Summer league is quite a catch

From the Daily News
GLENDALE — It's not enough for Tony Riviera to be the executive chef of a Sunset Boulevard cafe that is the cool spot for Vincent Chase and crew on HBO's "Entourage," nor to own a handful of other high-end restaurants and watering holes in Los Angeles.

In the celebrity restaurateur's perfect world, he would also own and manage the Dodgers – all the way to the playoffs and the World Series.

In his real world, he gets the next-best thing.

Read the rest of this article here.

Schwartz named as Cards' skipper

From NVdaily.com
FRONT ROYAL -- The Front Royal Cardinals have announced their new manager for the 2011 Valley Baseball League season.

Nathan Schwartz, who guided the Laramie Colts of the Mountain Collegiate League in 2010, will take over the Cardinals next season. Schwartz replaces Joe Scarano, who led the Cardinals to a spot in the VBL championship series this past season. Front Royal lost two straight to the Luray Wranglers in the best-of-three finals for the Lineweaver Cup.

In addition to his managing experience in Laramie, Schwartz served two years (2008-09) as the pitching coach of the Eau Claire Express in the Northwoods Collegiate Baseball League. During his tenure there, 21 players Schwartz coached were either signed or drafted by a Major League affiliated team.

Read the rest of this article here.

Panners to play part time schedule in 2011

From KTUU.com
The Alaska Goldpanners plan on being around for a long time. The oldest and most successful team in the Alaska Baseball League, the Panners have a plan to keep themselves financially healthy. Unfortunately, for ABL fans, that plan calls for the Panners to play only a partial schedule in 2011.

The Panners insist they're not facing bankruptcy, but are trying to go into the 2012 season with no debt load, something they weren’t able to do last season. Fairbanks, like every other ABL team, generates a great deal of its revenue from pull tabs, and during the national recession, that money has significantly decreased. Also, the Panners' player housing facility was moved and upgraded this year, causing the team to spend an additional $40,000 more than usual.

Read the rest of this article here.

Four Questions With Ryan Kapp

Ryan Kapp is a Junior OF from Rutgers University. He is 6-3/200 pounds and hails from Toms River, NJ. Ryan spent this past summer patrolling the outfield for the Albany Dutchmen of the New York Collegiate Baseball League. He hit .298/.386/.385 in 114 at-bats this summer. He scored 18 runs, drove in 22 and hit 2 home runs for Albany. He was a perfect 10 for 10 in stolen bases and had a bb/k ratio of 17/29. Overall, Ryan had a very solid summer, and should be one of the go-to outfielders for Rutgers in 2011.

Ryan recently answered four questions for us.

Summer Ball--Who was your favorite baseball player when you were younger?
Ryan Kapp--Growing up, my favorite player was Paul O'Neill.

SB--What was the best thing about playing for the Dutchmen this summer?
RK--Meeting new people from all over the country.

SB--What are your goals for this upcoming season?
RK--My goals are to better my stats and by drafted in June.

SB--What is your favorite baseball movie?
RK--The Sandlot (of course).

Ruiz to Pilot Honkers Again in 2011

From the Rochester Honkers
(Rochester, MN)-- The Rochester Honkers Baseball Club announced today that Ryan Ruiz, Field Manager from their 2010 season, will return to pilot the Honkers again in 2011. Ruiz guided the Rochester Honkers to the 2010 Northwoods League playoffs and to the decisive Game #3 of the NWL Championship Series vs. Eau Claire. The Honkers bid for their league best 6th NWL Championship and the first team to win back-to-back NWL Championships, came up short in a 9-1 loss in Eau Claire.

“It is an honor and privilege to be asked back to the Rochester Honkers organization,” said Ruiz. “We were “that” close to coming home with another NWL Championship, and I have a bad taste in my mouth. I am anxious to get back and finish what we started.”

Ruiz, an Assistant Coach at Central Arizona College (Coolidge, AZ), guided the Honkers to a North Division first half title with a 19-13 mark, qualifying for post season play. The Honkers finished the 2nd half 17-16, and faced St. Cloud, who won the 2nd half in the North Division with a record of 20-13. Rochester swept St. Cloud 2 game to 0 to claim the 2010 North Division crown and advance to the NWL Championship Series versus the Eau Claire Express, winners of the South Division. The Express won their first ever NWL Championship by defeating the Honkers 2 game to 1.

“It was quite an experience to get to the championship series and have a chance to clinch another title,” added Ruiz. “Our boys worked so hard throughout the summer to get to that point. It made my experience so rewarding and it was so special to be part of an amazing well rounded team. It was an incredible season with some ups and downs.”

Ruiz spent eight years of playing professionally in the Northern and American Association of the Independent Leagues. The left handed hitting centerfielder completed his playing career in 2006, with a career .288 batting average. His best year was in 2004 where he hit .310 with 22 doubles and 35 stolen bases and was named to the North All-Star Team. Ruiz finished his collegiate career at Texas Tech in 1999 where he led the team in hitting (.363) and stole 35 bases in 37 attempts. He was honored by the Big XII as a second-team all-conference pick as a junior and senior and was nominated for the Easton’s defensive Player of the Year award in 1999.

Ruiz, now in his fourth year at Central Arizona, is in charge of handling the hitters and outfielders, the team’s strength and conditioning coach, and assists in the recruiting process. Ruiz also serves as an associate scout for the Kansas City Royals. The Lake Forest, CA native is married (Carissa) and holds an AA degree from Saddleback College and a BA from Texas Tech in Sports Psychology.

Butler BlueSox Announce New Head Coach

From the Butler BlueSox
The BlueSox have their new skipper.

Anthony Rebyanski, the current Associate Head Coach at Indiana University of Pennsylvania and former professional pitcher, was selected by the BlueSox ownership group and will take over his new coaching duties immediately.

A 2006 graduate of IUP, Rebyansky enjoyed a successful college career and was selected in the first round (by the Gateway Grizzlies) of the 2005 Frontier Professional League draft. The RHP was later chosen to play on the Frontier League’s North Division all-star team in the 2007. Anthony Rebyanski went on to play for the Windy City Thunderbolts and helped them win two consecutive Frontier League Championships in 2007 and 2008.

His coaching experience started as a varsity assistant baseball coach at Indiana (PA) High school – 2006. Rebyanski now works at the collegiate level – serving as an assistant coach at IUP, starting in 2006, where he continues to coach currently. Rebyanski was also the pitching coach with the Thomasville HiToms of the Coastal Plains College league last summer.

The ownership group felt Rebyanski had the back-ground and talent to be a successful head coach for Butler and also liked the fact that he was relatively local. His hometown is Shelocta, near Indiana PA.

“Among the coaching candidates we considered, all of us felt Anthony was the best fit”, commented William “Wink” Robinson, one of the BlueSox owners. “We wanted a good baseball person for sure, but also wanted a head coach who would make certain that the quality of players we select will represent the Butler community well, both on the field and off,” stated Robinson.

