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All League Team Unveiled

Steven Duggar was one of six Falmouth Commodores on the All-League squad.
Steven Duggar was one of six Falmouth Commodores on the All-League squad.

 

This is a few days old, but in case you missed it, the Cape League released its All-League selections for the 2014 season. The team is below. Below that, a few notes.

First Base – A.J. Murray – Chatham – Georgia Tech
Second Base – Billy Fleming – Bourne – West Virginia
Shortstop – Kevin Newman – Falmouth – Arizona
Third Base – David Thompson – Orleans – Miami
Infield Utility – Richard Martin Jr. – Bourne – Florida
Outfield – Gio Brusa – Brewster – Pacific
Outfield – Donnie Dewees Jr. – Hyannis – North Florida
Outfield – Steven Duggar – Falmouth – Clemson
Outfield – Ian Happ – Harwich – Cincinnati
Outfield – Mark Laird – Bourne – LSU
Outfield – Andrew Stevenson – Y-D – LSU
DH – Conner Hale – Falmouth – LSU
DH – Chris Shaw – Chatham – Boston College
Catcher – Jameson Fisher – Cotuit – SE Louisiana
Catcher – Anthony Hermelyn – Harwich – Oklahoma

Pitcher – Michael Boyle – Harwich – Radford
Pitcher – Zack Erwin – Harwich – Clemson
Pitcher – Matt Hall – Falmouth – Missouri State
Pitcher – Jordan Hillyer – Chatham – Kennesaw State
Pitcher – Justin Jacome – Y-D – UC Santa Barbara
Pitcher – Ryan Kellogg – Bourne – Arizona State
Pitcher – Kolton Mahoney – Orleans – BYU
Pitcher – Kevin McCanna – Falmouth – Rice
Pitcher – Andrew Naderer – Brewster – Grand Canyon
Pitcher – Kyle Twomey – Orleans – USC
Closer – Phil Bickford – Y-D – Cal State Fullerton
Closer – Adam Whitt – Cotuit – Nevada
Utility – Jake Madsen – Falmouth – Ohio

 

NOTES

  • Kevin Newman and Ryan Kellog are your lone repeat honorees. The Arizona-Arizona State rivals had terrific Cape League careers.

  • For the second year in a row, Falmouth had the most All-League selections with six. Lot of talent at Guv Fuller Field the last two years.

  • Champion Y-D with only one position player on the team. I thought that might be unusual, but it’s actually the second year in a row. Cotuit had just one All-League hitter last year, Rhett Wiseman. In the case of both Y-D and Cotuit, it speaks to the ability to play one day at a time and find a way to win, without having the stars of stars.

  • Snubs? Jordan Tarsovich jumps out to me. Probably the league champ’s most consistent hitter, Tarsovich hit .322 with three homers. I think Y-D’s Rob Fonseca (.315, 4 HR’s) could have been there too. And Bourne’s Blake Davey tied for second in the league in extra-base hits. A couple more possibilities, but overall, solid work, I think.

  • LSU leads all schools with three selections: Andrew Stevenson, Conner Hale and Mark Laird.

  • Seven schools have an All-League pick for the second year in a row: Arizona, USC, Arizona State, West Virginia, Florida and . . . mighty Kennesaw State. With MVP Max Pentecost last year and standout pitcher Jordan Hillyer this year, the Owls are making some Cape League noise.

  • How about schools that have an All-League pick for three years running? Nada. I was shocked by that.

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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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    Rainout Reading

    Jeff Trundy will try to lead Falmouth to its first title since 1980.
    Jeff Trundy will try to lead Falmouth to its first title since 1980.

     

    The only good thing about Wednesday’s rainout is that it gives me a little time to get some preview thoughts down. Primary thought: It’s going to be a heck of a series.

  • First, some points of reference for the series:

    • Y-D and Falmouth have met twice in the Cape League championship series, in 2004 and 2007. Y-D won both match-ups, the bookends on its dynasty run of three titles in four years. Y-D has been to the finals twice since then, losing to Cotuit in 2010 and Wareham in 2012. Falmouth made the finals in 2011 and lost to Harwich.

    • Falmouth owns the longest championship drought in the league. Its last title was 1980, when it beat Chatham. The next-longest drought belongs to Hyannis, whose last crown was in 1981. Chatham is the only other team without a championship this century. Its last was in 1998.

    • This is the fourth straight year without a No. 1 seed in the championship series. Before that, at least one No. 1 seed had made the finals for 14 consecutive years (although it was easier for the No. 1’s to make it before the playoffs expanded).

