Early Look: Harwich

HARWICH MARINERS
Manager: Steve Englert
2008 Record: 24-20

The 2008 Harwich Mariners didn't have a ton of players on leaderboards and didn't really separate themselves in any of the team statistics.

And yet.

In a season filled with parity, the Mariners were the last team standing. They won the franchise's first league championship since 1987. They got hot at the right time, won a ridiculous 18-inning game over Orleans in the semis and rode the momentum to the title.

While getting hot was a big part of the run, for sure, Harwich manager Steve Englert wanted everybody to know that it wasn't the only part. All year, he said his Mariners had tremendous chemistry. In a league with essentially 10 all-star teams, how those teams fit together is as important as anything else. Harwich made things fit perfectly.

The hard part will be doing it again. When you're building a team at any level, chemistry is a tough attribute to quantify. For a summer league squad, a good place to start is taking players from successful programs. If they fit on a College World Series team, chances are they'll fit on a lot of other teams, too.

But you can have too much of a good thing, and that might be the case for Harwich in '09. The thing that stands out right now about Harwich's roster is this: nine players are on their way to Omaha, not on their way to Harwich. It's great for them. But it means the first few weeks of the season will be a little hectic in Harwich. Hopefully for the Mariners, that won't be a defining aspect of the season, but it's certainly something to keep an eye on.

Aside from the Omaha flavor, Harwich has some potential. The starting pitching would get a big lift from Fullerton's Daniel Renken, who's got the Team USA-College World Series double whammy. If he doesn't make it to Harwich, look for big things from guys like Aaron Meade, John Gast, Eric Jokisch, Justin Wright and Chase Reid. Geoff Parker and Glenn Troyanowski have been relievers all spring, and they should play big roles as well.

Five of the nine in Omaha are position players, so the lineup will probably be mixed and matched in the early going. If Bryce Brentz somehow doesn't go with Team USA, Harwich will have perhaps the best sophomore hitter in the country. There's enough depth to fill the hole, though, even if he does stick with Team USA. Twelve of Harwich's 15 position players hit over .300 this year and two who didn't -- Levi Michael and Trent Mummey -- hit double-digit home runs. There's also a veteran flavor to the offense, with four juniors.

As always, we'll have to wait and see how it fits together, but on paper, the Mariners can make a pretty good case to be called the best team in the East.

They just hope it all fits together at the right time.


Roster Rundown
Returning Players: 2
Juniors: 4
Sophomores: 21
Freshmen: 4

Notable

• The nine CWS-bound players come from four different teams -- North Carolina, LSU, Cal State Fullerton and Virginia. Off the top of my head, I'd call those teams four of the top six who are in Omaha, so we may not see many early exits.


• I should note that, this time last year, Harwich had six players on its roster who were headed to Omaha. I guess that worked out alright.


• I'm hoping Daniel Renken will make it to Harwich and not Team USA. He has been one of the nation's best sophomore pitchers, and has been particularly good lately. After a Super Regional loss to him, Louisville coach Dan McDonell called Renken the best pitcher his team had faced all year.


• Like a couple of other teams, Harwich doesn't have a ton of weekend starters, but I think one of them, Aaron Meade, could turn into a potential ace, based on what he did this year. He struck out around a batter an inning for Missouri State and had a 3.39 ERA.


• I'm sure Vandy's Chase Reid is looking forward to a return to New England. He pitched for the Newport Gulls in the NECBL last year and struck 11 for every batter he walked.


• We'll see how things shake out with starters and relievers, but Harwich could have some lights-out guys in the bullpen -- Daniel Bradshaw, Nate Striz, Geoff Parker and Glen Troyanowski.


• Harwich continues an '09 league trend that I'll probably touch on soon: really productive catchers. Anthony Sosnoskie had a great season for Virginia Tech, while Jeff Vigurs put up huge numbers for Bryant. Every team seems to have good offensive catchers, and Harwich should be right there.


• D.J. LeMahieu is certainly a guy to keep an eye on in the coming days. As I'm writing this at 10:00 on Tuesday, he hasn't been drafted, but he could go in the first few rounds. He's also in Omaha. From everything I've read, he didn't flash as much power as scouts hoped this year and he also got moved off shortstop. As a draft-eligible sophomore, he's a prime candidate to head to the Cape and look for some leverage. UPDATE (6/9 10:21 p.m.): He literally got drafted two minutes after I posted this. He goes to the Cubs in the second round, with the 79th overall pick. That's pretty high. He might not need leverage.


