized on miscues and scored five unearned runs. J.J. Schwarz (Florida) hit his first Cape League home run, a three-run shot in the fourth inning that broke the game open. Red-hot Will Toffey (Vanderbilt) saw his four-game hit streak end but picked up an RBI. Brendan Skidmore (Binghamton), Kevin Smith (Maryland) and Corey Dempster (USC) drove in one run each. On the mound, Bryan Sammons (Western Carolina) allowed nine hits in 3.2 innings but limited the damage. William Montgomerie (Connecticut) followed with 4.1 scoreless innings for the win. Orleans, which lost its third straight, got four hits from Riley Mahan (Kentucky).

Harwich 1, Bourne 0

It’s hard to win a pitcher’s duel with Harwich, as the Bourne Braves found out. The Mariners got 11 shutout innings from four pitchers – allowing just four hits along the way – and broke through for the lone run of the game in the top of the 11th. Ernie Clement (Virginia) scored on a groundout to shortstop off the bat of Joseph Dunand (NC State). Zach Schellenger (Seton Hall) followed with a scoreless bottom of the 11th to finish off the win, picking up where three of his fellow pitchers left off. Making his second start of the summer, power arm Peter Solomon (Notre Dame) allowed one hit in seven innings and struck out six. Notre Dame teammate Brad Bass and LSU’s Austin Bain kept the Braves off the board. Bourne starter Brady Miller (Western Oregon) went six scoreless innings.

Cotuit 5, Hyannis 1

The Kettleers won for the fifth time in seven games and notched their first victory over rival Hyannis. Quinn Brodey (Stanford), who came into the game hitting .196, went 3-for-3 with a home run and drove in all five of Cotuit’s runs. Clay Fisher (UC Santa Barbara) added two hits and two runs scored. Rio Gomez (Arizona), who pitched in limited action for CWS runner-up Arizona, made his second appearance for Cotuit and struck out seven of the 12 batters he faced in 3.2 innings. Eddie Muhl (George Washington) got the win in relief and Jared Padgett (Mississippi State) pitched three hitless innings for the save. Hyannis got a home run from Zach Rutherford (Old Dominion), his third of the summer.

What to Watch

It’s a league-wide off day Thursday as teams head to Fenway Park for a workout. Friday, there’s plenty of good pitching to choose from, with Brady Puckett (Lipscomb) and his 1.71 ERA going for Falmouth, Erich Uelmen (Cal Poly) looking for his third consecutive scoreless start for Y-D and Atlantic 10 Pitcher of the Year Tyler Wilson (Rhode Island) making his third start for Harwich.
 

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Anything you can do…

Hunter Williams delivered a strong start on opening night, the first of many for the Mariners so far
Hunter Williams delivered a strong start on opening night, the first of many for the Mariners so far

 
It’s tough to say which unit has been the most impressive for the undefeated Harwich Mariners. Is it the starting rotation, with five guys delivering strong debuts? Or is it the bullpen and its two runs allowed in five games?

The Mariners don’t have to choose – it’s all working just fine together.

Harwich improved to 5-0 Tuesday with a 5-2 victory over Orleans, and pitching again set the stage. Ryan McAuliffe (St. John’s) allowed one run and struck out five in six innings of work. Brad Bass (Notre Dame), Teddy Rodliff (Stony Brook) and Zach Schellenger (Seton Hall) went the final three innings, with Rodliff allowing the only other run.

McAuliffe became the fifth consecutive Harwich starter to earn a win. As little as wins matter as a statistic, they do reflect in this case that Harwich’s starters are pitching well and pitching deep into games – something that doesn’t always happen in the Cape League, especially at this point in the year.

Hunter Williams (North Carolina) and Packy Naughton (Virginia Tech) each went five innings. McAuliffe, Shane McCarthy (Seton Hall) and B.J. Myers (West Virginia) went at least six innings in their first start.

The four runs Naughton allowed in his start are the most surrendered by a Harwich starter.

And when the starters have passed the baton on to the bullpen, the numbers have been even better. In 15 innings, Harwich relievers have allowed a total of two runs. Bass, Schellenger, Matthew Minnick (Mercyhurst), Peter Solomon (Notre Dame) and Spencer Stockton (Jacksonville) are all proud owners of 0.00 ERAs.

