BA'S Top Ten Prospects in the West Coast League

Andrew Susac from the Corvallis Knights and Oregon State University has been named the Top Prospect in the West Coast League by Baseball America.

2. Matt Andriese (UC Riverside--Corvallis)
3. Taylor Ard (Oregon State--Corvallis)
4. Bobby Crocker (Cal Poly--Bend)
5. Jordan Leyland (UC Irvine--Bend)
6. Chris Amezquita (Pepperdine--Bellingham)
7. Seth Harvey (Washington State--Bellingham)
8. Evan DeLuca (signed by the Yankees)
9. Chris Casazza (Tarleton State--Moses Lake)
10. Kyle Johnson (Washington State--Wenatchee)

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Diamond Rebels Return To Campus, Gear Up For 2010 Season

From the University of Mississippi
(photo is courtesy of the University of Mississippi)

OXFORD, Miss. - Fall is an exciting time on campuses all across the country as students return and get geared up for another school year, football season and all of the other activities that come along with college life. Read the rest of this entry here.

Mallards Offense Generates $6,300

From the Northwoods League
Madison, WI - Thanks to an ensemble of home runs hit by the Mallards this past summer at the "Duck Pond," West Bend Mutual Insurance has made a record donation of $6,300 to the United Way.

For every home run hit at home this past season, West Bend donated $50 to the United Way. The Mallards hit a record 32 home runs, totaling $1,600 in contributions. Madison's previous season-high for long balls hit, both home-and-way, was 24 set in 2003. Read the rest of this entry here.

Gatemen Announce 2010 "Protected Players" - Initial Roster

From Scott Eaton and the Wareham Gatemen
CARY, NC: The Wareham Gatemen have submitted their list of "protected players" to CCBL Commissioner Paul Galop. Protected players are those players that were part of the 2009 roster and if coming back to Cape Cod in 2010, will play for the Gatemen.

The protected player list includes a number of players from the 2009 playoff team that featured many young players and Wareham hopes to build upon that experience for a longer playoff run in 2010. Included among those protected is George Springer (UCONN), who was recently named to the end of season, CCBL All-Star team. CCBL 2009 All-Star Game participants Jack Armstrong (Vanderbilt), Eric Pfisterer (Duke) and Brandon Workman (Texas) have also been protected by Wareham. Read the rest of this entry here.

Baseball Summer Highlights

From Washington State University
PULLMAN, Wash. - Left-handed pitcher Adam Conley was named the 2009 Top Prospect in the New England Collegiate Baseball League highlighting awards garnered by Washington State student-athletes over the summer.

Pitching for the Keene (N.H.) Swamp Bats Conley was also named Rookie of the Year, Top Pitcher and all-league first team in the NECBL. He recorded 37 strikeouts while allowing 14 hits, 11 walks and one unearned run in 34 and one-third innings. He was 2-0 with a save in eight games, including four starts.

Southpaw Rusty Shellhorn was a first team selection and the Pitcher of the Year in the Prospect League while playing for the North Coast Knights in Lorain, Ohio. He led the league with eight wins and 89 strikeouts and was fourth with a 1.45 earned run average.

In the West Coast League, outfielder Kyle Johnson was named first team all-league, right-handed pitcher Seth Harvey earned second team honors, and catcher Kyle Buchanan, left-handed pitcher Spencer Jackson, infielder Tommy Richards and left-handed pitcher Paris Shewey received honorable mention.

Johnson led the Wenatchee AppleSox to a league title by batting .340 with 25 RBI and 18 stolen bases. Shewey was 3-1 with four saves and 39 strikeouts in 30 innings for Wenatchee. Harvey notched 11 saves and fanned 32 in 27 and one-third innings for the Bellingham Bells. Richards batted .289 with 10 extra-base hits and 19 RBI, Buchanan hit .261 with two home runs and 13 RBI, and Jackson was 3-1 with a 3.45 ERA for the Bend Elks.

Baseball America's Top 10 Prospects In the Atlantic Collegiate League

Stony Brook's Nick Tropeano has been named the best prospect in the Atlantic Collegiate Baseball League by Baseball America. Nick pitched for the Riverhead Tomcats and went 7-3, with a 1.61 in 50.1 innings pitched. He surrendered 36 hits, walked 14 and struck out 77 batters this summer.

2. Brian Dudzinski (Furman--Lehigh Valley)
3. Nick Ahmed (UCONN--Westhampton)
4. Pete Greskoff (Brown--Riverhead)
5. Nate Reed (Pitt--Kutztown)
6. Andrew Leenhouts (Northeastern--Peekskill)
7. Alex Pracher (Stanford--Westhampton)
8. Justin Bradley (UNC Wilmington--Westhampton)
9. Grant Kernaghan (Bloomsburg--Lehigh Valley)
10. Gardner Leaver (Rhode Island--Sag Harbor)

Baseball Welcomes 19 Newcomers

From Texas Tech University
LUBBOCK, Texas - The most anticipated baseball recruiting class in recent years arrived on campus today as classes began at Texas Tech for the fall semester.

In all, 19 newcomers joined the Red Raider Baseball family and will be competing for a roster spot in the coming weeks as fall practice gets underway over at Dan Law Field. The class features five student-athletes who turned down professional offers to come to school including Brett Bruening (35th-round pick by St. Louis), Bobby Doran (36th-round pick by Pittsburgh), Stephen Hagen (42nd-round pick by Seattle), Jay Johnson (25th-round pick by Baltimore) and Brandon Petite (30th-round pick by Houston).

"It was really good to get all of our veterans back today and then welcome in all our new guys," said second-year head coach Dan Spencer. "There's always a lot of nerves that go into this day because you spend so much time trying to get in every single guy that you signed and I am happy to say that we have done that. We are looking forward to that first day we can get started because as we all know the wins we get in the spring are due to the work we put in during the fall."

The 19 newcomers (that include five walk-ons) will join forces with 22 returning veterans and all will compete for a total of 35 roster spots that will be available once the Red Raiders open up the 2010 season on Feb. 19. The complete 2010 season schedule will be announced in the upcoming months.

Fall practice officially gets underway on Sept. 7 with small group activities and that will lead up to the first team practice that is set for Sept. 21. Fall workouts will conclude with the annual Red & Black Series that is scheduled for Dan Law Field Oct. 25-29. More details on the Red & Black Series will be made available at a later date.

For the latest on fall practice, log on to www.texastech.com.

BA's Top 10 Prospects In The California Collegiate League

The following group of players represent the top 10 prospects in the California Collegiate League according to Baseball America.

1. Kevin Gelinas (UCSB--Conejo) photo is courtesy of Pepperdine
2. Tyler Blandford (Singed by Seattle)
3. Sam Stafford (Texas--Santa Barbara)
4. Jeremy Rathjen (Rice--Santa Barbara)
5. Brandon Loy (Texas--Santa Barbara)
6. Jack Marder (Oregon--Conejo)
7. A.J. Griffin (San Diego--Santa Barbara)
8. Matt Leonard (Cal Poly--Santa Barbara)
9. Matt Evers (Rice--Santa Barbara)
10. Shuehei Fujiya (USC--MLB Urban Academy)

Cox, Eibner among Cape League best

From the University of Arkansas
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. - Razorback baseball players Zack Cox and Brett Eibner were named two of the top prospects in the prestigious Cape Cod League by PGcrosschecker.com, it was announced on Thursday. Read the rest of this entry here.

BA's Top 10 M.I.N.K League Prospects

Baseball America has recently released their top 10 prospects from this summer in the M.I.N.K League.

1. Mike Morin (UNC--Mac-N-Seitz)
2. Adam Smith (Texas A&M--Beatrice)
3. Nick Martini (Kansas State--Topeka)
4. Michael Fuda (Rice--Clarinda)
5. Johnny Coy (Wichita State--St. Joseph)
6. Dominic D'Anna (Cal State Northridge--Sedalia)
7. Randall Thorpe (San Jacinto JC--Beatrice)
8. Shane Minks (Texas A&M--Beatrice)
9. Mike Mariot (Nebraska--Beatrice)
10. Darian Sandford (Park--Chillicothe)

Bucks' Manager Lauritson Resigns

From the Northwoods League
Waterloo, IA - Pete Lauritson, field manager of the Waterloo Bucks, has resigned from his position. Lauritson had served as Waterloo's skipper for the following two seasons.