• Virginia has a ton of good hitters this season, and Harwich-bound Phil Gosselin and Dan Grovatt are two of the best.


• Since I'm sure he'll be with Team USA if he wants to be -- he's not going to get cut -- I'm going to do my best to not get over-excited about Bryce Brentz. But I really hope he somehow ends up in Harwich. If you're not familiar with him, he led the nation in batting average and tied for the lead in home runs.


• Team USA updated its invite list today and Ross Wilson was one of two new additions. He's coming off a real good sophomore season at Alabama.


• Even without Brentz and Wilson, this offense has the potential to be really good.

Five Players I'm Excited to See
1. Bryce Brentz
2. Daniel Renken
3. D.J. LeMahieu
4. Levi Michael
5. Trent Mummey

Pitchers

Daniel Bradshaw - RHP - 6'1 208 - LSU - Sophomore
Garrett Davis - RHP - 6'4 215 - North Carolina - RS Freshman
*Brian Dupra - RHP - 6'3 205 - Notre Dame - Sophomore
John Gast - LHP - 6'2 215 - Florida State - Sophomore
Mike Gipson - RHP - 6'1 195 - Florida Atlantic - Sophomore
Eric Jokisch - LHP - 6'2 180 - Northwestern - Sophomore
Aaron Meade - LHP - 6'3 185 - Missouri State - Sophomore
Nate Striz - RHP - 6'2 240 - North Carolina - Sophomore
Geoff Parker - RHP - 6'3 240 - Florida State - Sophomore
Matthew Price - RHP - 6'2 165 - Virginia Tech - Freshman
Justin Wright - LHP - 5'9 170 - Virginia Tech - Sophomore
Chase Reid - RHP - 6'3 205 - Vanderbilt - Sophomore
Daniel Renken - RHP - 6'4 200 - Cal State Fullerton - Sophomore
Glen Troyanowski - RHP - 6'1 165 - Florida Atlantic - Sophomore


Daniel Bradshaw - RHP - 6'1 208
LSU
Sophomore

Bradshaw put up pretty solid numbers as a freshman reliever, and he's been even better this year for the Omaha-bound Tigers. Nineteen of his 23 appearances have come out of the bullpen, and he's been one of the team's best relievers. He's got a 4-0 record, a 3.38 record and 32 strikeouts against 11 walks in 45.1 innings of work.

Garrett Davis - RHP - 6'4 215
North Carolina
RS Freshman

A North Carolina high school star, Davis didn't get much of a chance to make a splash last year in Chapel Hill. After two appearances, he had Tommy John surgery and took a redshirt. This season, Davis has made nine appearances, posting a 4.50 ERA.

Brian Dupra - RHP - 6'3 205
Notre Dame
Sophomore

Dupra was a pretty solid reliever for Harwich last summer, posting a 3.40 ERA while tying for the team lead in appearances. His second year at Notre Dame was a struggle. Dupra pitched in the weekend rotation and put up a 7.13 ERA. He struck out 48 and only walked 16, but opponents hit over .300 against him.

John Gast - LHP - 6'2 215
Florida State
Sophomore

Gast was a fifth-round pick out of high school in 2007, but Tommy John surgery kept him out for much of his freshman season at Florida State. He eventually worked his way back and posted a 2.70 ERA in 14 appearances. This season, Gast made 28 appearances with three starts. He ended up with a 5.82 ERA.

Mike Gipson - RHP - 6'1 195
Florida Atlantic
Sophomore

Gipson hasn't registered great ERA's in his two years at Florida Atlantic -- 6.10 last year and 5.93 this year -- but some of his peripheral numbers have been pretty good. He struck out 58 in 62 innings last year and 64 in 71 innings this season.

Eric Jokisch - LHP - 6'2 180
Northwestern
Sophomore

Jokisch was a 39th-round pick out of high school, and he made an immediate impact last year in Evanston. His 8-2 record and 4.17 ERA earned him Big Ten Freshman of the Year honors. His seven wins in conference play were the most-ever by a freshman in Big Ten history. This year, Jokisch went 4-7 with a 5.48 ERA.

