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The Tar Heel Ace

gallenThe University of North Carolina churns out some of the best pitchers in college baseball, year after year. And many of them summer in Chatham, from Andrew Miller to Alex White to Matt Harvey.

It’s been a few years, but the Anglers may have found another one.

Tar Heel righty Zac Gallen made his third start of the summer Friday night and delivered his best performance yet. The rising junior struck out eight and allowed just two hits in six shutout innings. Both hits were in the first inning, and he cruised from there. He did all of this against East Division leader Orleans and its fearsome lineup. The Firebirds are second in the league in runs scored, and they lead in extra-base hits.

Gallen had no trouble. After giving up the two singles in the first, he struck out Tres Barrera (Texas) and got Willie Abreu (Miami) to ground out. Later, he walked two in the fourth inning but then struck out the side, part of a stretch in which he fanned five in a row. Even the third time through the order, the Firebirds went quietly, as Gallen worked a quiet sixth.

The Chatham offense made Gallen’s big performance count by touching up Orleans standout Kyle Serrano (Tennessee) for two runs in the first inning and tacking on two more in the sixth against the Firebirds bullpen. Trenton Brooks (Nevada), Cory Raley (Texas Tech), Aaron Barnett (Pepperdine) and Zack Short (Sacred Heart) each knocked in a run to lead the balanced attack.

Orleans scored two runs in the eighth, but Aaron McGarity (Virginia Tech) cooled off the rally, going the final 1.1 innings for the save.

Chatham moved one game over .500 at 11-10 and is in second place behind Orleans in the East. One of their standout starters, T.J. Zeuch (Pittsburgh) was just released from the roster after reaching his summer innings limit, but the Anglers have quickly found another ace. Gallen hasn’t allowed an earned run in three starts. The Anglers lost the last time he was on the mound, but he went five shutout innings against Hyannis, the other division leader. Gallen is now third in the league in strikeouts, with 23 in just 15 innings.

Gallen is coming off a spring season in which he had a 2.79 ERA with 74 strikeouts in the UNC weekend rotation.

Like the other Tar Heels that came before, he’s giving Chatham some of the best pitching in the league.
 

Hyannis 6, Y-D 2

In a rare feat this summer, the Harbor Hawks didn’t have a stolen base. They lead the league the league with 40 but found another way in beating Y-D. Blake Tiberi (Louisville) gave Hyannis the 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first with a two-run double. He added a two-run single in the seventh, giving him four RBI on the night. Jacob Noll (Florida Gulf Coast) added a hit and an RBI, as did David Martinelli (Dallas Baptist). Errol Robinson (Ole Miss) scored two runs and is now tied for the league lead in runs scored with 15. Mike King (Boston College), who began the summer on a temp contract but has since been signed, was solid in four innings of work, giving up one run. Kevin Roy (Columbia) was credited with the win in relief. Dakota Hudson (Mississippi State), who had pitched as a starter in his last two outings, came out of the pen and surrendered just one run in 3.1 innings. Hyannis moved to 13-8 and has a two-game lead on Wareham for the top spot in the West. The Harbor hawks have won three straight.
 

Brewster 8, Harwich 1

The Whitecaps won their second straight and pushed their record over .500 at 10-9. After getting shut-out by Hyannis two games ago, the Whitecaps have delivered 28 hits in their last two games. Colin Lyman (Louisville) led the charge Friday, going 3-for-4 and scoring two runs. Toby Handley (Stony Brook) added two hits and two RBI. Jack Meggs (Washington) went 3-for-4, as did Chandler Avant (Alabama). Brewster now leads the league in team batting average. Four pitchers made the big lead stand up, limiting Harwich to five hits. Nick Highberger (Creighton) was credited with the win.
 

