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Wrapping Up the Championship

YD14_team trophy

 

The Cape League’s Pointstreak scoreboard still has the third game of the championship series on the list and scheduled for Saturday night. It’s like a cruel tease while the withdrawal sets in . . .

  • The Yarmouth-Dennis pitching staff finished the playoffs with a 1.78 ERA and a batting average against of .188 – and those numbers include a game in which they gave up nine runs to Harwich. Take that game away, and the ERA stands at 1.00. Interestingly, while it may go down as one of the more dominant playoff pitching runs the league has ever seen, the 1.78 ERA isn’t even the best in the last four years. Harwich had a 1.71 ERA when it won the title in 2011. And going back to 2009, Bourne had a 1.38 playoff ERA when it won. Unsurprising moral of the story: if you have a playoff ERA under two, you’re probably going to win it all.

  • Kudos to the league on including Walker Buehler in the Playoff MVP award. While he only pitched in two of eight playoff games, his 0.00 ERA in 15.1 innings is remarkable and something that hasn’t been done in at least 15 years.

  • Splitting the award with Buehler was Y-D catcher Marcus Mastrobuoni, one of the most improbable CCBL Playoff MVPs in league history. Mastrobuoni plays for Division II Cal State Stanislaus, and he could very well be the first player from that school to play in the Cape League. He didn’t make his Cape League debut until July 24 and played in only five regular-season games. He wasn’t a full-time starter in the playoffs until Jesse Jenner broke a finger in the opening round. From that back story, Mastrobuoni hit .444 in the playoffs and drove in five of Y-D’s 10 runs in the championship series. He is the first player from a non-Division I school to win the Playoff MVP award since Kevin Hodge, a junior college player, won it in 1997 for Wareham.

  • The last three times Y-D won the title, its playoff MVP was a pitcher, and twice it was a closer. Joshua Faiola saved two playoff games on his way to the 2004 honor and David Robertson saved four playoff games (all the games Y-D won) to win top honors in 2006. I thought Phil Bickford might continue that trend with his three playoff saves, but it would have been hard to pick him over Mastrobuoni or Buehler.

  • Hunter Cole has played on two Cape Cod Baseball League championship clubs, but he’s never held the trophy. Cole played in 38 games for Cotuit last year and three in the playoffs before departing. Cotuit went on to the title. This year, after the former Georgia Bulldog was drafted in the 26th round, he came to Yarmouth and was one of the Red Sox’ best hitters before signing with the San Francisco Giants (he remained Y-D’s RBI leader through the end of the season). Cole was in Eugene, Ore., Friday night, playing for the Salem-Kaizer Volcanoes in the Northwest League, but he was watching.

  • Sidenote: anybody know a bookie who would take a bet on Salem-Kaizer winning the Northwest League title?

  • How about the summer Jordan Tarsovich had? He was a major key to success for the Red Sox, hitting .322 with three homers in the regular season. He hit .258 in the playoffs and broke open Friday’s game with a bases-loaded double.

  • Joey Armstrong was kind of on the other end of the spectrum during the regular season, finishing with a .157 batting average, but manager Scott Pickler stuck with him in the playoffs and Armstrong had two hits and an RBI in game one of the title series. Watching him in the championship, you wouldn’t have guessed he had struggled so much. He looked like a key cog.

  • Not a bad few months for Michael Donadio. Big East Freshman of the Year, Hamptons Collegiate Baseball League Batting Champion and MVP, and Cape Cod Baseball League champion.

  • Reinforcements like Donadio are always a key for successful Cape League teams, but it helps to have a core of mainstays too, and Y-D had that. Tarsovich, Andrew Stevenson, Rob Fonseca, A.J. Simcox, Josh Lester and Brennon Lund were in Friday’s starting lineup and were all with the team from the first week of the season on.

  • Stevenson deserves special mention in that department. He played in every single game for the Red Sox this summer, 44 in the regular season and eight in the playoffs. He also played in the All-Star Game, for good measure. He was zero for his first nine this season but ended up hitting .327.

  • That’s probably enough Y-D stuff and time to salute Falmouth, as well. The Commodores had a great summer, winning 26 games in the regular season for the second year in a row. It kind of felt like this year’s team was an extension of last year’s, with a lot of the same guys and the same feeling around the club, so this might mark the end of an era. The fact that it ended without a championship won’t change a lot of good memories for a lot of really good players.

  • Kevin Newman should have better memories than anyone. I imagine grounding into a series-ending double play on Friday won’t sit well, but it takes absolutely nothing away from his career. He’s a shoo-in for the Cape League Hall of Fame someday.

  • Thanks to everyone for reading this summer – and for bearing with me during wedding season. I’ll hopefully be doing some off-season stuff and come next June, we’ll be off and running again.