  • It’s hard to understate how good the playoff pitching has been for these teams. The Red Sox have had the dominant, clutch performances, but Falmouth has an even better team ERA. The Commodores have given up four runs in 36 innings for a 1.00 ERA. For Y-D, three of four wins have been shutouts.

  • The rainout should only help the pitching. I’d expect both teams to have things lined up almost perfectly, with the exception of Y-D having had to use Justin Jacome to get out of the East finals. Walker Buehler and Kevin Duchene should be good to go for Y-D, while Falmouth should have the trio of Matt Hall, Kevin McCanna and Alex Young ready.

  • If that’s the way things shake out, Falmouth might have the edge with the three big arms to Y-D’s two. In its one playoff game not started by Jacome, Buehler or Duchene, Y-D lost 9-2. Jacome could come back for a game three on Saturday, but that would be on only three days’ rest.

  • If the starting pitching match-ups don’t do it for you, just wait until the late innings. Falmouth’s bullpen hasn’t given up a run in the playoffs, and the back end is anchored by flamethrower Garrett Cleavinger. Y-D has been touched up a little more, but any bullpen that includes Phil Bickford is a good bullpen. Bickford, the Cape League’s Top Pro Prospect award winner, had the equivalent of his Heisman moment for that award when he struck out the side in the ninth Tuesday night to punch Y-D’s ticket to the finals.

  • The lowest team ERA in the Cape League playoffs last year was 2.57. Falmouth, Y-D and Harwich are all under that bar this year.

  • Helping the cause in the pitching department is some pretty stellar defense. Falmouth has made three errors in the postseason. Y-D – in six games – has made one.

  • When comparing the offenses of the two teams, extra-base hits is an interesting place to start. Y-D has seven in six games. Falmouth has nine in only four games. That jibes with a general impression that Falmouth has a little more pop.

  • Falmouth also gets on base at a better clip – .374 to .297.

  • The top three hitters in the postseason have all been eliminated, leaving a Y-D Red Sox atop the list. Andrew Stevenson, right? Jordan Tarsovich? A.J. Simcox? Try Michael Donadio. The St. John’s freshman was the Big East’s Newcomer of the Year this spring and he spent most of his summer in the Hamptons Collegiate Baseball League, where he won the batting title and MVP award. He didn’t begin his CCBL career until July 31 and had a total of two hits in four regular-season games, but he has a hit in every playoff game, including a home run. He’s batting .409 in the postseason.

  • Marcus Mastrobuoni has been another key addition for the Red Sox. He hit .373 this spring for California State Stanislaus, and hit .313 in five regular-season games for the Red Sox. He started at catcher in the last two games of the Harwich series and went 1-for-3 in the clincher.

  • On the Falmouth side, Conner Hale has paced the offense, and there probably isn’t a better offensive threat in the series. Hale is slashing .375/.444/.688 in the playoffs with a homer and seven RBI. He has driven in a third of his team’s postseason runs. If you’re making bets on playoff MVP, he’s the favorite.

  • Hale is part of a lineup that’s just very solid at this point. Jake Madsen quietly hit .346 for the Commodores in the regular season and he’s a consistent, veteran hitter, much like Cameron O’Brien. Hale, Madsen and O’Brien, in fact, are all rising seniors. Throw in talented guys like Boomer White, Matt Eureste and Steven Duggar, plus some guys who aren’t even starting every day, and it’s a very deep lineup. And they’ve got that Newman guy too, the one who wins all the batting titles.

  • Mrs. RFF and I are planning to be in Falmouth for game one. Can’t wait.

  • I suppose it’s prediction time. It’s never an easy task and this year is no different. You have to like the way both of these teams are playing – enthusiasm, good defense, fantastic pitching. I think I like Falmouth a little more, with its veteran offense tipping the scales. Feel free to share your own picks in the comments.

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    The K-Man

    Kolton Mahoney's 13 strikeouts were the most in a CCBL playoff game since 2006.
    Kolton Mahoney’s 13 strikeouts were the most in a CCBL playoff game since 2006.

     

    Three pitchers tied for the league lead in strikeouts this season, and all three took the ball for their teams in game one of the playoffs Wednesday night.

    The strikeout king emerged.

    Kolton Mahoney (BYU) struck out 13 in seven scoreless innings as Orleans blanked Y-D 3-0 to take a 1-0 lead in its East semifinal series. The 13 K’s are the most in a Cape League playoff game since 2006, when Riley Boening fanned 14 for Wareham. There have been double-digit performances since, but never more than a dozen. (The list of double-digit guys includes Chris Sale, J.J .Hoover, Mark Appel and Kyle Freeland. Good company.)