Although Coach Rebyanski will be jumping right into the player selection process, he will have had a head start with the assistance of owners Matt Clement and Leo Trich, who have been actively recruiting players since September 1st.

NECBL Hall Of Fame Induction Ceremony

From iBerkshires.com
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. - The New England Collegiate Baseball League presents the “2010 NECBL Hall of Fame Dinner” to be held on Saturday evening November 6th in the Boston Marriott grand ballroom in Newton, MA. Co-hosting the NECBL dinner will be Red Sox radio announcer Joe Castiglione and son Duke Castiglione, an NECBL alumnus and Fox Network television sports anchor.

Read the rest of this article here.

Top Performers From 2010--A.J. Rusbarsky

My next Top Performer from the 2010 summer season is A.J. Rusbarsky of the Edenton Steamers by way of Seton Hall University. A.J. is a 5-9/180 pound SS from Freehold, NJ. A.J. had a relatively disappointing 2010 regular season for the Pirates (.251-1 hr-22 rbi's), so this summer season with the Steamers was especially great.

A.J. had a tremendous summer for the #20 ranked Steamers. He helped lead them to the Petitt Cup Championship series, where they eventually fell in defeat to the Forest City Owls. A.J. hit a league high .345 in 200 at-bats this summer. He also led the league  with his 69 hits. He found a way to get on base as is evident by his 29 runs scored and 15 stolen bases. He hit 10 doubles, 1 triple and knocked in 23 for the Steamers as well. He also had a great bb/k ratio of 23/18 on the summer.

A.J. was just solid and consistent this whole summer. He had a total of five (3) hit games and one (4) hit game. He was named to participate in the CPL All-Star Game and he hit 1 home run in the playoffs for the Steamers.

Here are A.J's complete stats from this summer:

• .345/.405/.417  (League high in AVG)
• 200 at-bats
• 69 hits (League high)
• 29 runs
• 23 rbi's
• 10 doubles
• 1 triple
• 23 walks
• 18 strikeouts
• 15 stolen bases
• 19 sac bunts (league high)
• 250 total plate appearances  (league high)
• .943 fielding %

New England Collegiate League Top 10 Prospects

From Baseball America
Postseason recap: The North Shore Navigators won their first-ever NECBL title with a come-from-behind 5-4 win over Danbury in the deciding game of the best-of-three championship series. The Navigators won the first game 2-0 behind a dominant performance from righthander Kevin Kyle (Clemson), who threw 7 1/3 scoreless innings while striking out 12 and walking just two. Danbury slugged its way to a 9-3 victory in the second game and was leading 4-3 heading into the bottom of the seventh of the deciding game. But with the bases loaded, Navigators catcher Garret Smith (Boston College) became the hero, doubling home two runs to give North Shore the lead for good.

It was a banner year for talent in the NECBL, with Stanford stars Kenny Diekroeger and Mark Appel leading the way at Newport.

New England Collegiate Baseball League
1. Kenny Diekroeger, ss, Newport (So., Stanford)
2. Mark Appel, rhp, Newport (So., Stanford)
3. Jeremy Baltz, of, Keene (So., St. John’s)
4. Mike Williams, c, Danbury (Jr., Kentucky)
5. Evan Marzilli, of, Laconia (So., South Carolina)
6. Matt Carasiti, rhp, Bristol (So., St. John’s)
7. Alex Wood, lhp, Keene (So. Georgia)
8. Ian Gardeck, rhp, Danbury (So., Angelina, Texas, JC)
9. William Carmona, 3b/of, Vermont (So., Stony Brook)
10. Jarett Miller, rhp, Laconia (Jr., UNC Greensboro)

Capps, Lamb Head Top Prospects Lists for Coastal Plain League

From the Coastal Plain League
The top two authorities on summer collegiate baseball - Baseball America and Perfect Game Crosschecker - announced their top prospects for the Coastal Plain League recently.

Fayetteville SwampDogs right-hander Carter Capps (Mount Olive) and Peninsula Pilots outfielder/left-hander Will Lamb (Clemson) (pictures courtesy of Pat Grecinger and Ralph Wood) were honored as the top prospects by Baseball America and PG Crosschecker respectively.

Read the rest of this article here.

Top Performers From 2010--John Murphy

My next Top Performer from the 2010 summer season is John Murphy of the Rome Thunderbolts. Rome competes in the Eastern Collegiate Baseball League. John is a 5-11/180 pound Sophomore infielder from Sacred Heart University. He hails from Seymour, CT. He had a tremendous Freshman year for the Pioneers. He hit .358 in 179 at-bats. He also added 4 homers and 44 runs batted in.

John was simply one of the best players in the ECBL this summer. One coach of an ECBL team told me that:

John could easily have played, and been a star in the NYCBL or NECBL.

He hit an amazing .363/.463/.516 in 91 at-bats for the Thunderbolts. He scored 21 runs, knocked in 26 and hit 6 doubles for the best team in the ECBL. He had a great bb/k ratio of 17/9, and he also stole 16 bases. He capped of his summer by being named to the All-ECBL All-Star Team.

I am fully counting on John to have another monster season for Sacred Heart, and for him to be playing in one of the top summer leagues next year.

Southpaw Hunter Named NYCBL Pitcher of the Year

From Dartmouth Athletics
(photo is courtesy of Richard Lewis)
HANOVER, N.H. — Left-hander Kyle Hunter was selected as the Pitcher of the Year for the New York Collegiate Baseball League this summer, allowing just three earned runs over 39.2 innings in seven appearances for a miniscule 0.68 ERA. The rising sophomore was a perfect 5-0 in the regular season, striking out 33 batters and coming one out away from tossing a no-hitter.

He led his team, the Amsterdam Mohawks, to the league championship by winning both of his starts without giving up a single run over 14 innings while fanning 14 and allowing just seven baserunners. The Mohawks finished the season with a 27-15 record and won all six of their games in the three rounds of playoffs.

Also on the Mohawks was rising senior Jason Brooks, who hit .286 in 33 regular-season game with nine doubles, two homers and 22 RBIs.

Year in Review - Moose Jaw Miller Express

From the WMBL
The Moose Jaw Miller Express were a long shot to make the playoffs only three weeks into the 2010 WMBL Season. What happened next would turn into one of the best stories of the year.

Read the rest of this article here.

New York Collegiate League Top 10 Prospects

From Baseball America
The Amsterdam Mohawks swept the Elmira Pioneers in the NYCBL's best-of-three champoinship series to win their second straight title, and their fifth overall. Championship series MVP Kyle Koeneman (Louisiana State) went 2-for-3 with an RBI in Amsterdam's 4-0 win in the clincher, and Mohawks starter Dan Zlotnick shut out Elmira on six hits over seven innings to pick up the win.