  • Finally, if you’ve ever wondered if players truly enjoy their time in the Cape League, you need only ask. Or, since it’s 2014, check Twitter. They had themselves a summer:

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    Champs

    Y-D players get the championship trophy.
    Y-D players get the championship trophy.

     

    Matt Eureste fouled off pitch after pitch. Six of them, all with two strikes, pop-ups and choppers, one that hit so hard off his foot, he had to take a minute to walk it off. He did whatever he could to stay alive.

    Phil Bickford wouldn’t budge. He kept pumping strikes, his velocity maybe down a tick, but his competitive streak still running hot. He wouldn’t throw a ball and he wouldn’t give him a pitch to hit. He struck Eureste out swinging on the ninth pitch of the at-bat.

    For the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox and the Falmouth Commodores, it was that kind of series.

    Falmouth did all it could. You thought, just as you did when Eureste kept battling the league’s top prospect, that the Commodores would be the ones to slow the Red Sox down.

    Y-D never blinked.

    The Red Sox swept the Cape Cod Baseball League championship series two games to none with a 10-4 victory on Friday afternoon at Red Wilson Field. The championship capped a remarkable season – and playoff run – for the Red Sox, who were 5-11 two weeks into the season before catching fire, sustaining it, and riding some of the best playoff pitching the league has seen in years to the top prize.

    Many thought this was finally Falmouth’s year, maybe because they wanted it to be. The #WinItForTrundy movement has been embraced by two sets of Commodore teams now and – this year especially – by plenty of fans.

    But it wasn’t just that. Falmouth looked like the best team in the league when it swept through the first two rounds of the playoffs, and its veteran team seemed poised for its finishing touch.

    It never happened. In those moments that decide baseball games – where you blink or you don’t – the Red Sox simply stared right on through time and again. And when given an inch, they took a mile.

    Thursday, they fought to beat a pitcher who struck them out 12 times, scoring all their runs with two outs. Their own pitcher dominated a powerful lineup. Friday, the Red Sox fell behind 2-0 and 4-2, but they answered the first deficit and loudly demolished the second.

    The first sign that Y-D would own the big moments came in the fourth inning. Falmouth had just gone ahead 2-0, busting a crack into what was shaping up as another pitcher’s duel. Armed with the lead, Commodore starter Kevin McCanna was well on his way to an eight or nine-pitch scoreless inning. He had two outs and an 0-2 count on Josh Lester.

    Lester fouled a pitch off, then took a ball, then fouled another pitch off. Then he inside-outed a soft line drive into left field.

    Four batters later – with the help of a pair of Falmouth errors – the game was tied. Marcus Mastrobuoni’s infield hit scored one run, and the other came home after an ensuing error on the throw.

    Falmouth went ahead again in the sixth on an RBI double by Boomer White and an RBI single by Austin Afenir. This time, Y-D didn’t let McCanna even sniff a one-two-three inning. Rob Fonseca lined the first pitch of the bottom of the sixth into left for a base hit.

    The push was on again, and as was the case throughout the series, it was hard to stop. Lester walked. Brennon Lund – into the starting lineup for the first time since Monday – knocked his third hit of the game to load the bases. Joey Armstrong delivered a sacrifice fly and Mastrobuoni came through again with a base hit to tie the game. Michael Donadio drew a bases-loaded walk to give Y-D the lead.

    As soon as the runner touched home, Bickford started stirring in the Y-D bullpen. Falmouth had done some good things and yet here they were, in the one spot they didn’t want to be in – trailing, with Bickford warming.

    And then it got worse. Jordan Tarsovich smashed a bases-clearing double to deep right-center. Suddenly, Y-D led 8-4.

    Sure enough, Bickford headed to the mound. He’d been dominant in the playoffs and now he had an even bigger cushion to work with. He gave up an uncharacteristic four hits, but no Commodore got past second.

    Y-D added two runs in the eighth on a Donadio home run and an RBI single by Nico Giarratano.

    In the ninth, Falmouth had a runner on first with one out and league MVP Kevin Newman at the plate. It was maybe a chance for Falmouth to own a moment, to swing things in the other direction. But Newman grounded a 1-0 pitch to third base, where Tarsovich started a game-ending 5-4-3 double play.

    The Red Sox went wild, and deservedly so. Mastrobuoni and Walker Buehler were named Co-Playoff MVPs.

    It’s their first title since 2007 and their fourth this century, more than any other team.

    Their three previous championship clubs were dominant, part of the YDynasty. One of those teams won 31 games in the regular season.

