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Y-D Charge

Tyler Houston and Y-D vaulted into a third-place tie in the East with Friday's win.
Tyler Houston and Y-D vaulted into a third-place tie in the East with Friday’s win.

 
J.J. Schwarz (Florida) singled in his long-awaited Cape League debut and that was just the start of a good night for the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox in Harwich. Three pitchers combined on a one-hit shutout as the Red Sox topped first-place Harwich 3-0 and vaulted into a tie for third place in the East.

Schwarz has been a big name in college baseball and prospecting circles since he burst onto the scene as a freshman at Florida last year by hitting .332 with 18 home runs. He didn’t have quite as much success this year but remains near the top of every early 2017 draft preview you’ll see.

Last summer Schwarz was on Y-D’s roster but ended up with Team USA. This year, after Florida’s loss in Omaha, he’s in town and immediately becomes a must-see attraction for scouts. Friday, he singled to lead off the second inning in his first Cape League at-bat and finished 1-for-3.

The bigger story for the Red Sox in terms of impact on Friday’s game was the pitching. Erich Uelmen (Cal Poly) allowed one hit in six shutout innings and struck out four. Coming off a spring in which he had a 3.68 ERA, Uelmen has delivered two scoreless outings in his two Cape starts, having gone five shutout innings his last time out.

Nathan Kuchta (San Diego) followed Uelmen to the hill and pitched a quick seventh inning. Calvin Faucher (UC Irvine) then notched his first save in emphatic fashion, striking out five of the six batters he faced in two perfect innings.

Harwich, as usual, had good pitching of its own, but a Y-D run in the fifth and two in the sixth provided the difference against starter Hunter Williams (North Carolina). Deon Stafford (St. Joseph’s) reached on an error and came around on a passed ball in the fifth. Dillon Persinger (Cal State Fullerton) doubled and Kevin Smith (Maryland) had an RBI to key the sixth inning rally.

Y-D has won two in a row and is 9-9 on the year, hitting the .500 mark for the first time. The Red Sox started the season with five straight losses.

 

Falmouth 5, Bourne 1

Falmouth topped Bourne for its second straight win and moved within one point of the Braves for first place in the West. Willie Burger (Penn State) homered and had two RBI to lead the Commodore offense. Trevor Larnach (Oregon State) and Bryce Johnson (Sam Houston State) added two hits each. Brady Puckett (Lipscomb) surrendered one run in five innings for his third win of the season and his third consecutive start allowing one run or less. Three relievers combined for four scoreless frames. Bourne got two hits from Mississippi State teammates Jake Mangum and Elih Marrero. Falmouth was without leadoff man and top hitter Kevin Merrell (South Florida), who is apparently injured and has been released, according to the league’s transactions page.

Hyannis 10, Chatham 0

The Harbor Hawks jumped to a 5-0 lead in the first inning and cruised past Chatham at Veterans Field. Zach Rutherford (Old Dominion), Carl Stajduhar (New Mexico) and Brett Netzer (Charlotte) led the early burst. Rutherford would finish 2-for-3 with a home run, three runs scored and two RBI, while Netzer drove in three. Chris Hudgins (Cal State Fullerton) and Kameron Esthay (Baylor) also homered. Eight different Harbor Hawks had hits and six of those hits went for extra bases. Much of the offense came against Chatham’s Jacob Stevens (Boston College), who had tossed five shutout innings in his previous start. Alex Eubanks (Clemson) was the beneficiary of the offense and tossed six shutout innings for a second consecutive start. Tyler Stevens (New Mexico) and Garrett Cave (Florida International) finished off the win.