Aaron Meade - LHP - 6'3 185
Missouri State
Sophomore

Joining former Brewster Whitecaps Buddy Baumann and Tim Clubb in the Missouri State weekend rotation, Meade delivered a fantastic sophomore season. He went 9-2 with a 3.39 ERA and he struck out 89 in 90.1 innings. All his numbers put him just behind Baumann's pace, and Baumann is projected as a fifth or sixth-round pick this year.

Nate Striz - RHP - 6'2 240
North Carolina
Sophomore

Striz has been one of North Carolina's best relievers this season. He's third on the team in appearances and he boasts a 3.42 ERA. He has struck out 27 in 23.2 innings. Opponents have hit just .216 against him, second-best on the team. Striz played for Falmouth last summer, posting a 5.63 ERA in seven relief appearances. Striz was a fifth-round pick out of high school.

Geoff Parker - RHP - 6'3 240
Florida State
Sophomore

A Freshman All-American last year, Parker was a workhorse for the Seminoles this season, and he had a fair amount of success. He led the team with 31 appearances, going 6-2 with a 4.82 ERA. He struck out 65 in 65.1 innings of work.

Matthew Price - RHP - 6'2 165
Virginia Tech
Freshman

Price was a 34th round pick out of high school last year, and he showed some flashes this season in Blacksburg. Though his ERA climbed to 6.90, he struck out 53 in 58.2 innings.

Justin Wright - LHP - 5'9 170
Virginia Tech
Sophomore

As a freshman, Wright worked his way into a starting role and had a great season. This year, he went 7-2 with a 3.95 ERA. He struck out 59 and walked only 17 in 66 innings.

Chase Reid - RHP - 6'3 205
Vanderbilt
Sophomore

Reid posted a 4.30 ERA last year for Vandy then became one of the best pitchers in the NECBL last summer. Pitching for the Newport Gulls, he went 4-0 with a 1.88 ERA, 55 strikeouts in 38.1 innings and just five walks. This spring, he pitched mostly out of the bullpen for the Commodores, finishing with a 4.46 ERA, 38 strikeouts and 10 walks in 34.1 innings.

Daniel Renken - RHP - 6'4 200
Cal State Fullerton
Sophomore

Renken was a 35th-round pick out of high school and he turned in a solid freshman season last year. This year, he's been far better than solid as he has turned into one of the nation's best pitchers. He has gone 11-2 with a 2.36 ERA and 98 strikeouts in 118 innings. Renken has been invited to Team USA.

Glen Troyanowski - RHP - 6'1 165
Florida Atlantic
Sophomore

Troyanowski served as Florida Atlantic's closer this season and though he had an ERA above five, he tallied a team-best six saves. He also struck out 50 in 40.1 innings, which gave him the team's best K/9 ratio. Opponents hit just .234 against him.


Position Players

Anthony Sosnoskie - C - 5'11 193 - Virginia Tech - Junior
Jeff Vigurs - C - 6'0 190 - Bryant - Junior
Stephen Cardullo - IF - 6'0 200 - Florida State - Junior
Phil Gosselin - IF - 6'1 185 - Virginia - Sophomore
Daniel Grovatt - IF - 6'2 187 - Virginia - Sophomore
*D.J. LeMahieu - IF - 6'4 200 - LSU - Sophomore
Levi Michael - IF - 5'10 175 - North Carolina - Freshman
Joe Loftus - IF - 6'4 200 - Vanderbilt - Freshman
Stuart Tapley - IF - 5'10 200 - Florida State - Sophomore
Chris Wade - IF - 6'0 160 - Kentucky - Sophomore
Ross Wilson - IF - 5'11 185 - Alabama - Sophomore
Bryce Brentz - OF - 6'0 187 - Middle Tennessee State - Sophomore
Jacob Goebbert - OF - 6'1 205 - Northwestern - Junior
Leon Landry - OF - 6'0 200 - LSU - Sophomore
Trent Mummey - OF - 5'11 185 - Auburn - Sophomore


Anthony Sosnoskie - C - 5'11 193
Virginia Tech
Junior

Sosnoskie has put up consistent numbers throughout his career at Virginia Tech. After hitting .292 as a freshman and .315 as a sophomore, he hit .314 this year with a career-high seven home runs and 51 RBI. He upped his on-base percentage almost 50 points from last year. BA ranked Sosnoskie as the fourth-best prospect in the Southern Collegiate League last year.