Wareham 7, Bourne 4

The Gatemen won their third straight and remained two games back of Hyannis for first place in the West. Andrew Calica (UC Santa Barbara), the hero of Wednesday’s one-hit win, had a huge night, going 4-for-5 with four RBI. He’s now hitting .524 in seven games since joining the team. Nick Cieri (Maryland) added three hits and two RBI. Starter Evan Hill (Michigan) gave up one run in 4.2 innings. Ryan Olson (Cal Poly Pomona) grabbed his second save. Max McDowell (UConn) homered for Bourne and Jacob Robson (Mississippi State) stretched his hitting streak to seven games.
 

Cotuit 8, Falmouth 1

The Kettleers broke a 1-1 tie with five runs in the sixth inning and grabbed a win over Falmouth, pulling even with the Commodores in the West standings, in the process. Jonathan King (Georgia Tech) struck out six and gave up one run in five innings of work before four relievers closed the door. Michael Paez (Coastal Carolina), Matt Albanese (Bryant) and Brody Weiss (UCLA) led the offense with two RBI apiece. Kort Peterson (UCLA) had two hits and scored two runs. Both teams are now 7-13.
 

What to Watch

The Hyannis-Y-D match-up at Red Wilson Field looks like a good one. Devin Smeltzer (Florida Gulf Coast) makes his second start since his no-hitter against Y-D’s Ricky Thomas (Fresno State), who’s 3-0 with a 1.01 ERA.
 

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Brewster hopes playoffs no surprise this time

brewster 15

 

The Whitecaps made a surprise run to the playoffs last year, after it looked like they’d been written off. With new manage Jamie Shevchik taking over after a successful stint in the NECBL, Brewster will be looking to establish a winning tradition.
 

FIVE TO WATCH

1. Grayson Long
2. Danny Garcia
3. Lucas Erceg
4. Jacob Robson
5. Patrick Ruotolo
 

NOTABLE

  • Brewster had one of the Cape League’s best pitching prospects in Cal Poly Pomona’s Cody Ponce last year. Ponce hailed from the Division II ranks out west and the Whitecaps are going back to the well with California Baptist’s Tyson Miller and Catawba’s Shaefar Shepard, both of whom are coming off good seasons on the mound.

  • The Whitecaps have five junior pitchers on the roster. If they make it to Brewster after the draft, it’ll be a veteran group, potentially led by Texas A&M’s Grayson Long. He has struck out 106 this season.

  • Miami’s pitching staff has been terrific on its way to the College World Series and Danny Garcia has been a key part of it. Pitching in relief and as a starter, he leads the team in strikeouts with 79 in 80.1 innings, to go with just 17 walks.

  • Pat Ruotolo had a solid summer with Brewster last year and parlayed it into a big season as the UConn closer, where he struck out 52 in just 36.1 innings of work.

  • Jordan Sheffield was drafted in the 13th round by the Boston Red Sox in 2013. He missed last season with injury but has come back strong as a reliever for Vanderbilt this year. If his workload expands for the Whitecaps, look out.

  • Mercyhurst sent standout infielder Zak Blair to the Cape a few years back and will put infielder Brendan Cox in Brewster this year.

  • The Whitecaps will have a Cape League champ on their roster, with Nico Giarratano coming over from Y-D.

  • Outfielders Ryan Peurifoy and Kel Johnson were the leading hitters for Georgia Tech this spring.