"Managing the Bucks was the biggest thrill I have had in my lifetime and I will never forget it," said Lauritson. Read the rest of this entry here.

Milwaukee Baseball Players Wrap Up Summer On The Diamond

From Summer Ball News Source
MILWAUKEE - Fifteen former and current University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee baseball players spent the summer on the diamond, playing at various levels across the nation. Panther alums Joe Nowicki and Ross McCoy played at the professional level, while 13 players spent time in a mixture of summer college leagues. That group included: Doug Dekoning, Nate Caldwell, Chad Pierce, Cole Kraft, Ben Long, Paul Hoenecke, Cameron Amsrud, Dan Buchholz, Jordan Herbert, Tim Patzman, Gabe Marshall, Zach Hoch and Greg Blohowiak. Read the rest of this entry here.

Seminole Baseball Summer Wrap-up

From Florida State University
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - The 2009 fall semester is here and with it we bring to a close another summer season. This past summer several members of the Seminole baseball team were scattered across the country honing their skills in preparation for the fall baseball season.

Tyler Holt concluded his run with Team USA hitting .371 in 22 games. The junior centerfielder helped the United States to a 19-5 record over the summer including a tournament victory at the World Baseball Championships in British Columbia. In the championship game against Germany, Holt went 2-for-4 with a double, a run and two RBI. Read the rest of this entry here.

2009 ACBL Awards

From the Atlantic Collegiate Baseball League
The 2009 ACBL awards this season was a clean sweep for the Jersey Pilots and the Riverhead Tomcats. The 5 postseason awards were split between these two teams. Ken Gregory (Pilots) and Peter Greskoff (Tomcats) will share the 2009 Santy Gallone Most Valuable Player Award. Nick Tropeano (Tomcats) captured the Darrin Winston Most Valuable Pitcher Award. The Outstanding Relief Pitcher Award was awarded to Aidan Lucas (Pilots). Ken Gregory (Pilots) capped a great season by also collecting the Hitting Award. The Slugging Award was taken home by Peter Greskoff (Tomcats), this was also his 2nd award. The complete award listing in below.

Ken Gregory (Pilots, Kean) - Co-winner, Santy Gallone Most Valuable Player Award
Peter Greskoff (Tomcats, Brown) - Co-winner, Santy Gallone Most Valuable Player Award
Nick Tropeano (Tomcats, Stony Brook) - Darrin Winston Most Valuable Pitcher Award
Aidan Lucas (Pilots, Denison) - Outstanding Relief Pitcher Award
Ken Gregory (Pilots, Kean) - Hitting Award
Peter Greskoff (Tomcats, Brown) - Slugging Award

Jeff Gallagher Team Sportsmanship Award

Frank Hager (Cornell) - Jersey Pilots
Justin Schwecke (Bethany Lutheran) - Kutztown Rockies
Junnior Dishmey (Tarleton State) - Lehigh Valley Catz
T.J. Greig (Molloy) - Long Island Mustangs
T.J. Pilla (Hawaii –Hilo) - Northern New Jersey
Mike Gastelum (St. Mary’s) - North Fork Ospreys
Michael Imbriale (Savannah College) - Peekskill Robins
Jeff Flax (LaSalle) - Quakertown Blazers
Kyle Schultz (Butler) - Riverhead Tomcats
Kyle Crean (Albany) - Sag Harbor Whalers
Nick Melchiorre (FDU) - Southampton Breakers
Alex Aycoth (Campbell) - Westhampton Aviators

Team Awards
North Fork Ospreys - Kaiser Division Regular Season Championship
Jersey Pilots - Wolff Division Regular Season Championship
Westhampton Aviators - ACBL Championship

Baseball Summer Review

From Fresno State University
FRESNO, Calif. - Most Fresno State student-athletes spend the summer enjoying time off from their respective sports. But the baseball season continues into the summer as the players head out all over the country to keep playing. Coach Mike Batesole helped 12 Bulldogs find teams in various summer leagues across the nation.

"It's great for our players to go out and play summer ball," said Batesole. "It's a time for our pitcher's who threw less than 60 innings in 2009 to gain experience against Division I hitters and have the opportunity to work on their third pitch. Our hitters have the opportunity to get another 100-200 at bats in, while working on their inside game, two strike approach or whatever their specific weakness may be."

The Bulldogs had four players in Alaska, three in Chicago, three in Humboldt, Calif., two in Cape Cod, Mass., and one in Madison, Wis. The players spent most of the summer living with host families playing baseball and exploring their new surroundings.

Junior Jake Johnson and sophomore Cody Kendall played for the Peninsula Oilers in Alaska. Johnson hit .118 with 10 hits and a double. Kendall recorded 3.52 ERA with a 4-3 record and 33 strikeouts.

Sophomores Brennan Gowens and Charlie Robertson also spent the summer playing in the Alaska summer ball league. Gowens played for the Fairbanks Goldpanners, hitting .194 with 26 hits and four doubles. Robertson played for the Glacier Pilots and recorded a 2.78 ERA with 25 strikeouts.

"It was a great experience," said Kendall. "The host families were awesome and the players were good. In summer ball there isn't as much pressure."





Seniors Steve Detwiler, Isaac Vivas and junior Gene Escat stayed in California and played for the Humboldt Crabs. Vivas had 22 hits with a double and was selected as the Defensive Player of the Year. Detwiler hit two home runs, three doubles and pitched one inning striking out three batters. Escat had a 3-0 record with a 3.89 ERA and 36 strikeouts in 44 innings pitched.

"Humboldt is a great atmosphere for baseball," said Detwiler. "Playing up there brings you back to little league and makes you realize why you love the game so much."

The windy city of Chicago was home for Sean Bonesteele, Tom Harlan and Kenny Wise for the summer. All three played for the Crystal Lake Cardinals. Wise hit .342 with five doubles and 19 RBIs. Bonesteele had a 4-1 record with 1.86 ERA and 32 strikeouts in 29 innings pitched. Harlan had a 2-1 record with 2.21 ERA and 11 strikeouts in 17 innings pitched.

"It was great eye opening experience to play baseball in a new place," said Harlan. "It was different to meet people from all over and play in different types of weather, but it was a fun different."

Junior Danny Muno spent the summer in Cape Cod playing for the Orleans Firebirds with his brother, Kevin Muno. Sophomore Daniel Moultrie played with the Atwater Aviators. Muno hit .222 with four doubles, 13 RBIs and seven stolen bases. Moultrie hit .235 with five doubles, 17 RBIs and 10 stolen bases. Junior Trent Soares hit .212 with a double, a triple, a home run and 6 RBIs.

"We had some of the best competition in nation," said Muno. "The atmosphere is great and a lot like Fresno State, where the community supports the team. We had around 5,000 fans at every game. Summer ball you learn a lot about yourself as a player and as a teammate."

Preparations for next season began a few weeks after the first day of classes with fall workouts and scrimmages. The 2010 season opens in late February.

"We Are Your Team" - For more information on the baseball team log on to gobulldogs.com.

Baseball Announces 56-Game Schedule For 2010 Season

From Ball State University
MUNCIE, Ind. - Ball State baseball head coach Greg Beals officially released a 56-game schedule for the 2010 season, including 16 games at Ball Diamond. The Cardinals return 16 letterwinners, including six starters and eight pitchers, from the reigning Mid-American Conference West Division championship team.

The Cardinals' rigorous 29-game non-conference schedule features five NCAA Tournament teams, including one College World Series participant (Arkansas) and one Super Regional participant (Louisville). Ball State's 19 non-conference foes combined for a .570 (611-461) winning percentage last spring as 15-of-19 posted records above .500.

"We have put together a very demanding 2010 schedule," Beals said. "The national caliber of competition that we will be playing early in the season will more than prepare us for our conference schedule. We feel that our ball club is up for this challenge."