    This team will not go into the annals for a season like that, but they share an ending and an impressive route to it. Whether they were getting dominant pitching or chipping away at dominant pitching or playing fantastic defense, they were consistently putting the pressure on. They did it with a group that clearly had a lot of chemistry. They lost a few guys – their regular-season RBI leader is in the minor leagues now – but they mixed in some reinforcements and kept a core together. They knew their starting pitchers were a weapon, and they rode them. They shined in all the big moments.

    And they never blinked.

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    Zeroes

    Y-D players celebrate in a game earlier this postseason. They're one win away from the title.
    Y-D players celebrate in a game earlier this postseason. They’re one win away from the title.

     

    BUEHLER
    BUEHLER
    Matt Hall (Missouri State) delivered one of the better Cape League championship series pitching performances you’ll ever see for the Falmouth Commodores last night, striking out 12 in 6.2 innings.

    And he lost.

    That tells you all you need to know about how good the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox were.

    Walker Buehler (Vanderbilt) tossed eight shutout innings and the offense steadily chipped away against Hall, scoring all its runs with two outs, as the Red Sox took a 1-0 lead in the championship series with a 5-0 victory at Guv Fuller Field.

    The shutout is Y-D’s fourth in seven postseason games and it was the first championship series shutout since 2010, when the Red Sox themselves were held scoreless twice by Cotuit.

    The Buehler-Hall match-up shaped up as a special one. Buehler was stellar in limited duty for the Red Sox, after helping Vanderbilt to the national championship. Hall was a mainstay all summer for Falmouth, tying for the league lead in strikeouts.

    Pregame impressions were confirmed quickly – very quickly – when the first two innings took about 15 minutes. It was one of those games where you consistently found yourself looking at the innings box on the scoreboard and saying, “Already?”

    Hall seemed a little better than Buehler in the early going, facing the minimum through three and stranding a runner on second in the fourth. He strike out the side in the fifth, but he also fell behind. Josh Lester (Missouri) was hit by a pitch to start the inning. After two strikeouts by Hall, Marcus Mastrobuoni (St. John’s) doubled to deep left field, plating Lester for the 1-0 lead.

    Hall came back with two K’s in a scoreless sixth, but Lester doubled with one out in the seventh. After Hall struck out T.J. Wharton (Catawba), the Red Sox delivered more two-out magic, by the skin of their teeth. Hall and the rest of the Commodores thought he had a strikeout of Joey Armstrong (UNLV) when he dropped in a 2-2 curveball that must have been a little low. On the next pitch, Armstrong smacked an RBI double to make it 2-0.

    Mastrobuoni followed with a single and Armstrong beat the throw home. After Hall departed to a rousing ovation, A.J. Simcox (Tennessee) reached on a ground ball that got past third, allowing Mastrobuoni to score.

    It was a hard-to-swallow inning for Hall and the Commodores, who had nearly escaped with the score still 1-0.

    But it may not have mattered anyway.

    Buehler was on cruise control. He gave up three hits in eight innings and walked only one. If not for three hit batsmen, Falmouth would have scarcely had runners on base.

    Buehler’s best work came as the lead grew. After his team’s three-run seventh inning, he gave up a leadoff double to Jake Madsen (Ohio) in the bottom half. He got Shaun Chase (Oregon) on the first pitch, then struck out Conor Costello (Oklahoma State) and Matt Eureste (San Jacinto) without throwing a ball to either of them.

    In the eighth, Falmouth sent its middle of the order to the plate. Buehler got Steven Duggar (Clemson) to ground out then struck out Kevin Newman (Arizona) and Conner Hale (LSU) looking. That’s batting champion Kevin Newman and league RBI leader Conner Hale. And they were frozen.

    With that, Buehler departed, giving way to William Strode (Florida State). With one more insurance run courtesy of a homer by Mastrobuoni – who had a single, a double, a homer and three RBI – Strode cruised through the ninth. He worked around a two-out walk to finish off the victory.

    The teams will now get set for game two, slated for 4 p.m. today in Yarmouth. It should be another terrific pitching match-up with Kevin Duchene (Illinois) going for Y-D and Kevin McCanna (Rice) trying to keep Falmouth alive. Duchene struck out 12 in 7.1 innings of one-hit ball in his previous playoff start, Y-D’s game three win over Orleans. McCanna, a two-year Commodore, allowed one run in eight innings in a playoff start against Hyannis.

     
    Notes

  • How about the bottom of Y-D’s lineup? Mastrobuoni – the eighth place batter -was the hitting star of the night with the single, the double and the homer, and two of those came against Hall. Armstrong, batting seventh, had two hits and an RBI and ninth-place hitter Simcox had a hit and an RBI.

  • Walker Buehler’s performance is about as good as it gets in a Cape League championship series game. The last one I remember that was this good was in 2010, when Matt Andriese tossed a complete-game shutout for Cotuit.

