Texas Collegiate League Adds New Franchise

From The Victoria Generals

The Victoria Baseball Club, LLC, owners of the Victoria Generals, have announced that they have purchased a second franchise in the Texas Collegiate League.

“We are very excited and pleased that the other franchise owners in the TCL have agreed to our proposal for owning another franchise,” said Tracy Young, franchise owner and team president. Young made the announcement on Monday evening. “We have a couple of sites identified as potential homes for the new team and will be making the final selection in the coming weeks.”

The Victoria Generals were an expansion franchise in the summer of 2009 and won the regular season championship with a record of 32-16. The newest franchise brings the league total to six teams for the 2010 season with plans for adding another two to four teams in 2011.

Along with the addition of the new franchise, the league will expand their season from a 48 game schedule per team to 56 games this coming season.

The Texas Collegiate League is widely regarded as the #2 summer collegiate league in the nation behind the Cape Cod Baseball League on the east coast. The TCL is heavily scouted by major league baseball, making it a desired destination for underclass collegiate baseball players during the summer.

The new franchise will operate out of the Victoria Baseball Club's front office in Victoria, located at 3708 N. Navarro, Suite A.

Season tickets for the Victoria General’s 2010 summer season are on sale now. Season ticket prices will remain at the same rate through the end of February. On March 1, 2010, season ticket prices will increase to reflect the additional four home games the Generals will play this season. Ticket information for the new franchise will be available after a location has been selected. Fans can keep up to date online at www.victoriagenerals.com.

News and Notes For December 30th

Here is your daily dose of news and notes from the world of college baseball and summer league ball.

**Kelowna Falcons head coach Kevin Frady will return for his 3rd season in 2010. During the regular baseball season, Frady is an assistant coach at Kansas.

**Land O'Lakes Senior Nick Pardo has committed to play ball at St. Pete's College.

**USC Aiken's baseball team is ranked 6th in a preseason poll.

**ECU's baseball team is also ranked in several preseason polls.

**The Torrington Titans are in the process of recruiting players for the 2010 summer season.

**The University of South Carolina has picked up a commitment from a middle-infielder.

Stetson Infielder Signs With Braves

From the Staunton Braves
Stetson sophomore infielder Robert Crews has signed to play in 2010 with the Staunton Braves.

In his first season with the Hatters in 2008, Crews was one of the top freshmen in the nation. Crews was named to the Louisville Slugger Freshmen All-American team while also being named the Atlantic Sun Conference Freshman of the Year. He ranked 10th in the conference in batting with a .361 average and slugging percentage with a .565 mark. He finished the year with 69 hits including seven homers and 12 doubles. He drove home 37 runs for Stetson.

Crews missed the 2009 college season with an injury. He is expected to start at second base for the Hatters but is capable of playing any of the infield positions.

Four Questions With Stephen McCray

Stephen McCray is a Senior RHP from the University of Tennessee. He is 6-2/237 pounds and he hails from Lilburn, GA. He was also drafted by the Rays in the 34th round of the 2006 MLB Draft. He was a two-year star and Young Harris College, and he helped lead them to a NJCAA College World Series appearance in 2007. This past season at Tennessee, he went 4-3, with a 5.16 era in 52.1 innings pitched. He allowed 67 hits and 15 walks, while striking out 39 batters.

Stephen pitched for the Florence Redwolves of the Coastal Plain League. He was named to pitch in the All-Star Game and he wound up having an excellent season for the Wolves. He went 5-2, and had a 1.92 era in 65.2 innings pitched. He surrendered just 38 hits, walked 21 and he fanned 68 batters. He had the lowest opponents batting average in the league (.169), and he was tied for 4th in the league with his 68 k's. He was also ranked as the 28th best prospect in the league by Allan Simpson of Perfect Game.

Stephen recently answered four questions for us.

Summer Ball--Who was your favorite baseball player when you were younger?
Stephen McCray--Greg Maddux


SB--What were some of the best things about playing for the Redwolves?
SM--It was relaxed, and all the players and coaches were from all over, so I got to mead a lot of new people.


SB--In your opinion, who was the toughest hitter you had to face this past summer?
SM--I can't think of one off the top of my head, but I know that Wade Moore and I had a few great battles.


SB--What is your favorite baseball movie?
SM--The Natural or For Love of the Game.


Thank you very much Stephen. Click here or here to view scans of his autograph.

Once again, Summer Ball is proud to be the #1 college baseball blog on the Internet. I don't believe any other blog covers summer league baseball or conducts the sheer number of interviews that I do. If you know of a player that you would like me to interview, send me and email at 316sports@gmail.com.

Black Bears Sign Three More For 2010

The Cowlitz Black Bears of the West Coast League have signed three more players for the upcoming summer season. Matt Gorman (Washington), Brady Zuniga (UNLV) and Duncan Satherlie (UNLV) will all be a part of the Black Bears run to the WCL title. You can read the press release here.

Granderson Partners with NWL

From the Northwoods League
(ROCHESTER, MN) The Northwoods League and the Northwoods League Foundation announced today that they have reached agreement with alumnus Curtis Granderson to be the "face" of its philanthropic and alumni relation efforts for the next two years.

The agreement calls for the Northwoods League and The Northwoods League Foundation to work in conjunction with Granderson to help promote his Grand Kids Foundation while also working to bring awareness to the newly formed Northwoods League Foundation and engaging Northwoods League alums.

Read the rest of this entry here.

News and Notes for December 28th

Here is your daily dose of college baseball/summer ball news and notes.

**Ball State's Vitek named to the Louisville Slugger Preseason All-American team.

**WKU Catcher Matt Rice has also been named to a preseason All-American team.

**The Cape Cod League will expand their playoffs.

**Once again, Pingbaseball.com will have college baseball players write "blogs" for their site. Iowa's Kurtis Muller will be posting for Ping.

**Eric Lara has a bright future ahead of him.

**Trent Whitehead has been named to the NCBWA's Preseason All-American Team.

**NCAA Division II Lander University has inked a talented player.

**Josh Harlow excels at more than just baseball.

**Travis Howard is a NCBWA DII All-American.

**My sleeper team of 2010 is Sam Houston State University. Braeden Riley has been named to the NCBWA Preseason All-American team.

**The University of Central Arkansas baseball team has signed 3 for the 2010-11 season.

**Florida Gulf Coast University signs a local star.

**Apparently the SEC will use a pitch clock to speed up games.

Bullfrogs Announce 2010 Coaching Staff

From the Green Bay Bullfrogs
The Green Bay Bullfrogs have announced that Jordan Bischel will return as Field Manager for the 2010 season. This will be his second season in the Northwoods League after being named Interim Manager mid-way through the 2009 season.

After being named Interim Manager, Bischel’s first goal was to be more aggressive on offense. He led the Bullfrogs to a strong second half showing that included a seven game winning streak to finish the season. The Bullfrogs led the Northwoods League in runs scored and stolen bases over the final 23 games of the season. “Jordan turned the Bullfrogs in to one of the best teams in the Northwoods League over the last half of the season,” stated Bullfrogs Owner and President Jeff Royle. “He earned the opportunity to lead this team as our Field Manager in 2010.”

After graduating from Green Bay Notre Dame, Bischel pitched for St. Norbert College and graduated from there in 2003. He coached at Notre Dame for a year before moving to Cleveland and coaching at Division III John Carroll University. He spent a year there before returning to St. Norbert and acting as head coach Tom Winske's top assistant for the past three years. Bischel is currently an Assistant Coach at Northwest Missouri State.