    Mahoney, who was presented with the league’s Outstanding Pitcher Award before the game, was tagged for four unearned runs in his final regular-season start, but he wasn’t tagged for much of anything on Wednesday. He allowed four hits – all singles – and struck out the side twice.

    In the regular season, the Red Sox finished with the second fewest strikeouts in the league, but they had faced Mahoney twice and struck out 19 times total, including his previous season-high of 11.

    When Mahoney gave way to the bullpen, the onslaught continued. Bobby Poyner (Florida) struck out the side in the eighth and Reilly Hovis (North Carolina) punched out two in the ninth. That’s 18 strikeouts, of 27 outs recorded.

    For much of the game, Mahoney was locked in a pitcher’s duel with Y-D ace Justin Jacome (UC Santa Barbara). The game was scoreless until the seventh, when Jerry McClanahan (UC Irvine) cracked a two-run single to give Orleans the lead. An error in the eighth allowed the third run to score.

    The win was Orleans’ first playoff victory over Y-D since 2002. They haven’t matched up a ton since then, but Y-D had swept the last two series with the Firebirds.

     

    Falmouth 3, Hyannis 0

    The other two strikeout leaders squared off, and Falmouth’s pitching was a little better in a shutout of Hyannis. Matt Hall (Missouri State) went six scoreless innings, scattering five hits while striking out one. Ryan Moseley (Texas Tech) and Matt Eckelman (St. Louis) finished off the shutout. Marc Brakeman (Stanford), who hadn’t allowed a run in his last two starts, was touched up for just an unearned run in six innings, as Falmouth took a 1-0 lead on an error in the second. Falmouth added a run on a Conner Hale (LSU) home run and a Jake Madsen (Ohio) RBI single in the eighth. Madsen finished with three hits, while Steven Duggar (Clemson) and Cameron O’Brien (West Virginia) had two each.

     

    Harwich 7, Brewster 2

    In a game that didn’t begin until 9 p.m. thanks to field work after a storm, Harwich busted out quickly with three runs in the first and never looked back. Skye Bolt (North Carolina) went 2-for-4 with a home run and Ian Happ (Cincinnati) went 2-for-4 with a triple and two RBI to lead a 10-hit attack. Joe McCarthy (Virginia) added three hits. Zack Erwin (Clemson) struck out seven and gave up just two runs in six innings for the win. Seth McGarry (Florida Atlantic) was terrific in relief, striking out every batter he faced in two innings. Ronnie Glenn (Penn) struck out two more in a scoreless ninth. Brewster, which was again playing short-handed, got a home run from Luke Lowery (East Carolina) but not much else.

     

    Cotuit at Bourne, PPD

    The rain that threatened the other games completely washed out the match-up at Doran Park. The series is now set to get underway tonight at 6 p.m., back at Doran Park.

     

    Newman takes MVP honor

    In a bit of non-playoff news, Falmouth’s Kevin Newman was presented with his batting title trophy on Wednesday – and then with the MVP award. The only two-time batting champ in Cape League history also now becomes the first player to win the batting title and the MVP honor in the same season since Falmouth’s Conor Gillaspie in 2007. I was a little surprised that Newman won the MVP, since he wasn’t a big power guy (eight extra-base hits), but he was second in the league in OBP, near the top in OPS and top 15 in RBI. Plus, without a completely obvious choice behind him, I don’t have a problem with giving it to the guy who made history.

     

    What to Watch

    Orleans at Y-D, 4 p.m.
    Harwich at Brewster, 4 p.m.
    Falmouth at Hyannis, 6 p.m.
    Cotuit at Bourne, 6 p.m.

    Orleans will try for the sweep of Y-D but will have to go through a very good pitcher as Y-D is slated to give the ball to Walker Buehler. The Vanderbilt righty has had quite a summer, starting with a College World Series title. He then pitched two very good games for Y-D before a brief stint with Team USA. Back on the Cape now, he carries a 1.35 ERA into today’s game. Orleans will counter with Eric Hanhold (Florida). He has a 3.42 ERA and gave up five runs in his last start – against Y-D.

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    Byler Says Goodbye

    Austin Byler homered in his final Cape League game Monday night.
    Austin Byler homered in his final Cape League game Monday night.