Jeff Vigurs - C - 6'0 190
Bryant
Junior

Bryant is making the transition to Division I, and Vigurs has been one of the program's biggest building blocks. He had a fantastic junior season, finishing with a .389 average, nine home runs, 23 doubles and 70 RBI. He also struck out just 15 times in 203 at-bats. Among players whose teams were reclassifying like Bryant, Vigurs was the nation's leading hitter and RBI man.

Stephen Cardullo - IF - 6'0 200
Florida State
Junior

Cardullo only played in 12 games as a freshman and only made 10 starts as a sophomore. But his patience was rewarded in a big way this season. As the Noles' starting shortstop and No. 2 hitter, Cardullo hit .376 with 10 home runs, 20 doubles and 51 RBI. He also had a .479 on-base percentage and stole 20 bases.

Phil Gosselin - IF - 6'1 185
Virginia
Sophomore

Gosselin has been a key part of Virginia's dynamic offense this season. After hitting .305 as a freshman, he has started every game this season. As the Cavaliers head to Omaha, Gosselin is hitting .314 with six home runs and 63 RBI.

Daniel Grovatt - IF - 6'2 187
Virginia
Sophomore

Along with Gosselin, Grovatt is part of a tremendous sophomore class at Virginia, and among his peers, he has had one of the best seasons. He's currently hitting a team-best .365 with seven home runs, 50 RBI and 14 stolen bases.

D.J. LeMahieu - IF - 6'4 200
LSU
Sophomore

LeMahieu was one of the most intriguing freshman prospects in the nation last year and he lived up to the hype with a great first season in Baton Rouge. After hitting .290 for Harwich last summer, LeMahieu has hit a team-best .340 for the Tigers this season, with four home runs and 19 extra-base hits. He's a draft-eligible sophomore and a potential high pick, so that'll definitely have an impact on his summer plans.

Levi Michael - IF - 5'10 175
North Carolina
Freshman

Six months ago, Michael was in high school. Now he's the starting second baseman for North Carolina as it heads into the College World Series. Michael graduated from high school in January and immediately enrolled at North Carolina. Though that's a pretty huge step without much time in between, Michael didn't miss a beat. He has .298 this season with 13 home runs and 56 RBI.

Joe Loftus - IF - 6'4 200
Vanderbilt
Freshman

Loftus was a 29th-round pick out of high school last year, and he made immediate contributions at Vandy. Emerging as the team's starting left-fielder, Loftus hit .263 with four home runs and 28 RBI.

Stuart Tapley - IF - 5'10 200
Florida State
Sophomore

Tapley had a fantastic freshman season in Tallahassee, hitting .383, which was good for fifth in the ACC. His average went down a bit this year, but he still had a strong season. He finished at .316 with 13 home runs, 18 doubles and 60 RBI.

Chris Wade - IF - 6'0 160
Kentucky
RS 3Sophomore

Wade led the SEC in doubles last year and earned several Freshman All-America nods. After hitting .228 in the Northwoods League, he batted .314 for Kentucky this season, hitting 10 doubles and six home runs. Wade played shortstop and made only six errors.

Ross Wilson - IF - 5'11 185
Alabama
Sophomore

The brother of Alabama quarterback John Parker Wilson, Ross has made his mark on the baseball field. After hitting .295 with 15 home runs as a freshman, Wilson headed to Bourne last summer and hit .218. This spring, he was one of Alabama's top hitters, finishing at .353 with nine home runs and 47 RBI. Wilson is a late addition to Team USA's invite list.

Bryce Brentz - OF - 6'0 187
Middle Tennessee State
Sophomore

Based on production this season, it might be safe to call Brentz the nation's best sophomore. He has been invited to Team USA, so we might not get to see him, but if we do: wow. He led the nation with a .465 batting average and tied for the national lead with 28 home runs. He had 73 RBI. He was also a weekend starter for the Blue Raiders, and he went 5-3 with a 4.57 ERA and 63 strikeouts in 88.2 innings. Brentz was a 30th-round pick out of high school.

Jacob Goebbert - OF - 6'1 205
Northwestern
Junior

Goebbert finished his first two years at Northwestern with a career batting average of .343. It dipped a bit this year down to .280, but he didn't have a chance to bring it up. Playing against Minnesota this spring, he crashed into the wall at the Metrodome and lacerated a kidney. He missed the rest of the season, but should be ready for the summer.