1. Mel Rojas Jr., of, Amsterdam (SIGNED: Pirates)
2. Jon Schwind, if, Amsterdam (Jr., Marist)
3. Cody Kulp, of, Amsterdam (Jr., Amsterdam)
4. Kyle Hunter, lhp, Amsterdam (So., Dartmouth)
5. Dan Zlotnick, lhp, Amsterdam (So., Marist)
6. Vincent Mejia, if, Glens Falls (Jr., Texas-Pan American)
7. Matt Conway, 1b/lhp, Amsterdam (So., Wake Forest)
8. John Colella, rhp, Elmira (So., Holy Cross)
9. Alex Todd, ss, Cooperstown (Sr., Sonoma, Calif., State)
10. Shae Simmons, rhp, Watertown (So., Southeast Missouri State)

Northwoods League Top 20 Prospects

From Baseball America
Postseason recap: Behind two home runs and four RBIs from outfielder Steve McGuiggan (Illinois-Chicago), Eau Claire cruised to a 9-1 win against Rochester in the decisive third game of the Northwoods League championship series. Lefthander Felix Cardenas shut down the Honkers in the winner-take-all game, allowing just five hits over seven scoreless innings. The Honkers, who won the title in 2009, fell just short of their sixth championship.

The NWL consistently produces more talent than any summer league other than the Cape Cod League. In past years, future first-round picks like Brett Jackson and Chris Sale did not quite crack the league's Top 10 but would have appeared in the 11-20 range. With that in mind, we are expanding our NWL list to 20 prospects this year.

1. Steve Nyisztor, ss, St. Cloud (So., Rutgers)
2. Kyle Gaedele, of, Madison (Jr., Valparaiso)
3. Sam Selman, lhp, Mankato (So., Vanderbilt)
4. Cody Asche, 3b/1b, Duluth (Jr., Nebraska)
5. Harold Riggins, 1b/of, Madison (Jr., North Carolina State)
6. Scott Schebler, of, Green Bay (SIGNED: Dodgers)
7. Andrew Aplin, of, St. Cloud (So., Arizona State)
8. Marcus Semien, ss, Alexandria (Jr., California)
9. Sean Dwyer, of/1b, Willmar (Fr., Florida Gulf Coast)
10. Madison Boer, rhp, La Crosse (Jr., Oregon)
11. Brad Schreiber, rhp, Green Bay (So., Purdue)
12. Mike Strong, lhp, Rochester (Sr., Oklahoma State)
13. Jason Wheeler, lhp, St. Cloud (Jr., Loyola Marymount)
14. Ray Black, rhp, Brainerd Lakes Area (So., Pittsburgh)
15. Jordan Smith, of, Willmar (So., St. Cloud State, Minn.)
16. Mark Threlkeld, 3b, Duluth (Jr., Louisiana Tech)
17. Isaac Ballou, of, Willmar (So., Marshall)
18. Zeke DeVoss, of, Duluth (So., Miami)
19. J.R. Graham, rhp, Madison (Jr., Santa Clara)
20. Ben Hughes, rhp, Duluth (Jr., St. Olaf, Minn.)

Knights bringing back two more pitchers from 2010 roster

From the Gazette Times
The Corvallis Knights have signed two more returnees from their 2010 West Division championship team for the 2011 season, manager Brooke Knight announced Friday.

They are right-handed pitchers Eric Young, a junior at Delaware, and Max Beatty, a sophomore at Pacific Lutheran. They will join 2010 teammates Michael Blake and Chris Mendoza, who signed last week, on next year's Knights.

Read the rest of this article here.

Prospect League Top 10 Prospects

From Baseball America
Postseason recap: The Chillicothe Paints proved to be the best team in the Prospect League from start to finish after beating the Danville Dans for the title in dramatic fashion. The Paints finished the regular season with the best record in the league at 39-17, but they still needed a walk-off, two-run home run from Ian Nielson (Ball State) in the bottom of the 11th inning to beat the Dans, 7-6, for the title. Andrew Walter (San Diego) took the loss for Danville after reliable closer Will Browning (Louisiana-Monroe) allowed an inherited runner to score the tying run in the ninth inning.

1. Navery Moore, rhp, Nashville (Jr., Vanderbilt)
2. Zach Kometani, c, Quincy (Jr., San Diego)
3. Kevin Plawecki, c, Richmond (So., Purdue)
4. Chris Marlowe, lhp, West Virginia (Jr., Oklahoma State)
5. Chuck Ghysels, rhp, Richmond (Jr., Maryland)
6. Jeff Holm, of, Chillicothe (Sr., Michigan State)
7. Kenton Parmley, ss, DeKalb (Jr., Southeast Missouri State)
8. Kevan Smith, c/1b, Butler (Sr., Pittsburgh)
9. Corey Kimes, lhp, Springfield (Jr., Illinois)
10. Jon Ivie, rhp, Nashville (Sr., Belmont)

Indians’ finances slide in safely

From the Prairie Post
As the Swift Current Indians poured on to Currie Field in Regina in August to celebrate their Western Major Baseball League championship, an exhausted Brad Woods felt a huge sense of relief.
Woods, the team’s president, was happy for the players but he was emotionally drained after a season where he was concerned about the Tribe’s financial situation.

“The first few years, I’d go and enjoy the ball and just be excited about everything,” said Woods, who has been the team’s president for the past three seasons. “At the end of last year and the beginning of this year, when you’re constantly looking at the books and making sure you have bills paid and things like that, it definitely takes a little bit of the fun out of it.”

Read the rest of this article here.

NELL TO RETURN AS BUCKS MANAGER IN 2011

From the Waterloo Bucks
Waterloo, IA - The Waterloo Bucks, members of the Northwoods League, have announced that Jason Nell will return to the team as Field Manager for the 2011 season. Nell managed Waterloo to a 31-39 record in 2010, including a second place finish in the first half. The Bucks saw a six game improvement in the win column under Nell's guidance.

"It is a privilege and honor to coach in the NWL, even more so for the Bucks," said Nell. "I am surrounded by a great front office, great facilities, and, more importantly, great fans. I am humbled to have this opportunity, and I already look forward to teaching and coaching kids this great game."

The 2011 season will be Nell's second year with Waterloo and fifth year as an NWL manager. For a career, Nell has a total of 139 wins in the NWL, the seventh most in the league history. In 2008, as the skipper for the Mankato MoonDogs, Nell was named the NWL Manager of the Year, guiding Mankato to the organization's first playoff appearance in franchise history that season.

"Speaking for the entire organization, we are extremely excited to have Jason return to the Bucks' dugout in 2011," said General Manager Dan Corbin. "Our fans were treated to some exciting baseball this past summer, including nearly making the playoffs, as we finished in second place in first half of the season. Jason's style of baseball, organization, and coaching philosophy give us the utmost confidence in him."

Nell began his Northwoods League career with the MoonDogs during the summer of 2005 as the team's base coach. The next season, Nell was named Field Manager of Mankato, a position he held through the '08 season. As the manager of the MoonDogs, Nell won the '08 First Half North Division Championship, coached 32 players that have been selected in the Major League Baseball amateur draft, and was the Manager of the North Division All-Stars in '08.