Bischel and his staff are looking to build a roster that will improve on a 30-37 record. The Bullfrogs staff will include 2009 Assistant Coaches Kyle Schroeder and Jordan Stauber. Schroeder is currently an Assistant Coach at Luther College (Iowa) and Stauber is an Assistant Coach at Lawrence University. Bischel has also added Brandon Harmon to his 2010 staff. Harmon is an Assistant Coach at Gonzaga.

ERIC WILLIAMS TO RETURN AS ACES' SKIPPER FOR THIRD SEASON

From the Alexandria Aces
The Alexandria Aces Collegiate Summer Baseball Club is proud to announce the return of Head Coach Eric Williams for the team's upcoming third summer season in 2010.

Williams has been at the helm as head coach of the Aces since the club's inception and during the team's successful 2008 inaugural season, as well as its 2009 season, in the Cal Ripken Collegiate Baseball League.

"This will be Eric's first true shot at recruiting our team, and we're excited about the group of players that he has coming to Alexandria for the Aces 2010 season," said team Chairman and CEO, Don Dinan.

"Eric has been a great asset to our team throughout the past two seasons and we look forward to his stewardship for the Aces next summer. Eric has an outstanding insight into the great game of baseball and we as an organization are proud to have him as our head coach," added Dinan.

The Alexandria Aces will kick off their upcoming season with Coach Williams, at Frank E. Mann Memorial Field, at Four Mile Run Park, against the Herndon Braves, on Friday, June 4, 2010, at 7:00 pm.

Torrington native to lead former Twisters team

From KEVIN D. ROBERTS at the Register Citizen
Earlier this week, a Torrington native hooked up with a former Torrington baseball franchise for his first big chance as a head coach.

Ray Ricker was named head coach of the New Bedford Bay Sox for the 2010 season, according to a press release from Post University, where Ricker had been a part of the school’s baseball program. The Bay Sox were formerly known as the Torrington Twisters, a team that played at Fuessenich Park from 1997 to 2008. The team moved to New Bedford following the 2008 season.

Read the rest of this entry here.

High Point Sends Three To Staunton For 2010

From the Staunton Braves
High Point University will send three players to Staunton in 2010. High Point’s head coach Craig Cozart pitched for the Braves during his collegiate career at Central Florida.

Junior outfielder Steve Antolik will join High Point after one season at Tallahassee Community College. In 2008, Antolik was named a Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American at Charleston Southern where he hit .315 with 11 homers. He then transferred to Tallahassee for his sophomore year where he was a preseason All-American and helped lead the Eagles to the 2009 Panhandle Conference title.
Freshman Mike Mercurio from Brewster, N.Y., is expected to start at shortstop for High Point this spring.

Mercurio helped Kennedy Catholic High School to the first league championship in school history in 2006 and was part of 2008 state championship team . Kennedy Catholic won another league championship in 2009. Mercurio was named Louisville Slugger preseason second-team high school All-American in 2009 and was a 2009 Louisville Slugger post season first-team All-America selection.

Freshman Andrew Bartlett from Ocala, Fla., is a utility player and his bat should help him find a spot in the lineup. Bartlett helped Trinity Catholic High School to the Florida High School Athletic Association Final Four in his senior season. He was named the Ocala Star-Banner Player of the Year and was a Florida Sports Writers Association first team All-State selection. He was also selected to the Florida High School Coaches Association All-Star Classic Tournament, Chet Lemon's JUICE Under-18 travel showcase team and the Florida Hardballers Under-18 travel showcase team.

Generals bring excitement to Victoria

From the Victoria Advocate
The Victoria summer athletic scene got a huge lift in 2009 with the arrival of the Texas Collegiate League's Victoria Generals.

Read the rest of this entry here.

Orchard Returns for 2010

From the Mankato Moondogs
The Mankato MoonDogs Baseball Club, a member of the Northwoods League, is proud to announce Mike Orchard will return as field manager for the 2010 season. Orchard led the MoonDogs to their second consecutive first half championship in 2009.

Last season Orchard led the MoonDogs to a 39-29 regular season record, their second best in team history and third best overall in the league. The MoonDogs clinched a first half title and secured their spot in the playoffs for the second consecutive year, eventually losing to Rochester in the first round.

“Mike did a great job last year and we look forward to continued success in the 2010 season,” MoonDogs General Manager Kyle Mrozek said. “We look forward to having Mike around for a full off-season to utilize his vast connections throughout college baseball.”

The 30-year-old Bettendorf, Iowa native is no stranger to summer college baseball. His summers have included stops in the Northwoods League in Thunder Bay and La Crosse, the Arizona Summer Collegiate League, and a stint at Hyannis in the Cape Cod League.

Over the past twelve seasons, Orchard has put together an impressive coaching resume. His coaching career started immediately after college as he spent time coaching high school teams in Davenport, Iowa, Charleston, South Carolina and Kissimmee, Florida. In Florida, he developed back to back pitchers of the year in Osceola County.

In 2009 under Orchards coaching the MoonDogs cracked the Top 10 in three single season pitching categories. The 2.50 ERA marked the best ERA in MoonDog history and was fifth place on the NWL list. The Dogs tied for eighth all-time in strikeouts with 519 and tied for ninth in shutouts with eight. Also, the MoonDogs pitching staff allowed a franchise-low 228 runs and 176 earned runs. The Dogs finished second in the league in strikeouts, but their mark of 519 on the year was also a franchise best.

In 2008 Orchard spent the year working at the University of Southern California (USC) and the Rod Dedeaux Research and Baseball Institute (RDRBI). Over the last two years he has been the pitching coach for Central Arizona in Coolidge, Arizona.

“I am excited to be back in Mankato this summer. I am comfortable and familiar with the area and the team and excited to be a part of the MoonDogs continued success,” Orchard said from his office in Coolidge, AZ. “We had a lot of success in 2009 and we want to continue that and return to the playoffs in 2010.”

MoonDogs season tickets are now on sale at the MoonDogs baseball office located at 310 Belle Avenue. For more information visit the MoonDogs website at www.mankatomoondogs.com or call the MoonDogs Office at 507-625-7047.

Sliders Name Andy Chalot as Manager

From Summer Ball News Source
Billy Messer and Don Pugliese will serve as assistant coaches for the Slippery Rock-based Prospect League, summer wood-bat team.

SLIPPERY ROCK, PA. – Andy Chalot, assistant baseball coach at West Virginia Tech, has been hired as the manager of the Slippery Rock Sliders of the Prospect League, team owner and general manager Mike Bencic announced Monday.

Bencic also announced that Slippery Rock University senior baseball student-athletes Billy Messer and Don Pugliese will serve as Sliders assistant coaches in 2010.

“We are extremely happy and proud to announce that Andy, Billy and Don will lead our team this summer,” Bencic said. “They each bring youthful exuberance, yet tremendous baseball knowledge, to our program. We look forward to them leading us as we strive to win the 2010 Prospect League championship.”

The Sliders will open their second season of Prospect League, summer wood-bat competition in early June and will again play their home games at Jack Critchfield Park on the campus of Slippery Rock University.

Chalot, a native of Franklin and graduate of Franklin Area High School, is in his third season as the top assistant to and pitching coach for head coach Lawrence Nesselrodt at West Virginia Tech. Prior to joining the Golden Bears staff, Chalot was head baseball coach at Alleghany High School from 2006-08 and pitching coach at Gannon University from 2002-2005. He also served as head coach of the Waynesboro Generals in the Valley League in the summer of 2009 after being the head coach of the Valley League’s Covington Lumberjacks in 2007 and 2008. He compiled a 63-68 record in three seasons as a Valley League head coach, including a 45-43 record in two seasons with the Lumberjacks. He led Covington to the Valley League finals in 2008.