The Cardinals will open the 2010 season in impressive fashion with a three-game series at Southeastern Conference foe Arkansas February 19-21. The Razorbacks finished last season ranked No. 4 in the country as they tied for third in the College World Series with a 41-24 overall record. Ball State continues its season-opening 23-game road stretch with a four-game series at Alabama-Birmingham.

The Cardinals' spring break trip runs March 5-14 and will entail nine games in the Carolinas. Ball State will take part in the Caravelle Resort Invitational hosted by Coastal Carolina March 5-7 with games against Pittsburgh, Albany and the host Chanticleers. After single games at UNC-Wilmington and College of Charleston, the Cardinals return to Coastal Carolina for the Caravelle Resort Classic where they will play Illinois (twice), Michigan and Lipscomb.

Ball State returns north for a three-game series at Louisville March 19-21 before a game at Notre Dame. The Cardinals begin MAC play March 26 with a three-game series at Ohio. Ball State finally opens the home portion of its schedule April 2 as it hosts league rival Miami for a three-game set.

The Cardinals will play home MAC series against Buffalo, Eastern Michigan and Northern Illinois while they will face Bowling Green, Central Michigan, Western Michigan and Toledo on the road.

In addition, Ball State will play non-conference midweek games at Indiana, at Purdue, Indiana Tech, Indiana State, at Butler, Huntington, Purdue, at Ohio State and at Michigan.

The top eight teams from the MAC regular season advance to the 2010 MAC Tournament, which will be held May 26-29 at VA Memorial Stadium in Chillicothe, Ohio for the third straight year.

(photo is courtesy of Ball State University)

League president Ken Wilson announces All-WCL teams

From the West Coast League
Portland, Oregon, Monday, August 24, 2009 - West Coast League president Ken Wilson announced the 2009 All-West Coast League teams as voted on by member head coaches.

Corvallis first baseman Taylor Ard of Oregon State, shortstop Richie Jimenez of UNLV, third baseman Doug Cherry of Washington and pitchers Kyle Kraus of University of Portland and Matt Andriese of UC Riverside; and Wenatchee outfielder Kyle Johnson of Washington State and pitcher Chad Wagner of Hawaii Pacific; and Bellingham pitcher Tyrell Poggemeyer of Lewis-Clark State College were the top vote getters. Read the rest of this entry here.

Duke Baseball Summer League Recap

From Duke Sports Information
(photo is courtesy of the Northwoods League)

DURHAM, N.C. - With all of the summer collegiate baseball seasons completed, the Duke baseball team returned to campus last week to begin preparing the 2010 baseball season. Read the rest of this entry here.

Smith Added to Baseball Coaching Staff

From Summer Ball News Source
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Belmont baseball announced the addition of Aaron Smith to the coaching staff on Tuesday as a volunteer assistant.

As a member of the Belmont coaching staff, Smith's duties include working with the outfielders, coaching first base and assisting with hitting instruction. Read the rest of this entry here.

Eagles Add UT Transfer for 2010 Season

From Carson-Newman University
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. -- University of Tennessee first baseman/pitcher Jeff Lockwood (Knoxville, Tenn.) will join the Carson-Newman baseball team for his senior season, Eagles head coach Tom Griffin announced Tuesday.

Lockwood transfers to C-N after being a solid contributor for the Vols each of the last three seasons.

"We're excited to have a kid that has played in the Southeastern Conference," Griffin said. "He's familiar with the program and some guys on this team, so we're excited to have him. He had a good summer and his confidence is back. He was ranked the 10th best prospect in the New York collegiate summer league. He can hit for power and pitching wise, he's a competitive kid."

In his first year in Knoxville, Lockwood garnered freshman All-American honors after batting .315 with 34 RBIs and compiling a 2-2 record with eight saves.

As a sophomore, he had a .340 batting average in SEC play in 48 starts. Lockwood also pitched 32 innings and had a 2-2 record.

Last season, Lockwood appeared in 37 games, pitched 26 innings and finished with a 4.10 ERA.

Lockwood is a graduate of Halls High School in Knoxville, where he was a three-time All-State and 2006 Louisville Slugger All-America first team selection. He was also a four-time All-District and All-Region selection and received 2006 District Pitcher of the Year, 2005 Knoxville News Sentinel Prep Xtra Player of the Year, 2005 District MVP, 2004 Knoxville News Sentinel Prep Xtra Sophomore of the Year and District MVP and the 2003 District Pitcher of the Year honors.

During his high school career, Lockwood set Halls career records for batting average (.450), home runs (44), RBIs (185), wins (31) and batters struck out (351).

Brain And Brawn

Wolf Pack Baseball Players Earn Additional Summer Honors

From the University of Nevada
(photo is courtesy of the University of Nevada)

Two Nevada Baseball Players were named to the Hawaiian Collegiate Baseball League All-Star Team in Waylon Sing-Chow and Matt Langenfeld. They played for the Kamuela Paniolos in the six-team summer league, featuring athletes from varying universities.
Sing-Chow hit .303 in 119 at bats while playing the outfield for the Paniolos. He drove in ten runs, hit four doubles and three triples in 29 appearances. As a sophomore in 2009 he made 35 appearances for the Wolf Pack, mostly as a defensive replacement.

Langenfeld hit .367 during the summer and tied for the league lead with three home runs. He appeared in 19 games for the Paniolos, all behind the plate. With three more at bats he would have led the league with a .557 slugging percentage and been fourth in batting average. For the pack he appeared in 11 games as a sophomore in 2009, playing primarily as a designated hitter and pinch hitter.

Villegas Is Top Hitter in the Prospect League

Joseph Villegas put together quite the summer season while playing for the Richmond River Rats of the Prospect League. Villegas is now a senior at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor. He was the league leader with a .363 batting average and was first in the league with 62 hits. Joseph was also named to both the midseason All-Star team and the post-season All-Star team.


These are his summer stats.

• 45 games played
• 363/439/409 in 171 at-bats
• 25 runs scored
• 17 runs batted in
• 7 doubles, 3 triples
• 14 bb/13 k's
• 11/12 stolen bases
• 0 errors defensively

Rockbridge in Market for Manager

From the Valley Baseball League
LEXINGTON, Va. - The Rockbridge Rapids are in the market for a new field manager for the 2010 season.

Rockbridge recently completed its first season in the Valley League with a 9-33 record. Mark Mace, who is also the head coach at Eastern Mennonite University, led the Rapids in their inaugural campaign.

On August 1, Mace announced that he would not be returning as the squad's skipper in 2010 in order to spend more time with his family and to concentrate on a teaching/coaching duties at EMU.

"Mark Mace helped us get started in this league and we wish him the best of luck in the future," said Rockbridge GM Ken Newman. "The Valley League schedule is grueling and a major time commitment and we fully understand his decision."

Otteman Named SABR Metroplex College Player of the Year

From the University of Texas At Arlington
DALLAS, Texas -
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Aug. 24, 2009 - Contact: Bo Carter, SABR (214-418-6132), Bcarter@footballfoundation.com)
or Scott Lacefield, UT Arlington, slacefield@uta.edu

Matt Otteman, who led the Southland Conference with a .432 batting average (third-highest in SLC history) as a standout for UT Arlington, has been chosen as 2009 Howard Green Metroplex Collegiate Player of the Year Award presented by the DFW Hall-Ruggles Chapter for Society of American Baseball Research.

He joins 2009 Major League Baseball All-Star and UTA alumnus Hunter Pence as the second Mavericks player selected in the 17 years of this prestigious award.

Otteman, currently playing in the Seattle Mariners' minor league system, enjoyed one of the most memorable campaigns in UTA baseball history as he led the squad in almost every offensive category and also had solid success on the mound.

His .432 average was second-highest in a UTA season while he topped the team with 95 hits, a SLC-leading eight triples, 15 doubles, and a school-record-equaling 69 RBI in 56 games. He was consensus first team All-Southland Conference, American Baseball Coaches Association All-South Central Region, and second team All-America by PING! Baseball. Otteman also opened the '09 season with a school record-tying (and then-NCAA-longest) hitting streak of 26 games.