Orleans 7, Brewster 2

The Firebirds broke a 1-1 tie with two runs in the sixth and tacked on two more in each of the seventh and eighth innings to pull away. The win allowed Orleans to take over second place in the East at 10-8, as Brewster fell to 9-9. Ethan Paul (Vanderbilt) and Drew Lugbauer (Michigan) had two hits and two RBI apiece. Riley Mahan (Kentucky) added two hits and Justin Jones (Georgia State) scored three runs. John O’Reilly (Rutgers) picked up the win in relief and three of his bullpen mates combined for three scoreless innings to finish it off. For Brewster, Matt Davis (VCU), Brent Rooker (Mississippi State) and Ryan Gridley (Mississippi State) all had two hits. Davis hit his league-best sixth home run. Rooker is now hitting .400.

Cotuit 7, Wareham 6

Cotuit got on its first win streak of the season, beating Wareham for a second consecutive victory. Jackson Klein (Stanford) went 4-for-5 with three RBI and homered for the second straight game. Recent arrival Jason Delay (Vanderbilt) – a former Orleans Firebird who was picked in the 11th round of last month’s draft by the Giants – went 3-for-4 with two runs scored. Cal Stevenson (Arizona) and Patrick Dorrian (Herkimer) added two hits each, with Dorrian hitting his first home run of the summer. Taylor Lehman (Penn State) was credited the win in relief after surrendering one run in 3.1 innings. Wareham rallied within a run in the ninth on a three-run homer by Colton Shaver (BYU) – his fifth of the year – but Alec Byrd (Florida State) struck out Gavin Sheets (Wake Forest) to end the game.

What to Watch

Falmouth and Y-D will both try to make it three wins in a row when they square off in Falmouth at 6 p.m. Oliver Jaskie (Michigan) makes his first start for Y-D. For Falmouth, Florida’s Brady Singer – the highest unsigned high school pick in the 2015 draft (second round by the Blue Jays) – will make his Cape League debut.
 

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Meat of the Order

Colton Shaver hit a three-run homer in Sunday's win and leads the league in RBI.
Colton Shaver hit a three-run homer in Sunday’s win and leads the league in RBI.

 
With only two teams left in the College World Series, Cape Cod Baseball League rosters are getting more solidified by the day. So too are batting orders and lineups, and the Wareham Gatemen appear to have come out of the early-season tinkering process with something special.

In the last two games, the Gatemen have trotted out as their 3-4-5 hitters Alex Destino (South Carolina), Colton Shaver (BYU) and Gavin Sheets (Wake Forest). All three had big sophomore seasons at their respective schools. Combined, they batted .327 with 29 home runs.

And now that they’re actually combined, they’re doing some damage.

Destino, Shaver and Sheets combined for seven of Wareham’s 13 hits Friday and drove in eight runs as the Gatemen won a 9-8 slugfest over Brewster. The day before, they delivered four hits and three RBI in a victory over Hyannis.

Wareham is now 8-6-1, good for second place in the West and the third-best record in the league.

The Whitecaps not been an easy team to out-slug this season – they lead the league in runs scored, home runs and extra-base hits – but Wareham did it after falling behind 3-0. The Gatemen exploded for six runs in the fifth inning and tacked on a few more down the stretch to hold Brewster off.

After base hits by Jonathan Engelmann (Michigan) and Joey Bartosic (George Washington), the Gatemen got on the board with an RBI single by Cole Freeman (LSU). Then it was the meat of the order’s turn. Destino plated a run with a single, leaving two men on for Shaver. The BYU standout smacked a three-run homer to put his team in front. One pitch later, Sheets made it back-to-back home runs with one of his own.

Sheets added an RBI double to score Destino in the seventh, and Destino delivered a two-run double in the eighth, which ended up providing the one-run winning margin.

Robert Garcia (UC Davis) was credited with the win in relief and Jake Walters (Alabama) notched his first save.

Destino, Shaver and Sheets finished 7-for-13 with four runs scored and the eight RBI. Destino – the latest arrival among the three – is now hitting .480 with four multi-hit games in six starts. Shaver is at .289 with three homers and leads the league in RBI with 15. Sheets is batting .327 with two homers and 12 RBI.