Leon Landry - OF - 6'0 200
LSU
Sophomore

A 36th-round pick out of high school, Landry made a big impact as a freshman in Baton Rouge, helping lead the Tigers to last year's College World Series. This season, he's hitting .305 with 12 home runs and 41 RBI. Landry was tabbed by BA as the Cal Ripken Sr. League's top prospect last summer.

Trent Mummey - OF - 5'11 185
Auburn
Sophomore

Mummey was Auburn's leadoff hitter this season, but he put up numbers that could play in the middle of just about any order. He hit .289 with 15 home runs, 12 doubles and 42 RBI. His .409 OBP was second among the team's starters, and he also stole 17 bases.

Anglers and Mariners

After months as the only ones who hadn't, Chatham and Harwich have released their rosters. It looks like Harwich did it yesterday, while the Anglers posted theirs today. I'll get into much more detail when I get to their early looks. For now:

We've got four returnees from Chatham -- Matt Harvey, Jacob Thompson, Kevin Scanlan and Addison Johnson, who played in '07. Johnson missed all of last season at Clemson and has struggled this year, so he'll be trying to work his way back into form. Scanlan only saw limited action.

The roster also includes five Cape Leaguers who players for other teams last year: Vanderbilt closer Russell Brewer (Hyannis '08), UNC's Patrick Johnson (Harwich '08), South Carolina's Whit Merrifield (Y-D '08), Clemson's Jeff Schaus (Cotuit '08) and Baylor's Shawn Tolleson (Y-D '08). I don't recall a team ever having that many players from other Cape League squads.

Some other names of note: Southern Cal freshman Ricky Oropesa, who's hitting .318 with 12 home runs and Baylor freshman Logan Verrett, who has 60 strikeouts in 52 innings.

As for the Mariners, they'll have two returnees from their championship squad -- Notre Dame pitcher Brian Dupra and LSU shortstop D.J. LeMahieu. Keep in mind that LeMahieu is a draft-eligible sophomore who could go in the top two or three rounds. Harwich has two players from other teams: Alabama's Ross Wilson (Bourne '08) and North Carolina's Nate Striz (Falmouth '08).

Middle Tennessee State's Bryce Brentz, who's having an astounding season (.485, 27 home runs), is on the roster but has also been invited to Team USA. North Carolina's Levi Michael and Virginia's Phil Gosselin and Dan Grovatt have had great years in the ACC. LSU's Leon Landry and Auburn's Trent Mummey have been great in the SEC. Those guys alone should give Harwich a really strong offense.

The pitching staff features Fullerton ace Daniel Renken, who's got a 2.42 ERA.

hello? internet, is that you?

So I went to a Cape League game last night and got back to the beach house my parents are renting, all ready to write something up . . . and we couldn't find the internet. I guess we're "borrowing" from some house down the street and it decided not to work. So that's why there was no daily fog this morning. If this is an important part of anyone's day, I apologize. I was having withdrawal myself.

The connection is working now, and with any luck, will be again tomorrow (come through for me, random people I don't know). Since it's too late to do the daily fog for today, here are some thoughts from the game last night.

Grant Green was all ready to be the hero. Bases loaded with two outs. Game tied, bottom of the ninth. When Corey Overholtzer drew a walk to load the bases, there was a little murmur in the crowd. They knew. There's not a hitter on the Cape you want more in that spot than Grant Green. He would be the hero.

Steve Kalush had something to say about that.

Kalush, a righthander from Santa Clara, came in throwing gas and struck Green out on three pitches. All were fastballs, and it seemed each one was faster than the last. It was a thoroughly impressive performance and it set Kalush up to earn the victory. Harwich rallied in the top of the tenth and won the game 4-3.

The match-up between Kalush and Green looked more like a mismatch on paper. Green was leading the league in hitting. Kalush had an ERA over seven. But clearly, the moment was right. Kalush is a hard-thrower. Harwich needed a strikeout and he was the guy to do it. When he pumped his fisty after striking out Green, it was a cool moment.

Kalush will remember it.