Messer, a native of Slippery Rock and graduate of Slippery Rock Area High School, is slated to be SRU’s starting second baseman for the fourth straight season. He batted .267 last summer as the starting second baseman for the Sliders after hitting .344 for SRU. He was recently named as a second-team National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Preseason All-America third-team performer. As a junior, he earned first-team All-Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference-Western Division, second-team American Baseball Coaches Association All-Atlantic Region and honorable mention NCBWA all-region honors. A son of SRU head coach Jeff Messer, he was a second-team All-PSAC-West performer.

Pugliese is expected to be part of SRU’s starting pitcher rotation this spring after missing most of the 2009 campaign and ultimately receiving a medical redshirt due to injury. A native of Pittsburgh and graduate of West Allegheny High School, he joined The Rock in 2008 after playing two seasons at NCAA Division III national power Marietta College. Pugliese earned all-league honors in the summer of 2008 as a pitcher for the Tradewater Pirates in “Kitty” League (Kentucky-Illinois-Tennessee) summer league competition.

The Sliders, a charter member of the Prospect League in 2009, will open their 2010 season in early June and will again play their home games at Jack Critchfield Park on the campus of Slippery Rock University.

For more information on the 2010 Sliders, please call the team office at 888-458-8831.

Florida International Sends Four To Staunton

From the Saunton Braves
Florida International University will send four players to the Staunton Braves for the 2010 season. FIU head coach Turtle Thomas is a former head coach of the Braves.
FIU will send pitchers Logan Dodds, Aaron Arboleya and Alberto Cardenas along with catcher Jose Behar to the Braves.

Arboleya, a sophomore righthander, was 2-0 with a 9.00 ERA in 16 appearances during his freshman season.

Dodds, a junior righthander, was pitcher of the year in the Southern Conference during the 2009 season at Miami Dade College. He was a .2009 2nd team JUCO All American at Miami Dade and helped lead the team to the FCCAA Southern Conference Championship.

Cardenas, a freshman righthander, was selected by the Minnesota Twins in the 50th round of the 2009 MLB First-Year Player Draft. He was ranked the No. 137 best prospect in the country by PerfectGame.

Behar, a junior, batted .395 with four homeruns and 25 RBIs last season at Miami Dade College.

Cows Will Be Returning in 2010

After a year off, the Delaware Cows of the Great Lakes League will be returning to the league in 2010. Once I have more information to pass along, I will post it.

Merry Christmas!

Living in North Texas, I can only remember having a "true" white Christmas a couple of times. My parents in Wichita Falls received upwards of a foot of snow, and we received about 4 inches. As you can imagine, the kids loved this.

I would like to wish you and your family a Merry Christmas. I hope and trust that you all stay safe, and that we remember just what today and this season is really about.

Black Bears add three more players to roster

From Rick McCorkle / The Daily News
The younger brother of Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Cole Hamels is among the latest players inking contracts to play this summer for the Cowlitz Black Bears of the West Coast League.

Read the rest of this entry here.

Four Questions With P.J. Sequeira

P.J. Sequeira is a Senior outfielder for the Oral Roberts Golden Eagles. He is 6-3/220 pounds and he hails from Petaluma, CA. He was a star in JC at Santa Rosa College.

2009 was a breakout year for P.J. He hit .330/.569/.431 in 188 at-bats. He smacked 14 doubles, 2 triples and hit 9 home runs for the Golden Eagles. He scored 50 runs and drove in 38 runners. He walked 24 times and was fanned 38 times. He was named First Team All-Summit League for his play in 2009.

He spent this past summer playing for the Rochester Honkers. He was selected to the All-Star Game and he helped to lead the Honkers to the Northwoods League Championship. He hit .299/.408/.398 in 174 at-bats. He hit 11 doubles, 1 triple and 2 home runs, while scoring 31 runs and driving in 22 runners.

P. J. recently answered four questions for us.

Summer Ball--Who was your favorite baseball player when you were younger?
P.J. Sequeira--Barry Bonds. I am a huge Giants fan, and it was amazing to watch him.


SB--What were some of the best things about playing for the Honkers?
P.J.--The coaching staff was fantastic. Also meeting the guys on the team and making friends was great.


SB--What are some of your personal goals for this upcoming season?
P.J.--I just want to make the College World Series.


SB--What is your favorite baseball movie?
P.J.--Tough One!
1. The Natural
2. Sandlot
3. Major League

Thanks P.J.

To view scans of P.J's autograph, click here and here.

Once again, Summer Ball is proud to be the #1 college baseball blog on the internet. I don't believe any other blog covers summer league baseball or conducts the sheer number of interviews that I do. If you know of a player that you would like me to interview, send me and email at 316sports@gmail.com.

Grizzlies Sign Franchise All-Time Strikeout Leader

From the Gastonia Grizzlies
The Gastonia Grizzlies Baseball Club announced today the signing of franchise strikeout leader Robert Jeroszko from the College of Charleston. This past season Jeroszko broke the strikeout record in his last start eclipsing Jayme Russ who held the record since the team’s inaugural season in 2002.

The 92 strikeouts placed Jeroszko second in the Coastal Plain behind Spencer Patton who was later named Rawlings Defensive Player of the Year.

Jeroszko, a 6-3, 200 pound junior, started 10 games on the mound for the Grizzlies in 2009. While leading the team in ERA (3.39) and complete games (3), Jeroszko also finished second on the team in wins with four and limited opponents to a .256 batting average.

In the last week of the season Jeroszko was named Rawlings Pitcher of the Week after maintaining an ERA of 0.00 in three appearances while striking out 23 in 16 innings pitched.

Jeroszko is expected to join 2009 Grizzlies teammate Ben Booker in anchoring the 2010 pitching staff.

“Robert proved himself as one of the top pitchers in the entire Coastal Plain League in 2009,” said General Manager Jesse Cole. “We couldn’t be more excited to bring him back this season and we are expecting to him to be a leader both on and off the field for the Grizzlies in 2010.”

The Grizzlies home opener is May 27th and ticket packages are available including the all new “All You Can Eat Saturday Package” which includes tickets to the five biggest Saturday games of the year including four fireworks shows and All You Can Eat Hot Dogs, Hamburgers, Chips and Soda for only $50.

The Gastonia Grizzlies are a member of the Coastal Plain League, the nation’s hottest summer collegiate baseball league. Celebrating its twelfth season, the Coastal Plain League features 15 teams playing in North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia. The CPL gives college players the chance to refine their skills with the use of wooden bats. 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.

News and Notes For December 22nd

Here is your daily dose of college baseball/summer ball news and notes.

**In this joyous season, the NJC baseball team donated bikes to needy children.

**Ohio State RHP, Alex Wimmers garners more preseason accolades.

**UCSD receives a very large donation to help install lights at their baseball field.

**The Bizofbaseball.com weighs in on the James Paxton issue.

**Ryan Geffert (Southern Ct. State University) is an up and coming star.

**East Stroudsburg's Gigliotti is named to the NCBWA's Preseason All-American Team.

**Four High School stars commit to 4-year schools.

**Long time St. Thomas coach retires.

**UNO has two on the DII Preseason All-American Team.

**Wisconsin Rapids announces front office staff.

**Kendall Rogers of Yahoo Sports recently interviewed UNC's Mike Fox.

**Ebert (S. Carolina) is also a Preseason All-American.

OBH’s Torrington Titans selects General Manager

From the Register Citizen
TORRINGTON — Our Baseball Haven has selected Brian Leighton as the team’s general manager. Leighton will begin his duties immediately, working closely with the team’s partners and members.

Read the rest of this entry here.

Headrick Joins Tobs

From the Wilson Tobs
Darren Headrick will have a new home this summer to broadcast collegiate summer league baseball. Headrick has been named the Director of Broadcasting for the Wilson Tobs, a member of the Coastal Plains League.

