Three Otters Sign Contracts For 2012 Summer Ball

Article by Mindy Mills
SEASIDE, Calif. – Three Cal State Monterey Bay freshman baseball players have signed summer contracts with the Cooperstown Hawkeyes of the Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League (PGCBL).

Ty Morris (Castroville/North Monterey County HS), Matt Urkami (San Jose/Branham) and Chris Blanton (Burlingame/Burlingame HS) have been invited to play for the 2012 Hawkeyes under the direction of coach Eric Coleman, the 2011 PGCBL Coach of the Year.

Two Former Bells Return for 2012 Season

From the Bellingham Bells
The Bellingham Bells announce the return of two former players for the upcoming 2012 season. Left-handed pitcher Jacob Coats and outfielder Derek Atkinson have signed West Coast League contracts with the Bells for a second season. Bells General Manager Nick Caples is looking forward to having both players back in Bellingham for the summer, saying "by all accounts, Jacob and Derek are two very high character young men who will do a great job representing the Bells both on and off the field."

2011 Top Performer---Michael Bolling

Michael Bolling
Newark Pilots of the Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League
Lewis University
Senior
Outfielder

Four Questions With Justin Guidry

Justin Guidry is a 6-4/200 pound pitcher/first basemen from Middle Tennessee State University. He spent this past summer playing for the Nashville Outlaws of the Prospect League. He was among the league leaders with a .350 batting average in 217 at-bats. He scored 38 runs, drove in 27 and hit 12 doubles this year.

Top 20 Position Players In The California Collegiate League

The seven team California Collegiate League has established itself as one of the premier leagues in terms of big-time prospects playing in the league. The league is able to attract some of the best local talent as well as draw player from Texas and the East Coast.  (I believe the lure of the beach is the big reason why players love to come to the CAL League.

Bay Sox welcome former MLB star Rick Miller as manager

From the South Coast Today
NEW BEDFORD — Rick Miller, who spent 12 seasons with the Red Sox as a slick-fielding center fielder, will be taking on a new role next summer — manager of the New Bedford Bay Sox.

2011 Top Performer---Houston Hibbard

Houston Hibbard
Rockville Express of the Cal Ripken League
University of San Fransisco
Senior
Pitcher

Knights sign Red Sox draftee Cody Dill

From the Corvallis Knights
The Corvallis Knights of the West Coast League have signed freshman right-handed pitcher Cody Dill of UC Riverside, general manager/coach Brooke Knight announced Monday.
The 6-foot-2, 165-pound Dill graduated from Los Osos High School in Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., in June and then was selected by the Boston Red Sox in the 26th round of the MLB draft.

BJ Neverett Named Nashua Manager

From the FCBL
Nashua, NH – The Nashua Silver Knights are excited to announce BJ Neverett has been named manager for the 2012 season. Neverett served as the Silver Knights Assistant Coach during the 2011 Futures Collegiate Baseball League Championship season.

Top 12 Position Players In The Southern Collegiate Baseball League

The Southern Collegiate Baseball League is currently an eight-team league in North and South Carolina. The The Morganton Aggies were the best team in the league, but it was the Pineville Pioneers who took home the SCBL Title.

Daredevils Done

The Outer Banks Daredevils are done (at least for 2012). Citing financial losses, the owners of the Devils have put the team up for sale. The Coastal Plain League will operate as a 14-team league in 2012. You can read the press release here.

FORMER BUCK JENNINGS NAMED TO MARLINS' 40-MAN ROSTER

From the Waterloo Bucks
Miami, FL - On Friday, November 18, former Waterloo Bucks pitcher Dan Jennings was promoted to the Miami Marlins' 40-man roster. Jennings, who is originally from West Des Moines, Iowa, was one of four Miami Minor Leaguers to be placed on the team's 40-man roster.

2010 Top Performer---Andy Hunter

Andy Hunter
Green Bay Bullfrogs of the Northwoods League
Gonzaga University
Senior
Pitcher/1B

Top 15 Position Players in the Hawaii Collegiate Baseball League

The thought of spending a summer in Hawaii playing baseball sure sounds great right now.  Slowly but surely, the Hawaii Collegiate Baseball League is establishing itself as a legitimate summer league. This season saw the Kamuela Paniolos win the HCBL Title.