     

    Cotuit’s Austin Byler (Nevada) ended his Cape League career on Monday night. The 23rd-round pick of the Washington Nationals is expected to sign shortly and begin the next chapter in his baseball career.

    His Cape League chapter was short, but it was memorable. In 30 career Cape League games spanning the end of last summer and the beginning of this one, Byler batted .299 with six home runs and 18 RBI. He could have easily won Cape League Playoff MVP honors last year after batting .429 with two homers in the postseason. This year, he hit four home runs in 11 games and will depart the Cape with his name atop the home run leaderboard.

    He also went out with a bang.

    Byler went 3-for-6 last night with a home run as Cotuit beat up on West-leading Bourne 16-6. It was the first time this season that the Kettleers hit double digits in runs.

    Fittingly, Byler started his going away party festivities when he led off the second inning with a home run. It touched off a five-run inning that also included a homer by Ian Rice (Chipola College).

    After the Braves made it a 5-4 game in the bottom of the second, Cotuit steadily pulled away. The Kettleers got two more home runs from Drew Jackson (Stanford) and Grant Kay (Louisville), the first of the season for both.

    Cotuit scored seven runs – six earned – against Bourne’s Ryan Kellogg (Arizona State), who had allowed just one earned run in his first 12 innings this summer.

    Byler, Kay and Jackson Glines (Michigan) each had three hits, while Rice had four RBI. Jackson, Jake Fincher (NC State) and Logan Taylor (Texas A&M) had two RBI each, as did Rhett Wiseman (Vanderbilt), who’s fresh off a College World Series title.

    Trey Wingenter (Auburn) got the win in relief. Gabe Berman (Western Michigan) struck out five in 3.1 innings for the save.

     

    Harwich 7, Chatham 3

    Harwich and Bourne have been matching each other for the best record in the league for about a week. That finally changed Monday, as the Braves lost and Harwich topped Chatham 7-3 to improve to a league-best 12-6 on the season. Jared Poche’ (LSU) struck out seven in seven shutout innings, giving him a 1.06 ERA in three starts this summer. The offense backed him with a five-run third inning and tacked on two in the ninth. Ian Happ (Cincinnati) went 2-for-4 with a home run and three RBI to lead the offense. He’s 4-for-8 with six RBI in his last two games. Angelo Amendolare (Jacksonville) added two hits. Chatham, which fell to 8-9-1, got three RBI from Landon Cray (Seattle).

     

    Orleans 11, Brewster 7

    The Firebirds remained the hottest team in the league, topping Brewster 11-7 for their fifth straight win. Orleans is 10-8, while Brewster fell to 7-11. David Thompson (Miami) and Mitchell Tolman (Oregon) combined for seven hits in the middle of the order, with Thompson getting four and Tolman knocking three. Cole Peragine (Stony Brook) added three hits and Bobby Dalbec (Arizona) had three RBI. Despite all the offense, Orleans had to withstand a charge from Brewster. Mikey White (Alabama) went 4-for-5, making him seven for his last nine, while Travis Maezes (Michigan) had three hits, including a home run, and four RBI. But after the Whitecaps scored five in the eighth, Reilly Hovis (North Carolina) pitched a perfect ninth to seal the victory for Orleans. Kyle Twomey (USC) was credited with the win after 3.1 scoreless innings of relief.

     

    Y-D 8, Wareham 6

    The Red Sox trailed by two in their last at-bat, but scored four runs in the top of the ninth and held off Wareham in the bottom half for an 8-6 win. Hunter Cole (Georgia) had an RBI single to make it a one-run game in the ninth before Andrew Stevenson (LSU) scored the tying run on a wild pitch. Josh Lester (Missouri) then smacked a two-run single to give his team the lead. Phil Bickford (Cal State Fullerton), the former first-round pick who seems to be sliding into a late-inning role for Y-D, blew away the Gatemen in the bottom of the ninth, striking out two and needing just nine pitches to finish it off. Cole finished with three hits and two RBI for the Red Sox, while Lester and Rob Fonseca (Northeastern) also had two RBI. Nick Halamandaris (California) homered for Wareham and Chris Chinea (LSU) had three RBI.

     

    Falmouth 4, Hyannis 2

    Falmouth broke a 2-2 tie in the fourth and didn’t allow another run as it won its second straight with a victory over Hyannis. Ryan Moseley (Texas Tech), making his debut in the lineup and batting ninth, delivered a two-run single in the fourth. Cameron O’Brien (West Virginia) and Jake Madsen (Ohio) knocked in the other runs. Matt Hall (Missouri State), who came in with the league’s best ERA among qualified starting pitchers, gave up a two-run homer to Daniel Kihle (Wichita State) in the first but settled in from there. He went seven, allowing just the first-inning runs while striking out five. Travis Stout (Jacksonville State) picked up the save. Alec Byrd (Florida State) pitched 3.1 scoreless innings of relief for Hyannis, but the offense couldn’t make up the deficit. Falmouth, at 9-8-1, is just one point back of Hyannis for third in the West.

