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A Grand Night

Wade Wass hit two grand slams and had nine RBI last night.
Wade Wass hit two grand slams and had nine RBI last night.

 

On a July night last summer, Max Pentecost delivered the season’s most memorable performance when he went 5-for-5 with two home runs. The Bourne catcher had a great summer overall, but that was the night he put himself in the MVP running and the night he cemented his burgeoning prospect status.

It remains to be seen what the rest of the 2014 summer – and beyond – holds for Brewster catcher Wade Wass (Alabama). But on a July night, Wass had the same kind of night that Pentecost had.

In a 12-5 Brewster win over Wareham at Stony Brook Field, Wass hit two grand slams and drove in nine runs.

Cape Cod Baseball League single game records are not readily available online, but I’ve got to think Wass’s performance cracks the books somewhere. In Major League Baseball history, players have two hit grand slams in a single game just 13 times. The last was in 2009. Nine RBI is a little more common at the MLB level, but in seven years of writing about the Cape League, I can’t remember a player hitting that number.

Obviously, it was a heck of a night.

Wass, a junior-college transfer, hit .302 with five homers for Alabama this spring. He was a 13th-round draft pick in 2012 out of the junior college ranks but stayed put.

This summer, he had just five hits in his first nine games but broke out with a home run on a 3-for-4, four RBI night on Saturday. After an 0-4 on Sunday, he delivered his grand performance Wednesday.

With a television audience on Fox College Sports – the crew’s first Cape broadcast of the summer – Wass came up in the third inning with the bases loaded and delivered his first grand slam. In the fifth, he doubled home a run, giving him a pretty good performance even if he had stopped there.

He did not. In the eighth, he came up again with the bases loaded and again smashed a grand slam.

Brewster won 12-5, with big nights from Braden Bishop (Washington) and Gio Brusa (Pacific) as well. Cody Ponce (Cal Poly Pomona) and Andrew Naderer (Grand Canyon) combined on a solid pitching performance.

And they would all agree the night belonged to their teammate. Wass, not surprisingly, now leads the league in RBI with 18 and is tied for second in home runs with three.

 

Orleans 13, Hyannis 0

The Firebirds now own the longest win streak of the summer thanks to a 13-0 shutout of Hyannis last night. Trent Thornton (North Carolina) struck out seven in five innings and combined with Cody Moffett (Arizona) and Tyler Honahan (Stony Brook) on the shutout. Thornton, who gave up five runs in his last start, allowed just three hits, all singles. The Firebirds offense gave him plenty of support, racing to a 7-0 lead after three innings. R.J. Ybarra (Arizona State) went 3-for-4 with two RBI, while Brett Lang (North Carolina) drove in three runs. Edwin Rios (Florida International) also had two RBI, giving him 16 on the year. Orleans is now 11-8, just one game back of Harwich for first place in the East. The Firebirds have scored 39 runs in their last three games and 59 in the six-game streak.

 

Bourne 7, Harwich 6

Losers of three straight, Bourne came to Whitehouse Field and righted the ship with a narrow victory over East-leading Harwich. The Braves are now 12-6, matching Harwich for the best record in the league. The teams combined for 29 hits in their match-up, but Bourne had a little more offense. Blake Davey (Connecticut) had three hits and two RBI, while five of his teammates knocked in one run apiece. Davey and Harrison Bader (Florida) both homered. Harwich was balanced as well, getting at least one hit from every spot in the lineup, including two from recently arrived C.J. Hinojosa (Texas). Jacob Sparger (Louisville) got the win in relief for Bourne. Joey Strain (Winthrop) picked up a save.

 

Chatham 7, Cotuit 2

The big night by Wass will make headlines, but nobody in the league has been hotter of later than Chatham’s A.J. Murray (Georgia Tech). He went 3-for-3 with a home run and three RBI last night as the Anglers beat Cotuit 7-2. Murray is riding an eight-game hit streak that includes seven two-hit games and three home runs. He’s batting an even .500 – 18-for-36 – in the streak. He’s tied for the league lead in homers, ranks second in RBI and is sixth in batting average. Last night, Chris Shaw (Boston College) also homered for the Anglers and Kal Simmons (Kennesaw State) added two hits. Jordan Hillyer (Kennesaw State) allowed one run in five innings, maintaining some remarkable consistency. He has gone exactly five innings and given up exactly one run in all three of his starts, and he has won them all.