Headrick will broadcast all 56 Tobs games this summer, in addition to hosting the pre and post game programming. His responsibilities also include media relations and handling daily game preparation, as well as various duties around the front office.

Many collegiate summer league jobs require broadcasters to go to bat at several spots in an organization’s lineup. The Tobs are no exception. “I am very excited to take on a new challenge filled with responsibilities, Headrick said. That’s what I need at this point. I just need the experience to build the confidence and take it to another level.”

The University of Tennessee graduate, Headrick is making the move east after spending the past two seasons as studio host for the Tennessee Smokies. I have used my time working with Mick Gillispie at Tennessee to lay the foundation, Headrick said. Now I want to build the house with the Tobs.

The Tobs home is Historic Fleming Stadium in Wilson, NC. Headrick said he fell in love with the old ballpark the first time he saw it. “I came by over the summer when the Smokies were playing against Carolina, he said. The area is truly beautiful. The ballpark looks like something straight out of a movie.”

The Wilson Tobs are a member of the Coastal Plain League, the nation’s hottest summer collegiate baseball league. Celebrating its thirteenth season, the Coastal Plain League features 15 teams playing in North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia. The CPL gives college players the chance to refine their skills with the use of wooden bats. 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.

Familiar Face to Lead Beetles in 2010

From the Alexandria Beetles
Chisholm named Field Manager

The Alexandria Beetles are proud to announce that Scott Chisholm will be the club's field manager for the 2010 season.

"I am truly honored and flattered to have the opportunity to become the head coach in such a wonderful organization like Alexandria," said Chisholm. "My experience in the Northwoods League in 2009 was tremendous and I can only hope to add to the class and professionalism of the Beetles organization. To say I am excited about the opportunity to coach these fine young baseball players would be an understatement."

The Pittsburgh native is in his second year as an assistant coach at Oakland City University. After a successful 4-year pitching career at Duquesne, Chisholm went on to become the pitching coach at Seton Hall University where he led his staff to some of the best numbers in school history. In the summer of 2009, Chisholm was an assistant coach for the Beetles and his knowledge of the game, work ethic and overall approach to the game impressed Beetles General Manager Shawn Reilly.

"We are very excited to have Scott Chisholm as the next Beetles Head Coach," Reilly said. "Scott was an integral part of our coaching staff in 2009 and exhibited a very mature approach to developing the skills of the college level players that we hosted in Alexandria last summer. He is one of the most organized and respectful coaches I have had the pleasure of working with as the General Manager of the Alexandria Beetles Baseball organization these past four years."

The Beetles went 38-30 in 2009, finishing just four games out of first place in the North Division. The 2010 season will mark the Beetles 10th season as a member of the Northwoods League.

"The Northwoods League is filled with such wonderful talent and coaches, making it hard to give specific predictions on the baseball field," said Chisholm. "However, I can assure the Beetles organization that the 26 men which compile the 2010 roster will be ready to compete at a high level. Each player that I have welcomed into the Alexandria Beetles family has a passion for playing baseball and a dedication towards a common goal. My guys will hustle, play with passion and energy, be great teammates, and represent the organization with class."

The Northwoods League plays more games than, draws more fans than, and plays in venues superior to any Summer Collegiate Baseball League in North America.

McNair Field to Host Gardner-Webb, WCU, and Wofford

From the Coastal Plain League
McNair Field will host regular season NCAA baseball games this spring, featuring Western Carolina, Gardner-Webb, and Wofford. Forest City will host ten Gardner-Webb regular season home games. Including the North-South Challenge, McNair Field will be the home for 19 NCAA Division I baseball games this spring. All regular season college games are included in the Owls 2010 ticket plans.

The first action will take place Saturday February 20 when Western Carolina and Gardner-Webb face off at 2 pm. The same two teams will again play Sunday, February 21, at 2 pm. The North-South Challenge will be the following weekend, February 26-28. Competing in the event are Appalachian State, Gardner-Webb, Marist College, and Niagara. There will be two games a day beginning at 3 pm on Friday and noon on Saturday and Sunday.

Wofford will play Presbyterian College on Wednesday March 17 at 7 pm. The Owls and the Terriers will celebrate St. Patrick’s Day at the game, with green beer specials in the concession stand and Wofford will wear special green hats. Wofford will again be at McNair Field Wednesday April 28 at 6 pm to take on Gardner-Webb. The two games will mark a homecoming for former Owls Konstantine Diamaduros and Mac Doyle, members of the 2009 Petitt Cup championship team.

Gardner-Webb will play three Big South Conference series at McNair Field. The Runnin’ Bulldogs will host Winthrop Friday April 2 at 6 pm and will play the Eagles in a double header Saturday April 3 beginning at 2 pm. Gardner-Webb will then host Coastal Carolina Friday April 16 at 6 pm and Saturday April 17 and Sunday April 18 at 2 pm.

Finally Gardner-Webb will wrap up their slate of games at McNair Field the weekend of May 14-16 against Radford. Friday’s game begins at 6 pm while Saturday and Sunday’s games begin at 2 pm.

“We are very excited about having college baseball all spring at McNair Field” said Owls general manager James Wolfe. “Gardner-Webb is remodeling their stadium this spring, which has allowed us to host a number of their games. We are very pleased that they have agreed to play so many games in Forest City this year. Along with Gardner-Webb, Appalachian State, Western Carolina, and Wofford all have great programs and will create a lot of local interest. With the schedule of games extending into April and May we are expecting to have great weather, and combined with the fantastic setting of McNair Field there should be a great turnout.”

For more information on the complete schedule of events at McNair Field as well as ticket packages, visit http://www.forestcitybaseball.com or call (828) 245-0000.

The Forest City Owls are the 2009 Coastal Plain League Petitt Cup Champions. The Coastal Plain League is the nation’s hottest summer collegiate baseball league, heading into its 14th season. Featuring 15 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.

"LOUISVILLE SLUGGER'S" PRE-SEASON ALL-AMERICAN BASEBALL TEAMS

From Collegiate Baseball Newspaper
TUCSON, Ariz. — The 2010 Louisville Slugger pre-season All-American baseball teams, selected by Collegiate Baseball newspaper, features a who's who of NCAA Division I baseball players.

The pre-season pick as National Player of The Year is RHP Anthony Ranaudo of Louisiana St. The 6-foot-7, 231-pounder is expected to be a high first round pick in next June's Free Agent Draft after striking out 159 batters in 124 1/3 innings last season with only 50 walks as he posted a 12-3 record and a 3.04 ERA.