  • Buehler now has a 0.00 ERA in 15.1 postseason innings. Obviously, it’s a remarkable stat, and it holds up historically as well. Going back to 2000 – the oldest archives on the Cape League’s web site – you can find plenty of 0.00 playoff ERAs but not a single one that was earned over that many innings. Buehler has been fantastic.

  • Y-D didn’t need to use Phil Bickford Thursday night, and that’s bad news for Falmouth. If Duchene gets Friday’s game to the seventh with his team in the lead and Bickford takes the mound, I would not be optimistic if I were a Commodore fan.

  • Shout-out to Mrs. Right Field Fog an outstanding scorekeeping performance. She brought her A game for the playoffs.

  • Great crowd of almost 3,000 in Falmouth last night. I would bet on an even higher number jamming into the bandbox at Red Wilson Field today. Get there early.

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    Another Sox Shutout

    Kevin Duchene struck out 12 in Y-D's victory.
    Kevin Duchene struck out 12 in Y-D’s victory.

     

    In a series absolutely dominated by starting pitching, the Y-D Red Sox had a pair of aces up their sleeve.

    After second-seeded Orleans won the first game of the East semis behind a 13-strikeout shutout from Kolton Mahoney, Y-D starting pitchers Walker Buehler (Vanderbilt) and Kevin Duchene (Illinois) allowed a total of three hits in more than 14 innings of scoreless baseball as the Red Sox rallied to win the series. Duchene struck out 12 last night, and Y-D made a second inning squeeze play stand up in a 1-0 victory.

    That’s pretty remarkable stuff. In the entirety of last year’s Cape Cod Baseball League postseason, there were three shutouts. Y-D and Orleans authored three in three games, all by themselves. (Falmouth and Harwich have gotten in on the act, too, bringing the total so far this summer to five shutouts).

    Last night’s performance was perhaps the best of all.

    Duchene was a big part of Y-D’s late-season surge, a surge marked by tremendous starting pitching. But he also blinked in his last regular-season start, giving up five runs in five innings.

    Last night, he allowed a single to David Thompson (Miami) with two outs in the first inning and didn’t give up another hit. He walked only two.

    His team gave him the lead in the second. Jordan Tarsovich (VMI) reached on a fielder’s choice and took third on a Joey Armstrong (UNLV) single. Josh Lester (Missouri), one of the team’s top RBI men who you’d expect to swing away, put down a perfect squeeze bunt to score Tarsovich.

    Armed with the lead, Duchene struck out the side in the bottom of the second inning before getting into a little trouble in the third when he loaded the bases on two walks and a hit batsman. But he escaped with a strikeout.

    That K was the beginning as Duchene retired the next 14 batters he faced, seven of them via the strikeout.

    After getting the first out in the eighth, with his pitch count at 103, Duchene was lifted for standout closer Phil Bickford (Cal State Fullerton), who picked up where his starter left off. Bickford struck out two and gave up one hit in 1.2 innings. Fittingly, he struck out the last batter he faced to clinch the series win.

    Y-D will move on to face top-seeded Harwich in the East finals. The two last met in the finals in 2011, when Harwich won on its way to the Cape League championship.

     

    Here Come the Kettles

    The defending champs are on another run.

    Cotuit scored early and got some of its best pitching of the season last night as it edged top-seeded Bourne 4-2 for a spot in the West finals.

    Last year, the Kettleers got hot in the playoffs, but there was at least some sign that it was coming. They were the third seed but they went 25-18-1 and finished just one point out of a first-place tie between Hyannis and Falmouth.

    This year? Try the opposite: 18-25-1. They were 18 points out of first place.

    But here they go.

    Jake Harper of Division II St. Joseph’s College in Indiana played the familiar role of conquering Cotuit hero who spent most of his summer somewhere else. Harper won the Pitcher of the Year award in the Valley League this summer, and when your season ends after you win an award like that, you’re usually ready to call it a summer. Harper came to the Cape and pitched in one regular season game, then made an appearance out of the bullpen in game one against Bourne.

    Last night, he started and allowed just one earned run in 6.1 innings. He didn’t strike out a batter but scattered six hits.

    The Kettleers built a lead with one run in the first, two in the second and one in the fourth. Kyle Holder (San Diego) had two RBI, and Cotuit scored three unearned runs thanks to four Bourne errors.

    Harper gave way to Austin Sexton (Mississippi State), who walked the first batter he faced. Immediately, Cotuit went to Adam Whitt (Nevada), the Cape League’s most outstanding reliever, and he did the job. Whitt struck out four and didn’t allow a hit in closing out the game with 2.2 scoreless innings. Whitt had gone two innings for the save in Friday’s win and, at this point, may be Cotuit’s single most valuable player.