     

    What to Watch

    Tuesday is a league-wide day off, so watch the World Cup. When the league gets back to action Wednesday, division leaders Harwich and Bourne will square off at Whitehouse Field.

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    The Last Blast

    A.J. Murray hit a walk-off home run as Chatham beat Hyannis.
    A.J. Murray hit a walk-off home run as Chatham beat Hyannis.

     

    Sunday night was a big one for home runs in the Cape Cod Baseball League, with seven of 10 teams hitting at least one and those squads combining for 10 total.

    They saved the biggest one for last.

    In the bottom of the 12th at Veterans Field, Chatham’s A.J. Murray (Georgia Tech) hit a walk-off solo home run to give the Anglers a 5-4 victory over Hyannis.

    Chatham was coming off a one-run loss to Brewster in which it was the victim of a late Whitecaps home run. This time, after tying the game in the eighth, the Anglers held Hyannis down and finally broke through in the 12th.

    Murray led off the inning against Hyannis closer Ian Gibaut (Tulane), who had given up two runs – and no homers – in five appearances this summer. Murray jumped off the first pitch Gibaut threw – and made it the only pitch Gibaut would throw.

    The homer was the third of the year for Murray, which puts him in a tie for the league lead.

    It made a winner out of the other hero, Kyle Davis (USC), who continued to look like perhaps the most valuable pitcher in the league. He leads the league in appearances with eight, ranks second in the league in strikeouts with 20 and has a 1.35 ERA. He was at his bullpen-saving best on Sunday, coming on in the ninth and pitching four scoreless innings to keep the game tied. He allowed just one hit and struck out four. In the top of the 12th, he struck out the last two batters on four pitches each to give Chatham a little surge of momentum ahead of Murray’s blast.

    Murray finished the night 3-for-4 with two RBI. Kal Simmons (Kennesaw State) added two hits. Nick Collins (Georgetown), in as a pinch-hitter, knocked in the tying run in the eighth with a single.

    Hyannis got a home run from Carl Wise (College of Charleston) and four hits from Donnie Dewees Jr. (North Florida). Ryan Perez (Judson) struck out five in three scoreless innings of relief and is now tied with Davis for second in the league in K’s.

    Chatham improved to 8-8-1 while Hyannis fell to 10-7.

     

    Orleans 15, Harwich 8

    No one’s been very close to first-place Harwich since the first week of the season, but the Firebirds drew within two games thanks to their fourth straight win, a blowout of the Mariners. The Firebirds (9-8) scored five runs in each of the first two innings. After Harwich (11-6) chipped away to make it 10-7 going into the eighth, Orleans delivered another five-run inning to put the game away. Bobby Dalbec (Arizona) and R.J. Ybarra (Arizona State) hit back-to-back home runs to account for the five runs in the eighth. Dalbec finished with four RBI. Geoff DeGroot (Rutgers), Edwin Rios (Florida International) and Mitchell Tolman (Oregon) all had three hits. For Harwich, Angelo Amendolare (Jacksonville) had three hits and Ian Happ (Cincinnati) had three RBI.

     

    Wareham 7, Cotuit 6

    Cotuit (8-9) joined in the home run party with two, but the Gatemen (6-11) had a little more offense in the end in a 7-6 victory. Jake Little (Memphis) homered for the Gatemen, his third of the year, while Willie Calhoun (Arizona) went 2-for-4 with his 12th double. Charlie Warren (Rice) added two hits while Corey Ray (Louisville) had two RBI. Wareham finished with 10 hits and now leads the league in team batting average. The Gatemen bullpen also delivered, with four pitching combining on 6.1 innings of one-run ball. Nick Fuller (UMass-Dartmouth) was credited with the win and Ryan Olson (San Diego) picked up the save. For Cotuit, Logan Taylor (Texas A&M) and Austin Byler (Nevada) each hit their third home run of the summer.