The three All-American teams include:

FIRST TEAM PRE-SEASON ALL-AMERICANS
RHP Anthony Ranaudo, Louisiana St. (12-3, 3.04 ERA, 159 K, 50 BB in 124 1/3 IP).
RHP Deck McGuire, Georgia Tech. (11-2, 3.50 ERA, 118 K, 41 BB, 100 1/3 IP).
LHP Daniel Bibona, U.C. Irvine (12-1, 2.63 ERA, 108 K, 26 BB, 106 IP).
RHP Taylor Jungmann, Texas (11-3, 2.00 ERA, 101 K, 35 BB, 94 2/3 IP).
RHP Chance Ruffin, Texas (10-2, 3.32 ERA, 115 K, 25 BB, 124 2/3 IP).
LHP Josh Spence, Arizona St. (10-1, 2.37 ERA, 125 K, 30 BB, 102 2/3 IP).
Relief Addison Reed, San Diego St. (20 SV, 0.65 ERA, 38 K, 7 BB, 27 2/3 IP).
C Yasmani Grandal, Miami (Fla.) (Great defense, .299, 16 HR, 11 2B, 45 RBI).
1B Cody Hawn, Tennessee (.364, 22 HR, 15 2B, 81 RBI).
2B Danny Muno, Fresno St. (Great defense, .379, 25 2B, 41 RBI, 64 walks, 13 SB).
3B Tony Thompson, Kansas (.389, 21 HR, 27 2B, 82 RBI, won Big 12 triple crown).
SS Christian Colon, Cal. St. Fullerton (Great defense, .357, 16 2B, 8 HR, 40 RBI, 15 SB).
OF Jarrett Parker, Virginia (.355, 16 HR, 20 2B, 65 RBI, 20 SB).
OF Tyler Holt, Florida St. (.401, 23 2B, 5 HR, 28 RBI, 34 SB).
OF Matt Townsend, James Madison (.390, 17 HR, 17 2B, 59 RBI, 17 SB).
DH Kyle Roller, East Carolina (.336, 16 HR, 12 2B, 75 RBI, MVP of Cape Cod League).
UT Bryce Brentz, Middle Tennessee St. (.465, 28 HR, 19 2B, 73 RBI, 5-3 as pitcher, 4.57 ERA, 63 K).

SECOND TEAM PRE-SEASON ALL-AMERICANS
RHP Alex Wimmers, Ohio St.
LHP Cody Wheeler, Coastal Carolina
LHP Chris Sale, Florida Gulf Coast
RHP Daniel Renken, Cal. St. Fullerton
RHP Sam Gaviglio, Oregon St.
LHP Drew Pomeranz, Mississippi
RHP Matt Harvey, North Carolina
Relief Matty Ott, Louisiana St.
Relief Ryan Duke, Oklahoma
C Cameron Rupp, Texas
C Micah Gibbs, Louisiana St.
1B Preston Tucker, Florida
1B Troy Channing, St. Mary's
2B Mike Sodders, New Mexico St.
2B Kolbrin Vitek, Ball St.
3B Joey Bergman, Coll. of Charleston
SS Jedd Gyorko, West Virginia
OF Mike McGee, Florida St.
OF Blake Dean, Louisiana St.
OF Michael Choice, Texas-Arlington
OF Devon Dageford, Louisiana Tech.
UT Danny Hultzen, Virginia

THIRD TEAM PRE-SEASON ALL-AMERICANS
LHP Sean Gilmartin, Florida St.
RHP Noe Ramirez, Cal. St. Fullerton
RHP Trevor Bauer, UCLA
RHP Tyler Pill, Cal. St. Fullerton
LHP Kenneth Roberts, Middle Tennessee St.
RHP Sam Dyson, South Carolina
RHP Gerrit Cole, UCLA
Relief Kevin Rhoderick, Oregon St.
Relief Jarad Miller, Valparaiso
Relief Scott Matyas, Minnesota
Relief Eric Pettis, U.C. Irvine
Relief Cole Green, Texas
Relief Nick Ramirez, Cal. St. Fullerton
Relief Michael Schum, Wright St.
C Jim Klocke, Southeast Missouri St.
C Eddie Rohan, Winthrop
C Rafael Neda, New Mexico
1B Paul Hoilman, East Tennessee St.
1B Tony Plagman, Georgia Tech.
1B Austin Wates, Virginia Tech.
1B Andy Wilkins, Arkansas
1B Zach Maxfield, Florida Gulf Coast
2B Kolten Wong, Hawaii
2B Sean Rockey, George Washington
2B Ross Heffley, Western Carolina
2B Wes Hobson, Appalachian St.
3B Anthony Rendon, Rice
3B Jake Smith, Alabama
3B Phil Wunderlich, Louisville
3B Bo Reeder, East Tennessee St.
SS Drew Lee, Morehead St.
SS Stephen Cardullo, Florida St.
OF Gary Brown, Cal. St. Fullerton
OF Kevin Nieto, Manhattan
OF Ryan Enos, Dallas Baptist

2009 NECBL CHAMPIONS KICK OFF 10th ANNIVERSARY SEASON WITH FIRST NEWPORT GULLS HALL OF FAME INDUCTIONS

From The New England Collegiate Baseball League
NEWPORT, RI - The Newport Gulls are kicking off their 10th Anniversary Season by inducting former Red Sox General Manager Lou Gorman and five former Gulls players into the newly established Newport Gulls Hall of Fame. The Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony and Dinner will take place on Saturday, January 16, 2010 at the Hyatt Regency on Goat Island at 6 p.m.

In addition to Gorman as the honorary inductee, the inaugural class includes former players Joel Kirsten (2001), Rafael Lara (2001, 2002), Mike Bergeron (2001, 2002), Chris Iannetta (2003), and Cyle Hankerd (2005).

The Hall of Fame evening will include the ceremony and sit-down dinner, silent and live auctions, video presentations and special guest appearances. Local sports personality and the voice of the Pawtucket Red Sox, Steve Hyder, will return as master of ceremonies for the auction. Tickets must be purchased in advance. Tickets are $60 per person. Reservation materials may be obtained online at www.newportgulls.com or by calling ¬¬¬¬¬401-849-4982. Admission is $75 per person at the door.

Lou Gorman is currently the chairman of the board for the Newport Gulls. His resume includes stints as both the Seattle Mariners GM (1977-1980) and the Boston Red Sox GM (1983-1993). During his time with the Red Sox, he assembled the team that went to the 1986 World Series.

A pitcher from LA Pierce College, Joel Kirsten, was the winning pitcher in the 2001 NECBL Championship game against the Keene Swamp Bats. Kirsten pitched 57.1 innings in nine games that season while posting just a 1.73 ERA. He ended the season undefeated with a 6-0 record. Kirsten was also selected to the All Division team for the American Division and All-League team for the NECBL. After his Gulls playing days, he was selected in the 2002 MLB Draft by the Texas Rangers in the 25th round.

Both Rafael Lara and Mike Bergeron were important parts of the 2001 and the 2002 Gulls squad that won back to back NECBL Championships. Lara was the 2002 NECBL Defensive Player of the Year and set a NECBL record by playing all positions in a nine inning game. He was also named to the NECBL First Team as well as an All Star in 2002. The second baseman hit .308 while leading the league with 22 stolen bases. Likewise, Bergeron also excelled in his second season with the Gulls. He was named to the NECBL Second Team in addition to winning the Most Improved Player Award in 2002. In the 2002 post season, he started two games while going 2-0 and posting a 0.54 ERA. He pitched complete games in both of those playoff appearances.

Hailing from Rhode Island and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chris Iannetta, was the first Newport Gull to reach Major League Baseball as he made his debut with the Colorado Rockies in 2006. As a Gull, Iannetta was the Defensive Player of the year as a catcher. He was also selected to the NECBL First Team. After the Gulls, Iannetta played in the Cape Cod League the following season en route to being selected in the fourth round by the Rockies in the 2004 MLB Draft and now is their starting catcher. Iannetta also was selected and played for Team USA in the 2009 World Baseball Classic.

Cyle Hankerd played only one season for Newport but made a big impact as he won MVP of the NECBL while helping the Gulls win their third NECBL Championship. Hankerd was also the NECBL batting champion and Offensive Player of the Year. In the regular season, Hankerd hit nine home runs while he hit .383 and knocked in 36 runs. He collected 12 hits in 24 post season at bats as he hit two home runs in six post season games. He was selected in the 2006 MLB Draft in the third round by the Arizona Diamondbacks. In 2009, he played in 131 games for the Mobile BayBears, the AA affiliate of the Diamondbacks.

Since moving to Newport in 2001, the Gulls have captured the New England Collegiate Baseball League Fay Vincent Jr. Cup four times and have gone to the playoffs all nine years. College baseball players are recruited from the top programs in the United States, and all are prospects for the Major League Baseball draft.

