Mar

8

Where are HBCUs on top Summer Rosters?

Posted by Greg | Filed Under News | 5 Comments

Baseball America’s John Manuel writes in the latest print edition about the state of baseball programs at America’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). One of those universities, Southern, produced the number two draft pick overall, Rickie Weeks, of the Brewers.

Manuel, BA’s editor-in-chief, makes the case for HBCUs to prioritize baseball programs just as they do basketball and football. (Of course all of this is secondary to academics.) But I believe there is also a case to be made that summer collegiate leagues like the Cape Cod Baseball League and my own West Coast League also need to prioritize recruiting at HBCUs.

If the lure of an NFL or NBA contract motivates players at any college, so does an MLB contract. And we all know that appearances on the Cape can increase the likelihood of an MLB contract. So does an elite summer league like the Cape have an extra responsibility to reach out to HBCUs in recruiting? I believe so.

Over the years since we started CodBall I have written about the issue of diversity in the major leagues and the summer college leagues.

I don’t find any record of players from HBCUs on Cape rosters — this season or ever.  There may very well be Cape Leaguers from HBCUs but I can’t find any record so perhaps someone can set me straight.

Here’s an idea. Why doesn’t one of the Cape teams invite Xavier Macklin (pictured) to play the 2010 season? Manuel calls him out as a kid who hit .364 with 12 homers and 14 steals in 2009.

“He’s got unbelieveable bat speed, but he’s still so raw. He has a chance to be pretty good but he has a lot of developing to do,” according to his coach.

Isn’t that precisely the role for the Cape and other summer leagues?

Feb

28

Fresno State’s new, old Cape Leaguers @ UW

Posted by Greg | Filed Under News | Leave a Comment

While most of the sports world tuned into USA-Canada hockey this afternoon, I took in some rare spring sunshine and my first college baseball game of the 2010 campaign.

My first game of the year was the University of Washington Huskies versus the Fresno State Bulldogs – the battle of the dogs. (Believe it or not in this canine classic a Wolfe was followed in the lineup by a Lamb!)

I was excited to see the game in hopes of catching two future Cape Leaguers and see two former ones. Orleans’ 2009 rosterees Josh Poytress (LHP) got the win today, and Danny Muno went 0-3 with a walk.

The new Cape Leaguers from Fresno State are outfielder Dusty Robinson and a RHP, Derek Benny. Dusty struggled at the plate today against a very competent sophomore Andrew Kittredge for the UW Huskies.  Why the Cape League is so slow to recruit talent from the UW (where Tim Lincecum’s jersey is retired out in right field) I will never know. Kittredge kept the Bulldogs off balance all day with a low-90s fast ball followed by a deadly curveball that breaks in sharply on lefties and away on righties.

Benny pitched Friday night giving up 6 runs on 7 hits.

Feb

20

BC 12-Tulane 0; Whitecaps Schaffer Suspended

Posted by Dave | Filed Under News | Leave a Comment

With their 12-0 win today, Boston College has taken the first two games of the season-opening series from Tulane. Mike Dennhardt (Chatham ‘09, ‘10) pitched 7 innings and allowed just two hits to pick up the win. Boston College lead 4-0 before Matt Watson (Y-D ‘10) and Mickey Wiswall (Y-D ‘09) each hit three-run homeruns to put the game out of reach. Matt Petiton (Wareham ‘07) was the losing pitcher. The Eagles took the first game of the series on Friday, 8-5.

Tulane has announced that star catcher Jeremy Schaffer (Brewster ‘10) has been suspended for 11 games for violation of the “student-athlete policy.” The suspension is the equivalent of 20 percent of the Green Wave’s season. After a stellar freshman season last year, Schaffer was on the Johnny Bench Award Watch List and earned Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American honors. Schaffer is on the Brewster Whitecaps roster for the 2010 season. For more on this story, see Tammy Nunez’ column in The Times-Picayune:  http://www.nola.com/tulane/index.ssf/2010/02/tulane_baseball_catcher_jeremy.html

Feb

19

Cape League Notes

Posted by Dave | Filed Under News | 1 Comment

While much of the sporting world is digesting today’s Tiger Woods Infomercial, here are a few non-Tiger thoughts…..  

I’m hearing that the Yarmouth-Dennis organization will be putting some of the remaining Yawkey Grant money toward a new scoreboard at Red Wilson Field.