Used primarily as a pitcher in his brief professional career, the 6-1, 210-pound DH-pitcher-OF from Lockport, Ill., averaged a team-most 14.2 strikeouts per nine innings as a senior. He started the year with nine strikeouts against the first 11 batters he retired and went on to whiff 38 hitters in 10 appearances and 24 innings.

Otteman had two starts along the way and was 3-1 overall with a 3.38 earned run average and 2.5 to 1 strikeouts to walks ratio. He held opposing hitter to a .239 average, yielded 21 total hits and just five extra-base blows.





He also thrived in such appearances as eight strikeouts in five innings against Northwood, eight Ks out of nine outs recorded against eventual NCAA Regional competitor Oklahoma and a six-inning stint in the SLC Tournament where allowed just one earned run and struck out five against heavy-hitting Lamar.

The Illinois resident was a four-year letterman for the Mavericks and helped the team make the 2006 NCAA Regionals after winning the Southland tourney. He hit .318 with one homer and 27 RBI in 43 games as a junior while going 4-3 on the mound in 12 appearances (seven starts) with one save, a 4.35 ERA, 36 strikeouts, and 49 2/3 innings on the hill.

"Matt had a great senior year for us," UT Arlington head coach Darin Thomas said. "He not only was a great hitter, but also was a mainstay on the mound all spring. The best thing I could say about Matt is that he was a great college baseball player, teammate, and student during his time at UT Arlington."

The son of John and Teri Otteman is a former Louisville Slugger 2005 High School Player of the Year in Illinois and an exercise science major at UT Arlington.

Previous winners of the Howard Green SABR Metroplex College Baseball Player of the Year have been - Scott Malone, TCU, 1993; Jason Parsons, Dallas Baptist, 1994; Johnny Issom, Texas Wesleyan, 1995; Karl Chatman, Dallas Baptist, 1996; Brandon Harper, Dallas Baptist, 1997; Royce Huffman, TCU, 1998; Cody Sundbeck, Dallas Baptist, 1999; (co) Jon Browder, Dallas Baptist; Pat Hannon, Texas Wesleyan, 2000; Mike Hall, Texas Wesleyan, 2001; Terry Trofholz, TCU, 2002; Clayton Jerome, TCU, 2003; Hunter Pence, Texas-Arlington, 2004; Lance Broadway, TCU, 2005; Drew Holder, Dallas Baptist, 2006; Sam Demel, TCU, 2007; Evan Bigley, Dallas Baptist, 2008.

Forest City’s Starting Duo of Arrowood and Patton Honored as 2009 Rawlings CPL Co-Defensive Player

From The Coastal Plain League
The phrase: “Two is better than one” certainly fits Forest City, as the Coastal Plain League announced today that Owls starting pitchers Ryan Arrowood and Spencer Patton (pictured (L-R) Patton (courtesy of Brandon Grecinger) and Arrowood (courtesy of Pat Grecinger)) were named the 2009 Rawlings CPL Co-Defensive Players of the Year. Read the rest of this entry here.

True Blood: The Complete First Season (HBO Series)

Big Summer For a Panther Outfielder

Starting today, I will be targeting players that had great statistical summers. I'm not focusing solely on pro-prospects. I will leave that to the fine folks at Perfect Game and Baseball America. I'm just focusing on their statistical seasons.

Today, Lammar Guy from Florida International and the Covington Lumberjacks of the Valley Baseball League is the first player profiled. Lammar not only provided key offense for the 'jacks, he also was the one of the most prolific base-stealer in the league. He was 3rd in the league with 35 stolen bases, and was 1st in the league with 44 attempts. He was also tied for 3rd in the league with 61 hits on the year.

The following list includes his stats from this past season in Covington.

• .314/.412/.404 in 194 at-bats. His .314 avg lead the team.
• 45 runs-26 rbi's. His 45 runs lead the team.
• 61 hits (13 2b's- 2 hr's). He lead the team in hits and was tied for 2nd in doubles.
• 27 bb's and 49 k's. Tied for 3rd on the team in walks.
• 35/44 stolen bases. 1st on the team.
• 3 errors for a .978 fielding percentage.

Martinsville’s Cerreto Named 2009 Rawlings CPL Offensive Player of the Year

From The Coastal Plain League
The Coastal Plain League announced today that Phil Cerreto of the Martinsville Mustangs (photo courtesy of Kenny Webster) has been named the 2009 Rawlings CPL Offensive Player of the Year.

A junior from Longwood and Midlothian, Va., Cerreto was a constant offensive force for the Mustangs in 2009. He started 51-of-53 games played for Martinsville and finished with an impressive .351 batting average – third highest in the league. Cerreto also finished first in the CPL with 72 hits, which is good for sixth all-time in a single season in league history. He also finished among the league leaders on the season in doubles (16 - tied for second), triples (four - tied for fourth) and home runs (eight – fifth)

More impressive, however, is that he had an eye-opening 120 total bases, which 19 better than anyone else in the league, and just one shy of the CPL record of 121 shared by Jason Dubois (Rocky Mount, 1998) and Kevin Mahoney (Forest City, 2008).

Cerreto also finished tied for fourth in the league with 40 RBIs, while scoring 33; and tacked on a .585 slugging percentage to go with a .396 on-base percentage. Opposing pitchers walked him 16 times and Cerreto was a perfect 12-of-12 in stolen bases.

In addition to his total bases and hits being ranked among the Top 10 single season bests in Coastal Plain League history, Cerreto’s slugging percentage of .585 was good enough for ninth place.

While the Mustangs finished with a 22-34 record, Cerreto turned in a team-MVP performance almost nightly. He was selected as a Coastal Plain League All-Star, starting at first base for the 2009 CPL National All-Star squad in Wilmington, N.C. During the All-Star Fan Fest the night before, Cerreto connected on eight home runs to win the 2009 CPL All-Star Home Run Derby crown.

The Coastal Plain League is the nation’s hottest summer collegiate baseball league, and has just completed its 13th season. Featuring 14 teams playing in North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia, the CPL gives college players the chance to refine their skills with wooden bats during the summer months. Players are housed with local host families for the summer and past experiences have been very positive for both players and hosts. For more information on the Coastal Plain League, please visit the league website at http://www.coastalplain.com.

J.B. Brown Named to the All-League Team for Outstanding Play During Summer

From Summer Ball News Source
Coppell, Tex. Junior second baseman J.B. Brown (Alvin, Tex.), had an incredible summer playing for the McKinney Marshals of the Texas Collegiate League and was named the second baseman for the All-League Team. Read the rest of this entry here.

The Prospect League Announces 2009 Post-Season All-Star Team

From the Prospect League
The Prospect League is proud to announce the rosters for its first ever Post-Season All-Star Team.

The rosters announced today are comprised of nine players for each division, determined by the votes of managers from each team.

In addition, special honors were given for the Galen Woods Award (“Fireman of the Year”); “Coach of the Year”; “Top Pro Prospect”; “Pitcher of the Year” and the Mike Schmidt Award (“Player of the Year”).

The Prospect League’s batting and pitching title winners were also announced.

The Prospect League Player of the Year (Mike Schmidt Award): Tyler Bullock, Richmond
The Prospect League Pitcher of the Year: Rusty Shellhorn, NorthCoast Knights
The Prospect League Fireman of the Year (Galen Woods Award): Matt Antos, Dubois County
The Prospect League Pro Prospect of the Year: Mikie Mahtook, Danville
The Prospect League Coach of the Year: Brian Mannino, Chillicothe
The Prospect League Batting Title: Joseph Villegas, Richmond - .363 AVG
The Prospect League Pitching Title: Joe Oropeza, NorthCoast - 1.42 ERA

East Post-Season All-Stars
1B – Garrett Stephens – Richmond
2B – Tim Krofcheck – Chillicothe
3B – Tim Pitro - Richmond
SS - Ben Allen – Chillicothe
LF - Brian Billigen – Butler
CF – Brian Youchak – Butler
RF – Joseph Villegas – Richmond
C – Tyler Bullock - Richmond
Pit – Rusty Shellhorn - NorthCoast

West Post-Season All-Stars
1B – Dabo Worthington - Danville
2B – Grant Fillipitch - Dupage
3B – Jason Nappi - Danville
SS – Ashley Graeter - Hannibal
LF – Jordin Hood - Quincy
CF – Kyle Gaedele - Hannibal
RF – Austin Green - Danville
C – Nate Johnson - Danville
Pit – Richie Derbak - Quincy

Summer League Wrap-Up

Lincoln Hamilton from Project Prospect recently put out an article about some of the top prospects from this summer. As always, the article is first rate. You can check it out here.