Currently in his ninth season as the head baseball coach at Iowa Lakes Community College, Nell is the eighth Manager in Bucks' team history. Nell graduated from the University of Wisconsin-River Falls in May of 1996 with a Bachelor of Science in Park and Land Management degree with a Coaching minor. While at UW-River Falls, Nell was a four-year letter winner in baseball as an infielder/outfielder/pitcher. In May of 2001, Nell graduated from Loras College with a Master of Arts in Sports Administration. He has been involved in coaching since 1996. Nell currently resides in Wallingford, IA with his wife Lisa and his daughters Gracie and Chloe.

The Bucks will be back in action in early-June of 2011. The 2011 Northwoods League schedule is expected to be released in November. Fans are encouraged to stay in touch with the Bucks in the off-season by utilizing their website at www.waterloobucks.com.

SwampDogs Announce 500 Win Handelsman to Return

From the Fayetteville Swampdogs
This time of the year it's very common for summer collegiate baseball teams to announce their field manager for the upcoming summer. The SwampDogs are proud to announce their decision as well. Darrell "Skip" Handelsman will return to the helm of the SwampDogs for the seventh consecutive season.

Was there any doubt he would return? Not really. Ask yourself these key questions; How would a team justify not bringing back a coach that has been named Coach of the Decade in two of the top summer collegiate baseball leagues in the country? How do you select anyone other than the man who has mentored too many players to count that have continued their baseball careers to the professional ranks? How can you pass on a coach that has won six of a possible 12 division halves? How would a team ever be able to hold their head up if they didn't bring back the fourth winningest coach in the history of summer collegiate baseball?

Enough of the questions, let's look at some of the facts. Handelsman has never been shy about giving credit to the players and assistant coaches he has surrounded himself with over the last 15 seasons. The one constant, however, has been his presence at the helm. Yes, Handelsman has had tremendous players and coaches to work with year after year, but without the proper guidance and being in positions to be successful, would it have worked out the same? Handelsman will never take the credit for the impressive things that happen on the field under his supervision. He'll never tell you his favorite part is winning every game. What he will tell you is this; It's about the boys that play this game and helping them become the best young men they can be. His goal isn't to beat his opponent each night, it's to beat the game itself each and every time they take the field.

Handelsman looks to build on his .682 win percentage as he enters his eighth season as the skipper of the SwampDogs. As the Dogs make their push for the Pettit Cup, Handelsman is looking forward to another great group of young men to don the SwampDogs pinstripes in 2011.

Former Woodchuck Makes MLB Debut

From the Northwoods League
On Saturday, September 18th, the St. Louis Cardinals called up former Wisconsin Woodchuck Daniel Descalso (California-Davis) to their Major League roster. Descalso becomes the 10th former Woodchuck to play in a Major League game.

Descalso’s debut came on September 18th against the San Diego Padres. He was called in to pinch hit in the 6th inning, but was called back after the Padres brought in a new relief pitcher. He again came in to pinch hit for the Cardinals this past Monday and grounded out. Descalso’s first big league start and base-hit came on Wednesday night against the Pittsburgh Pirates. His double in the 8th inning brought in two runs as he finished 1-for-3 with a run scored on the night.

The left-handed hitting Descalso was an infielder for the Woodchucks during the 2006 summer. His numbers that summer were quite impressive. He had a .277 batting average, .399 on-base percentage, and 10 stolen bases. The St. Louis Cardinals then drafted Descalso in the 3rd round of the 2007 MLB Draft.

The Redwood City, CA native played four seasons in Minor League baseball (MiLB) (A- 1 season, A+ 1 season, AA 2 seasons, AAA 2 seasons). The majority of his MiLB career was spent in AA Springfield and AAA Memphis. He has a .276 career MiLB batting average in 1,808 at-bats with 224 RBI, 137 extra-base hits and a .970 fielding percentage.

Follow Descalso in the Majors at www.northwoodsleague.com and www.stlouiscardinals.com.

Descalso will be the 74th NWL alumni to appear in Major League Baseball and the 46th player to play in the MLB in 2010.

The Northwoods League has more teams, plays more games, and draws more fans than any Summer Collegiate Baseball League in North America.

Old Orchard Beach Ballpark will get full-time occupant

From the American Chronicle
Sept. 22--OLD ORCHARD BEACH -- The Ballpark will be home to another baseball team next summer.

The Old Orchard Beach town council unanimously accepted a letter of intent with officials from Lowell, Mass., Tuesday night to bring a New England Collegiate Baseball League team here next summer. The final agreement will be signed at the Oct. 5 council meeting.

"This is what I actually was hoping for," said Doug Ayotte, general manager of the Lowell All-Americans. "Knowing that we couldn't come to an actual agreement to put something down in writing as far as a final document, to have the unanimous support of the town council is exactly what we were looking for. I don't see any obstacles."

Read the rest of this article here.

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Top Performers From 2010--Jason Wheeler

The next Top Performer from the 2010 summer season is Jason Wheeler of the St. Cloud River Bats by way of Loyola Marymount University. Jason is a Junior LHP from Torrence, CA. He is a big 6-6/260 pound lefty that was simply one of the best pitchers in not only the Northwoods League this summer, but in all of summer collegiate baseball.

Jason had a very rough regular 2010 season at LMU. He had a 10.80 ERA in just 15 innings of work. He was a completely different pitcher this summer. He went 8-1 and had a league-leading 1.35 ERA in 66.2 innings pitched. He had great command pretty much the whole summer (15/74 bb/k's). He led the league in strikeouts and he didn't allow a home run the whole summer.

He started the summer as a reliever for the Bats, but by mid July, he was solidly entrenched in the Bats rotation. From July 12th to August 5th, He made 5 straight quality-starts in which he went at least 7 innings and struck out 41 batters. During this stretch, he also did not allow more than 2 earned runs in any game.

For his outstanding play, Jason was handed several awards. He was named to both the Northwoods League Mid-Season and Post-Season All-Star Teams. He was also named the Northwoods League Pitcher of the Year. Perfect Game ranked Jason as the 7th best prospect in the league, while Baseball America must not like him as much, as they ranked him as the 13th best prospect in the league. This is from the scouts at Perfect Game:

Jason is a big lefty that spotted his 88-92 MPH fastball well, but needs to tighten up his slider.

These are Jason's final summer stats:

• 8-1 (tied for league lead in wins)
• 1.35 ERA (1st in league)
• 66.2 innings pitched
• 15 appearances
• 10 starts
• 1 complete game
• 1 shutout
• 47 hits allowed
• 15 walks
• 74 strikeouts (1st in league)
• .191 OBA (3rd in league)

Fisher on Baseball America's Lists of Top Prospects to Come Out of Summer Leagues

From New Mexico State University
DURHAM, N.C. - New Mexico State catcher Zac Fisher had been named as an addition to Baseball America lists consisting of the top prospects for 18 summer leagues as well as Team USA. The Texas Collegiate League announced the 2010 All-TCL team, which included New Mexico State Zac Fisher on the top of the list at catcher.