 

Hyannis 9, Chatham 2

Hyannis had its best offensive day of the season and paired it with a strong starting pitching performance in a victory over Chatham. The Harbor Hawks’ previous season-high in runs was five. With 13 hits, seven extra-base hits and a pair of home runs, they nearly doubled it. Carl Stajduhar (New Mexico) went deep for the second time this season and Dylan Busby (Florida State) hit his first homer in his third game with the Hawks. Jordan Rodgers (Tennessee) added three hits and two RBI. The offense was plenty for John Gavin (Cal State Fullerton), who had an ERA of 11.25 after three tough relief outings but shined in his first start. He allowed just two hits in 6.1 scoreless innings, striking out six. Chatham got two runs off the bullpen but nothing else.

Bourne 4, Orleans 2

The Braves kept a hold on first place in the West and sent Orleans to its fourth straight loss. Connor Wong (Houston) hit his second home run and his fifth double while driving in a pair of runs to lead the Braves. Justin Yurchak (Binghamton) and Jeremy Eierman (Missouri State) added two hits apiece. Five Braves pitchers took the hill, with no one going more than 3.1 innings. Brendon Little (North Carolina) struck out six of the seven batters he faced and earned the win with 2.1 scoreless innings out of the bullpen. Chad Luensmann (Nebraska) picked up a save. Orleans got a home run from Adam Haseley (Virginia), his second.

Y-D 5, Harwich 1

Y-D topped first-place Harwich for its seventh win in its last 10 games and moved out of the basement in the East. The Red Sox and Orleans are now tied for fourth in the division. The Mariners started two-time CCBL Pitcher of the Week Shane McCarthy (Seton Hall), who had yet to allow a run this season. He gave up three in the early going this time and once he settled in, the Red Sox were in front. Matthew Whatley (Oral Roberts) hit a two-run home run in the first inning and Will Toffey (Vanderbilt) had an RBI single in the second as Y-D jumped to a 3-1 lead. A Brendan Skidmore (Binghamton) home run and a Mikey Diekroeger (Stanford) RBI doubled added some insurance. Mitch Hart (USC) out-dueled McCarthy, allowing one run on five hits and striking out five in seven innings. Bryan Pall (Michigan) pitched two scoreless frames for the save.

Falmouth 3, Cotuit 2

The Kettleers have pitched significantly better the last three games, but the improvement has only yielded one win. Falmouth rallied from a 1-0 deficit in the middle innings Sunday and held on for a one-run victory. Michael Gigliotti (Lipscomb) and Tyler Lawrence (Murray State) knocked in runs for the Commodores, who scored three despite only two hits. Jeffrey Passantino (Lipscomb) allowed just an unearned run on two hits in six innings for the win. Seth Elledge (Dallas Baptist) earned the save. Colton Hock (Stanford) went five strong innings for Cotuit and Alec Byrd (Florida State) tossed 2.1 scoreless innings out of the bullpen.

What to Watch

Off-day around the league today. Tuesday, Harwich sends league ERA leader B.J. Myers (West Virginia) to the hill for a battle between first place and second place in the East against Brewster.
 

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So far, yet so close

Max Burt scored what proved to be the winning run for Harwich in the 11th inning.
Max Burt scored what proved to be the winning run for Harwich in the 11th inning.

 
They are near opposites. Harwich is 6-1, Hyannis 0-7. The Mariners have scored 40 runs and allowed 13. The Harbor Hawks have scored 13 and allowed 40.

But there was little separating the two in an 11-inning classic Friday night at McKeon Park.

They played scoreless inning after scoreless inning, and though Harwich had more chances, the teams got all the way to the 11th without a run going on the board. The Mariners eventually broke through in the top of the 11th.

For Harwich, it was an impressive win that showcased the pitching that has defined the team’s hot start. Do a little math on those 13 runs allowed in seven games and you see how good Mariner hurlers have been.