Forest City’s Hayes Named 2009 Coastal Plain League Coach of the Year

From the Coastal Plain League
The Coastal Plain League announced today that Forest City Owls head coach Matt Hayes (wearing No. 24, photo courtesy of Pat Grecinger) has been named the CPL Coach of the Year following the completion of the 2009 season.

Hayes took the helm of the Owls and saw them finish with the best record ever by a Coastal Plain League team: 51-9 (a .850 winning percentage). Five of those wins came in the Petitt Cup Playoffs, where the Owls swept their way to their first-ever CPL Petitt Cup Championship. And to attest to the strength of the Forest City team, they were ranked as the No. 1 team in the country by PG Crosschecker much of the regular season, and finished as the top-ranked team in the nation at the end of summer as well.

Forest City had a memorable season, as they won both the West Division First and Second Half Championships, and broke records – both individual and team – along the way. The Owls went 24-3 (.889) in the first half, breaking the record for the best record in a half of 23-5 held by Fayetteville (first half) and Edenton (second half) in 2007. Forest City then went on to a 22-6 second half record, which gave them 46 regular season wins – four more than the old record of 42 set by the 2007 Fayetteville SwampDogs.

Outfielder Will Skinner (Middle Tennessee State) broke the record for most doubles in a season with 21 – one more than Tim LaVigne (Wilmington Sharks) had in 1999. Infielder Konstantine Diamaduros (Wofford) finished as the league’s batting champ after he led the league with a .376 average on the regular season. Then, on the mound, starters Ryan Arrowood (Appalachian State) and Spencer Patton (SIU-Edwardsville) combined to go 19-0 in the regular season and another 4-0 in the playoffs. Arrowood’s 10 regular season wins tied the record held by Brian Adams of Rocky Mount in 1998, while Patton threw 15 strikeouts in his final regular season appearance to give him 110 on the season; breaking the old record of 108 by Outer Banks’ Matt Jansen in 1999. And just as notable was the arm of closer Robbie Andrews (Virginia Commonwealth), who finished with a 0.00 ERA and 12 saves on the regular season, but didn’t allow a single run nor walk on the summer.

As a team, the Forest City Owls led the league with a .278 batting average, and was fourth in the CPL in team ERA at 3.27. And as no surprise, the Owls were at the top or among the top leaders in every meaningful offensive and pitching category.

Furthermore, Forest City had several players turn in All-Star performances. In all, a league-best eight players (Diamaduros, Skinner, Patton, Arrowood, Andrews, Wade Moore, Pratt Maynard and Bryan Breedlove) were named to the CPL American and National All-Star Teams. Hayes earned the head coaching job for the American All-Stars. And five Owls – Diamaduros (twice), Moore, Patton, Hembree and Breedlove – were honored as a Rawlings Hitters or Pitchers of the Week throughout the season.

Hayes, who spent the 2008-09 season as an assistant coach at Indiana, has served four years as a head coach in the Coastal Plain League, including the last two with the Forest City Owls. He led the Owls to a 28-26 league record in 2008, and won the West Division First Half title. He went on to be named the associate head coach of the American All-Star team. Overall, Hayes sports a 131-88 record as a head coach in the CPL, including three straight trips to the postseason.

At Indiana, Hayes coached first base and worked with the hitters, infielders and outfielders. Prior to his time with the Hoosiers, Hayes spent six years as an assistant coach at Limestone College. He had the same responsibilities at Limestone, and also oversaw the Saints junior varsity program. Hayes attended the Danville Area Community College in Illinois before transferring to Mars Hill College, where he was a standout on the Lions baseball team. He graduated with a degree in Sports Management in 2002. Furthermore, Hayes was the head coach for the American Legion Post 23 team in Gastonia for three seasons and served as a volunteer assistant coach for the CPL’s Gastonia Grizzlies in 2005.

The Coastal Plain League is the nation’s hottest summer collegiate baseball league, and has just completed its 13th season. Featuring 14 teams playing in North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia, the CPL gives college players the chance to refine their skills with wooden bats during the summer months. Players are housed with local host families for the summer and past experiences have been very positive for both players and hosts. For more information on the Coastal Plain League, please visit the league website at http://www.coastalplain.com.

Lewis Baseball Caps Recruiting Class With Kaffel And Newsome

From Summer Ball News Source
ROMEOVILLE, Ill. - Lewis University head baseball coach Tim McDonough announced the additions of Stephen Kaffel (Orland Park, Ill./Carl Sandburg/Butler University) and Tyler Newsome (Palos Heights, Ill./Marist/South Suburban CC) on Wednesday to the 2009-10 recruiting class. Read the rest of this entry here.

Eight Hoosiers Help Teams to Summerball Playoffs

From the University of Indiana
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - The members of Indiana's baseball team playing in summer baseball leagues wrapped up a successful season around the nation, as eight Hoosiers helped their teams to playoff spots in their respective leagues.

In the Cape Cod League, Blake Monar and Alex Dickerson helped the Wareham Gatemen earn their first playoff berth since 2006, but the Gatemen fell in the opening round to league runner-up Cotuit. Dickerson went on a late surge to tie for the team lead with three home runs and hit .224 with three triples and 15 RBI. Monar made eight starts for Wareham, going 2-3 with a 3.02 ERA and 37 strikeouts in a team-leading 47 2/3 innings. Read the rest of this entry here.

Buchanan Joins Panther Baseball

From Georgia State University
Despite being drafted by the New York Mets in the sixth round of June's Major League Baseball Amateur Draft, David Buchanan has enrolled and will play for the Georgia State baseball team in the upcoming season.

Buchanan becomes the highest ever draftee to enroll with the Panthers and will solidify a rotation that was among the best in the CAA last season. He was selected with the 194th overall pick, but turned down a contract offer to instead work toward his degree and play for the Panthers. Read the rest of this entry here.

Season of the Owl: The Sequel

By Allan Simpson of Perfect Game
FOREST CITY, N.C.—The Economic Stress Index is an annual indicator of the depressed state of some of America’s struggling counties. It factors in unflattering criteria such as unemployment, foreclosures and bankruptcy.

Understandably, no county is accepting of such a deflating designation without some indignation, and it’s often difficult to put a positive spin on a community or region that is unfortunate enough to be associated with the dreaded index.

This quaint little community of less than 10,000, located some 50 miles west of Charlotte and tucked away in the foothills of western North Carolina, is the hub of Rutherford County, which had the misfortune this year of ranking 13th on the Economic Stress Index—essentially the equivalent of the Misery Index, an annual Forbes magazine study that measures the depressed state of the nation’s larger cities.

The ESI, a report compiled by the Associated Press, measures the spike in economic recession from one year to the next in counties with populations of more than 25,000. This year’s ranking, understandably, stung at the heart of a proud Forest City citizenry.

“The people here knew the economy was bad,” said Scott Bowers, sports editor of the local Forest City Daily Courier, “but I don’t think they realized it was this bad. The rating pretty much spelled it out for them. It’s been a rough year—really, a pretty rough decade.”

Once a vibrant community at the center of a thriving furniture and textile trade, Forest City has experienced increasingly hard times over the last generation, or pretty much since the textile trade packed up and moved away (often overseas), or plants in the area simply closed. It bottomed out in the last year when the local HanesBrand plant put 470 employees out of work almost overnight.

Unemployment in the community now officially tops 15 percent—and may actually be closer to 20 percent if you factor in those who remain part of the work force but are no longer eligible for benefits. For many who continue to live in Forest City and the surrounding area—roughly one in five—the days have become painfully long, lonely and depressing.