That's about all I've got for now. The internet may disappear again soon so I must be careful. Anyway, all-star game rosters are out tomorrow. Enjoy.

early look: harwich

HARWICH MARINERS
Manager: Steve Englert
Last Season: 14-28-2

The Harwich Mariners franchise has had its fair share of great players the last few years, from Shaun Marcum and Joe Saunders to Jeff Niemann and Tim Lincecum. But team success hasn’t been there. The Mariners haven’t had a wining season since they went 23-21 in 1998. Their best finish in that span was in 2005, when they took third in the East.

With a trio of perennial powerhouses in the same division, it’s tough for the Mariners to reverse the trend. If things go as planned this year, though, I think Harwich has a legitimate chance to compete.

The offense could be very solid, even if it takes a hit from Team USA. Players like D.J. LeMahieu, Shaver Hansen and Jason Stidham give the Mariners some of the best high-ceiling guys they’ve had in recent years. As for the pitching staff, it looks like there are several potential standouts in Sean Black, Joseph Gautier, Chris Manno and Matt Zielinski.

In all, I think this Harwich team has a lot more potential than last year’s. That squad didn’t have much in the way of pitching depth and it hurt them. They finished with a 14-28-2 record, the worst in the league and the franchise’s worst in the last 10 years.

Roster Rundown

Returning players: 1
Juniors: 1
Sophomores: 20
Freshmen : 5

Notable

• Harwich’s web site hadn’t been updated for awhile, but of course, right as I was about to post this, I noticed some roster changes. So this is current as of June 5.
• Two of the biggest changes were the losses of Virginia’s Phil Gosselin and Florida State’s John Gast, two pretty highly-touted freshmen. But two big pitchers in Joseph Gautier and Chris Manno were added.
• Only two Harwich players have been invited to Team USA, but they would be two pretty huge losses. Tommy Medica is currently the only catcher listed on the roster (which can’t be right), but even with other catchers in the fold, Medica is a big loss. The other player is Dustin Ackley, who would have a pretty good shot at being the best hitter on the Cape.
• The Mariners should still have a pretty nice little offense, even if Ackley and Medica go with Team USA. D.J. LeMahieu, Brandon Belt, Shaver Hansen, Joe Sanders and Brian Kemp all look like legitimate hitters.
• LeMahieu has the potential to become the top freshman hitter in the league.
• I think Sean Black could have a big summer. He was the highest unsigned pick in the 2006 draft and just finished a very good spring at Seton Hall. He’ll be looking to raise his stock.

Five Players I’m Excited to See
1. Dustin Ackley
2. D.J. LeMahieu
3. Sean Black
4. Chris Manno
5. Brandon Belt

Pitchers
Billy Bullock – RHP – 6’6 220 – Florida – Sophomore
*Sean Black – RHP – 6’5 195 – Seton Hall – Sophomore
Chad Bell – LHP – 6’4 207 – Memphis – Freshman
Garret Davis – RHP – 6’4 200 – North Carolina – Freshman
Brian Dupra – RHP – 6’3 200 – Notre Dame – Freshman
Joseph Gautier – LHP – 5’10 175 – Bethune Cookman – Junior
Pat Johnson – RHP – 5’10 170 – North Carolina – Freshman
Stave Kalush – RHP – 6’0 180 – Santa Clara – Sophomore
Willie Kempf – RHP – 6’0 200 – Baylor – Sophomore
Chris Manno – LHP – 6’1 160 – Duke – Sophomore
Mike Morrison – RHP – 6’1 195 – Cal State Fullerton – Sophomore
Ryan Quigley – LHP – 6’4 215 – Northeastern – Sophomore
Matt Zielinski – LHP – 6’3 200 – Richmond – Sophomore
* returning player

Billy Bullock – RHP – 6’6 220
Florida
Sophomore
Bullock saw action mostly as a starter in his freshman season and continued in a similar role this season. After posting a 6.31 ERA last year, Bullock went 4-5 this year with a 5.01 ERA. He struck out 63 in 82.2 innings. Bullock was a 20th round pick in the 2006 draft.

Sean Black – RHP – 6’5 195
Seton Hall
Sophomore
Talk about hype. Black was a second-round pick in 2006, and when he opted to stick with Seton Hall, he became the highest unsigned player in the draft. His freshman year wasn’t spectacular, though, as he finished with a 5.66 ERA. He then made three appearances early in the summer for Harwich before heading home. This season, though, Black has shown why he was so highly-though of out of high school. He finished with a 3.44 ERA and 59 strikeouts in 65.1 innings.