Playing in historic Cardines Field, one of Baseball America’s top picks to catch summer baseball, the Newport Gulls provide high quality baseball in a family friendly atmosphere. A 501.c.3 Non-Profit Organization, the Newport Gulls have also contributed more than $100,000 to the community and local charities through game day 50/50 raffles, summer camp scholarships, auction items and appearances. In 2006 the Newport Gulls also established a scholarship program benefiting male and female athletes from Newport, Middletown and Portsmouth high schools.

The Hall of Fame Dinner and Auction is the primary fund-raiser to support Newport Gulls operations during the off season this year.

Daredevils Add Exhibition Game to 2010 Slate

From the Coastal Plain League
The Outer Banks Daredevils Baseball Club has added an exhibition game to its 2010 schedule for a total of 29 home games. Outer Banks will host the Fuquay-Varina Twins on Wednesday, June 16th.

The Twins, out of the Carolina-Virginia Collegiate League, will make their second-straight trip to First Flight Baseball Complex. On July 8th, the Daredevils outlasted Fuquay-Varina 5-2 in the Twins’ first game against Coastal Plain League competition.

“We want to give fans as many opportunities to see the Daredevils play at home, and with two open dates the week after school is released, it gave us the chance to pick up an exhibition game,” Outer Banks General Manager Owen Hassell said.

Don’t forget about the holiday merchandise sale at http://www.obxdaredevils.com/shop. All Daredevils merchandise is 40 percent off throughout December. Order now to assure it is delivered before Christmas or stop by the Daredevils office on the corner of East Sothel Street and the 158 Bypass in Kill Devil Hills. Season tickets are also on sale for $80. Call the team office at 252-441-0600 for more information.

To see the completed 2010 team schedule, go to obxdaredevils.com and click the schedule link. Last summer was a banner year for Outer Banks, winning the first half CPL North Division title and reaching the semifinals of the Petitt Cup Playoffs. The Daredevils were ranked as high as No. 7 in the weekly Perfect Game Crosschecker poll of the country’s top summer league teams, and had seven league all-stars.

Outer Banks is a member of the Coastal Plain League, the nation’s hottest summer collegiate baseball league. Heading into its 14th season with 15 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 CPL, please visit the league Web site at http://www.coastalplain.com.

News and Notes for December 21

Now that we are approaching the new year, news concerning college baseball and summer league ball is starting to flow more frequently.

**David Bond has been named the COO for the North Adams SteepleCats.

**Mars Hill has added five quality players to their 2011 class.

**Cowlitz Black Bears of the WCL have added a local prep star to their summer roster.

**Georgia Southern inks a high school standout.

**Morehead State University has released their 2010 schedule.

**Derek Bailey is a two-sport star for Wabash College, and is an outstanding student.

**Louisville third baseman Phil Wunderlich has been named to the NCBWA's Preseason Team.

Ticket holders name new baseball team 'Torrington Titans'

From Jim Moore at the Republican-American
TORRINGTON — Members who paid $100 for a season ticket with voting rights have decided the Torrington Titans will be the new name of the collegiate baseball team expected to take the field at Fussenich Park this summer.

Our Baseball Haven, a partnership of four New Haven County businessmen building a team financed by members, announced the results Saturday following a vote on the first of several decisions members will make: a name for the team that will replace the Torrington Twisters, another collegiate summer team that departed for Massachusetts in 2008.

Read the rest of this entry here.

TEXAS NO. 1 IN COLLEGIATE BASEBALL NEWSPAPER PRE-SEASON POLL

From Collegiate Baseball.com
TUCSON, Ariz. — The University of Texas is the pre-season favorite to capture the 2010 College World Series, according to Collegiate Baseball newspaper’s Fabulous 40 NCAA Division I pre-season baseball poll.

The Longhorns, which finished second at the College World Series last year, are absolutely loaded with superb pitching, including three Louisville Slugger pre-season All-Americans in RHP Taylor Jungmann (11-3, 2.00 ERA, 101 K, 35 BB), RHP Chance Ruffin (10-2, 115 K, 25 BB) and RHP Cole Green (5-3, 3.34 ERA, 85 K, 34 BB, who is expected to be drafted in the first three rounds of next June’s Free Agent Draft).

The staff also includes stalwarts such as RHP Brandon Workman (3-5, 3.48 ERA, 82 K, 28 BB) who also is expected to be drafted in the first three rounds next June and RHP Austin Dicharry (8-2, 2.28 ERA, 59 K, 28 BB).

"We start with pitching, and we go at least eight deep with the staff this year," said Head Coach Augie Garrido.

Read the rest of this entry here.

Weyburn Year in Review

From Jonathan Hodgson WMBL.ca Expert
Finish: 12-28, 4th, WMBL East Division

Playoffs: Did not qualify

The Weyburn Beavers were hopeful that the 2009 season would be a resurgent one. However, 2009 brought another difficult season, marred by injuries, and another non-playoff year in Weyburn.

Weyburn has been in a down period, not qualifying for the playoffs since 2004. Early on in 2009, it looked like they had a chance to buck that trend. They alternated wins and losses to start 4-4, and made it back to .500 at 7-7.

It was at that point where the train came off the tracks. An 18-6 loss on June 26 started a string of 9 consecutive losses to drop the Beavers record to 7-16. The streak was brought about by underachievement and several injuries.

Back to back wins over Melville hinted that the Beavers might have a chance, but it was not to be. They went 3-12 the rest of the way, including 7 consecutive losses to end the season, leaving them 8 games out of the playoffs in the East Division.

Weyburn could never establish consistency in their game in 2009. Only once were they able to put together consecutive wins, and that was the 2 game sweep of Melville in July. Along with their difficulty maintaining success, was their difficulty bouncing back. The 9-game losing-streak in the end of June to beginning of July took them out of the thick of the playoff race, and the 7-game losing-skid to end the season just punctuated a tough season.

Much of the Beavers problems however, were unavoidable. The main culprit of their struggles may have been health, or a lack there of. They had to endure more than a rash of injuries during the summer, that took key players out of the lineup, and made others play in unfamiliar spots. At one point or another in the summer of 2009, as many as 9 players could be found on the shelf at once. The problems faced were not short-term problems either. There were many serious season-ending injuries early on, and other unfortunate situations that forced players to end their season.

It does not matter how good of a team you assemble, when it is ravaged by injuries to the extent that Weyburn’s roster was, you are going to have great difficulty finding success.

Coach Terry Smith did all he could to keep it together, but when you lose key players that you were going to rely on, for the entire season, at some point it is just out of your hands.

There were a number of solid performances in Weyburn in 2009 despite the hardships.

At the plate, Riley Gavello started all 40 games, hitting .347 with a homerun, 24 RBI, and 16 stolen bases. He was a steadying influence at the top of the order, and in centerfield all summer.

Middle infielder CJ Bell hit a team 2nd best .322 with 17 RBI while committing just 9 errors at second base.

John DeGomez lead the Beavers in RBI with 27 while hitting 3 homeruns in 36 games. The Weyburn lineup did not posses a great power threat in 2009, hitting a total of 12 homeruns as a team, led by Derek Wallace’s 4 in his 25 games.

Ryan Power did not have a stellar season at the plate hitting .238 in 36 games, but he was another speed threat along with Gavello, adding 15 steals of his own.

Pitching was fairly thin for the Beavers in 2009. 4 different players made the majority of the starts for them, although 10 different players made at least 1 start. Graham Rodriguez was the best of the bunch. In a team leading 11 starts he held a 3-5 record with a 3.15 ERA in a team leading 66 innings. He shared the team lead in wins with 3, with starter Robert Butts and reliever Tyler Andreason.

