The newest team in the Prospect League will be the DeKalb Liners. The Liners plan to play their home games as Sycamore Park.
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Liners Join the Prospect League
Friday, November 20, 2009
Murphy Resigns at ASU
This is very late breaking news, but several media outlets are reporting that Pat Murphy has resigned immediately from Arizona State. I will keep up updated once I learn more.
Former All-American Andrew Bailey takes AL Rookie of the Year Honors
From the New England Collegiate Baseball League
The NECBL and the Lowell All-Americans would like to congratulate Former All-Americans pitcher Andrew Bailey as he secured the 2009 American League Rookie of the Year Award. Bailey now a closer for the Oakland A's, won the honor by a comfortable margin beating out the young Texas SS Elvis Andrus and Tiger's righty Rick Porcello. The young righty garnered 13 first place votes, 6 seconds and 5 thirds to amass 85 total points as Andrus and Porcello finished at 65 and 64 points respectively. Bailey was a member of the All-Americans in 2004 and set the franchise record in strikeouts, mowing down 79 players in 62 1/3 innings as he posted a 3.32 ERA and led the team in wins with a 4-4 record. Bailey, who was selected as an NECBL All-Star, kept opposing batters off the bases as they hit a meager .188 off him in a sign of what was to come.
After his career at Wagner College, Bailey was selected by the Athletics in the 6th round (188th overall) and breezed through the minor leagues making his Major League debut with the A's this spring. He took full advantage of the opportunity with a fantastic first half that earned him a trip to the All Star game to play with some of the games elite players. Bailey did not stop there as he continued to put up great numbers the whole season, ending with a 6-3 record with a miniscule 1.84 ERA and a .88 WHIP, to go along with 91 strikeouts and 26 saves. Once more the NECBL and All-Americans congratulate Andrew Bailey on a tremendous rookie campaign and look forward to watching his career prosper in the seasons ahead.
West Coast League Signs Agreement With Pointstreak
From the West Coast League
Real-time scoring is coming to the West Coast League for the 2010 season. The WCL and Pointstreak.com, Inc. have reached a long-term agreement for Pointstreak to provide real-time scoring, official statistics, and league administration services to the league. "Partnering with Pointstreak gives our teams a fabulous real-time package, and our fans prompt and easy access to all our league games and the numbers that make summer college wood-bat baseball such a great attraction," said WCL president Ken Wilson. A unique feature of Pointstreak's statistical solution is Game Live, a real-time flash application that streams play-by-play results over a 3-D graphical image of a baseball diamond.
FORMER MAJOR LEAGUER TO HEAD UP DANS
From the Danville Dans
DANVILLE, IL. The Danville Dans have named former major leaguer, Steve Bieser, Dans Head Coach for the 2010 Prospect League Season.
Drafted as a catcher by the Philadelphia Phillies in 1989, Bieser played thirteen years of professional baseball for six different Major League organizations, two years at the Major League level with the Mets and the Pirates, and eight at the AAA level. In 1997 he was named New York Mets Rookie of the Year.
A graduate of Southeast Missouri State University, Coach Bieser is currently employed by St. John Vianney High School in Kirkwood, MO as an upper level math teacher and Head Baseball Coach. During his tenure, he has led Vianney to two State Championships and holds a career record of 120-34.
He is the founder and president of the Saint Genevieve Baseball Club and the Head Coach of American Legion Summer Teams with records that include two State Championships (2007, 2008) and a National Championship (2008).
Coach Bieser has coached five players selected in the first year major league player draft (1st, 5th, 22st, 22nd, & 42nd rounds). Over 80% of his high school players have gone on to play college ball with 12 playing at the Division 1 level, 4 attaining freshmen All-American status, and one named a two-time All-American.
Bieser will bring his experience, directing The Pro Edge Baseball Camps, to Danville Dans campers and individual players, sharing his expertise in the areas of hitting, fielding and pitching. He has had an excellent reputation of producing top notch catching prospects as well.
Coach Bieser is married to the former Diahann Lynn Dunlap. The couple has four children, Cole (18), Whitley (15), Briley (11), and Carley (3).
Sweets Sign Three From KU
The Walla Walla Sweets of the WCL have signed a trio of Jayhawks for the 2010 season. Jordan Dreiling, James Stanfield and Kevin Kuntz will all be on the inaugural roster for the Sweets this coming summer. You can read the press release here.
North-South Challenge Set for McNair Field
From the Coastal Plain League
McNair Field will host the inaugural North-South Challenge Friday February 26 through Sunday February 28. Teams participating are Appalachian State University, Gardner-Webb University, Marist College, and Niagara University. The event will feature two games each day.