But for one night—actually, one magical, glorious summer—the Baseball Gods looked down on the good people of Forest City, raising the collective spirit of a town down on its luck. A sense of pride was restored to a community that has slowly, painfully been stripped of some of its dignity over the years.

In what may well qualify as the best feel-good baseball story of 2009—or any year, any level of the game—the town’s baseball team gave the people of Forest City something meaningful to rejoice about this summer. The Forest City Owls won the Coastal Plain League championship.

The feat in itself was noteworthy, considering the franchise had never previously won a league playoff game. But the ramifications were far more reaching—both from a baseball and human-interest context.

A league championship capped a magical season for the Owls, both on and off the field. The team set CPL club and individual records at almost every turn this summer while assembling an improbable 51-9 record. The crowning touch came Friday night in a pair of 5-1 wins over the Peninsula Pilots, completing an unbeaten run through the Coastal Plain League playoffs.

Not only did the Owls nail down their first league title and the town’s first meaningful baseball title ever, but they secured the equivalent of a national title, as well, as they were the No. 1-ranked summer college team in the country entering play that day (according to PG Crosschecker’s weekly Top 25 ranking of summer clubs), and needed only to close the deal against Peninsula to make it official.

They did, in convincing style, and there were few among some 3,000 rabid fans in attendance that were unaware of the national implications at stake.

It was all pretty heady stuff for a team that had never previously won a playoff game or ever beaten its final-round opponent—in any game, much less twice in one night. And for a little out-of-the-way community of less than 10,000, the feat was quite remarkable in its own right.

But it hardly tells the whole story of just how heart-warming this accomplishment was. This was a baseball story, but much more.

Forest City has had a checkered baseball history. Most prominently, it had minor-league teams (known as the Owls) that were members of the Western Carolina League from 1948-52 and Tar Heel League from 1953-54. Both were Class D leagues, the lowest level of the minors.

Forrest “Smoky” Burgess (no, Burgess was not named for the city), a catcher in the 1950s and 60s who once held the major-league record for career pinch-hits, is a Forest City product. So is current big league reliever Todd Coffey.

But beyond high-school and American Legion ball, there was no baseball of any real consequence played in Forest City for more than 50 years—nor was there really even a clamoring for it. Yet when the Coastal Plain League’s Spartanburg Stingers, purchased in 2004 by Ken Silver and drawing little more than 100 fans a game, went looking for a new home, they inexplicably settled on little Forest City, some 25 miles to the north and just across the North Carolina state line from South Carolina.

On the surface, the move was a head-scratcher—considering the modest size of Forest City and a flagging economy in the area. Perhaps most curious, the town didn’t even have a suitable baseball facility to house the transplanted Owls. But that’s when this remarkable rags-to-riches story began to take on legs.

Bob McNair is the owner of the NFL’s Houston Texans. He has been a highly-successful businessman since moving to Houston in 1960, but coincidentally grew up in Forest City, and once played American Legion baseball on the town’s old Legion Field.

McNair has never forgotten his Forest City roots, and was only more than willing to provide a significant share of the funds used to construct a new baseball facility in his old hometown, one that would house these Forest City Owls.

The team’s new McNair Field, located on McNair Street just a couple of blocks off Main Street in the heart of Forest City, isn’t your typical summer-college league ball park, either. Nearly $4 million was spent to construct the immaculate facility, and a state-of-the-art scoreboard, capable of flashing video images, and a sprawling concourse in and around the grandstand, are some of the facility’s many modern conveniences.

McNair was one of about 3,500 patrons on hand May 29, 2008, when he threw out the ceremonial first pitch at new McNair Field. The ball park quickly became a symbol of pride to the folks of Forest City, and they have shown their support since by routinely packing the place, night after night. The Owls have averaged roughly 2,200 fans a game in their short existence, and more than 3,000 were there Friday to cheer on the Owls to a league title.

“It’s really quite an unbelievable story how baseball has caught on here the way it has, especially when you look at the economy in the area and the other dynamics involved,” said CPL commissioner Pete Bock. “We knew that a facility would have to be built in order to make all this happen, and thank goodness for someone like Bob McNair”

“Admittedly, it was a risk to bring a team here. But the area has a history of baseball, and as we looked at the whole region, we saw it as a great opportunity to give the people of the region something to latch on to. From our experience with Edenton (the smallest city in the CPL with a team), we knew that a lot of the same dynamics that you had to deal with there were in place here, and we were confident it would work. Baseball’s been so important to Edenton that a city-council meeting was moved to a different night because of a game, and the people here have embraced baseball in much the same way.”

The support that the town folk of Forest City have shown for their Owls is little short of amazing—particularly when put in the very real context of the sour economy that has gripped the area.

“The people here have been looking for something positive for some time, and the baseball team has provided it,” Bowers said. “They’ve really taken to this team. It’s become a great source of community pride.”

As the team’s sports editor, Bowers has a pulse on the community. But he also knows a good story when he sees one, and he actively cheered his team on to a championship Friday—journalistic integrity, be damned.

“This team has given us something to rally around,” said one elderly fan in attendance. “The town doesn’t have much to offer in the way of family entertainment, especially for some of our younger people. We don’t even have a movie theater here. But you now see parents regularly coming to the park with their kids, or dropping them off to come to Owls games. It’s provided a great outlet for people of all ages, and given us something positive to get behind.

“This is still a very proud community. Despite all the adversity we’ve encountered, we’ve never really lost our sense of community spirit.”

Indeed, Forest City was gearing up the next day for its annual car show, one of the largest in the Southeast. More than 500 automobiles of all makes and models were scheduled to parade through Forest City’s quaint downtown. In just a few weeks, country singer LeAnn Rimes is set to appear in Forest City—on stage at McNair Field—and the town is already abuzz.

Though it’s highly improbable that Rimes’ appearance will turn a profit for the producer, Charlotte-based Audio Ethics, Inc., that’s of little consequence to company president Donnie Haulk—just another ex-Forest City resident who hasn’t forgotten his roots.

This year’s record-breaking Owls team has only added to the Forest City dynamic. The Owls set a blistering pace throughout the Coastal Plain League’s regular season, convincingly winning both Western Division half-season titles while setting a league-record with 46 victories overall.

With their fast start, the Owls quickly moved near the top of the weekly PG Crosschecker summer-league rankings, and eventually ascended to No. 1 in late June. They remained there for four straight weeks.

The team’s No. 1 national ranking became a rallying point—for the team, and for the entire Forest City fan base. Soon, media from as far away as Raleigh-Durham, some 200 miles to the northeast, was picking up on this remarkable story. A TV crew from Raleigh’s WRAL-TV descended on little Forest City, wanting to get a first-hand glimpse of what all the excitement was about.

Though Owls head coach Matt Hayes, who served as a volunteer assistant at Indiana University this past season and played a hand in three Hoosiers becoming first-round draft picks, tried not to let his team get too caught up in all the pomp and circumstance surrounding his No. 1-ranked team, he admitted his team (and the town) drew inspiration from the lofty ranking.

“We were all aware of the ranking,” said Hayes, who will return to a coaching job at nearby Limestone (S.C.) College this fall. “In some ways, it made my job coaching these kids more challenging, but there’s no question they were aware of it, and even motivated by it.

“Perhaps the best part of all, the town picked up on it. It was a great source of pride to the people here to be ranked No. 1 in the country. I may be biased, but this has been the best story, the best feel-good story in baseball this year. This has been a magical summer. The best summer of my life.”

The summer-college ranks have been dominated over the last quarter-century by the prestigious Cape Cod League, which celebrated its 125th year of existence this summer. The Cape has such a foothold that it annually attracts the cream of the crop from the nation’s college ranks, and historically has dominated the four-year-old PG Crosschecker summer rankings.

With rosters replete with early-round draft picks both years, Yarmouth-Dennis of the Cape League was the No. 1 team in the nation in both 2006 and 2007. The Red Sox appeared primed to finish No. 1 again this year when it went on a late-season hot streak to supplant Forest City in the No. 1 spot.

But Y-D, needing to validate its regular-season success by winning the Cape League’s six-team playoff to secure a final No. 1 ranking, was unexpectedly knocked off in the semifinals, opening the door for the improbable Forest City Owls to move back to No. 1.