    The loss ended a terrific summer for the Braves, who set a franchise record for wins in the regular season and had a really good, consistent group.

    Like so many teams the past two years, they just ran into the streaking Kettleers. Cotuit beat Bourne in the West finals last year.

    Cotuit advances to play Falmouth, which is another rematch of last year. Cotuit beat Falmouth in the West semis a year ago.

     

    What to Watch

    Y-D at Harwich, 5:30 p.m.
    Cotuit at Falmouth, 5:30 p.m.

    Pitching has been fantastic so far and there might be more of it tonight. Michael Murray (Florida Gulf Coast) and Robby Kalaf (Florida International) square off in Harwich. Alex Young (TCU), who’s been terrific after a late arrival, will go for Falmouth. Cotuit’s starter is TBA.

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    Red Sox Primed to Contend Again

    stock_yd12
     

    TeamLogo_YD2003.jpgThe team of the 2000’s hasn’t done too bad for itself in the 2010’s either. Yes, the Y-D Red Sox haven’t won a title since they won their third in four years in 2007, but they’ve made the championship series twice in the last four years. Both series went to three games, meaning the Red Sox were a game away from being just as dominant this decade as they were in the last.

    There have been some down years mixed in, but they don’t typically linger, and on the heels of a sub-.500 year in 2013, the Red Sox are poised for a resurgence in 2014.

    As on-paper projections go, it’s easy to see this Red Sox team making a lot of noise. Where some clubs cobble together pitching rotations from unproven arms, the Red Sox have a deep corps of veteran weekend starters, led by Michael Murray, who should be the league’s top incoming arm. On the offensive side, the Red Sox have several top-notch prospects, plus a slew of veterans with long college track records.

    So far, Team USA and the College World Series haven’t done too much damage either, which is always a risk for an extra-talented squad.

    The Red Sox are primed for another big year.

     

    THE SKINNY

    Manager: Scott Pickler
    Last Year: 20-22-2; Lost in East semis
    Returning Players: 1
    Juniors: 9
    Sophomores: 23
    Freshmen: 4

     

    NOTABLE

  • The aforementioned Michael Murray had a tremendous season for Florida Gulf Coast. He’ll follow the same summer path of former Eagle Chris Sale, who starred for Y-D and now pitches for the Chicago White Sox.

  • In a Vanderbilt rotation that includes first-round pick Tyler Beede, you could make a case that future Red Sox Walker Buehler has been the ace. The sophomore righty has a 2.39 ERA and is just six strikeouts off Beede’s pace.

  • The Red Sox had big success with UNLV’s Erick Fedde on the mound last summer and will welcome in his teammate Bryan Bonnell this year. Bonnell joined Fedde in the Runnin’ Rebels’ weekend rotation this season.

  • I would expect touted LSU freshman Parker Bugg to crack the Tigers’ weekend rotation next year after a bullpen stint this year, and a good summer in Yarmouth could be the first step in that direction.

  • Bugg and Maryland’s Mike Shawaryn are the only freshman pitchers on the team and both have impressed thus far.

  • Bubba Derby starred as a starter for San Diego State this spring after dominating ninth innings last year. Scouts like him as a future closer, so we’ll see which role he takes this summer.

  • Justin Jacome is another of the veteran starters, with two big seasons in UC Santa Barbara’s weekend rotation.

  • A.J. Simcox leads the group of positional player prospects. The Tennessee shortstop was rated No. 2 in the Alaska League last summer.

  • Simcox’s Tennessee teammate Vincent Jackson goes 6’5, 205 and was a 23rd-round pick of the Yankees in 2012.

  • Franklin Pierce junior John Razzino stole 45 bases this year, ranking third in all of Division II.

  • Northeastern doesn’t send a ton of guys to the Cape, but two are coming to Y-D with big reputations. Ray Fonseca and Michael Foster were expected to anchor the middle of the order this season. Fonseca missed the spring with an injury but Foster held up his end of the bargain.

  • Y-D has two catchers on the roster – Jason Goldstein of Illinois and Ryan Hissey of William & Mary – and both have hit very well thus far in their college careers. In a league where everyday catchers don’t often don’t hit much, having two with potential could be a big advantage.

  • Y-D’s one returning player, D.J. Stewart of Florida State, may end up with Team USA instead. If he does, the Red Sox are still getting a pretty good Seminole, as junior John Nogowski was a recent roster addition.

  • Missouri sophomore Josh Lester played for the Columbus (Ga.) Northern Little League team that won the Little League World Series championship in 2006.