Andreason was the best arm in the bullpen. He made 12 appearances, 11 out of the pen, covering 31 innings. In that time he recorded a 3-1 record while holding a solid 2.87 ERA, which led the Beavers pitching staff. Jose Portela nailed down 3 saves and a 3.65 ERA in 7 relief appearances.

The 2009 season brought with it hope that the Weyburn Beavers could return to the playoffs again. However, it was not to be, with the numerous injuries that any team would have trouble overcoming. They will make another run at the playoffs in 2010, and a healthy summer would go a long way to making that happen.

Baseball Looks Toward 2010 Season

From Summer Ball News Source
Garden City, N.Y. - The 2010 Panthers, who lost their top-three bats due to graduation last year, will look to rely heavily on their pitching and defense this season, as they gear up for their campaign opening match-up with Concordia on February 23.

Seventh-year Head Coach Dom Scala feels that the Panthers pitching staff could be as deep as eight starters and Scala is comfortable throwing any one of them at any given time. "I am a firm believer in pitching and defense," said Scala. "We have that and I am confident that it will be our cornerstone this year."

Junior pitcher Keith Couch (Elmont, N.Y.), who has been named to the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Division II Preseason All-America Team, will be the Adelphi number one starter this season. Couch is coming off a sophomore campaign that saw him post a record of 9-2 with an ERA of just 1.31 to go along with 75 strike outs in 89.1 innings of work and six complete games.

Hard throwing junior Rob Nixon (Welland, Ontario), along with senior Mike Bartlett (Massapequa Park, N.Y.) return to solidify the two and three spots on the pitching staff. Nixon posted a 7-4 record last season with a 2.41 ERA, while Bartlett finished 5-2, with an ERA of 2.53.

Senior left-hander Mike Scudero (Massapequa Park, N.Y.) returns to the rotation after missing the 2009 season due to injury. In 2008, Scudero was 3-4, with a 2.40 ERA and two complete games, striking out 50 in just 48.2 innings of work. Junior college transfer Jonathan Gonzalez (New York, N.Y.) will also bring added depth to the pitching staff.

In the bullpen, there is an array of pitchers that can come in and put out potential fires. The relief core is led by seniors Teddy Rohrs (Baldwin, N.Y.), Jay Intelisano (Shoreham, N.Y.), junior Sal Persico (Staten Island, N.Y.), sophomore Chris Murphy (New Hyde Park, N.Y.) and freshman Dillon McNamara (Staten Island, N.Y.).

Scala believes McNamara will be Adelphi's closer in 2010. "Dillon was brought in here as a starter, however, we are very deep at that spot and I saw something about him in the fall. He has a no nonsense, all business presence," said Scala. "I believe he has the makeup to close, and when I approached him with the idea he smiled and said, yeah coach, give me the ball."

Offensively the Panthers need to replace some big sticks from last year. However, eighth-year Associate Head Coach Bobby Malvagna feels that the Brown and Gold can be just as successful in 2010 with a different approach. "We are more of a speed team this year," said Malvagna. "We will concentrate on getting contact and running a bit more than last year."

With senior captains Justin Ciamillo (Sayville, N.Y.), Chris Weidlein (Merrick, N.Y.), junior transfers Trevor Thorstensen (Holbrook, N.Y.), Rich McCarren (Seaford, N.Y.), and senior Anthony Anzalone (Rocky Point, N.Y.), sophomore TJ Humrich (Franklin Square, N.Y.), sophomore Lucas Romeo (Queens, N.Y.) and sophomore Craig Matteo (Herricks, N.Y.), Scala believes he has a well rounded attack."We will be ready when the bell rings," said Scala.

BOLTS ADD ST. PETERS FIRST BASEMAN TO ROSTER

From the Rome Thunderbolts
The Rome Thunderbolts have added St. Peters College first baseman Tom Bouck to their roster. Bouck, a 6'2" 223lb. freshman from Linden, NJ was one of the top hitters at Roselle Catholic last season with a .323 average. Tom was also an "All Union" baseball selection in both 2008 and 2009. Tom will be a great addition to the talented Bolts roster.

Blazers name new manager

From Drew Markol at the phillyBurbs.com
Former Atlantic Collegiate Baseball League All-Star Mike Schneider has been named field manager of the Quakertown Blazers for the 2010 season. He replaces Clay Kuklick.

Read the rest of this entry here.

Glens Falls Golden Eagles Player Profile--Tommy Cheek

From the Glens Falls Golden Eagles
PROFILE: Part of the great Cathedral Catholic Top 20 HS program that had eight seniors accept Division I offers. He was selected to the Baseball Clearinghouse 2009 All National Team. Tommy batted .410 as a senior (43-for-105) with six doubles, a homer and 35 RBI. In a prestigious season opening tournament, he went 8-for-18 with a home run and 11 RBI. Played for the San Diego Waves last summer, a team composed of college and ex-professional players. Solid all around player, 86 mph across infield with a Perfect Game Rating of 8.5 in a 2007 Showcase.

Twelve River Hawks to Play Summer League Baseball

From Summer Ball News Source
UMass Lowell baseball will be heavily represented throughout the 2010 summer league season with 12 players slated to take part in the action.

Read the rest of this entry here.

Generals Will Either Be Sold or Fold

According to the NewsVirginian.com, Waynesboro Generals owner Jerry Carter has stated team "is for sale and could move or fold within two months." Carter has also stated that he is also setting a 30-day deadline to try to find a new owner.

Midnight Madness highlights Grizzlies' 2010 schedule

From the Gaston Gazette
GASTONIA — You’ll have to be a night owl to catch one Gastonia Grizzlies baseball game next summer.

The collegiate summer league team will hold a Midnight Madness Game against, fittingly, the Forest City Owls midway through the season. The game will take place on a Friday night, July 9 — or, technically, July 10.

Read the rest of this entry here.

A Pair of Midwest Hurlers Join the Sweets in 2010

From the Walla Walla Sweets
Walla Walla, WA (December 1, 2009) – Most of the Sweets roster in 2010 will feature players from major baseball conferences at the Division I level. However, prospects are found at all levels of the collegiate game, and the Walla Walla club has mined two gems from smaller Midwest schools that will add depth and talent to the pitching staff. Jordan McLaughlin, a sophomore RHP from Truman State (MO) University and B.J. Sieverding, a sophomore RHP from St. Joseph’s College of Indiana, have both agreed to contracts with the Sweets for the 2010 season. Their signings were announced by general manager Zachary Fraser. “Both Jordan and B.J. are from smaller programs, but come highly recommended from their coaches and from pro scouts,” said Fraser. “We anticipate that they will be solid contributors to our club.” McLaughlin, who redshirted in 2009 after transferring from Rockhurst (MO) University, is scheduled to be in the starting rotation for the Bulldogs in 2010. He was a first-team All-City pitcher at Central High School in St. Joseph, MO his senior season, where he also played outfield. Sieverding, from Versailles, IN, went 2-1 with a 2.38 ERA for the Pumas in 2009 as a freshman. He made 18 appearances out of the bullpen, where he struck out 27, but looks to join the starting rotation for coach Rick O’Dette in 2010.

The Sweets, an expansion franchise in the West Coast League, will open up the 2010 season by hosting defending league champion Wenatchee AppleSox at Borleske Stadium on June 8. Season tickets are now available by calling 509.522.BALL (2255) or by visiting www.wallawallasweets.com. About the Walla Walla Sweets: Walla Walla Sweets is a professionally operated baseball club in the West Coast League. It is led by a group of civic-minded individuals with strong ties to the Walla Walla region and to the game of baseball. The Walla Walla Sweets will strive to provide their fans, sponsors, business partners, and investors with the very best in competitive baseball and entertainment, including atmosphere, comfort, food & beverage, safety, competition, fun and value. For more information, please visit www.wallawallasweets.com.