On pure talent, the Owls do not match up with Yarmouth-Dennis or Bourne, the Cape Cod League’s eventual playoff champion—or probably any Cape League team, for that matter. But the PG Crosschecker summer-league rankings are not strictly about talent, and the Owls overall record and sheer dominance of the Coastal Plain League (not to mention the overall strength of the CPL) weighed heavily in their favor.

“This is the best, most-balanced team we’ve probably ever had in our league, certainly in the eight years I’ve been here,” said CPL assistant commissioner Justin Sellers.

While most Cape Cod League teams recruit their players nationally, most of Forest City’s players come from schools in a reasonably-close geographic proximity to Forest City—and the Owls even had a significant local connection this summer, notably the team’s two mainstays on the pitching staff, righthanders Ryan Arrowood and Spencer Patton.

They were front and center Friday, with Arrowood pitching eight scoreless innings in the opener after taking over in the second inning of a game that was suspended by rain a day earlier in Hampton, Va., after one inning. Peninsula led 1-0 at the time the game resumed, but Arrowood, a rising sophomore at Appalachian State, stymied the Pilots the remainder of the way, allowing just two hits.

Patton, a rising senior at Southern Illinois-Edwardsville, then put the finishing touch on Forest City’s fairytale season, by striking out 11 over eight innings in the nightcap as the Owls again won 5-1 to win the CPL’s Petitt Cup.

The victories by Arrowood and Patton pushed the combined records of the two pitchers on the season to a perfect 23-0. Arrowood had set a league mark with his 10-0 record during the regular season, and he added two more wins in the post-season. Patton also chipped in with a pair of post-season wins to push his overall record on the summer to 11-0, but of possibly greater significance he had set a league record by striking out 110 batters during the regular season. He added 17 more in his two playoff starts.

Friday’s triumph by the Owls was particularly sweet for the two ace pitchers. Arrowood attended Rutherfordton-Spindale High, one of three high schools in the immediate area, and was the North Carolina 3-A player of the year in 2008. Patton’s grandfather lives in Forest City.

In fact, it if wasn’t for the constant badgering of his grandfather, Patton probably would never have played for the Owls. Two summer ago, when the team was still in Spartanburg, Patton’s grandfather asked Hayes to give his grandson a chance to play on the team—and wasn’t prepared to take ‘no’ for an answer. His persistence paid off.

Patton not only spent the 2007 season with the team, but ended up playing two more years after the team was conveniently re-located in Forest City.

“My grandfather was pretty persistent,” Patton recalled. “Heck, I was just a small-time, junior-college player from Illinois at the time, and they didn’t have to take me. But they gave me a chance, and then invited me back to play two more seasons. I’m very grateful for the opportunity I’ve had.”

More than any Owls player, Patton was able to shed perspective on just how far the franchise has come from its dark days in Spartanburg to the impact the team has made on the community of Forest City, in light of the team’s remarkable on-field success in 2009.

“It’s ridiculous how we’ve gone from one extreme to another,” he said. “This has just been a fantastic summer, a fantastic experience—for everyone involved.”

All in all, it was an invigorating summer for Patton’s hopes to one day play professional baseball and more than made up for his disappointment of not being drafted in June after pitching poorly during the spring on a weak SIU-Edwardsville team that was in the process of transitioning to Division I status.

“I didn’t have a great spring,” said Patton, whose fastball was clocked at a steady 90-91 mph Friday. “But to be honest, I’m not a metal-bat kind of pitcher. This summer has given me a lot of confidence that I can be successful against a high level of competition. I couldn’t have asked for more.”

The Coastal Plain League was the brainchild of Bock, who had the foresight 13 years ago to start a summer league in the Carolinas and has overseen its rise to prominence to a point where only the Cape Cod League is acknowledged as being a clearly superior and more respected summer league.

The CPL, with 14 franchises in North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia and eyeing at least a 15th team in 2010, has sent 33 players to the big leagues, including 2009 all-stars Kevin Youkilis (Boston Red Sox) and Ryan Zimmerman (Washington Nationals). Mark Reynolds (Arizona Diamondbacks), currently second in the major league in home runs, also played in the league.

Bock was on hand Friday to witness Forest City’s stunning and successful run to a league title, and also present the Owls with the league’s championship trophy. He spoke with equal parts pride and amazement at the incredible story that was unfolding before his very eyes.

In a way, it was an ironic twist for Bock and this author to witness the Owls put a finishing touch on a truly remarkable 2009 season.

Back in the early 1980s, the two of us had the occasion to work almost side-by-side—Pete as the general manager of the recently-revived Durham Bulls of the Carolina League, myself as the founding editor of Baseball America. The principal owner of both entities was baseball entrepreneur Miles Wolff.

I make reference to this happenstance because Wolff was a part-time author before jump-starting his fledgling baseball empire—re-creating the Bulls and acquiring Baseball America—and his signature novel was appropriately called “Season of the Owl.”

I later mentioned to Pete, in light of the amazing success story authored this season by the Forest City Owls, how appropriate it would be for Miles to write a sequel to his original novel. After all, this was storybook material. And a non-fictional story, to boot.

There was a sense of urgency to wrap up the Coastal Plain League playoffs Friday as several Owls players were set to start school Monday. The first game of the best-of-3final series, scheduled Wednesday in Hampton, Va., was rained out. A re-try the next afternoon produced only one inning, and it was determined then that the balance of the series would be moved to Forest City—a 7-1/2 hour bus-ride away.


Despite a 1-0 deficit as Game One was resumed in the second inning, the Owls left little doubt that a championship celebration was at hand. Arrowood and Patton made sure of it.

Owls second-year center fielder Wade Moore (North Carolina State) hauled in the final out of the clinching win, setting off a wild, on-field celebration. “The team’s PA announcer, obviously caught up in the emotion of the moment, proclaimed: “It’s a national championship in Forest City, North Carolina.”

Despite repeated requests not to go onto the field to share in the team’s celebration, fans paid little heed to the public announcement. This was their team, and they wanted to celebrate right along with it.

It was particularly poignant when a number of the well-wishers, some with tears in their eyes, approached Hayes, threw their arms around the Forest City coach, and simply said, “Thanks. Thanks for what you’ve done for our town.”

For one night, one glorious summer night in a little town in need of a shot in the arm, all the troubles of the world that had unfairly been heaped on Forest City didn’t seem to matter.

Wiseman Receives Summer League Honor

From Summer Ball News Source
Wayne State University redshirt junior catcher Michael Wiseman (White Lake, Mich./Lakeland) was selected to the All-Horizon Air Summer Series second team after a successful summer campaign with the Yuba-Sutter Gold Sox in Marysville, Calif. Read the rest of this entry here.

Hollands, Valaika Will Return for Gauchos in 2010

From the University of California at Santa Barbara
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - Monday's deadline for Major League Baseball teams to sign players came and went and it brought good news for the UC Santa Barbara baseball team.

Left-handed pitcher Mario Hollands, an All-American two years ago, and infielder Matt Valaika, who led the club in batting average and slugging percentage last year, did not agree to contracts with the teams that selected them in the June amateur draft. Valaika was taken in the 20th round by the Cincinnati Reds while Hollands was a 24th round pick by the Minnesota Twins.

They were just two of the school-record nine UCSB players drafted, a number that led the Big West Conference, which was recently ranked as the sixth-best in the nation, according to RPI ratings and is also a league that had two nationally-ranked teams in the NCAA postseason and has featured at least one team in the College World Series in eight of the past 11 seasons.

That gives the Gauchos two terrific players from last year's squad coming back for the 2010 season.

"We are very excited that Matt and Mario have decided to continue their pursuit of winning a championship and getting their degrees at UCSB," Head Coach Bob Brontsema said. "Both guys are very important parts of what we plan to do. It doesn't happen very often that players pass up the opportunity to go out and play professional baseball, but both Mario and Matt value what they have at UCSB and also know that their opportunity to play professionally will come again. Needless to say, we are very excited about their decisions."