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    PITCHERS

    Anthony Arias – r-FR – Fresno State – Lefty redshirted last year, had 5.40 ERA in swing role this year
    J.D. Busfield – SO – Loyola Marymount – Tied for 10th in the nation with 14 saves, paired them with 1.89 ERA
    Hansen Butler – FR – North Carolina – Made 19 appearances in debut season, finished with 3.38 ERA
    Matthew Clancy – JR – St. John’s – Busy reliever had 2.91 ERA and struck out better than a batter per inning our of the pen
    Danny Garcia – SO – Miami – Limited action as freshman but has been valuable in rotation and bullpen this year, with team-best 79 strikeouts
    Thomas Hackimer – JR – St. John’s – Made whopping 35 appearances and tied for sixth in the country with 15 saves
    Nick Highberger – JR – Creighton – Sold reliever throughout career, had 2.92 ERA in team-high 26 appearances this year
    Jacob Jenkins – JR – Pacific – Ace of the Pacific staff as a sophomore saw ERA balloon over six this season
    Grayson Long – JR – Texas A&M – One of top pitchers in SEC, is 9-1 with 2.82 ERA and 106 Ks in 95.2 innings
    Hunter Martin – SO – Tennessee – Had solid debut as a starter last year before watching ERA rise above five in sophomore season
    Tyson Miller – SO – California Baptist – Went 8-3 with 3.32 ERA, 85 strikeouts for D-II California Baptist
    Trent Paddon – SO – Oregon – Pitched as starter and reliever and had ERA over six, despite 35 strikeouts in 41.2 innings
    Patrick Ruotolo – SO – Connecticut – Returning Whitecap took closer’s role for Huskies and saved six games with 52 Ks in 36.1 IP
    Zac Ryan – SO – Georgia Tech – Took over closing duties as a sophomore and saved seven games while posting a 9-1 record
    Alex Schick – SO – California – Built on strong freshman year by leading team in appearances out of the bullpen
    Jordan Sheffield – r-FR – Vanderbilt – 13th-round pick in 2013 back from injury for 2.90 ERA in swing job this year
    Shaefer Shepard – SO – Catawba – Conference Freshman of the Year in 2014 pitched for Hyannis last summer, had 3.94 ERA, 80 Ks this year
     

    CATCHERS

    Cassidy Brown – SO – Loyola Marymount – Hasn’t put up great offensive numbers but has been regular starter behind the plate
    Karl Ellison – SO – Vanderbilt – Part of catching platoon with Commodores, hitting .212 this year
    J.C. Escarra – SO – Florida International – Lefty swinger hit .271 with five homers this spring
     

    INFIELDERS

    Candler Avant – FR – Alabama – Had solid first season in Tuscaloosa, hitting .266 and stealing 11 bases in full-time role
    Brendan Cox – JR – Mercyhurst – Hit .343 with .421 OBP for Division II Mercyhurst
    Lucas Erceg – SO – California – After decent freshman year, hit .303 and ranked second in Pac-12 with 11 home runs in big sophomore year
    Nico Giarratano – SO – San Francisco – Scrappy infielder won CCBL title with Y-D last year, hit .237 in sophomore season with Dons
    Brandon Gold – SO – Georgia Tech – Two-way player had 3.26 ERA in starting role, batted .273 while playing strong defense at third
    Nick Senzel – SO – Tennessee – Strong two-year contributor batted .325 with four home runs this season
    Will Smith – SO – Louisville – Solid contributor for Cardinals hitting .237 in second year with team
     

    OUTFIELDERS

    Brandon Caruso – SO – Pepperdine – After solid freshman campaign, bumped average to .309 with three homers this spring
    Toby Handley – SO – Stony Brook – Emerged as one of top hitters for Stony Brook with .330 average and 12 stolen bases
    Kel Johnson – FR – Georgia Tech – Freshman All-American hit .298, blasted 10 home runs in first season with Tech
    Colin Lyman – SO – Louisville – Hit .263 as a freshman but struggling in limited duty this season
    Jack Meggs – SO – Washington – Playing for father, Lindsay, at Washington, hit .243 in second season as a Husky
    Ryan Peurifoy – SO – Georgia Tech – Sophomore led Jackets with .324 batting average, chipped in two home runs
    Tyler Ramirez – SO – North Carolina – Hit .285, stole 18 bases and tied for team lead with 10 home runs in second season with Heels
    Jacob Robson – r-SO – Mississippi State – Missed most of last season but returned with a vengeance, hitting team-best .324 with 21 SB