The event begins Friday with Gardner-Webb playing Marist at 3 pm and Appalachian State facing Niagara at 7 pm. Saturday Gardner-Webb will play Niagara at 1 pm and Appalachian State will play Marist at 4 pm. Sunday Appalachian will battle Niagara at 1 and Gardner-Webb will take on Marist at 4 pm. Tickets to the North-South Challenge are included in 2010 Forest City Owls season tickets. Bonus Book tickets for the 2010 season are also good for entry, and single game tickets will be available at the gate.
Appalachian State hosted a three game series against Jacksonville State at McNair Field last season. Gardner-Webb’s game versus Davidson scheduled to be played at McNair Field last spring was rained out.
“We are very excited to partner with Appalachian State and Gardner-Webb on this event. They are both quality baseball programs that have tremendous fan bases in the area. I expect this event to grow and be an annual occurrence” said Owls general manager James Wolfe. The Owls 2010 roster will feature players from three of the schools participating in the challenge.
Appalachian State was 33-21 in 2009, with a 15-13 record in the Southern Conference. Gardner-Webb finished the 2009 season with a record of 25-25, with a 13-14 record in the Big South Conference. Marist College finished the 2009 campaign with a 31-28 record and a 15-9 Mid Atlantic Athletic Conference record. Marist won the MAAC tournament and participated in the Florida State regional. Niagara was 20-35 last season with a 14-10 MAAC record.
Owls fans can now follow their favorite team on facebook and Twitter. Become a fan of the Forest City Owls on facebook and search ForestCityCPL on Twitter for all the latest news and updates on the Owls.
The Forest City Owls are the 2009 Coastal Plain League Petitt Cup Champions. The Coastal Plain League is the nation’s hottest summer collegiate baseball league, heading into its 14th season. Featuring 15 teams playing in North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia, the CPL gives college players the chance to refine their skills with wooden bats during the summer months. Players are housed with local host families for the summer and past experiences have been very positive for both players and hosts. For more information on the Coastal Plain League, please visit the league website at http://www.coastalplain.com.
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Player To Watch For in 2010---Tony LePore
Throughout the fall and winter, I will be highlighting, spotlighting or mentioning players that I believe are poised to have either big seasons in 2010 or are poised to have a breakout season. Again, I'm not a scout in any way or shape. The one constant factor in my picking of the players is that they all had productive summer seasons.
Tony LePore is a Senior infielder from Southern Illinois University. He is 5-10/ 170 pounds and hails from Orland Park, IL. He went to high school at Sandburg High. He went on to play at South Suburban JC, where he was named All-Region and All-District.
Last year at SIU, he hit .283/.329/.324 in 173 at-bats. He scored 22 runs, drove in 16 and hit 4 doubles on the year. He walked 10 times, was fanned 31 times and stole 4 bases in 2009.
This past summer Tony played for the North Fork Ospreys of the Hamptons Collegiate League of the ACBL. He was named to the All-Star Team and lead the team with a .343 batting average in 99 at-bats. He scored 11 runs, drove in 13 and hit 2 doubles this summer. He showed a better eye at the plate as he walked 16 times and was only fanned 19 times. He also stole 9 bases for the Ospreys.
With an outstanding summer behind him, Tony is poised to have a breakout season in 2010.
NBC needs to pay up
Apparently the National Baseball Congress is late in handing out it's prize money to teams for winning it's World Series. The following article explains the bizarre situation with the NBC. You can read the story here.
New West Coast League Teams Sign First Players
From the West Coast League
The West Coast League expansion Walla Walla Sweets and Cowlitz Black Bears have signed their first players. The Sweets signed three Kansas Jayhawks players, a team widely considered a candidate for Omaha in 2010. The Sweets signed sophomore catcher James Stanfield, who started 13 games last season for the Jayhawks, and contributed a big hit in the NCAA tournament. They also inked freshman infielder Jordon Dreiling and infielder Kevin Kuntz. Kuntz is the son of former big leaguer Rusty Kuntz, who currently works for the Kansas City Royals. California native Nolan Clark, a hard-hitting catcher who also throws a fastball in the mid-90s, is the first player signed by the Black Bears. Clark, a freshman at UNLV, graduated from Capistrano Valley High School in Mission Viejo earlier this year, where he helped the Cougars to the 2009 California Interscholatic Federation Southern Section crown. "Nolan is a physical presence behind the plate, with a strong arm and enough power to have an immediate impact in the middle of our lineup," said UNLV coach Buddy Gouldsmith.
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