 

Y-D 8, Falmouth 1

Kevin Duchene (Illinois) delivered the performance Y-D’s been waiting for, striking out nine in six shutout innings as the Red Sox beat Falmouth 8-1. Duchene, the former Big Ten Freshman of the Year, hadn’t yet hit his groove and sported a 6.08 ERA after three starts. But Wednesday, he didn’t allow a hit until the fourth inning and gave up just two overall. The nine strikeouts vaulted him to second in the league. With Duchene pitching like that and Falmouth starting Kevin McCanna (Rice) the game shaped up as a low-scoring affair, but Y-D scored five runs – four unearned – off McCanna, who had allowed four runs all season. Jordan Tarsovich (VMI) went 3-for-4 to raise his league-best average to .413. Hunter Cole (Georgia) and Vincent Jackson (Tennessee) had two RBI apiece.

 

What to Watch

Today will bring the first of two games in the annual Fourth of July holiday rivalry series. Orleans and Chatham will be interesting as always, especially with the Firebirds riding their win streak. In Brewster, we’ll see what Wade Wass can do for an encore against Harwich’s Michael Boyle (Radford), who hasn’t allowed an earned run all summer.

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Consistent Firebirds Pack Big Potential


 
orleans smallThe 2012 season gave Orleans its first non-winning season since 2002. The Firebirds righted the ship to make the Eastern Division finals that year, and last season, they were right back on the winning side of things. They had one of the best records in the league and made the Cape League championship series.

And this team looks even better. The Firebirds have put together a very talented group to this point. There’s top-notch pitching, with the likes of Nathan Kirby, Brett Lilek and Tyler Ferguson and there’s big offensive potential led by SEC stars Christin Stewart and Dansby Swanson.

Those proclamations come with the usual caveats – it’s early, rosters change, the College World Series pulls people away, etc. But for right now, I can’t imagine another team surpassing Orleans’ talent level.

In all those winning seasons, Orleans has had some teams like this and some teams that looked like this at first but didn’t pan out like this. Either way, you can expect another good summer at Eldredge Park.

 

THE SKINNY

Manager: Kelly Nicholson
Last Year: 24-19-1; Lost in CCBL Championship
Returning Players: 1
Juniors: 0
Sophomores: 18
Freshmen: 2

 

NOTABLE

  • If previous summer success is a good indicator, the Firebirds have a lot of talent on the way. They’ve got four of the first 11 on Perfect Game’s Alaska League 2013 top prospects list, the first three from the NECBL’s list and the second-best from the Northwoods League. As far as summer track records go, few Cape League teams will be able to match that.

  • Winning in the summer is good, too, and the Firebirds have three members of the 2013 Alaska League champion Alaska Goldpanners – Nathan Bannister, Cody Moffett and David Fletcher.

  • The top prospects from the aforementioned leagues are both on the Orleans roster and are both having big sophomore seasons. Nathan Kirby, who starred in the NECBL last summer, has pitched a no-hitter this year. He’s also been invited to Team USA. Christin Stewart, Alaska’s best, is slugging .561 in the SEC.

  • Orleans has only 10 pitchers on the roster right now, but it looks a high-level group. Kirby, Josh Sborz, Tyler Ferguson, Brett Lilek and Kyle Wilcox have all been successful starters this spring. Even some guys who are relievers this season, like Eric Hanhold and Nathan Bannister had big summers as starters last year. In the pen, Reilly Hovis has been a dominant closer for North Carolina.

  • The NECBL was dominated by pitching last summer, and Orleans has the three best arms from that circuit, according to Perfect Game. Kirby, Lilek and Wilcox went one-two-three in the league.

  • Orleans has two players who have been two-way guys on a regular basis this spring in Arizona’s Bobby Dalbec and Michigan’s Jacob Cronenworth.

  • Orleans almost always has a solid hitter from Vanderbilt, and Dansby Swanson is next in line. The sophomore infielder leads the Commodores in hitting, OBP and slugging.

  • Korey Dunbar has not set the world on fire in his two years at North Carolina, but he was rated the third-best prospect in the Coastal Plain League last summer, and will have a shot to be the top catching prospect on the Cape this summer.

  • David Fletcher is only a freshman, but don’t be surprised if the Loyola Marymount shortstop draws “beyond his years” kind of praise. He played in the Alaska League last summer and wowed everybody with his glove.