Terre Haute Rex hire general manager

From Summer Ball News Source
The Indiana State University Foundation Thursday (Dec. 17) announced the hiring of Roland Shelton as assistant vice president for constituent relations with the foundation and general manager of the Terre Haute Rex baseball franchise. Amy Huntsinger was also named marketing coordinator for the team.

Read the rest of this entry here.

Marlins introduced as latest addition to summer baseball league

From the Morehead City Marlins
MOREHEAD CITY — The New Bern River Rats baseball team closed shop after the summer of 2007, and owner Sabrina Bengel took two years off to assess options.

Bengel was searching for a suitable facility to host games in the Coastal Plain League — a summer college baseball league — and she found just that in Morehead City. During a press conference Thursday, the Morehead City Marlins were introduced as the latest addition to the CPL.

League president Pete Bock made the formal announcement and introduced Bengel as the team president and her son, Buddy, as the team's vice president.

"We needed a first-class facility and there was a lack of a facility in New Bern," said Buddy Bengel, a New Bern grad and former Quinnipiac University pitcher. "The league demands nothing but first class, and they required a first-class facility. Morehead has done an unbelievable job providing that for us."

For three summers, from 2005-2007, the River Rats played baseball at New Bern High School's Boykin Field. Beer sales weren't permitted on school grounds.

That won't be a problem at Morehead City's Big Rock Stadium, a 12.5-acre baseball facility built on Mayberry Loop Road near the Rotary Park Soccer Complex. Morehead City native V.J. "Puck" O'Neal and his wife, Pearl, donated $100,000 toward the facility's construction.

Morehead City also received $400,000 in state and federal money for the stadium's funding.

"We think this is a ready-made market," Sabrina Bengel said. "With the vacation-market at the beach and the tourists, there are not a lot of entertainment options anymore. This offers an opportunity for visitors to catch a ballgame, have a hot dog, drink a beer and take up America's national pastime."

The Marlins will compete in the CPL's South Division. The CPL is a wooden-bat league that consists of 15 teams from North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia.

"We are showcasing the young stars of tomorrow," Sabrina said. "This is the purest form of baseball. These kids are out here for the pure love, just trying to get to the next step. They are playing their hearts out."

In three seasons, the River Rats had a record of 64-98. New Bern grads David Towarnicky, Adam Warren, Matt Sanders and Patrick Ball played for the local team.

Buddy Bengel played two seasons in the CPL with Petersburg. He also played for a professional team in Rimini, Italy.

"Buddy was probably instrumental in getting this up and going," Sabrina said. "He understands the game, knows the game and I'm the business side of it. Together we are working together to bring something fun with family entertainment."

The Marlins begin play May 26 and host Fayetteville for the home-opener May 28.

They will be led by manager Jay Bergman, who has won more than 1,200 games in 32 seasons with the University of Central Florida and the University of Florida.

While operating the River Rats, the Bengels were instrumental in bringing in legendary baseball players, such as Harman Killebrew, Steve Garvey and Ferguson Jenkins, to events in New Bern.

In January, Hall of Fame pitcher Goose Gossage will be the guest of the "Hot Stove Banquet."

Adam Thompson can be reached at 252-635-5670 or at athompson@freedomenc.com.

New Team in the NYCBL

Tom Hickey is bringing a collegiate baseball team to Cooperstown, NY. What is more fitting than having a team play in historical Cooperstown. The new team will be called the Cooperstown Hawkeyes. You can read the press release here.

NWL Expands to Wisconsin Rapids

From the Northwoods League
Wisconsin Rapids -- The Northwoods League is officially expanding to Wisconsin Rapids and will be calling historic Witter Field home. The team will be owned by Steve Schmitt, who owns the Madison Mallards in the NWL, and Vern Stenman who has operated the Madison franchise since its inception in 2001. The General Manager of the team will be Liz Kern, who has been the Mallards Customer Service and Ticket Sales Manager the past three years, becoming the Northwoods League's first female GM in its 16-year history. The expansion franchise becomes the league's 16th team.

In 2001, Schmitt and Stenman took over the expansion Mallards after three professional teams had failed in Madison and have since transformed the franchise into being the widely-regarded most successful summer collegiate team in the country, drawing 6,005 fans per game in 2009 which was nearly twice the next closest team in the country (La Crosse, WI). The 2009 attendance ranked the Mallards 31st amongst all minor league teams in the country (including summer collegiate, independent and affiliated professional) in per-game attendance while operating in the 84th largest media market in the country. In 2004 the team drew a summer collegiate baseball record crowd of 10,061 fans and in August of 2007, Madison surpassed the One Million mark in franchise attendance, when ten-year-old John Olsen of Elkhorn, Wisc. walked through the gates of the ballpark affectionately known as the "Duck Pond."

The Mallards have also been competitive on the field appearing in the playoffs in five of the last seven summers and competing in three NWL Championship Series', winning the title in 2004 over the Duluth Huskies. Over 51 former Mallards have been drafted and competed in professional baseball.

Kern, a 2006 graduate of the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, was an outfielder on the softball team and will be moving to Wisconsin Rapids permanently in January. She has managed the Mallards customer service working with over 600 business clients and has been responsible for renewing over 95% of those accounts annually. Kern joined the Mallards as a part-time employee in 2004 and has seen an increased amount of responsibility every year since that time.

Witter Field hosted minor league baseball until 1983 when the Wisconsin Rapids Twins of the Midwest League departed for Kenosha, WI. Since then the field's primary tenant has been the Wisconsin Rapids Legion program who has done an admirable job maintaining the historic field. The Legion teams will continue to have access to the ballpark during the term of the lease and the NWL team is excited about working with the Legion and all other area teams.

"The Wisconsin Rapids Legion program is one of the best in the country and we couldn't be more excited to be coming to a market that already has a great passion for baseball - we look forward to helping build that passion in Rapids for years to come," said GM Kern.

The ownership group will detail a plan to install 400 permanent former-County Stadium seats at Witter Field for 2010 as part of a partnership with the city of Wisconsin Rapids.

A "Name the Hometown Team" contest will run through the middle part of January with the winner receiving season tickets for 2010. Those wishing to submit entries should visit Rapidsbaseball.com. Team name ideas can also be submitted via email to info@rapidsbaseball.com.

Ticket pricing, team name and logo will be unveiled at a press conference in January. Fans can get priority seat selection by placing a $25 deposit by visiting Rapidsbaseball.com, calling the office at 715-424-5400, or at the press conference tonight.

Tonight's press conference will be streamed live from the Centralia Center at http://www.livestream.com/rccatv beginning at 6 p.m.

News and Notes

I am going to try to give you a daily dose of news and notes. More often than not, the information will center around college baseball.

**One of the best player in Carlton College's history has just signed a contract to play professional baseball in Belgium.

**Adelphi University pitcher, Keith Couch has been named to the NCBWA DII Preseason All-America Team.

**The University of Albany baseball team recently took part in two walks that support both ALS and breast cancer.

**The Beatrice Bruins ceased operations after the 2009 season. They were a collegiate summer league team for over 40 years. They recently held their final banquet.

**Lefty Van Brunt has had an impact on the Alaska Baseball League for the past 50 years.

**The new name for the new Atlantic Collegiate Baseball League team should be announced soon.

**Oklahoma State announces their 2010 schedule.

**Indiana high school star commits to the University of Texas.

**City council officially approves expansion NWL team in Wisconsin Rapids.