For Hyannis, it had to have been a frustrating night in a frustrating start. The Harbor Hawks didn’t blink against a team that’s had a lot more early success than them but ended up with the same result that they’ve found every time out.

Both starting pitchers went five strong innings. Hunter Williams (North Carolina) allowed two hits and struck out five. Mac Sceroler (SE Louisiana) – a 36th-round pick of the Phillies in last week’s draft – struck out six and scattered six hits in his five scoreless frames.

Spencer Stockton (Jacksonville), Teddy Rodliff (Stony Brook) and Zach Schellenger (Seton Hall) combined for six innings of three-hit baseball. Al Pesto (Duke) went two scoreless innings for Hyannis and Tyler Stevens (New Mexico) was into his fourth inning when Harwich struck.

Having stranded 12 runners to that point, the Mariners got a single from Max Burt (Northeastern). A sac bunt and a groundout sent him to third. Ernie Clement (Virginia) then smacked an 0-1 pitch for a base hit to score the game’s first – and only – run.

Schellenger came on for the bottom of the 11th, having tossed two perfect innings so far this summer. He gave up his first hit this time – a one-out double by Zach Rutherford (Old Dominion) – but struck out cleanup man Carl Stajduhar (New Mexico) and No. 5 hitter Jordan Rodgers (Tennessee) to end the game.

Schellenger has now struck out seven in three innings of work and leads the league with three saves. Tyler Kirkpatrick (Marist) and Nick Dalesandro (Purdue) had three hits each for the Mariners. UNC-Wilmington star Nick Feight made his debut and went 0-for-5.

Hyannis got two hits from Rutherford.
 

Brewster 4, Chatham 2

There was also an extra frame in Chatham, where Brewster topped the host Anglers thanks to a pair of runs in the 10th. Ryan Noda (Cincinnati) drew a bases-loaded walk for the go-ahead run and Ryan Gridley (Mississippi State) delivered a sacrifice fly to make it 4-2. And Chatham likely didn’t feel too confident at that point. Brewster reliever Zac Lowther (Xavier) – the Friday starter for a regional squad – came on with one out in the seventh inning and struck out the first two batters he faced. Then he struck out two more in the eighth. When the dust settled and Lowther pitched a scoreless 10th to finish off the win, he had struck out nine of the 12 batters he faced in 3.2 one-hit, shutout innings. Quite a Cape League debut for Lowther, who ranks eighth in the league in strikeouts – after 3.2 innings. For Chatham, J.B. Bukauskas (North Carolina) struck out nine in five innings.

Wareham 6, Falmouth 5

The Gatemen held off a late push and stopped Falmouth’s four-game win streak with a 6-5 win at Spillane Field. K.J. Harrison (Oregon State) had two hits and an RBI to lead the Wareham offense. Joey Bartosic (George Washington) and Preston Grand Pre (California) each drove in a run and scored a run. Starter Jake Walters (Alabama) allowed one run in four innings. Cole Stapler (Nicholls State) got the win in relief, striking out six in three innings. Nick Sprengel (San Diego) gave up two runs in the top of the ninth but got out of a bases-loaded jam with the lead intact. Willie Burger (Penn State) led Falmouth with two hits and an RBI. Both teams are now 5-2.

Bourne 9, Orleans 5

The Braves raced to an 8-0 lead in the first two innings and stayed in front throughout as they improved to 6-1. They’ve also scored the most runs in the league with 49 in seven games. Connor McVey (Cincinnati) and Evan Mendoza (NC State) had two-run doubles to lead the charge in the first inning. McVey, Justin Yurchak (Binghamton) and David MacKinnon (Hartford) all had RBI in the four-run second inning. On the night, McVey and Yurchak finished with three hits each. Willy Yahn (Connecticut) and Connor Wong (Houston) had two apiece. Keith Weisenberg (Stanford) earned the win in relief for the Braves. James Ziemba (Duke) and Conner O’Neil (Cal State Northridge) combined for 3.2 scoreless innings after Weisenberg departed. Zach Kirtley (St. Mary’s) was a bright spot for Orleans with a grand slam in the third inning.