Fisher, who will be a sophomore for the Aggies in the spring of 2011, was the starting catcher for the North All-Stars in the 2010 TCL All-Star Game, July 5, 2010 in Victoria, Texas.

Fisher, a native of Fontana, Calif., hit .350 on the year while playing in 38 games as a freshman at New Mexico State. He did even better in league play hitting .417 (20-of-48) against Western Athletic Conference rivals. Fisher tied for the most home runs on the team in conference play with six. On the year, Fisher finished knocking a total eight out of the ballpark.

Read the rest of this article here.

Kelby Tomlinson Named No. 3 Prospect from Jayhawk League

From Texas Tech Athletics
LUBBOCK, Texas - Texas Tech baseball newcomer Kelby Tomlinson, a transfer from Seward County Community College, was recently ranked the No. 3 prospect from the Jayhawk Summer League by Baseball America. Tomlinson, a junior from Elgin, Okla., helped lead the Liberal (Kan.) Bee Jays to the 2010 National Baseball Congress World Series championship.

The national publication released its Top Prospect List for 18 college summer leagues with Tomlinson named the top position player from within the league. Left-handed pitchers Charlie Lowell (El Dorado) and Brian Flynn (El Dorado) were the top two Jayhawk League prospects listed.

Read the rest of this article here.

Blair and Rhine Named to Cal Ripken All-League Team

From Wake Forest Athletics
BALTIMORE, Md. - Wake Forest sophomore infielders Pat Blair and Mark Rhine were recently named to the 2010 Cal Ripken Collegiate Baseball League All-League Team.

Blair and Rhine each earned first team accolades for their performance over the summer.

A native of Baltimore, Blair played his summer ball with Youses Orioles. Blair played in 31 games with the Orioles, hitting .348 with two homers and 18 RBIs. Blair was second on the team with 40 hits, nine doubles and a .496 slugging percentage.

Read the rest of this article here.

Whitman baseball steps up to the plate after summer

From the Pioneer
While the Whitman baseball team’s 39-game 2010 season may have been grueling, seniors Jay Richards and Erik Korsmo were far from done playing ball when the Missionaries recorded their final out in May. Both Richards and Korsmo spent their summers playing in collegiate baseball leagues, each playing crucial roles on teams made up of the region’s finest collegiate ballplayers.

Korsmo, who played for the Oahu Paddlers, one of six teams in the Hawaii Collegiate Baseball League, finished the summer with a .316 batting average and 16 runs batted in. The Paddlers finished their season with an all-league best record of 24-15 before falling to the Kauai Menehunes in the semifinals. Korsmo, who split time as catcher with a teammate while also occasionally taking swings as the Paddlers’ designated hitter, played alongside teammates from nationwide schools including the University of Oregon and Binghamton University (New York).

Read the rest of this article here.

Texas Collegiate League Top 10 Prospects

From Baseball America
Postseason recap: The Victoria Generals swept the East Texas Pump Jacks in the best-of-three TCL championship series to capture their first league title in just their second season. Mark Hudson (Sam Houston State) went 6-for-9 with two doubles and four RBIs in the championship series, and all four of his RBIs came in Victoria's 10-2 win in the clincher.

1. Lee Orr, of, East Texas (Jr., McNeese State)
2. Miguel Pena, lhp, East Texas (So., San Jacinto JC)
3. Nick Fleece, rhp, Brazos Valley (Sr., Texas A&M)
4. Zach Nuding, rhp, North Texas (SIGNED: Yankees)
5. Zac Fisher, c, East Texas (So., New Mexico State)
6. Joe Leftridge, of, North Texas (Jr., Angelo, Texas, State)
7. Bryson Myles, of, McKinney (Jr., Stephen F. Austin State)
8. Brock Hebert, ss/2b, Texas (So., Southeastern Louisiana)
9. Mark Hudson, of, Victoria (Sr., Sam Houston State)
10. Kolt Browder, rhp, Victoria (So., Baylor)

Top Performers From 2010--Madison Boer

My next Top Performer from this summer season is Madison Boer of the La Crosse Loggers by way of the University of Oregon. Madison, an Eden Prairie, MN native, is a 6-5/215 pound right-handed pitcher. He started his collegiate career as a starter, but he really found his niche as a reliever for the Ducks last Spring. He parlayed a very successful 2010 season into getting a tryout for the USA Collegiate National Team

Madison returned to the Loggers for his 2nd stint with the Northwoods League club. In 2009, he went 4-3, and had a 3.12 era in 51.2 innings of work. This summer, he was the Loggers closer, and he didn't disappoint at all. He went 4-1, and had an era of 0.89 in 20.1 innings pitched. He was, as one scout told me, "utterly dominant" this summer. He allowed 16 hits, walked just 5 batters and he fanned 26 this summer. He also save a team-high 5 games for the Loggers.

Both Perfect Game and Baseball America have Madison ranked as the 10th best prospect in the Northwoods League. This is an excerpt from the Baseball America scouting report on Madison:

At 6-foot-4, 215 pounds, Boer pitches downhill with a 91-94 mph fastball that bumps 96. He also throws a low-to-mid-80s slider that can be plus at times.....

Madison's summer stats look like this:

• 4-1 
• 0.89 ERA
• .219 Opponents Batting Averag
• 20.1 Innings Pitched
• 14 Appearances
• 5 Saves
• 5 Walks
• 26 Strikeouts
• 0 HR's allowed

Madison should be one of the premier pitchers in the Pac-10 this coming season, and it will be very interesting to see where he will be playing next summer.

Hunt Will Return For Second Season With Titans

According to the Register Citizen, Gregg Hunt will be brought back for his second season as Head Coach of the Torrington Titans. Gregg led the Titans to a Kaiser Division Title in his first season.  You can read the press release here.

TCL’s Newest Franchise: The Acadiana Cane Cutters

From the Texas Collegiate League
The Texas Collegiate League will welcome an expansion franchise in 2011 – and once again, the league’s newest team won’t call the state of Texas home.

The Acadiana Cane Cutters became the TCL’s eighth franchise on Wednesday in an official announcement in Lafayette, Louisiana. The Cane Cutters join the Alexandria Aces, who joined the circuit last season, as the league’s two entries from the Pelican State.

The Cane Cutters will play their home games at Fabacher Field, a park owned by the City of Lafayette. Management expects the facility to see significant upgrades prior to the 2011 opener, including the installation of a picnic deck and a kids’ play area.

With the addition of Acadiana, the TCL has now added at least one expansion franchise for five consecutive seasons. In 2010, the league added the Texas Tomcats, based in Weimar, as well as the Aces.

If history is any indication, the Cane Cutters could be successful immediately. The Victoria Generals, who joined the circuit in 2009, have won the regular season title two straight years, capping their run with the 2010 TCL championship. The Generals defeated Kilgore’s East Texas Pump Jacks, an expansion team in 2008, who tied for the league’s best regular-season record. The Brazos Valley Bombers, new to the TCL in 2007, have reached the playoffs four straight years and are the league’s top draw at the gate.