Valaika batted .343 with a .545 slugging percentage to lead the 2009 Gauchos, earning him All-Big West Honorable Mention honors. The second baseman will be a senior next season. This summer Valaika played with the Santa Barbara Foresters, helping the team to the National Baseball Congress playoffs.

Meanwhile Hollands had a superb summer, going 4-1 with a 2.12 ERA for the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox in the Cape Cod League. The lefty, who will be a junior next season, was 6-6 with a 4.74 ERA for the Gauchos last season as the team's Saturday starter. As a redshirt freshman, Hollands was named the Big West's Freshman Pitcher of the Year while earning All-America honors from two separate publications.

"We are excited that Mario has decided to return for his junior campaign. He will be looked upon to lead on and off the field for our 2010 team," said Associate Head Coach Tom Myers, who was the manager for the Cape Cod League's Brewster Whitecaps and therefore saw firsthand how Hollands did this summer. "After an outstanding summer in the Cape Cod League, we believe Mario is ready to take the next step as one of the top pitchers in the country and help the Gauchos compete for a conference title."

Baseball fans, new this year, donations to The Gaucho Fund - regardless of the sport it supports - will be part of the "One Donation is Gold" system. This allows donors to purchase priority/premium seating and parking at UCSB games across several sports in addition to other benefits.

If you donate to baseball, you will have the opportunity to purchase tickets in the Gold Zone (priority/premium seats) at Harder Stadium for men's soccer, which includes complimentary priority parking and cushioned chair-backed seating. No longer will separate donations need to be made to secure priority seating to different UCSB sports. One donation, one fund: The Gaucho Fund.

Season tickets for the 2009 men's soccer season are on sale for only five bucks a game. Fans who purchase 2009 season tickets will be guaranteed the opportunity to buy tickets for the 2010 Men's NCAA College Cup hosted by UCSB at Meredith Field at Harder Stadium Dec. 10-12, 2010. To accompany the successful "Soccer Town, USA" slogan as part of the College Cup bid, a discounted family valued offer is also available where a family of five can catch games for only $2.50 per game! Family Plan package also includes three free youth t-shirts and memberships to the new UCSB kids club: GKids. Fans can easily buy tickets online or by calling 805-893-UCSB.

West Georgia names Assistant Baseball Coach

From the University of West Georgia
Carrollton, GA - In a second move into a new era of baseball, the University of West Georgia Tuesday announced the hiring of Chris Moore as the Wolves’ new assistant baseball coach. Moore marks the first hire of a full-time assistant in the history of UWG baseball. Read the rest of this entry here.

Wolf Pack Baseball Players Recognized In Summer League

From the University of Nevada
Reno, Nevada- A pair of University of Nevada baseball players were named all Horizon Air Summer Series this season in Jeff Fisher-Gasper and Nick Melino. Fisher-Gasper, a reliever, pitched for the Yuba-Sutter Gold Sox during the 11-week competition. Melino, an outfielder, played for the Humboldt Crabs. The Series, sponsored by Horizon Air and its sister company Alaska Airlines features athletes from various universities.

A first-team selection Fisher-Gasper saved nine games and posted a 1.53 earned run average during the series. Opponents hit .117 against him in 35.1 innings pitched. Fisher-Gasper, who is originally from Reno, signed to play for the Wolf Pack this year. He pitched at Feather River Junior College the previous two seasons where he was named the 2009 Golden Valley Conference Pitcher of the Year.

Melino, who appeared in 50 games during the series, hit .318 with 40 runs batted in was named to the second-team. Along with his league honors, he was named the Crabs offensive MVP. Last season he led the Wolf Pack in hitting with a .352 average. He was a Freshman All-American and earned first-team designated hitter All-Western Athletic Conference honors.

Several Drafted Gamecocks Return To The Diamond At South Carolina

From the University of South Carolina
Columbia, S.C. - Several Gamecock baseball players have put their professional baseball careers on hold for the present time and are returning to South Carolina for another season. Juniors Sam Dyson and Parker Bangs and senior Nick Ebert did not sign professional contracts by the designated MLB deadline and will don the Garnet & Black for the 2010 season. In addition, Gamecock signees Adrian Morales, Colby Holmes and Christian Walker have chosen college instead of professional baseball and will enter their first season at South Carolina. Read the rest of this entry here.

Three Players Join Marshall Baseball Team

From Marshall University
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Marshall University baseball head coach Jeff Waggoner has announced the signing of Mike Cavalli, Nathan Gomez and the return of Kurt Lipton to the 2010 roster.

Cavalli is a 6’8” right handed pitcher from Diablo Valley College in Pleasant Hill, Calif. Last season the junior college transfer posted a 6-1 record with a 3.34 ERA in 18 appearances and helped the Vikings advance to the California Community College Final Four. This past summer, Cavalli pitched for the San Jose Seals of the Pacific West Baseball League. In nine starts for the Seals, he finished with a 3-1 record, 2.72 ERA and tallied 47 strikeouts in 40 innings of work.

Gomez hails from La Salle High School in Miami, Fla. As a member of the Royal Lions, Gomez played first base, outfield and served as a left-handed pitcher. He was an honorable mention All-Miami-Dade County selection on three occasions and holds the school record for ERA in a season (1.24). In his senior season, Gomez hit .385, collected four home runs and drove in 26 runs.

Lipton, an outfielder, played two seasons at Vanderbilt prior to joining the Herd in 2008. In 2008, Lipton saw action in 47 games, making 46 starts and hitting for a .313 average. He collected 55 hits, including 18 for extra bases and tallied 37 RBI. Last season, Lipton returned to Vanderbilt to earn his undergraduate degree and did not play. He has returned to Marshall to use his fifth year of eligibility for the 2010 season.

PG Crosschecker: Season of the Owl

From Allan Simpson
The Forest City Owls (photo courtesy of Pat Grecinger), the nation’s No. 1-ranked summer college team, completed a magical, storybook-quality 2009 season Friday night by winning two games to capture the Coastal Plain League’s Pettit Cup championship. The Owls swept the Peninsula Pilots in the best-of-3 final, winning both games 5-1. Read the rest of this entry here.

2009 CGL Post Season Awards

The Clark Griffith Collegiate League recently announced their Post Season Award Winners. Tulane's Jamie Bruno (Vienna) was named the Player of the Year. You can view the winners here.

Wenatchee AppleSox Sweep Knights To Win Their Third WCL Crown

From The West Coast League
The Wenatchee AppleSox completed a Championship Series 2-0 sweep of the defending West Coast League champion Corvallis Knights, with a 4-2 win Monday night at Goss Stadium in Corvallis. The Knights swept the AppleSox in the 2008 WCL Championship Series. The AppleSox jumped to a 4-0 lead in the second inning against Knights starter Eddie Orozco (Cal-Riverside) and were never headed. Southpaw Reedy Berg (Gonzaga) went 7 strong innings for his 2nd post-season victory. Outfielder Josh Takayoshi (Pacific Lutheran) had 4 of Wenatchee's 7 hits and drove in a run. Jesse Moore (Hawaii) had 2 hits and drove home a pair. It was the AppleSox third title in five West Coast League seasons.

Cotham signs with Yankees

From Vanderbilt University
By Travis Young - According to Baseball America, Caleb Cotham has agreed to terms with the New York Yankees. Cotham was a fifth-round selection (165th overall) by the Yankees in the 2009 draft back in June. Read the rest of this entry here.

Wenatchee AppleSox Gain Win In Opener Of WCL Championship Series

From the West Coast League
The Wenatchee AppleSox will not be swept in this Championship Series. One year ago the AppleSox were whipped in the Championship Series by the Corvallis Knights without earning a win. But, Saturday night at Paul Thomas Field in Wenatchee, the AppleSox topped the defendinig champs 4-1. Right-hander Zach Gallagher (Columbia Basin CC) worked six strong innings to earn the victory, while Cody Keefer (UCLA) led the AppleSox offense with 4 hits and 2 RBIs. A capacity crowd was on hand, pushing the AppleSox season attendance over 43,000, a new team record. Game #2 of the best-of-3 series will be played Monday night at Goss Stadium in Corvallis.