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    FIVE TO WATCH

    1. Christin Stewart
    2. Nathan Kirby
    3. Brett Lilek
    4. Kyle Wilcox
    5. Dansby Swanson

     

    PITCHERS

    Nathan Bannister – RHP – 6’3 224 – Arizona – Sophomore
    Ryne Combs – LHP – 6’0 200 – Kentucky – Sophomore
    Tyler Ferguson – RHP – 6’3 225 – Vanderbilt – Sophomore
    Eric Hanhold – RHP – 6’5 195 – Florida – Sophomore
    Reilly Hovis – RHP – 6’3 190 – North Carolina – Sophomore
    Nathan Kirby – LHP – 6’2 185 – Virginia – Sophomore
    Brett Lilek – LHP – 6’4 194 – Arizona State – Sophomore
    Cody Moffett – LHP – 6’4 213 – Arizona – Sophomore
    *Josh Sborz – RHP – 6’3 225 – Virginia – Sophomore
    Kyle Wilcox – RHP – 6’3 180 – Bryant – Sophomore
    * – returning player

     

    Nathan Bannister – RHP – 6’3 224
    Arizona
    Sophomore

    Bannister totaled just 4.2 innings as a freshman last spring, but he had a busy and productive summer in Alaska, where he went 6-0 with a 2.25 ERA for the Alaska Goldpanners on his way to a spot as the league’s 11th-best prospect, according to Perfect Game. He has not quite been able to carry the success back to Arizona, where he has an ERA over six in 12 relief appearances this season.

    Ryne Combs – LHP – 6’0 190
    Kentucky
    Sophomore

    Kentucky’s Gatorade Player of the Year in 2011, Combs made his presence felt for the hometown Wildcats as a freshman, posting a 2.01 ERA as a valuable member of the bullpen. Combs has hit a rough patch this year and has seen his ERA balloon over six.

    Tyler Ferguson – RHP – 6’3 225
    Vanderbilt
    Sophomore

    In a Vanderbilt rotation headed by star Tyler Beede, Ferguson has more than held his own for the Commodores. He’s 7-3 with a 2.66 ERA and 55 strikeouts in 67.2 innings pitched. Ferguson had pitched in a swing role for Vandy last year. He pitched for the Newport Gulls last summer and was named the NECBL’s 18th-best prospect by Perfect Game.

    Eric Hanhold – RHP – 6’5 195
    Florida
    Sophomore

    Hanhold didn’t make a big splash in his freshman year, but was named the second best prospect in the prestigious Northwoods League by Baseball America last summer. He has pitched mostly out of the bullpen for the Gators this spring and has a 4.40 ERA.

    Reilly Hovis – RHP – 6’3 190
    North Carolina
    Sophomore

    Hovis pitched well out of the bullpen as a freshman last year, and it was a sign of things to come. As a sophomore, he’s been busy and dominant. Hovis has made 30 appearances for the Tar Heels and owns a 1.73 ERA. He has struck out a whopping 70 in 52 innings – more strikeouts than two of the Heels’ weekend starters – while allowing opponents to bat just .171. He’s saved six games.

    Nathan Kirby – LHP – 6’2 185
    Virginia
    Sophomore

    Kirby has been invited to Team USA, but if he were to end up on Cape Cod, he’d easily be the most accomplished pitcher in the league. The top prospect in the NECBL last summer, Kirby tossed a no-hitter this year and has been consistently terrific outside of that game. He has a 1.62 ERA with 84 strikeouts in 78 innings pitched.

    Brett Lilek – LHP – 6’4 194
    Arizona State
    Sophomore

    A 37th-round pick out of high school, Lilek held his own in 11 appearances last spring. He then pitched in the NECBL and was ranked just behind Kirby on Perfect Game’s top prospects list. This spring, he has emerged as a bona fide ace for the Sun Devils, posting a 2.27 ERA with 68 strikeouts in 71 innings pitched.

    Cody Moffett – LHP – 6’4 213
    Arizona
    Sophomore

    Moffett joined his Arizona teammate Bannister on the Goldpanners and the Alaska League top prospects list last summer, ranking eighth in the league after a terrific season out of the bullpen. He has continued to pitch in relief for the Wildcats this spring and is sporting a 4.20 ERA in 19 appearances. He has picked up two saves.

    Josh Sborz – RHP – 6’3 225
    Virginia
    Sophomore

    Sborz was a terrific reliever for the Cavaliers as a freshman before suiting up for Orleans last summer. He had some rough outings but impressed enough to crack Perfect Game’s list of the CCBL’s top 100 prospects. Sborz has moved seamlessly into the starting rotation this spring and is 4-3 with a 2.93 ERA.

    Kyle Wilcox – RHP – 6’3 180
    Bryant
    Sophomore

    Wilcox had an ERA over six for Bryant last spring, but he turned a lot of heads with a high-90’s fastball. He then had a strong stint in the NECBL that earned him No. 3 prospect honors behind Kirby and Lilek. This season, he has pitched mostly as a starter for the Bulldogs and has posted a 3.21 ERA to go with 40 strikeouts in 53 innings.