     

    Falmouth 8, Bourne 3

    The Commodores touched up Bourne standout Andrew Sopko (Gonzaga) for three runs then really broke out against the bullpen and pulled away for an 8-3 victory. Sopko had struck out 13 and given up one run in 10 innings thus far, but Falmouth got a leadoff home run from Sam Gillikin (Auburn) in the first inning and tacked on single runs in the second and fourth innings. Sopko departed in the sixth, and Austin Afenir (Oral Roberts) – who went 4-for-4 – broke a 3-3 tie with an RBI single. Cameron O’Brien (West Virginia) delivered an RBI double in the seventh. In the eighth, Afenir doubled home a run and Nicholas Ramos (Indiana) knocked in two with a base hit. The late surge made a winner out of reliever Kyle Zimmerman (Wayne State), who went two scoreless innings. Bourne still leads the West with an 11-6 record. Falmouth improved to 8-8-1.

     

    Y-D 9, Brewster 7

    Y-D held off a late charge by Mikey White (Alabama) and Brewster to snap a two-game skid. The Red Sox (6-11) led 9-4 going into the ninth before the Whitecaps (7-10) made it interesting. After a sacrifice fly by Wade Wass (Alabama), White hit his second home run of the game – a two-run shot – to get his team within two runs. But with a runner on first, Phil Bickford (Cal State Fullerton) came out of the Y-D bullpen and struck out Andrew Lee (Tennessee) to end the game. The win went to starter Bryan Bonnell (UNLV), who allowed three runs in six innings. The Y-D offense was led by Andrew Stevenson (LSU) and Josh Lester (Missouri), who had two hits each. Jason Goldstein (Illinois) had one hit and four RBI, while Rob Fonseca (Northeastern) drove in two.

     

    What to Watch

    The league leaders in ERA among qualified starting pitchers will square off as Falmouth visits Hyannis. Matt Hall (Missouri State), who has a 0.56 ERA, will go for the Commodores against Hyannis and Tate Scioneaux (SE Louisiana), who has a 1.56 ERA.

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    A Red Wilson Night

    Patrick Mazeika's three-run homer gave Chatham a lead in Tuesday's slugfest.
    Patrick Mazeika’s three-run homer gave Chatham a lead in Tuesday’s slugfest.

     

    Yarmouth’s Red Wilson Field has the shortest fences in the Cape Cod Baseball League. Home runs are more common there, and in turn, big run totals flow a little more easily.

    And every once in a while, the floodgates really open.

    Last night at Red Wilson, Chatham and Y-D combined for six home runs, 31 hits and 30 runs in a 16-14 Chatham victory. The 30 combined runs is the most in a Cape League game since 2010, when Y-D beat Orleans 23-10 in a playoff game . . . at Red Wilson Field. Two teams also hit 30 in the 2010 regular season, when Harwich beat Y-D 16-14 . . . at Red Wilson Field. (Two totals near 30 – a 17-12 game last year and a 16-10 game in 2012 – also happened in Yarmouth).

    Red Wilson’s latest show belonged to the Anglers, who scored five runs in the top of the eighth inning and stopped the slugfest in the bottom half. With the sun setting on the three-hour, 20-minute game, it was called after eight.

    Chatham hit two home runs and Y-D hit three. Chris Shaw (Boston College) had one of the blasts for Chatham as part of a big night. He went 4-for-6 with three runs scored and an RBI. Patrick Mazeika (Stetson) hit the other home run for the Anglers on his way to a 1-for-2, four-run, three-RBI game.

    The Anglers trailed 13-11 going into the eighth, but exploded immediately. Kal Simmons (Kennesaw State) led off with a double and A.J. Murray (Georgia Tech) traded places with him on an RBI double. After a base hit by Shaw, Landon Lassiter (North Carolina) doubled in the tying run. Y-D went to its bullpen, but Mazeika greeted reliever Dimitri Kourtis (Mercer) with a three-run homer, the biggest and the final blow in the night’s power surge.

    Kyle Davis (USC), who’s been one of the best relievers in the league this summer, came on to try and close the door for Chatham. Though even he couldn’t escape without giving up a run – his second of the year – Davis stranded two runners when he ended the game with a strikeout. Davis got the save for Zack Burdi (Louisville), who had gotten out of a jam in the seventh.

    Simmons and Landon Cray (Seattle) had three hits each for Chatham, while Murray and Mazeika drove in three runs apiece. Chatham has now scored the second-most runs in the league after ranking in the middle of the pack before last night.

    Y-D got two home runs from Hunter Cole (Georgia), plus one each from Rob Fonseca (Northeastern) and Ryan Hissey (William & Mary).