Chad Bell – LHP – 6’4 207
Walters State
Freshman
Bell is listed as being from Memphis on Harwich’s roster, and I guess that’s where he was for a while. But he spent this spring at juco powerhouse Walters State Community College in Tennessee. He emerged there as one of the team’s best pitchers, posting a 3.50 ERA with 100 strikeouts and only 33 walks in 100.1 innings. Bell was a 25th-round pick out of high school.

Garret Davis – RHP – 6’4 200
North Carolina
Freshman
Davis was a highly thought-of high school player in North Carolina, but has seen very limited action for the Tar Heels this season because of injury. He didn’t allow an earned run in his two appearances, but he’s not on the Tar Heels’ postseason roster, so he’s clearly done for the season. We’ll see if he makes it to the Cape.

Brian Dupra – RHP – 6’3 200
Notre Dame
Freshman
Notre Dame has a lot of players whose draft stock slipped because of their college commitment, and Dupra is another one. He was ranked among the top 150 draft prospects last year, but fell to the 37th round and naturally stuck with Notre Dame. His ERA this season was 5.44 but his peripheral numbers were good. He struck out 30 and walked 10 in 46.1 innings.

Joseph Gautier – LHP – 5’10 175
Bethune Cookman
Junior
Gautier just got added to the Harwich roster. He was dominant this season for the Wildcats, posting a 6-3 record with a 2.48 ERA. He struck out 74 and walked only 13 in 72.2 innings. He is draft-eligible this year, so in the next day, we’ll have a better idea of whether or not he’ll be in Harwich. If he is, he looks like a major addition to the Mariners’ staff.

Pat Johnson – RHP – 5’10 170
North Carolina
Freshman
Rated ahead of his UNC teammate Davis out of high school, Johnson has been pretty solid in a swing role for the Tar Heels. In 14 appearances – half of them starts – he’s posted a 4.14 ERA with 42 strikeouts and 22 walks in 41.1 innings.

Stave Kalush – RHP – 6’0 180
Santa Clara
Sophomore
Kalush was both a starter and a reliever for the Broncos this spring and finished the year with a 5-3 record and a 5.80 ERA. He struck out 61 in 54 innings, though, which is a pretty nice ratio. Kalush was a West Coast Conference all-freshman pick last year.

Willie Kempf – RHP – 6’0 200
Baylor
Sophomore
After a very good freshman season, Kempf pitched well in the Northwoods League last summer and became one of the Bears’ most reliable pitchers this year. He made 16 appearances – 10 starts – and went 6-2 with a 3.69 ERA. He struck out 48 in 68.1 innings.

Chris Manno – LHP – 6’1 160
Duke
Sophomore
Manno is another late addition and another big addition. He went 6-2 this year with a 3.38 ERA, and he struck out 80 in just 58.2 innings. He also only walked 19. Looks like some serious potential here.

Mike Morrison – RHP – 6’1 195
Cal State Fullerton
Sophomore
Morrison was one of the Titans’ most versatile pitchers last year, excelling in starts and relief appearances. He has focused mostly on relief this year with pretty solid results. He’s posted a 4.33 ERA with 52 strikeouts in 52 innings pitched.

Ryan Quigley – LHP – 6’4 215
Northeastern
Sophomore
Quigley pitched mostly as a starter this spring and struggled to a 2-4 record and an 8.06 ERA. He did, however, strike out 62 in 51.1 innings. Quigley was a closer last season and excelled in that role.

Matt Zielinski – LHP – 6’3 200
Richmond
Sophomore
Zielinski was the best pitcher on a staff that had its struggles this year. The sophomore went 5-2 with a 4.71 ERA and flashed great control, striking out 45 and walking only 14. Zielinski had a 3.30 ERA as a freshman and was named the A-10’s Freshman of the Year.