Lafayette will be drawing on a baseball history that dates back to 1907, when the Lafayette Browns were members of the Gulf Coast League. More prominent in the city’s baseball lore is its extended run as a member of the Evangeline League, known by such colorful nicknames as the “Pepper Sauce League” or the “Tabasco Circuit.” Lafayette fielded teams named the White Sox, Bulls, and Oilers in the Evangeline for 19 years, capturing three league titles and two regular season crowns. As a member of the TCL, the Cane Cutters will get to renew acquaintances with Alexandria, a former foe in Evangeline League.

After the Evangeline League folded in 1957, it was 18 years before the Double-A Texas League returned summer baseball to Lafayette. The Drillers, an affiliate of the San Francisco Giants, spent two seasons in Lafayette. They were named Texas League co-champions in 1975, when they were led by future major league outfielder Jack Clark.

Former major league catcher Paul Bako will help Acadiana tap into the local baseball heritage. A Lafayette native and former star at University of Louisiana-Lafayette, Bako spent 12 seasons in the big leagues with 11 different teams. He will serve as an advisor to the new team, helping attract and develop the squad’s young talent.

The Cane Cutters are owned by Richard and Sandi Chalmers, David and Leslie Alwell, and Randy Bourg. Bourg, whose professional experience includes management positions in both the NBDL and hockey, will manage the team’s marketing and promotions.

The updated league lineup includes Acadiana and Lafayette in Louisiana, and Brazos Valley, East Texas, Texas, Victoria, the McKinney Marshals, and the North Texas Copperheads, who are also based in McKinney.

The TCL has quickly established itself as one of the most respected summer collegiate leagues in the nation. Attracting top college players from across the country, the TCL has seen more than 260 alumni drafted by major league teams in just seven years.

In addition to its continued expansion, the TCL has in recent years extended its schedule to 56 games and instituted a split-season schedule with first- and second-half division winners. The season opens at the beginning of June and ends in early August. Four teams qualify for the postseason, with a best-of-three divisional series preceding the three-game TCL Championship Series.

The league champion is usually crowned by August 15, giving all players ample opportunity to return to campus.

For more news about the TCL, to read about the league’s history, or to follow all the expansion developments, please visit www.tclbaseball.com.

Rutgers' Nyisztor Named Top Prospect of Northwoods Summer League by Baseball America

From Rutgers University
PISCATAWAY, N.J. (Sept. 15, 2010) – Rutgers sophomore Steve Nyisztor (Toms River, N.J.) was named the top prospect of the Northwoods Summer Baseball League by Baseball America, the publication announced.

The standout Scarlet Knight, who was also named the Most Valuable Player of the Northwoods League, was a member of the St. Cloud River Bats in St. Cloud, Minn.

Nyisztor, who collected All-BIG EAST honors in his freshman season with the Scarlet Knights last spring, played shortstop for the River Bats and led the league in several offensive categories. He was the league’s top run producer with 58 RBI, and ranked in the top three in the league in total bases (2nd, 136), at-bats (2nd, 293), hits (3rd, 89), triples (3rd, 6), extra-base hits (3rd, 30). The Scarlet Knight hit .304 with 14 doubles and eight home runs. He also recorded 18 stolen bases during the summer.

Read the rest of this article here.

Top Performers From 2010--Sam Kimmel

My next Top Performer from the 2010 summer season is Sam Kimmel of the Winter Park Diamond Dawgs of the Florida Collegiate Summer League by way of Indian River State College. Sam is a 5-11/180 pound SS from Jupitor, FL. His outstanding play helped to lead the #26 ranked Diamond Dawgs to a 31-11 record and the FCSL Title.

Sam hit a league-high .378 in 135 at-bats this summer. He scored 21 runs, knocked in 23 and stroked 7 doubles for the Dawgs. He had a bb/k ratio of 15/14 and he stole 9 bases.

Sam was incredibly consistent for Winter Park this summer. He appeared in 34 games this summer, and in those games, he was held hitless in just 9 games. He also had at least 3 hits in 5 games, which helped to propel him to the FCSL batting-title. His regular season stats are as follows:

• .378/.452/.447  (1st in AVG, 2nd in OBP)
• 51 hits  (2nd in league)
• 135 at-bats
• 21 runs
• 23 rbi's
• 7 db's
• 1 home run
• 15 walks
• 14 strikeouts
• 9 stolen bases
• .917 fielding %

He was selected to participate in the All-Star game, and he went 1 for 3 in the game.  He struggled a bit in the playoffs, as he hit .091, but he found a way to walk 3 times during the Dawgs title run.

Perfect Game has ranked Sam as the 6th best prospect in the league and I've been told that Sam is a "very solid defender, and is a quality hitter."

Konrad Schmidt Called Up to Arizona

From the Northwoods League
Former St. Cloud River Bat Konrad Schmidt (Nevada-Reno) was called up by Arizona Diamondbacks Interim Manager Jerry Dipoto Monday night. The undrafted Schmidt whose Minor League season ended Sunday night as the Double-A Mobile BayBears were eliminated from the Southern League playoffs walked in his lone plate appearance Monday night.

The 6’0’’ 225-pound catcher walked off of Cincinnati Reds reliever Logan Ondrusek. The 2007 free agent signee had a big year in Double-A Mobile and was an All-Star this season. Schmidt hit .315 for the BayBears with 11 homers and 65 RBI.

Since signing with Arizona in 2007, Schmidt has a .298 batting average in over 1,300 Minor League at-bats and has driven in 180 runs. He has 90 doubles, 29 homeruns and 164 runs scored while playing in Yakima (A), South Bend (A), Visalia (A), Reno (AAA) and most recently Mobile (AA).

The 26 year old played two seasons in the Northwoods League for the St. Cloud River Bats in 2003 and 2005. While in the Northwoods he hit .234 with 19 RBI in 2003, but had a much more successful 2005 as he hit .278 with 20 RBI and 14 extra-base hits.

Schmidt, who will be wearing #33 with the Diamondbacks, adds to the total of St. Cloud River Bats making the Major Leagues. The River Bats currently lead the NWL with 12 former St. Cloud players making it to the big leagues. Schmidt is the 45th former Northwoods League player to reach the big leagues in 2010 and 73rd in league history.

Follow Konrad Schmidt at www.arizonadiamondbacks.com. Northwoods League has more teams, plays more games, and draws more fans than any Summer Collegiate Baseball League in North America.

Dawgs turn the page to 2011

From the Okotoks Dawgs
The Okotoks Dawgs have signed their first players for the 2011 summer collegiate season. The club has signed infielders Drew Pettit and Tyler Hollick, along with left-handed pitcher Alex Regan; all three players have prior ties to the Dawgs.