     

    Hyannis 14, Cotuit 2

    The Harbor Hawks weren’t at Red Wilson Field but may as well have been in the late innings of a 14-2 victory over Cotuit at Lowell Park. Leading 3-0 into the seventh, Hyannis scored 11 runs over the final three innings. The Harbor Hawks (9-4) have now scored the most runs in the league and are 3-0 against rival Cotuit (6-7). Bobby Melley (Connecticut), who was hitting .250 coming in after a huge spring for the Huskies, broke out with a 4-for-4, four RBI night. Kyle Survance (Houston) homered and drove in two, Daniel Kihle (Wichita State) went 2-for-2 with two RBI and Jarret DeHart (LSU) had two RBI. Tate Scioneaux (SE Louisiana), pitching without a big lead, went six scoreless innings with three strikeouts for his third win in as many starts.

     

    Bourne 5, Orleans 2

    Making his ninth career Cape League start, Ryan Kellogg (Arizona State) turned in perhaps his best performance as the West-leading Braves (10-3) topped Orleans (5-8). Kellogg went six scoreless innings, striking out four and scattering six hits. Thomas Hatch (Oklahoma State) and Lucas Laster (Mississippi State) finished off the win. Kellogg’s battery mate and ASU teammate Brian Serven homered for the Braves. Gavin Collins (Mississippi State) and Blake Allemand (Texas A&M) added two hits each.

     

    Harwich 4, Wareham 1

    The Mariners remained even with Bourne for the best record in the league thanks to a victory over Wareham. Michael Boyle (Radford) allowed just an unearned run in 5.1 innings for the win. Jacob Evans (Oklahoma) struck out four in 2.2 innings of relief and Seth McGarry (Florida Atlantic) pitched a perfect ninth for his first save. Sal Annunziata (Seton Hall) homered to lead the offense, while Kyle Barrett (Kentucky) had three hits from the top of the lineup. Barrett owns a six-game hitting streak and is batting .400 on the year.

     

    Falmouth 8, Brewster 3

    The Commodores (5-7-1) snapped a five-game winless streak with a victory over Brewster (5-8). Steven Duggar (Clemson) went 3-for-4 with two RBI to lead the offense, which hadn’t scored more than five runs since June 15. Cameron O’Brien (West Virginia) added three RBI, while Trever Morrison (Oregon State) and Conner Hale (LSU) had two hits each. Matt Eureste (San Jacinto North) went 1-for-4 and continues to lead the league in hitting with a .414 average. On the mound for Falmouth, Matt Hall (Missouri State) turned in one of the team’s best starts of the summer, striking out five in seven scoreless innings. Hall is now tied for the league lead in strikeouts.

     

    What to Watch

    A good pitching match-up is lined up in Orleans, where the Firebirds send Brett Lilek (Arizona State) to the mound against Harwich’s James Mulry (Northeastern). Lilek, a standout this spring, struck out six in four scoreless innings in his first Cape League start. Mulry has a 1.39 ERA in two starts.

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    Fire Power

    stock_orleans13

     

    On a night when college baseball continued to lament the lack of offense in Omaha, their college baseball brethren on Cape Cod flashed some pop in Yarmouth.

    Orleans smacked four home runs in a 6-2 victory over Y-D. It is, I believe, the first time since 2012’s year of the home run that a Cape League team has gone yard four times in one game.

    Taylor Ward (Fresno State) started the power surge in the second inning, when he smacked a leadoff home run. Two pitches later, Edwin Rios (Florida International) went back-to-back with another bomb. In the third, leadoff man Johnny Sewald (Arizona) hit one, and in the fourth, R.J. Ybarra (Arizona State) clubbed a two-run blast.

    Orleans hit more home runs in this one game than any other Cape League team has hit in the entire season. Orleans already led the league in homers with three, but with seven now, the cushion is much bigger. Wareham is next with three and no other team has more than two. Two teams – Chatham and Harwich – are still without a home run.

    The four-homer night on Tuesday secured Orleans’ second victory of the season as the Firebirds moved to 2-4. Trent Thornton (North Carolina) made the homers count with 5.1 strong innings on the mound. He allowed two runs and struck out four. Kyle Twomey (USC), Reilly Hovis (North Carolina) and Jacob Cronenworth (Michigan) finished the job without surrendering a run.