    •  

    FIVE TO WATCH

    1. Michael Murray
    2. A.J. Simcox
    3. Walker Buehler
    4. D.J. Stewart
    5. Bubba Derby

     

    PITCHERS

    Bryan Bonnell – RHP/1B – 6’5 200 – UNLV – Sophomore
    Walker Buehler – RHP – 6’1 160 – Vanderbilt – Sophomore
    Parker Bugg – RHP – 6’6 218 – LSU – Freshman
    Bubba Derby – RHP – 5’10 185 – San Diego State – Sophomore
    Kevin Duchene – LHP – 6’1 220 – Illinois – Sophomore
    Zac Favre – RHP – 6’3 217 – Central Florida – Sophomore
    Justin Jacome – RHP – 6’6 215 – UC Santa Barbara – Sophomore
    Tyler Jay – LHP – 6’1 170 – Illinois – Sophomore
    Nick Kozlowski – RHP – 6’1 220 – Hofstra – Junior
    Michael Murray – RHP – 6’2 210 – Florida Gulf Coast – Sophomore
    Drake Owenby – LHP – 6’3 210 – Tennessee – Sophomore
    Mike Shawaryn – RHP – 6’4 210 – Maryland – Freshman
    Josh Staumont – RHP – 6’2 205 – Azusa Pacific – Sophomore
    Dillon Tate – RHP – 6’2 185 – UC Santa Barbara – Sophomore
    George Thanopoulos – RHP – 6’1 190 – Columbia – Sophomore
    Henry Van Zant – RHP – 5’11 192 – Bowdoin – Junior
    Doug Willey – RHP – 6’2 205 – Franklin Pierce – Junior

     

    Bryan Bonnell – RHP/1B – 6’5 200
    UNLV
    Sophomore

    Bonnell was a two-way player as a freshman but has focused on pitching since. He had a decent summer in the Northwoods League last year and built on it in his sophomore season with the Runnin’ Rebels. Pitching in the weekend rotation, Bonnell had a 2.90 ERA. He struck out only 48 but was a workhorse with 114.2 innings.

    Walker Buehler – RHP – 6’1 160
    Vanderbilt
    Sophomore

    A 14th-round pick out of high school, Buehler pitched in a swing role as a freshman with pretty good results then vaulted into a weekend rotation spot this year. Buehler has a 2.39 ERA for the Commodores, who are headed for the College World Series. He has struck out 102 in 94 innings.

    Parker Bugg – RHP – 6’6 218
    LSU
    Freshman

    Baltimore’s 34th-round pick last year, Bugg opted for the college ranks and made an immediate splash in Baton Rouge. The righty had a 2.75 ERA in 26 appearances. He saved two games and struck out 29 while walking just five in 36 innings.

    Bubba Derby – RHP – 5’10 185
    San Diego State
    Sophomore

    Derby saved 10 games on his way to Freshman All-America honors last year. He moved into the weekend rotation this season and didn’t miss a beat, posting a rotation-best 3.08 ERA while striking out a team-high 100 in 105.1 innings of work. Last summer, he led the Cal Ripken League in ERA and strikeouts and was picked as the circuit’s second-best prospect by Perfect Game.

    Kevin Duchene – LHP – 6’1 220
    Illinois
    Sophomore

    Duchene won nine games and lost only one as a freshman last year, and he didn’t tail off much as a sophomore. The lefty went 4-1 with a 1.80 ERA, striking out 35 in 55 innings pitched.

    Zac Favre – RHP – 6’3 217
    Central Florida
    Sophomore

    A high school standout in Jacksonville, Favre had been a dynamic reliever for two years running in Orlando. He had a 3.28 ERA last year and dropped it to 2.64 this season. He struck out 29 in 30.2 innings.

    Justin Jacome – RHP – 6’6 215
    UC Santa Barbara
    Sophomore

    Jacome was the Gauchos’ Saturday starter for most of his freshman season and had a 3.89 ERA. In limited action in the West Coast League, Jacome made an impression and was named the ninth-best prospect in the league by Perfect Game. He shined as a starter again this spring, going 8-2 with a 2.61 ERA and 47 strikeouts in 79.1 innings.

    Tyler Jay – LHP – 6’1 170
    Illinois
    Sophomore

    Jay had a good debut in the Fighting Illini bullpen last year and parlayed it into the closer spot this season. He excelled in that spot, saving 10 games with a 1.94 ERA. He struck out 47 in 41.2 innings.

    Nick Kozlowski – RHP – 6’1 220
    Hofstra
    Junior

    Pitching in a swing role the last two years, Kozlowski was a steady contributor. He moved to the weekend rotation this year and put up a 4.45 ERA. He struck out 44 in 62.2 innings.

    Michael Murray – RHP – 6’2 210
    Florida Gulf Coast
    Sophomore

    Murray had a good freshman season and a so-so summer in the Northwoods League. This year changed everything as Murray emerged as one of the best pitchers in the nation. He went 13-1 with a 1.85 ERA and struck out 79 while walking just 14 in 107 innings. He was one of the national leaders in starters’ ERA, and for much of the year, his ERA was under one. He was the Atlantic Sun Pitcher of the Year and is a semifinalist for the Golden Spikes Award.