Y-D 3, Cotuit 2

Fresh off its first victory, Y-D made it two in a row in dramatic fashion. With the game tied 2-2 in the bottom of the ninth, Matthew Whatley (Oral Roberts) drew a one-out walk, took second on a wild pitch and scored the winning run on a walk-off single by Brendan Skidmore (Binghamton). Y-D, 0-5 just two days ago, is now 2-5 and only one game out of fourth place in the East. Cotuit fell to 1-6. The late heroics were part of a big day for Skidmore, who went 3-for-5 with a home run and drove in all three Y-D runs. Nolan Brown (TCU) – whose college team is in Omaha in a redshirt year for him – also had three hits for the Red Sox. Nathan Kuchta (San Diego) got the relief win for the Red Sox after Will Gaddis (Furman) allowed just an unearned run in seven innings. For Cotuit, Hagen Owenby (East Tennessee State) and Jordan Pearce (Nevada) knocked in runs.

What to Watch

Update: Apologies – was looking at the Sunday schedule somehow, so no Cotuit-Hyannis tonight.

 

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Shut down

Zach Schellenger, pictured last summer, struck out four batters in one inning in his 2016 debut as Harwich shut out Falmouth.
Zach Schellenger, pictured last summer, struck out four batters in one inning in his 2016 debut as Harwich shut out Falmouth.

 
The first shutouts of the 2016 Cape League season were authored by a pair of teams that stayed perfect in the process.

Three Wareham pitchers combined to hold down Cotuit in an 8-0 win Sunday while three Harwich pitchers did the same against Falmouth in a 3-0 win. The Gatemen improved to 2-0, while Harwich is the only 3-0 team in the league.

The Gatemen shutout was the more impressive of the two. Cotuit got an infield single from Jake Bivens (Michigan) in the second inning and literally nothing else. Bivens was caught stealing and Wareham pitchers retired 23 in a row from there – no hits, no walks, no errors. And because Bivens was caught stealing, Gatemen pitchers faced the minimum for the full nine innings.

Jake Walters (Alabama), the best starter for the Crimson Tide this spring, went three innings with a strikeout. Reliever Cole Stapler (Nicholls State) fanned three in five perfect innings and Nick Sprengel (San Diego) tossed a perfect ninth to finish it off.

Wareham’s hitters provided plenty of backing, with Colton Shaver (BYU) leading the way. Coming off a big spring, he homered for the second time in as many games and went 4-for-4 with four RBI. Joey Bartosic (George Washington) knocked in two and Trevor Ezell (Southeast Missouri State) had three hits and two runs scored.

Cotuit’s Matt Ladrech (California) allowed only one earned run in six innings, but the Gatemen tallied two unearned then broke the game open with four runs against the Kettleer bullpen.

Over in Falmouth, Harwich pitchers scattered seven hits but didn’t let a runner come home. Shane McCarthy (Seton Hall) went six innings and struck out five. Teddy Rodliff (Stony Brook) struck out three in two innings, and Zach Schellenger (Seton Hall) out-did even his big K-rate from the spring by fanning four in one inning (the first batter of the ninth reached on a dropped third strike).

Harwich had only four hits, but three unearned runs in the sixth inning were plenty. Trey Harris (Missouri) had an RBI single and two other runs scored on an error.
 