     

    POSITION PLAYERS

    Jacob Cronenworth – INF/RHP – 6’1 167 – Michigan – Sophomore
    Bobby Dalbec – UTIL – 6’4 219 – Arizona – Freshman
    Korey Dunbar – C – 6’0 215 – North Carolina – Sophomore
    David Fletcher – SS – 6’1 175 – Loyola Marymount – Freshman
    Devin Pearson – OF – 5’11 192 – California – Sophomore
    Johnny Sewald – OF – 6’0 160 – Arizona State – Sophomore
    Christin Stewart – OF – 6’0 205 – Tennessee – Sophomore
    Dansby Swanson – 2B/SS – 6’0 190 – Vanderbilt – Sophomore
    David Thompson – 3B/1B – 6’2 207 – Miami – Sophomore
    Mitchell Tolman – 1B/3B – 6’0 190 – Oregon – Sophomore

     

    Jacob Cronenworth – INF/RHP – 6’1 167
    Michigan
    Sophomore

    Cronenworth is listed as just an infielder on the Orleans roster, but at Michigan, he’s been a dynamic two-way player. A second-team all-conference pick as a freshman, Cronenworth has 10 saves this year to go with a 1.61 ERA. At the plate, he’s hitting .264 with two homers.

    Bobby Dalbec – UTIL – 6’4 219
    Arizona
    Freshman

    Projected as one of the best freshmen in the country, Dalbec has done it all for the Wildcats in his first year in Tucson. As one of the team’s busiest relievers, he leads the Wildcats in ERA at 1.94 and has saved two games. As a regular in the everyday lineup, he’s hitting .266 with two homers and 27 RBI.

    Korey Dunbar – C – 6’0 215
    North Carolina
    Sophomore

    A 39th-round pick out of high school, Dunbar hit under .200 in part-time action last year. He’s played nearly every day this season and is hitting .232 with three home runs. Last summer, Dunbar shined in the Coastal Plain League, where he was named the circuit’s third-best prospect by Perfect Game.

    David Fletcher – SS – 6’1 175
    Loyola Marymount
    Freshman

    Fletcher went undrafted out of high school but got a shot to play in the Alaska League and earned the league’s official top prospect award. He ranked fifth on Perfect Game’s list, with glowing scouting reports about his defense at shortstop and the part he played in helping his Goldpanners to the league championship. As a freshman at the collegiate level this year, Fletcher is continuing to shine, hitting .323 with 13 stolen bases.

    Devin Pearson – OF – 5’11 192
    California
    Sophomore

    A football and baseball star in high school, Pearson hit over .300 as a freshman for the Bears. He has struggled this year to a a.178 average.

    Johnny Sewald – OF – 6’0 160
    Arizona State
    Sophomore

    A product of Las Vegas powerhouse Bishop Gorman, Sewald saw spot duty last year but has become a solid contributor this spring. He’s hitting .305 and has stolen 12 bases in 16 tries. He’s also getting on base at a .425 clip.

    Christin Stewart – OF – 6’0 205
    Tennessee
    Sophomore

    The Firebirds’ Alaska contingent could be headed by Stewart, who was named the league’s top prospect by Perfect Game. Playing for the Mat-Su Miners, Stewart hit five home runs and led the league in slugging. Stewart was a prolific home run hitter in high school and the power has played this spring too. Stewart is slashing .341/.396/.561 with five homers, 18 doubles and six triples.

    Dansby Swanson – 2B/SS – 6’0 190
    Vanderbilt
    Sophomore

    Swanson was a 38th-round pick out of high school but his freshman season in Nashville was limited to 11 games because of an injury. This season, the sophomore infielder has made up for lost time. He leads the Commodores in hitting at .342, OBP at .421 and slugging at .497. He’s hit three home runs and driven in 27. He’s among the top 10 hitters in the SEC.

    David Thompson – 3B/1B – 6’2 207
    Miami
    Sophomore

    A 38th-round pick out of high school, Thompson hit .286 with six homers last year on his way to Freshman All-America honors. He’s been limited to 19 games this season but is hitting .328 with five doubles.

    Mitchell Tolman – 1B/3B – 6’0 190
    Oregon
    Sophomore

    Another Freshman All-American, Tolman hit .315 in his first season with the Ducks and has been even better this season. The infielder is hitting .322 with a .453 on-base percentage, 20 extra-base hits and a team-high 45 RBI.