    Drake Owenby – LHP – 6’3 210
    Tennessee
    Sophomore

    Owenby has been a valuable reliever throughout his time in a Vols uniform. This year, he had a 3.20 ERA with 24 strikeouts in 25 innings. Last summer, Owenby was picked by Perfect Game as the third-best prospect in the California Collegiate League.

    Mike Shawaryn – RHP – 6’4 210
    Maryland
    Freshman

    Shawaryn was a 32nd-round pick of the Royals last year. In College Park, he vaulted directly into the weekend rotation and was a big reason why the Terps made a Super Regional. Shawaryn went 11-4 with a 3.12 ERA and struck out 72 in 92.1 innings.

    Josh Staumont – RHP – 6’2 205
    Azusa Pacific
    Sophomore

    Staumont led the NAIA Golden State Athletic Conference in strikeouts as a freshman at Biola University. He transferred to D-II Azusa Pacific for this year and picked up where he left off, striking out a team-high 89 in 80.2 innings. He had a 4.24 ERA.

    Dillon Tate – RHP – 6’2 185
    UC Santa Barbara
    Sophomore

    Tate didn’t do much as a freshman but grabbed the closer’s job this year and saved 12 games. He struck out 46 in 43.1 innings and earned Big West second team honors.

    George Thanopoulos – RHP – 6’1 190
    Columbia
    Sophomore

    After a decent freshman season, Thanopoulos didn’t pitch in 2013. He returned to action this year with a bang, going 5-2 with a 2.60 ERA and striking out 40 in 52 innings.

    Henry Van Zant – RHP – 5’11 192
    Bowdoin
    Junior

    Van Zant has bounced around the bullpen and the rotation for Bowdoin, but has had success in every spot. This year, in three starts and five relief appearances, he had a 1.95 ERA and struck out better than a batter an inning.

    Doug Willey – RHP – 6’2 205
    Franklin Pierce
    Junior

    Willey has had three big seasons out of the Franklin Pierce bullpen, culminating with a 12-save campaign in 2014. He posted a 1.95 ERA this year and struck out 31 in 39 innings.

     

    POSITION PLAYERS

    Joey Armstrong – UTIL – 5’11 195 – UNLV – Sophomore
    Rob Fonseca – 1B – 6’2 205 – Northeastern – Junior
    Michael Foster – INF – 6’0 190 – Northeastern – RS Sophomore
    Nico Giarratano – INF – 5’11 182 – San Francisco – Freshman
    Jason Goldstein – C – 6’0 200 – Illinois – Sophomore
    Ryan Hissey – C – 6’0 180 – William & Mary – Sophomore
    Vincent Jackson – OF – 6’5 205 – Tennessee – Sophomore
    Josh Lester – INF – 6’2 200 – Missouri – Sophomore
    Ryan Lukach – OF – 6’2 205 – Hartford – RS Sophomore
    Brennon Lund – OF – 5’11 185 – BYU – Freshman
    Andre Mercurio – OF – 5’9 175 – San Jose State – Junior
    John Nogowski – INF – 6’1 210 – Florida State – Junior
    John Razzino – OF – 6’2 190 – Franklin Pierce – Junior
    A.J. Simcox – INF – 6’3 180 – Tennessee – Sophomore
    Andrew Stevenson – OF – 6’0 177 – LSU – Sophomore
    *D.J. Stewart – OF – 6’0 230 – Florida State – Sophomore
    Xavier Turner – INF – 6’2 220 – Vanderbilt – Sophomore
    Mike Vigliarolo – INF – 6’1 225 – St. Louis – Junior
    Donnie Walton – INF – 5’10 174 – Oklahoma State – Junior
    * – returning player

     

    Joey Armstrong – UTIL – 5’11 195
    UNLV
    Sophomore

    Armstrong hit .324 as a freshman then earned all-star honors in the Texas Collegiate League, where Perfect Game had him as the league’s 22nd-best prospect. He hit .302 this season with a .388 OBP and also cracked four home runs.

    Rob Fonseca – 1B – 6’2 205
    Northeastern
    Junior

    A .300 career hitter with 14 homers, Fonseca missed the 2014 spring season with an injury. Prior to the injury, he was a preseason all-CAA pick.

    Michael Foster – INF – 6’0 190
    Northeastern
    RS Sophomore

    Foster had a big redshirt freshman campaign last year and picked up where he left off in 2014, hitting .299 with three homers, while stealing 18 bases. He also made 12 appearances on the mound and saved five games.