Of course, there’s also been plenty of support for the Harwich arms. The Mariners lead the league in runs scored (in one extra game than eight of the league’s teams). Tuesday, the Mariners made the most of seven hits and capitalized on four Orleans errors. Trey Harris (Missouri) and Ryan Brown (College of Charleston) knocked in a run apiece. Tyler Kirkpatrick (Marist) scored two runs.

At 5-0, the Mariners are a quarter of the way to last season’s win total, when they missed the playoffs.
 

Bourne 7, Cotuit 5

Bourne is also unbeaten, moving to 4-0 with a victory over still-winless Cotuit. The Kettleers scored five runs in the seventh in rallying from a 4-0 deficit, but the Braves responded with a run in the eighth and two in the ninth. A sacrifice fly by Luis Alvarado (Nebraska) tied the game in the eighth. Willy Yahn (Connecticut) tripled in Connor Wong (Houston) in the ninth and scored on a David MacKinnon (Hartford) sac fly. The rally made a winner out of reliever Keith Weisenberg (Stanford), with Conner O’Neil (Cal State Northridge) notching the save. Bourne starter Brady Miller (Western Oregon), who struck out 89 in the D-II ranks this spring, had a big Cape debut with six shutout innings and seven strikeouts. For Cotuit, the five-run seventh inning was a good sign for a team that had scored only four runs coming into the game. Hagen Owenby (East Tennessee State) had two hits and two RBI to lead the Kettleers.

  • Falmouth 5, Hyannis 0

    • The Commodores authored the third shutout of the Cape League season and improved to 3-1 while dropping Hyannis to 0-5. Jacob Godfrey (Arizona State) went five innings for the win, scattering five hits and striking out two. Four relievers went an inning each to finish off the shutout. At the plate, Falmouth got two-hit games from Kevin Merrell (South Florida), Michael Gigliotti (Lipscomb), Trevor Larnach (Oregon State) and Michael Cantu (Texas). Merrell is hitting .529 with at least one hit in every game.

  • Chatham 4, Y-D 3

    • Defending champ Y-D also is still in search of its first victory after a lead Chatham built in the sixth held up for a 4-3 win. Patrick Mathis (Texas) did all the damage in the key inning for the Anglers, smacking a three-run homer to put the Anglers ahead 4-1. Y-D answered with two in the bottom of the sixth but would get no closer. Chatham starter Tom Cosgrove (Manhattan) gave up one run in five innings before getting charged with the two in the sixth. Matt Pidich (Pittsburgh) ended the threat with a pair of strikeouts. His college teammate Isaac Mattson went the final two innings for the save. Y-D was led by Brendan Skidmore (Binghamton), who knocked in two.

  • Wareham 3, Brewster 2

    • The Gatemen managed only three hits but turned them into three runs as they improved to 3-1 with a victory over Brewster. Gavin Sheets (Wake Forest) and Jonathan Engelmann (Michigan) drove in runs for the Gatemen on a groundout and a fielder’s choice. Robert Metz (George Washington) scored what proved to be the winning run on a wild pitch. Anthony Herron, Jr. (Jefferson College), a 34th-round draft pick last week and a Missouri State commit, started and went four shutout innings in his Cape debut. Ryan Selmer (Maryland) earned the win in relief and Ryan Wilson (Pepperdine) recorded a three-inning save. For Brewster, Ryan Feltner (Ohio State) allowed two earned runs in 5.1 innings but took the loss. Jacob Wloczewski (Binghamton) struck out three in 2.2 scoreless innings of relief.

    What to Watch

    Four makeup games from Saturday’s rainouts are on tap. Keep an eye on the proceedings at Doran Park, where Bourne will start another D-II standout after Brady Miller’s strong performance Tuesday. Ty Cohen struck out 98 in 90.1 innings for Florida Tech and gets the ball against Chatham.
     

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    Mariners back at it

    harwich

     
    Harwich will aim for a return to the playoffs after a rare down year.
     