Bourne 5, Hyannis 4

The Braves have had a flair for the dramatic so far this season. After a walk-off win on opening night, they edged Hyannis with a run in the top of the 10th Sunday. Toby Handley (Stony Brook) had an RBI single to plate the 10th-inning go-ahead run and Conner O’Neil (Cal State Northridge) pitched around a double in the bottom half to close out the win. Handley was one of four Braves to notch a multi-hit game. Conner McVey (Cincinnati) went 3-for-5 with an RBI while Willy Yahn (Connecticut) and Connor Wong (Houston) had two hits apiece. Starter A.J. Moore (Kennesaw State) struck out seven in five innings for Bourne. Hyannis was let by Carl Stajduhar (New Mexico). The Mountain West Conference Player of the Year went 2-for-4 with three RBI and his first Cape home run. The blast tied the game in the eighth. Bourne improved to 2-0. Hyannis is 0-3.

Chatham 3, Orleans 2

The Anglers broke a 1-1 tie with two runs in the eighth and held off Orleans in the ninth for a 3-2 win at Veterans Field. Patrick Mathis (Texas) delivered the big hit in the eighth, a two-run triple that snapped the tie. Orleans loaded the bases with nobody out in the ninth, but Chatham sacrificed a run for a double play then got a groundout to end the game. Isaac Mattson (Pittsburgh) was credited with the win in relief and Michael Fitzgerald (Northeastern) the save. Joseph Freiday (Virginia Tech) had the other RBI for the Anglers. Chris Triano (Keystone College) led Orleans with three hits. Both teams are 1-1.

Brewster 11, Y-D 6

The Whitecaps scored all their runs in the first five innings and coasted to their first victory of the season. Ryan Noda (Cincinnati) – who hit three home runs for Y-D last summer – hurt his former team with his second blast of the 2016 campaign. Logan Warmoth (North Carolina) added two hits and three RBI, while Nick Dunn (Maryland) had two hits and three runs scored. Aaron Soto (Tennessee) surrendered three earned runs in five innings for the win. Y-D was led by Atlantic 10 Player of the Year Deon Stafford (St. Joseph’s), who hit a three-run homer in the sixth inning.

What to Watch

A full slate of games is on tap for your Monday. Harwich will try to go to 4-0 as it hosts Y-D at Whitehouse Field, with West Virginia’s B.J. Myers on the hill.
 

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Harbor Hawks look for an encore

HYA
 
Hyannis lost a heartbreaker to Y-D in the Cape League championship series last year, but it was still one of the best summers McKeon Park has ever seen. Replicating that kind of success is never easy, but the Harbor Hawks again have a lot of offensive potential.

Five to Watch

1. Carl Stajduhar
2. Trey Truitt
3. Devin Smeltzer
4. Taylor Walls
5. Dylan Busby

Notable

  • New Mexico won the Mountain West Conference title and is in regionals now. Whenever it ends, the Lobos will send a trio of players to Hyannis. Carl Stajduhard has had the best season of the three. He earned conference player of the year honors with great overall numbers – .348, 18 HR – and was unstoppable in conference play with a .421 batting average, nine homers and 39 RBI.

  • Tristan Hildebrandt ended up as a key late addition for Hyannis last summer but couldn’t build on his success with Cal State Fullerton this spring, finishing the regular season hitting under .200. A return to McKeon Park will offer a chance for a jumpstart.

  • The other returning Harbor Hawk is Devin Smeltzer, who wasn’t on the team’s initial roster but is there now. Smeltzer had an up-and-down summer last year, but the ups included a no-hitter of Harwich. Smeltzer transferred from Florida Gulf Coast to junior college power San Jacinto and had a terrific sophomore season. As a juco player, he will be eligible for the draft.

  • Minnesota has sent some pretty good pitchers to Hyannis over the years and Lucas Gilbreath is next in line. He’s been terrific out of the bullpen this year, striking out better than a batter per inning.

  • Florida State is hitting .295 as a team this season and two guys who had a big hand in the success are bound for Hyannis. Dylan Busby and Taylor Walls are both hitting over .300, with Busby leading the team in home runs.

  • Rice seems to churn out infielders and Ford Proctor is next in line. The freshman is starting at shortstop and batting third for the Owls as they head to regionals.