    Nico Giarratano – INF – 5’11 182
    San Francisco
    Freshman

    Giarratano grabbed a starting spot with the Dons as a freshman this season and held his own. He hit .242 with 11 extra-base hits.

    Jason Goldstein – C – 6’0 200
    Illinois
    Sophomore

    One of the top high school catchers in the country, Goldstein earned Big 10 All-Freshman honors last year before really turning it on this year. He hit .316 with four homers, 15 extra-base hits and 28 RBI. He won a Northwoods League title with the Madison Mallards last summer and was named the league’s 15th-best prospect – and its top catching prospect – by Perfect Game.

    Ryan Hissey – C – 6’0 180
    William & Mary
    Sophomore

    Hissey started 62 games as a freshman last year and earned CAA all-rookie honors. He was even better this year, hitting .313 from the catcher’s spot with eight home runs and 39 RBI.

    Vincent Jackson – OF – 6’5 205
    Tennessee
    Sophomore

    Jackson was a 23rd-round pick of the Yankees out of high school. He hasn’t put up huge numbers yet at Tennessee – hitting .290 last year and .234 this year – but he was the 22nd-best prospect in the Northwoods League last year, according to Perfect Game.

    Josh Lester – INF – 6’2 200
    Missouri
    Sophomore

    A 30th-round pick out of high school, Lester was an SEC All-Freshman selection in 2013. As the Tigers’ everyday shortstop this year, Lester hit .237.

    Ryan Lukach – OF – 6’2 205
    Hartford
    RS Junior

    Lukach had a good freshman season way back in 2011 before an injury cost him his sophomore season. After returning to form last year, Lukach hit .296 this year and tied for the team lead with five home runs.

    Brennon Lund – OF – 5’11 185
    BYU
    Freshman

    Tabbed by Perfect Game in the preseason as the top freshman in the West Coast Conference, Lund didn’t disappoint. He hit .303 for the Cougars and stole 11 bases.

    Andre Mercurio – OF – 5’9 175
    San Jose State
    Junior

    Mercurio has had three solid seasons for the Spartans, posting a career batting average of .290 with a .367 OBP. He hit .280 this year and stole five bases.

    John Nogowski – INF – 6’1 210
    Florida State
    Junior

    Nogowski built on two decent years by becoming one of the Seminoles’ best hitters this season. He finished with a .307 average, a .431 OBP, five homers and 49 RBI. The Athletics selected him in the 34th round last week.

    John Razzino – OF – 6’2 190
    Franklin Pierce
    Junior

    After transferring in from the Community College of Rhode Island, the R.I. native has lit up the basepaths for the Ravens. He stole 13 bases as a sophomore then broke a school record and ranked third in the nation with 45 this season. He was caught only eight times. Razzino also batted .264.

    A.J. Simcox – INF – 6’3 180
    Tennessee
    Sophomore

    One of the top prep shortstops in the nation in 2012, Simcox slipped to the 32nd round because of his strong commitment to Tennessee. The Vols are thrilled to have him. He’s been the team’s starting shortstop for two years and hit .270 this year with 13 stolen bases. Last summer, he starred in the Alaska League and was named the third-best prospect by Perfect Game.

    Andrew Stevenson – OF – 6’0 177
    LSU
    Sophomore

    Stevenson hit under .200 as a freshman in Baton Rouge but starred in the Northwoods League over the summer, hitting .363 with 15 extra-base hits. Perfect Game ranked him the league’s 21st-best prospect. This spring, he was a new man for the Tigers. He led the team with a .335 batting average.

    D.J. Stewart – OF – 6’0 230
    Florida State
    Sophomore

    Stewart has been invited to Team USA, and with good reason. He’s had two big seasons, plus a good summer for Y-D last year. For FSU this season, he led the team with a .351 batting average, seven home runs, a .471 OBP and 50 RBI.

    Xavier Turner – INF – 6’2 220
    Vanderbilt
    Sophomore

    A 34th-round pick of the Red Sox out of high school, Turner headed to Vandy, where he earned Freshman All-America honors last year. He’s hitting .282 this year with a .349 OBP and 15 stolen bases.

    Mike Vigliarolo – INF – 6’1 225
    St. Louis
    Junior

    Vigliarolo became the first Billiken to win Atlantic 10 Player of the Year honors when he took the top prize last year after hitting .341. He kept it up this year, hitting .328 with seven homers and 25 extra-base hits. Though he did not repeat as Player of the Year, he earned first-team all-conference honors.

    Donnie Walton – INF – 5’10 174
    Oklahoma State
    Junior

    A Big 12 All-Freshman pick in 2013, Walton followed up his strong debut with another good season in 2014. He hit .310 with a .407 OBP and cracked three home runs.