    FIVE TO WATCH

    1. Nick Feight
    2. Zach Schellenger
    3. Tyler Wilson
    4. Evan White
    5. Cal Raleigh

     

    NOTABLE

  • Nick Feight had an enormous sophomore season, perhaps the best performance among sophomores around the country. The UNC-Wilmington catcher hit .349, blasted 21 home runs and racked up an eye-popping 91 RBI in only 60 games.

  • Zach Schellenger fanned 30 in 33 innings pitched with Harwich last summer, and it’s safe to say he upped that K-rate this spring. Schellenger struck out 70 in 45.1 innings out of the Seton Hall bullpen.

  • Pitchers in the Atlantic 10 are apparently playing for second place in the race for the conference’s top pitching honor with Tyler Wilson. The Rhode Island sophomore has won the award in each of his first two years in Kingston and was dominant this year. He also led URI’s upset of South Carolina in the opening round of an NCAA regional, battling back for a strong showing after giving up four early runs. It was URI’s first NCAA tournament win in school history.

  • Kentucky had a down year, but Evan White didn’t. His .376 average was good for third in the SEC.

  • If the Mariners didn’t have enough pop behind the plate in Feight, they’ll welcome in Florida State’s Cal Raleigh, who has 10 homers in his first season with the Seminoles.

  • Antoine Duplantis of LSU stepped right into a starting job and hasn’t disappointed. His athleticism will likely stand out this summer, as you’d expect with his genes. His mother was a heptathlete and volleyball player at LSU and his father was an All-American pole vaulter for the Tigers.

  • Florida has so much pitching depth that a reliever who’s not even the close went on the first day of the Major League Baseball Draft. Once the depth thins out a bit next year, Harwich-bound Jackson Kowar could be next in line as a Gator star. He has fanned 44 in 34 innings as a freshman.

  • Another Gator freshman, Jonathan India, is ticketed for Harwich, as well. Jonathan India has been one of the team’s top hitters.

  • If you’re looking for the old small school underdog type to root for, your search is over. Austin Filiere of MIT is slated to play for the Mariners off a huge sophomore season in which he hit over .400 with double-digit home runs. Not many MIT baseball players have been on the Cape or been drafted, for that matter. Filiere is aiming for both.

    •  

    PITCHERS

    Maddux Conger – FR – Vanderbilt – Limited action but strong performer in Vandy bullpen, with .79 ERA in nine appearances
    Austin Bain – SO – LSU – Started two games but pitching mostly in relief for Tigers and has struck out 31 in 28 innings
    Brad Bass – JR – Notre Dame – Saved two games and posted 1.91 ERA in 19 relief appearances for Fighting Irish
    Jackson Kowar – FR – Florida – Successful as starter and reliever with 3.37 ERA, 44 Ks in 34.2 innings in debut with Gators
    Shane McCarthy – SO – Seton Hall – Top starter for Pirates went 6-4 with 2.38 ERA and 84 Ks in 102 innings
    B.J. Myers – SO – West Virginia – Worked as a starter and reliever, finishing with 4.05 ERA, 53 strikeouts in 66.2 innings
    Packy Naughton – SO – Virginia Tech – Native of West Roxbury, Mass., had ERA over six but struck out 74 in 76 IP this spring
    Teddy Rodliff – SO – Stony Brook – Notched seven saves with 3.20 ERa, 26 Ks and just three walks in 39.1 innings
    Zach Schellenger – SO – Seton Hall – Returning Mariner saved six games and struck out a whopping 70 batters in just 45.2 innings
    Peter Solomon – SO – Notre Dame – Struck out a batter an inning with 1.40 ERA in nine bullpen outings
    Hunter Williams – SO – North Carolina – Started seven games with solid numbers for Harwich last year and had 3.10 ERA in swing role at UNC
    Tyler Wilson – SO – Rhode Island – Two-time Atlantic 10 Pitcher of the Year went 13-1 with 2.29 ERA, 122 Ks in 102.1 IP this year
    Tommy DeJuneas – SO – NC State – Finished with six saves and 6.37 ERA while striking out 27 in 29.2 innings pitched this spring
    Brian Brown – SO – NC State – Weekend starter for Wolfpack went 7-3 with 3.70 ERA, 79 Ks in 87.2 innings
    Nick Brown – JR – William & Mary – Led team in strikeouts by wide margin with 85 in 96 innings, while posting 5.53 ERA
    Ethan Landon – RS SO – Michigan State – Pitched well in Spartans’ rotation, tallying 2.75 ERA, 59 Ks in 85 IP
    Matt Minnick – SO – Mercyhurst – Went 7-1 and struck out 61 in 54.1 innings for D-II power Mercyhurst
    Spencer Stockton – SO – Jacksonville – Finished with 3.21 ERA as a starter for Dolphins
    Speros Varinos – JR – Tufts – Fanned 79 in 67 innings and went 7-1 with 2.15 ERA for D-III Jumbos
    Ryan McAuliffe – JR – St. John’s – Went 5-2 with 4.32 ERA in weekend rotation for Red Storm
    David McKay – SO – Florida Atlantic – Led team in strikeouts with 66 and had 3.74 ERA in weekend rotation
    Brett Daniels – SO – North Carolina – Finished third on the team in appearances and posted 2.17 ERA with 34 Ks in 37.1 IP
    Liam Conboy – JR – Susquehanna – Racked up nine saves with 33 Ks in 27 IP for D-III squad
     