  • Outfielder has a breakout sophomore season then stars on the Cape. Sound familiar? Kyle Lewis’ outfield mate, Trey Truitt, is halfway to a similar path. He hit .354 with 17 home runs and might have been Southern Conference Player of the Year if not for Lewis’ presence.

    • PITCHERS

    Trysten Barlow – FR – Mississippi State – Part of a big class of pitching newcomers in Starkville has not seen any action this year
    Charlie Barnes – SO – Clemson – Busy reliever moved into rotation this year and has 4.49 ERA, team-best 78 Ks
    Garrett Cave – SO – Florida International – Pitched as starter and reliever and posted 4.67 ERA with 42 Ks
    John Gavin – SO – Cal State Fullerton – Not a huge strikeout guy but has 2.16 ERA in Titans’ weekend rotation
    Lucas Gilbreath – SO – Minnesota – Following up good summer in Northwoods with dominant year in pen – 1.35 ERA, 41 Ks
    Andrew Gonzalez – SO – Michigan State – Put up solid numbers in swing role, with 2.84 ERA in nine starts, eight relief apps
    James Harrington – SO – New Mexico – ERA over six while pitching mostly as a mid-week starter for Lobos
    Daniel Johnson – SO – Charleston Southern – Weekend starter had 5.82 ERA, 41 Ks
    Justin Lewis – SO – Kentucky – Notched four saves with 2.08 ERA as Wildcats reliever
    Al Pesto – FR – Duke – Freshman has been valuable part of Blue Devil bullpen with 1.83 ERA in 15 appearances
    Ricky Salinas – SO – Rice – Solid weekend starter with 3.62 ERA, 60 Ks
    Mac Sceroler – SO – SE Louisiana – Top starter for regional-bound Lions with 2.18 ERA, 92 Ks
    Devin Smeltzer – SO – San Jacinto – After no-hitter in CCBL last summer, dominant for JUCO powerhouse – 1.20 ERA, 108 Ks
    Tyler Stevens – SO – New Mexico – Solid starter in weekend rotation with 4.34 ERA, 71 Ks

    CATCHERS

    Chris Cullen – FR – South Carolina – 38th-round pick last year hitting .252, 11 2Bs in part-time gig for Gamecocks
    Chris Hudgins – SO – Cal State Fullerton – Splitting time behind plate and hitting .231 with three home runs for Titans

    INFIELDERS

    Dylan Busby – SO – Florida State – Leading Seminoles with 12 HRs, 47 RBI in breakout sophomore season
    Cody Henry – SO – Alabama – Batted .223 with team-best 16 doubles for Crimson Tide
    Tristan Hildebrandt – SO – Cal State Fullerton – Returning Hawk has had tough sophomore year with .168 average
    Ford Proctor – FR – Rice – Texas high school star having big debut – .343, 3 HRs, team-best in extra-base hits and RBI
    Zach Rutherford – SO – Old Dominion – Freshman All-American picked up where he left off this year with team-best .311 AVG, 12 SB
    Carl Stajduhar – SO – New Mexico – MWC Player of the Year in midst of huge season for champ Lobos – .348, 18 HR, 66 RBI
    Taylor Walls – SO – Florida State – Started every game as a frosh last year and has starred this year with .357 AVG, 6 HR, 14 SB
    Peter Zyla – SO – Duke – Batting .253 for regional participant Blue Devils

    OUTFIELDERS

    Treg Haberkorn – SO – Cincinnati – Solid sophomore year included .264 AVG, 3 home runs, 13 stolen bases
    Jack Schaaf – SO – Florida International – Batted .275 with three home runs as a sophomore after similar freshman season
    Trey Truitt – SO – Mercer – Starred alongside CCBL ’15 standout Kyle Lewis with .335 AVG, 17 HR, 54 RBI
    Drew Wharton – SO – Clemson – Hitting .154 in limited action for Tigers