Drew Pettit is a 5’11’’ 190 lb infielder in his junior year at Canisius College, an NCAA Div. 1 program in Buffalo, NY. Drew makes his home in Welland, Ontario and was a member of the 2010 Dawgs. Starting the season as a third baseman, Pettit spent spent significant time at second base, and strapped on the catchers gear on occasion due to several injuries to the Dawgs roster. No matter the assignment, Pettit came to play every day, posting solid offensive numbers, batting .314 with 5 homeruns and 32 RBI on the season and made a habit of coming up with clutch hits.

Managing Director John Ircandia was pleased to bring back Pettit for another season "Drew Pettit was a solid contributor in 2010. Because of the injuries we asked him to go from his natural 3rd base position to every spot in the infield, including catcher. He made a pretty impressive debut in Moose Jaw hitting a 420 foot home run and that set the standard for a number of clutch hits that he deliverd over the summer. Drew was one of our hardest working Dawgs last summer and a true Dawg."

Joining Pettit are a couple of J Dawgs Academy graduates in infielder Tyler Hollick, and left-handed pitcher Alex Regan.

Tyler Hollick is a 5’11’’ 175 lb infielder from Calgary, AB, having spent 3 years in the J Dawgs Program. He is currently in his freshman year at junior college powerhouse Chandler-Gilbert Community College in Arizona. After numerous injuries to the Dawgs infield in 2010, Hollick got the call from the JDawgs Academy to the collegiate Dawgs and took full advantage. All he did was play stellar defence and bat .310 in 10 regular season games for the collegiate season, while also suiting up for 4 playoff matchups.

Alex Regan is a 6’4’’ 170 lb left-handed pitcher from Calgary, AB who also spent 3 years in the J Dawgs Program, the last two as the club's ace of the staff. Though he had several opportunities to play for US colleges this season, Alex chose to continue his development program with the Prairie Baseball Academy in Lethbridge beginning this fall. His resume includes an outstanding performance with Team Alberta at the Canada Cup, pitching the Dawgs to a win in the championship game of the Parksville, BC High School Showcase, and pitching 7 shut out innings for Alberta against perennial powerhouse British Columbia in the Midget Nationals.

Ircandia has this to say about the signings of Hollick and Regan, "It has been fundamental to the Dawgs vision to develop elite young high school athletes in the J Dawgs Academy with a view of creating opportunities for college baseball and a return to the Dawgs college team; Alex Regan and Tyler Hollick are good examples of this.”

He continues, “We are proud to add them to the 2011 roster. Alex is a pro prospect as he develops and gives us a very solid left-handed arm likely out of the bullpen in his first college season. Hollick is very versatile and can play any infield position. He proved last summer he can play defensively at this level and by batting .310 after being called up last year, we know he can hit."

The Dawgs are very pleased to welcome back these three players for the 2011 season. With 2010 in the rear-view mirror by only a month, the Dawgs focus has already shifted to next year.

Baseball’s Rusbarsky Ends Summer With Coastal Plains League High Batting Average, Hits

From Seton Hall University
SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. - While playing for the Edenton Steamers of the Coastal Plains League in the 2010 summer campaign, Seton Hall baseball senior A.J. Rusbarsky (Freehold, N.J.) finished with league-highs in batting average and hits. His average of .345 was one-thousandth of a point higher than opponent Chas Krane and his 69 hits were seven more than Krane as well.

Rusbarsky began the summer after a busy spring where the shortstop finished first on the team with 21 doubles, second in slugging percentage, and fourth in batting average. On the defensive side, he broke the Pirates all-time career assist record and single-season assist record.

Toledo Baseball Summer Recap

From Toledo Athletics
TOLEDO, OH - With the fall season upon us and another academic year in full swing, several members of the Toledo baseball team experienced outstanding summers on the diamond. A total of 21 current Rockets participated in collegiate leagues in a variety of states including Ohio, Michigan and New York.

Below is a quick summary of how some of the Rockets fared this summer broken down in their individual leagues.

Read the rest of this article here.

Quinto named new River Bats manager

From the SC Times.com
Former St. Cloud River Bats’ infielder Ben Quinto was announced as the team’s new manager Monday.

He replaces Gabe Boruff, a volunteer assistant coach from Washington State who led the Bats to a 40-28 record and a first-round playoff appearance. The Bats lost to Rochester in the first round.

Read the rest of this entry here.

Baseball America Selects Fleece as Top Summer League Prospect

From KBTX.com
COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Following an impressive summer playing for the Brazos Valley Bombers of the Texas Collegiate League, Texas A&M baseball senior Nick Fleece was named this week to a list of top summer league prospects by Baseball America.

BA ranked the top 30 prospects for the talent-rich Cape Cod League, the top 20 prospects in the Northwoods League and the top 10 prospects in 16 other summer college leagues, including the Texas Collegiate League in which Fleece played.

Read the rest of this article here.

2010 Baseball America Top Prospects-Valley Baseball League

From Baseball America
Postseason recap: The Luray Wranglers swept the Front Royal Cardinals in the best-of-three game championship series by a combined score 11-3. It was Luray's third Lineweaver Cup since joining the Valley in 2001.


1. Jerome Werniuk, rhp, Haymarket (So., Le Moyne)
2. Taylor Sandefur, rhp, Waynesboro (So., Western Carolina)
3. Corey Spangenberg, ss, Winchester (So., Indian River State, Fla., JC)
4. Nick Rickles, c, Luray (Jr., Stetson)
5. Rudy Flores, 1b, Haymarket (So., Florida International)
6. Vince Voiro, rhp, Woodstock (Jr., Pennsylvania)
7. Cody Weiss, rhp, Luray (Jr., La Salle)
8. Yoandy Barroso, of, Haymarket (Sr., Florida International)
9. Greg Nappo, lhp, Haymarket (Sr., Connecticut)
10. Drew Granier, rhp, Harrisonburg (Sr., Louisiana-Monroe)

Voiro Named One of the Top Prospects in the Valley League

From the University of Pennsylvania
(photo is courtesy of Penn athletics)

PHILADELPHIA - Junior hurler Vince Voiro appeared among Baseball America's list as one of the top prospects within the Valley Baseball League, following his summer pitching for the league's Woodstock River Bandits.

Voiro was ranked by Baseball America as the sixth best prospect within the league after leading the Bandits in nearly every pitching category. The right-hander won a team-high five games in nine starts with a 3.08 ERA. He also struck out 59 batters while holding them to a .207 average in 52.2 innings of work. All his numbers were tops among Bandit pitchers with at least ten innings of work.

Baseball America's list featured the top prospects in the nation, as well as the best within 18 of the most high profile collegiate summer leagues in the country. Voiro was just one of three Ivy League pitchers to appear on any of the 18 prospect lists.

Last season Voiro led the Quakers in starts (8), complete games (4), innings pitched (60.2) and strikeouts (47), and will part of a Penn rotation which brings back four of its top five hurlers from a season ago.

A’s Call Up Former BJ Sogard

From the Liberal Bee Jays
He played on a talented team which ended up just playing out the string during the summer of 2005. But this summer, Eric Sogard is doing anything but playing out the string. He was called up by the Oakland Athletics and made his Major League debut against Zack Greinke and the Kansas City Royals Tuesday night in Kansas City. He went 1-2. He is the most recent BJ to be called up to the Major Leagues.