    CATCHERS

    J.D. Andreessen – SO – Campbell – Hit .294 with two homers for emerging Big South squad
    Cal Raleigh – FR – Florida State – Standout freshman making quick impact in Tallahassee, hitting .308 with 10 HR and 50 RBI
    Nick Feight – SO – UNC Wilmington – All-American led one of nation’s best offenses with .349 AVG, 21 HR, 91 RBI
     

    INFIELDERS

    Ernie Clement – SO – Virginia – Second-best hitter for Cavs finished at .351 with a homer and 18 XBH
    Jonathan India – FR – Florida – As Gators head to Super Regionals, ranks second on the team with .310 AVG and has 4 HR, 13 SB
    Jack Flansburg – JR – Oklahoma – Batted .278 and hit four homers for Sooners, while finishing third on team in RBI
    Pavin Smith – SO – Virginia – Hit .329 and finished second to first-round pick Matt Thaiss for team lead in home runs with eight
    Joe Dunand – SO – NC State – Hit .297 with four home runs and finished third on the team with 47 RBI this season
    Evan White – SO – Kentucky – Ranked third in SEC with .376 average, and added five home runs, 40 RBI and 10 stolen bases
    Kyle Davis – SO – West Virginia – Batted .280 with .394 OBP and led Mountaineers with 10 home runs
    Kyle Fiala – JR – Notre Dame – Leading hitter for Fighting Irish finished at .301 with 4 HR, 28 RBI, 10 SBs
    Austin Filiere – SO – MIT – Starred for D-III MIT with .428 AVG, .546 OBP, 13 HR, 55 RBI and 14 stolen bases
    Ryan Tufts – JR – Virginia Tech – Batted .284 with 18 extra-base hits and finished third on Hokies with RBI
    Anthony Critelli – JR – Holy Cross – Batted .267 and led team in home runs with nine and RBI with 41
    Max Burt – SO – Northeastern – Started every game for Huskies and hit .238
     

    OUTFIELDERS

    Ryan Brown – SO – College of Charleston – Freshman All-American last year met sophomore slump this year, finishing with .223 AVG
    Antoine Duplantis – FR – LSU – Burst onto scene with .323 AVG, 14 XBH, 36 RBI and 13 stolen bases while starting every game
    Steven Foster – SO – Hofstra – Hit .278 while getting on base at .407 clip and stole nine bases
    Trey Harris – SO – Missouri – SEC All-Freshman pick struggled with the bat this year, hitting .216 though he drove in 36
    Brock Deatherage – SO – NC State – Returning Mariner hit .317 this spring with six homers and stole 14 bases
    Logan Farrar – JR – VCU – Hit .295 with three home runs and stole team-best 15 bases
    Tyler Kirkpatrick – JR – Marist – Batted .263 with two homers for Red Foxes this spring