The Bourne Braves will celebrate their first-ever league championship by honoring the 1965 Sagamore championship team. Lou Lamoriello, President of the New Jersey Devils and recent CCBL Hall of Fame inductee, was on that 1965 team and may attend if there isn’t a conflict with the National Hockey League playoffs. The Braves open the season on June 14 against Falmouth.

Bourne will have two new assistant coaches this year. Jason Walck, an assistant at the University of New Orleans and Aracelio Rivera, an assistant at DeAnza College will join Harvey Shapiro’s staff. Pitching coach Josh MacDonald is the lone returning assistant.

Falmouth could have an outstanding pitching staff. Problem is, two of the biggest names may not make it to the Cape. Kyle Winkler (Texas Christian) has already received an invitation to Team USA and his TCU teammate, Matthew Purke, may be receiving his invitation soon. Purke was the highest pick in last year’s MLB draft not to sign a pro contract. The Texas Rangers selected Purke with the 14th overall pick.

Speaking of Team USA, Harwich could end up being hardest hit by losing players to the red, white and blue. Matty Ott (RHP; LSU), Austin Nola (INF; LSU), Mikie Mahtook (OF; LSU) and Tyler Pill (RHP, OF; Cal. State-Fullerton) are on the Mariners roster and they all show up as Team USA invitees. Other players who have received invitations and who appear on Cape League rosters are Sonny Gray (RHP; Vanderbilt/Cotuit), Brad Miller (INF; Clemson/Cotuit), Dan Hultzen (LHP, INF; Virginia/Hyannis) and Matt Jensen (INF; Cal. Poly./Yarmouth-Dennis).

Hyannis’ Casey McElroy (INF; Auburn) has a broken finger. He is expected to miss 4-8 weeks, so his availability to the Mets should not be affected. McElroy’s Auburn teammate, and ex-Harwich Mariner, Trent Mummey could also be sidelined an extended period of time with a severely sprained ankle.

For an update on the work being done at Eldredge Park, check out this story on the Orleans website:  http://www.orleanscardinals.com/021710.html       

In a scheduling quirk, Yarmouth-Dennis doesn’t play division rival Chatham until July 12. By then, the Red Sox will have played Orleans five times and they will finish their six game season series with the Firebirds the next day.

New England schools represented on league rosters are headed by UConn with 7 Huskies scattered across the Cape. They are followed by Boston College (4), Maine (3), Franklin Pierce (2), Northeastern (1) and UMass-Lowell (1). 

One of the games that was thought to be an interesting matchup on this opening day of the Division 1 season turned into a blowout. Kentucky beat Virginia Tech, 15-6. Alex Meyer (Y-D ‘10) was the winning pitcher. Meyer struckout 8 batters in five innings. The Wildcat offense was lead by Chris Bisson (Cotuit ‘09) who went 4 for 5, scored 2 runs and had 2 RBI. Keenan Wiley (Y-D ‘08; Harwich ‘09) was 2 for 5 with 2 runs scored and 2 RBI. Marcus Nidifer (Harwich ‘09) scored 3 runs. Justin Wright (Harwich ‘09) started for Virginia Tech and took the loss. Wright lasted only 2.1 innings and gave up 10 runs (8 earned.) Austin Wates (Y-D ‘09) was 2 for 3 and drove in 2 runs for the Hokies. Anthony Sosnoskie (Harwich ‘09) also had 2 hits and added 2 RBI in a losing cause.

Feb

18

Play Ball! Cape Leaguers Televised This Weekend

Posted by Dave | Filed Under News | Leave a Comment

Although snow is covering the ground in many parts of the country, Division 1 college baseball gets underway tomorrow. For Cape League and college baseball fans looking for an early-season fix, the MLB Network will be providing coverage on Saturday of the Urban Invitational Tournament. At 5:00 ET, Cal State Northridge plays Southern Univ. That will be folowed at 9:00 ET when UCLA takes on Bethune-Cookman. The three day tournament starts tomorrow but Saturday’s games are the only games that will be televised.

Cape League fans will have an opportunity to check out a few players who are expected to come to the Cape this summer: 

Bethune-Cookman:  Ali Simpson, LHP, Yarmouth-Dennis
UCLA:                     Trevor Bauer, RHP, Yarmouth-Dennis (likely Saturday starter)
                              Cody Keefer, OF, Yarmouth-Dennis
                              Tyler Rahmatulla, INF, Chatham
                              Beau Amaral, OF, Chatham
                              Dan Klein, RHP, Chatham

For more information regarding the Urban Invitational Tournament, go to:   http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20100217&content_id=8083448&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb

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