Sogard played at Arizona State and played one summer with the Bee Jays. Jim Merrick was the manager and Kim Snell was the general manager. It was a talented team who endured a disappointing season in large part due to injuries. They finished 26-28 and 19-22 in the Jayhawk and did not qualify for the NBC World Series. But Sogard pulled his weight and then some that summer hitting .322 with two homers, six doubles, and 17 RBI’s while playing primarily second base for the Bee Jays.

Kneeland to Play Summer Ball for Mat-Su Miners in ABL

From UMASS-Lowell
Junior slugger Cam Kneeland (Rowley, Mass.) has signed a contract to join the Mat-Su Miners of the Alaska Baseball League, ABL, for the summer of 2011. The Miners are one of six teams in the ABL and are located in Palmer, Alaska.

"It's a great opportunity for Cam to play in such a prestigious league," said head coach Ken Harring. "It does great things for Cam's personal exposure and for our program to reach new parts of the country. He well deserving of every accolade he receives."

Read the rest of this article here.

HiToms Hire Steele For 2011

From the Thomasville HiToms
High Point/Thomasville, NC - The HiToms announced today the hiring of Jeff Steele as head coach of the Tommies for the 2011 season.

An assistant coach at NAIA national power Lubbock Christian University, Steele joins the HiToms organization following a very successful six-year stint as the head coach of the Coastal Plain League's Wilson Tobs. Qualifying for the Petit Cup Championship playoffs in all six of his seasons as the Tobs' manager, Steele compiled an overall record of 186-146 from 2005-2010 and recorded 103 of those wins and three division championships in his last three seasons.

"Jeff is a proven winner in this league and we are thrilled that he has joined our organization," HiToms President Greg Suire said. "His leadership skills and coaching prowess have resonated throughout his C.P.L. tenure, and our entire organization will benefit tremendously from his expertise and experience."

Entering his fifth season as the pitching coach at Lubbock Christian University, Steele has been a key figure in the Chaparrals rise to national prominence. Winning the NAIA World Series in 2009 with a 52-8 record, Steele led the Chaps pitching staff to a 3.90 earned run average, an average of 8.3 strikeouts per game and an opponent's batting average of just .239.

"I am grateful for the opportunity to be the new manager of the HiToms. I have always felt High Point -Thomasville to be a premier franchise in the Coastal Plain League and I am excited to work with Mr. Suire to continue to bring in quality student-athletes to represent this organization.”

A native of British Columbia, Canada, Steele launched his coaching career as an assistant at Chattanooga State Community College in Chattanooga, Tennessee. During his one year stint at CSTCC, Steele worked primarily with the pitching staff helping lead the Tigers to 37 wins and a two runs per game year-over-year reduction in ERA. An All-Conference and All-Region pitcher at Steele Collin County (TX) Community College, Steele finished his career at Oklahoma Baptist University where he won All-American honors in 2004 by posting a 10-1 record with a 3.14 ERA.

Steele holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Social Sciences with a minor in Business Administration from Oklahoma Baptist University. He also earned a Master’s Degree in Education Administration from Lubbock Christian University.

Top Performers From The 2010 Season--Brent Suter

The third player in my top 200 list is Brent Suter from the #12 ranked Hamilton Joes of the Great Lakes Summer Collegiate League. Brent is 6-5/195 pounds and currently pitches for Harvard University. He is from Cincinnati, Ohio and he went to Moeller High School.

Brent was an All-Ivy League pitcher for Harvard last season. The Hamilton Joes were really hoping that his outstanding season on the East Coast would translate to summer ball, but they couldn't have been expecting him to be this good. He went a perfect 5-0, and had an era of 1.27 in 49.2 innings of work for the Great Lakes Summer Collegiate Leagues best team. He only allowed 32 hits and held opponents to a measly .180 batting average. He should great command as he walked just 9 batters and fanned 47 this season. An opposing head coach told me a couple weeks ago that:

Brent doesn't have overpowering stuff, but he hit is spot, and was simply the best pitcher we've faced this season.

He helped lead the team to a GLSCL Championship and to a league best team era of 3.04. He pitched one game in the playoffs, and defeated the Southern Ohio Copperheads by throwing 7.2 quality-innings.

His regular season stats are as follows:

• 5-0 (tied for 3rd in league in wins)
• 1.27 ERA (2nd in league)
• 49.2 innings pitched (2nd in league)
• 32 hits allowed
• 9/47 bb/k's  (tied for 1st in k's)
• .180 OBA (2nd in league)
• 0.833 WHIP 

Because of his outstanding summer, Brent picked up some nice hardware and awards. As I've mentioned earlier, he was a part of the Hamilton Joes winning the GLSCL title. He was named the Lou Laslo Pitcher of the Year winner, the Tony Lucadella Top Pitching Prospect winner, and he was named to the All-GLSCL First Team list.

Perfect Game has named him the 2nd best prospect in the league. They also named him as having the best breaking ball and having the best command.

Baseball America also has Brent ranked as the 2nd best prospect in the GLSCL. 

CSUN Outfielder Named Top Prospect by Baseball America

From Cal State Northridge
Cal State Northridge senior outfielder Ridge Carpenter was named as a top prospect in the nation by Baseball America for his work in the Hawaii Collegiate Baseball League this summer.

Carpenter, a native of Honolulu, was ranked as one of the top ten collegiate prospects competing in the Hawaii Collegiate League this past summer after batting .274 with five doubles, six triples, a homerun and 15 RBI's in 33 games for the Kauai Menehunes. He also stole 30 bases in 31 attempts during the summer campaign, including three steals on two separate occasions.

Read the rest of this article here.

Michael Williams Tabbed Fourth-Best Prospect in NECBL

From the University of Kentucky
DURHAM, N.C. -- Kentucky junior catcher Michael Williams has been selected as the fourth-best prospect in the New England Collegiate Baseball League, it was announced by Baseball America.

A native of Knoxville, Tenn., Williams played the summer for the Danbury Westerners in the NECBL. During the summer, Williams batted .265 (43-for-162) with six doubles, four homers and 17 RBI. Williams also pitched in two games, striking out four in 1.1 innings pitched.

A 6-foot-2, 210-pounder, Williams has played in 31 games with 16 starts in his first two years at Kentucky, out of Knoxville powerhouse Farragut Academy. In 53 at bats, Williams has recorded five doubles, one homer and 10 RBI. In 2010, Williams hit .241 (7-for-29) in 16 games and nine starts, charting four doubles, six RBI and a .405 on-base clip.

Baseball America released their top prospects for 18 summer collegiate leagues and Team USA, with the Southeastern Conference placing 22 total players on the listings. Besides utility man Robert Beary out of South Carolina, who can play any position on the field, including catcher, Williams was the only catcher in the SEC on any of the collegiate summer lists.