Bill Buckner and Mookie Wilson to Serve as Keynote Speakers at Hall of Fame Dinner

From the Amsterdam Mohawks
The 5th Annual Amsterdam Baseball and Mohawks Baseball Hall of Fame dinner is slated for Saturday February 4 at Saint Mary's Institute in Amsterdam. While the Hall of Fame inductees for the event wont be announced until next month, it has been announced that the keynote speakers for the evening will be both Bill Buckner and Mookie Wilson. They will talk and re-live one of the greatest moments in sports history, Game 6 of the 1986 World Series and the 25th Anniversary of Buckner's infamous error that allowed Wilson to reach first base and allowed the game winning run to score, leading the Mets to a come from behind win over the Red Sox.

2011 Top Performer---Michael Heesch

Michael Heesch
Gastonia Grizzlies of the Coastal Plain League
USC-Beaufort
Senior
Pitcher

Four Questions With Derek Legg

Derek Legg is a senior infielder from the Cal State Fullerton Titans. He spent this past summer playing for the Santa Barbara Foresters of the California Collegiate Baseball League. He was one of the best hitters in the CCL this summer. He was fourth in the league with a .334 batting average, third in the league with 51 hits and fourth n the league with 31 runs batted in. He was named both an All-Star and to the First Team All-CCL list.

Gophers Sign Six in In Early Period

From the University
of Minnesota

From Press Release
University of Minnesota baseball head coach John Anderson has announced that Alec Crawford (Wilton, Iowa), Dan Motl (Burnsville, Minn.), Dalton Sawyer (Waconia, Minn.), Connor Schaefbauer (Sioux Falls, S.D.), Matt Stemper (Burnsville, Minn.) and Troy Traxler (La Crescent, Minn.) have all signed National Letters of Intent. The group will join the Gopher baseball program in the fall of 2012.

FORMER BUCK BARMES SIGNS WITH BUCS

From the Waterloo Bucs
Pittsburgh, PA - Former Waterloo Bucks infielder Clint Barmes signed a free agent deal with the Pittsburgh Pirates on Monday. Barmes(pronounced BAR-mus), who played with Waterloo in 1999 and 2000, signed a two-year deal worth $10.5 million, making the 32-year-old middle infielder currently Pittsburgh's highest-paid player going into next year.

Top Speed Returns Team Leading Slugger

From Press Release
Top Speed is happy to announce Kevin Paulsen will return for the 2012 summer season. A sophomore outfielder at Niagara University, Paulsen played in 50 games for Top Speed. During the season, Paulsen led the team in hitting with a .427 Batting Average in 143 At-Bats. Paulsen also led the the team with 4 Homeruns, slugging percentage of .580 and also stole 14 bases. “Kevin is a tremendous hitter with great speed and he adds an outstanding bat to the middle of our line up,” Top Speed Coach Switala said. “Kevin was our best hitter last year, so we are happy to resign him for the summer of 2012.”

Orchard to Return for 4th Season

From the NWL
The Mankato MoonDogs announced that Field Manager Mike Orchard (Central Arizona) will return to the MoonDogs for his fourth season in the summer of 2012. Orchard has been a mainstay at the helm of the MoonDogs for the last three seasons after stops in the Arizona Collegiate League, the Cape Cod League and two stops in the Northwoods League as an assistant coach.

2011 Top Performer----Mike Rivera

Mike Rivera
Alaska Goldpanners of the Alaska Baseball League
Fresno Pacific University
Junior
Pitcher/Catcher

Titans Re-Sign Plourde

From the FCBL
Torrington, Ct: The Torrington Titans, are proud to announce the re-signing of Waterbury, Ct native Ryan Plourde (Fairfield University) for the 2012 season. Plourde resides in Waterbury, Ct. He was a 2010 graduate of Holy Cross School where he earned a three-time All-City and two-time All-NVL team .

Baseball in Pittsfield: Goldklang Group plans next moves

From the Berkshire Eagle
PITTSFIELD -- Less than 12 hours after his plan for baseball in Pittsfield took the next step to becoming a reality, Jeff Goldklang was back at work Wednesday morning.

He's got a lot of work to do in a short amount of time.

Hall of Fame inductees’ plaques unveiled in private ceremony

From the Cape Cod League
HYANNIS, Mass. – Before a gathering of inductees, presenters, family, friends and committee members, eight new Cape Cod Baseball League Hall of Fame permanent plaques were unveiled in a private ceremony Friday night inside the baseball exhibit at the John F. Kennedy Hyannis Museum.

Knights sign Clardy to 10-day contract

From The Corvallis Knights
The Corvallis Knights of the West Coast League have signed freshman infielder/outfielder Caylen Clardy of the College of Siskyous to a 10-day contract, coach Brooke Knight announced Tuesday.