     

    Cotuit 7, Bourne 6

    Defending champion Cotuit won its fourth in a row with a 7-6 victory over Bourne. The Kettleers had started the summer 0-2 but haven’t lost since. They smacked 11 hits against the Braves, stole five bases and again used a parade of pitchers on their way to the narrow victory. Casey Schroeder (Polk State College) hit a home run to lead the offense, while Jeremy Taylor (East Tennessee State) drove in two runs. Drew Jackson (Stanford), a key part of last year’s championship run, made his first appearance of 2014 and went 2-for-4. The Kettleers did much of their damage against Jimmy Herget (South Florida), who had been impressive in his first start. On the basepaths, Cotuit continued to run wild. They’ve stolen a league-high 18 bases thus far. Caleb Whalen (Portland) stole one more last night and leads the league with five. And on the mound, Cotuit has used at least four pitchers in five of six games this year – and used three in the other. On Tuesday, they used six. Adam Whitt (Nevada) earned his second win with three scoreless innings out of the pen and Jeff Kinley (Michigan State) notched a save. For Bourne, Blake Davey (Connecticut) went 3-for-4 with a home run.

     

    Harwich 2, Falmouth 1

    The Mariners won their league-best fifth game thanks to a sixth-inning rally against the Commodores, who dropped to 3-3. Trailing 1-0, the Mariners got RBI from Sal Annunziata (Seton Hall) and Brendon Sanger (Florida Atlantic) to take a lead. Reliever Johnathan Frebis (Middle Tennessee State), who just returned for his second stint in Harwich, tossed three scoreless innings of relief in making the lead stand up. Robby Kalaf (Florida International) tossed a scoreless ninth for the save. Steven Duggar (Clemson) had two hits for Falmouth, but the Commodores only managed four total. Falmouth’s Matt Hall (Missouri State) turned in his second solid start, going five scoreless innings and striking out six. He leads the league in strikeouts with 11. For Harwich, Michael Boyle (Radford) allowed just an unearned run in five innings.

     

    Chatham 6, Brewster 2

    Chatham snapped a four-game skid with a victory over Brewster. Nick Collins (Georgetown) had two hits and two RBI to lead the offense, which broke out after scoring a total of six runs all season. Chatham took advantage of four Brewster errors, and all their runs were unearned. Garrett Hampson (Long Beach State), Landon Cray (Seattle) and Blake Butera (Boston College) all had two hits, as did standout LSU freshman Jake Fraley, who was making his Chatham debut. On the mound, Andrew Chin (Boston College) allowed two runs in six innings, while striking out four. Jeff Gelinas (Maine) and Kyle Davis (USC) combined on the last three innings.

     

    Hyannis 8, Wareham 4

    Hyannis jumped into a three-way tie for first in the West with an 8-4 victory over Wareham. Bobby Melley (Connecticut) had his best game in a Hyannis uniform, going 3-for-5 with a double and three RBI. Daniel Kihle (Wichita State) homered and drove in three, while Sam Haggerty (New Mexico) homered as part of a three-hit night. Tate Scioneaux (Southeastern Louisiana) allowed two earned runs in 5.1 innings and Lance Thonvold (Minnesota) went 3.2 innings for the save. For Wareham, Jake Little (Memphis) hit his second home run of the season.

     

    What to Watch

    James Mulry (Northeastern), who dominated for Harwich on opening night, will make his second start as the Mariners visit Hyannis for a 7 p.m. start. The Harbor Hawks will throw Joseph Shaw (Dallas Baptist) in his Cape League debut. He had a 2.96 ERA while pitching mostly as a reliever for Dallas Baptist this spring.

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    Veterans lead Commodores

    Falmouth 13

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

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

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

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

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

     

    THE SKINNY

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

     

    NOTABLE

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    •  

    FIVE TO WATCH

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

     

    PITCHERS

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

     

    Garrett Cleavinger – LHP – 6’0 220
    Oregon
    Sophomore

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    Kevin McKanna – RHP – 6’1 185
    Rice
    Sophomore

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

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

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

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

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

    Kevin Mooney – RHP – 6’2 215
    Maryland
    Sophomore

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

    Colin Poche – LHP – 6’3 220
    Arkansas
    Sophomore

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

    Jared Price – RHP – 6’2 190
    Maryland
    Sophomore

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

     

    POSITION PLAYERS

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

     

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

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

    Shaun Chase – C – 6’1 214
    Oregon
    Junior

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

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

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

    Steven Duggar – OF – 6’2 190
    Clemson
    Sophomore

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

    Sam Gillikin – OF – 6’2 198
    Auburn
    Sophomore

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

    Tyler Krieger – INF – 6’1 175
    Clemson
    Sophomore

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    Heath Quinn – OF – 6’3 195
    Samford
    Freshman

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