Lamarre Rey Re-Signs with Silver Knights

From the Silver Knights
Lamarre Rey re-signs with the Nashua Silver Knights for the 2012 season. Lamarre resides in Lynn, Mass. He was a 2009 graduate of Pingree Prep School where he earned All Scholastic Honors from the Boston Globe. He is currently a business major at Bentley University and a pitcher/infielder for their baseball team.

Four Questions With Alec Mills

Alec Mills is a tall (6-4) Junior pitcher from the University of Tennessee at Martin. He spent this past summer pitching for the Brazos Valley Bombers of the Texas Collegiate League. He turned in a great summer season and was a very effective pitcher. He went 4-3 and led the league with a 1.98 era in 59 innings pitched. He also struck out 55 batters this summer.  He was also named to participate in the All-Star Game. Baseball America ranked Alec as the fifth best prospect in the league, while Perfect Game ranked him as the eleventh best in the league.

Quick Look At A Few Mudcats 2012 Players

I've been given a preliminary list of a few players that will be playing for the Chillicothe Mudcats (MINK League) this coming summer.  Enjoy!

Top Speed Inks Left Handed Starting Pitcher from LIU

From Top Speed Baseball
LHP Chance Fugilstahler from Long Island University has signed to play for Top Speed for the summer of 2012. Chance a 6’0, 160-pound Freshmen is a versatile LHP with a four pitch mix. He will see significant innings for LIU as both a starter and coming out of the bullpen as a true freshmen. “Chance competes at a very high level and will give us another quality left handed starter for our rotation,” says Top Speed Head Coach Switala. “I hear Chance is very tough on left handed hitters and has a good lefty fastball that tops out in the upper 80′s.”

Hamptons Collegiate Baseball Adds Team In Center Moriches

From the Hamptons Collegiate Baseball League and the ACBL
On Friday, November 18, the Center Moriches Battlecats officially became the sixth member of Hamptons Collegiate Baseball (HCB), further bolstering one of the country’s premier summer baseball organizations.

“Hamptons Collegiate Baseball Is thrilled to bring in the Battlecats for the upcoming summer,” said HCB President Brett Mauser. “Center Moriches is a terrific baseball community, and we look forward to showcasing some of the country’s top collegiate talent at Paul Gibson Field.”

Dirt Dawgs Unveil Official Logo

From the FCBL
The Wachusett Dirt Dawgs are happy to present their brand new logo. The logo, designed by Kettle Corn Studios in Bolton, Mass., will provide the team with a distinctive look for branding and promotion in preparation for the team's inaugural season in 2012.

2011 Top Performer---Zach Botjer

Zach Botjer
Southern Ohio Copperheads of the Great Lakes Summer Collegiate League
Ashland University
Senior
Pitcher

U.S. Military All-Stars Highlights Grizzlies 2012 Schedule

From the CPL
The defending Coastal Plain League champion Gastonia Grizzlies (photo courtesy of Encaptured & Co.) announced today the release of their 2012 schedule. The schedule is highlighted by the June 23rd game against the U.S. Military All Stars.

OWEN CANFIELD: Local summer baseball can't get here fast enough

From the Register Citizen
The timing was right last Wednesday when Chris Carminucci and Sandor Stotland spoke at a meeting of the Torrington Club at the Yankee Pedlar Inn on Torrington’s Main Street.

With the harsh October power-robbing snow storm was behind us — but still reminding us that winter is on the way — it was good to be able to think and talk about warm nights and baseball in our town. And to look ahead to next summer and the ball club, the Titans, the team Carminucci owns and Sandor serves as first-year general manager.

Three NECBL Pitchers Added to 40-Man MLB Rosters

From Don Leypoldt
Three former NECBL pitchers were added to Major League Baseball 40-man rosters this morning. The Colorado Rockies added lefty Christian Friedrich. The newly christened Miami Marlins called up righty Tom Koehler while the Chicago Cubs selected southpaw Jeff Beliveau.

Adding the players to the 40-man roster protects them from the Major League Rule 5 Draft, which will be held December 8th.

Former Generals Experiencing Success in Minor Leagues

From the Victoria Generals
November 17, 2011 – The Victoria Generals of the Texas Collegiate League have seen 11 of their former players drafted by Major League Baseball teams over the course of the last two years. Several of those players have signed professional contracts and are quickly climbing through the ranks of the minor league system.

Mendenhall and Brackenridge Re-Sign with Walla Walla

From the Walla Walla Sweets
WALLA WALLA, Wash. – The Walla Walla Sweets continue to build their roster for the 2012 season of West Coast League baseball. Two more members of the 2011 WCL East Division Championship team, outfielder Andrew Mendenhall and infielder Kalani Brackenridge, will return to Walla Walla this summer.

Redding Colt .45's Sign Several For 2012

The Redding Colt .45's of the Far West League have signed several players for the 2012 summer season.

The following is from the Colt .45's

Redding Colt .45's Sign University of Pacific SS Curtis Gomez. Curtis is a 5'9/165 R/R sophomore out of Watsonville, CA. Gomez played last summer for the Palm Springs Power.

Stingers sign three infielders, catcher for 2012 season

From the Willmar Stingers
(Willmar, MN) – Fans of the Northwoods League have been treated to seeing some of the top talent play middle infield over the past two seasons for the Willmar Stingers. This coming year the organization hopes its latest players who signed this week will follow in same footsteps as former Stingers standouts such as; Jason Leblebijian, Rob Elliot, Carter Bell and Carlos Leyva.

Clemens Field: Moving forward with plans for the future

From ConnectTristates.com
HANNIBAL, MO. -- While legal matters continue with the Hannibal Cavemen, new ownership moves forward with plans for the future.

This new scoreboard and message center will welcome fans next season.

Other new amenities include a new press box and music center, fans in the grandstand, and a pitch speed board.

Editorial: Home run

From the Shelter Island Register
The pitch that three officials of Hamptons Collegiate Baseball threw the Shelter Island School Board Monday night was juicy and tempting — a meatball right up the middle. If the board had been in a swinging mood, it could have knocked it right out of the library. Instead the board, biding its time, took the strike — but the feeling is there: Something good is going to happen here.

Chuck Stark: BlueJackets lose an owner, but plow ahead

From the Kitsap Sun
BREMERTON — Bill Anderson and his wife, Virginia, got involved with the Kitsap BlueJackets as a host family when the summer college baseball team was formed seven years ago.

Corvallis Knights sign UC Irvine infielder Chris Rabago

From the Corvallis Knights
The Corvallis Knights of the West Coast League have signed freshman infielder/catcher Chris Rabago of UC Irvine for the 2012 season, general manager/coach Brooke Knight announced Thursday.

2011 Top Performer---Bryan Abrey

Bryan Abrey
Medicine Hat Mavericks of the Western Major Baseball League
Lewis-Clark State State College
Senior
Outfielder

Four Questions With Preston Lyon

Preston Lyon is a Senior infielder from Pfeiffer University. He is from Gastonia, NC and he spent this summer playing for the Martinsville Mustangs of the Coastal Plain League. He hit .348 in 92 at-bats this summer. He scored 15 runs, drove in 19 and was tied for the team lead with 12 doubles.

Thomas Named Pitching Coach for 2012

From the Butler BlueSox
Former Slippery Rock University pitcher Justin Thomas will join the BlueSox staff for 2012. Thomas will take on responsibilities as the BlueSox pitching coach and assist manager Anthony Rebyanski with all efforts of the pitching staff.

The Ambridge High School graduate attended Austin Community College in 2005-06 prior to joining the Rock’s pitching staff. While at Slippery Rock, Thomas finished his career with earned run average of 4.50 while appearing out of the bullpen in 44 games. He finished with 72 innings logged and accumulated two saves, gave up 80 hits while striking out 64 batters.

Baseball groups make pitch to city

From the Berkshire Eagle
The Pittsfield Parks Commission will choose between proposals involving the NECBL and Futures Collegiate Baseball League.

PITTSFIELD -- Two prospective ownership groups for baseball teams in Pittsfield made their final presentations to the Pittsfield Parks Commission on Tuesday night, and a decision on which group will bring its team to Wahconah Park this summer is expected next week.

CPL Alum, Verlander, Unanimously Named AL Cy Young Winner

From the CPL
Coastal Plain League alum and Detroit Tigers ace Justin Verlander (photo courtesy of Mark Cunningham/Detroit Tigers) was unanimously honored by Major League Baseball today as the 2011 American League Cy Young winner.

Winner of the league’s pitching Triple Crown with a 24-5 record, 2.40 ERA, and 250 strikeouts on the regular season, Verlander received all 28 first-place votes from members of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America.

Oilers name Stevens head coach, Clark as GM

From the Peninsula Clarion
Peninsula Clarion

The Peninsula Oilers will have a new head coach and general manager for the 2012 season, the team announced Monday.