Position Players
Mark Fleury – C – 6’1 200 – North Carolina – Sophomore
Tommy Medica – C – 6’1 190 – Santa Clara – Sophomore
Brandon Belt – INF – 6’5 205 – Texas – Sophomore
Jeff Cusick – INF – 6’2 205 – UC Irvine – Sophomore
Shaver Hansen – INF – 6’0 185 – Baylor – Sophomore
D.J. LeMahieu – INF – 6’4 196 – LSU – Freshman
Joe Sanders – INF – 6’1 195 – Auburn – Sophomore
Tim Smalling – INF – 6’3 207 – Arkansas – Sophomore
Jason Stidham – INF – 5’11 173 – Florida State – Sophomore
Dustin Ackley – OF – 6’1 182 – North Carolina – Sophomore
D.J. Belfonte – OF – 5’10 180 – Nebraska – Sophomore
Brian Kemp – OF – 5’10 180 – St. John’s – Sophomore
Ross Smith – OF – 6’2 192 – Auburn – Sophomore


Mark Fleury – C – 6’1 200
North Carolina
Sophomore
The heir apparent to Tim Federowicz, Fleury hasn’t exactly been buried on the depth chart. He’s played in 57 games, some as the DH and some at catcher, with a lot of pinch-hitting mixed in. He has hit .286 with three home runs. Fleury played in the NECBL last summer.

Tommy Medica – C – 6’1 190
Santa Clara
Sophomore
Medica was a standout freshman last year and played for Team USA last summer. He’s again a Team USA invite this year, so we’ll see what happens there. This season for Santa Clara, Medica hit .342 with six home runs and 44 RBI.

Brandon Belt – INF – 6’5 205
Texas
Sophomore
A power-hitting first baseman who occasionally pitches, Belt made a pretty big impact after transferring to Texas from San Jacinto junior college. He hit .319, good for fourth on the team, and hit six home runs. He led the team with 65 RBI. In 16 appearances on the mound, he had a 4.08 ERA with 16 strikeouts and five walks in 17.2 innings.

Jeff Cusick – INF – 6’2 205
UC Irvine
Sophomore
Cusick hasn’t hit for much power this season, but his average and on-base percentage make up for it. He’s hit a team-best .347 with a .446 on-base percentage. His UC-Irvine team is still alive in the Super Regional round of the NCAA tournament.

Shaver Hansen – INF – 6’0 185
Baylor
Sophomore
Hansen was named Baylor’s co-MVP this year, sharing the award with former Wareham player Beamer Weems. Hansen led the team with a .326 average and hit six home runs with 47 RBI. He played mostly at third base.

D.J. LeMahieu – INF – 6’4 196
LSU
Freshman
LeMahieu was a two-time winner of Michigan’s Gatorade Player of the Year award and headed south as a highly-touted shortstop. He hasn’t disappointed in his freshman season with the Tigers. He has started 61 games and has put up a .336 average to go with five home runs and 38 RBI.

Joe Sanders – INF – 6’1 195
Auburn
Sophomore
Sanders hit .333 as a freshman and stayed ahead of that pace as a sophomore, finishing with a .348 average, good for second on the team. He also hit six home runs and drove in a team-best 52 runs. Sanders played second base for the Tigers.

Tim Smalling – INF – 6’3 207
Arkansas
Sophomore
Smalling hit .288 in his freshman year after grabbing the starting shortstop gig. His average dipped this year to .250 but he still hit nine home runs. Smalling can also play second base and third base.

Jason Stidham – INF – 5’11 173
Florida State
Sophomore
Stidham was a first-team all-conference pick as a freshman when he hit .366. As the Seminoles’ starting second baseman this season, his average has dipped to .308, but he had hit 10 home runs, the third-highest total on the team. Stidham was a 43rd-round pick out of high school.

Dustin Ackley – OF – 6’1 182
North Carolina
Sophomore
Ackley was the top freshman hitter in the country last year and was slated to play for Chatham last summer. He never made it, and as a Team USA invitee, he might not make it to Harwich this year. If he does, you can be sure he’ll hit. After batting .402 last year, he has hit .407 this year with seven home runs.

D.J. Belfonte – OF – 5’10 180
Nebraska
Sophomore
Belfonte was one of Nebraska’s offensive leaders as a freshman, hitting .307 and leading the team in several categories. But he hit the dreaded sophomore slump this year, batting just .241. He still brought speed to the table, stealing 14 bases in 17 attempts.

Brian Kemp – OF – 5’10 180
St. John’s
Sophomore
Kemp emerged this season as one of the best hitters for average in the Big East. He finished the year with a .359 batting average and also notched a .449 on-base percentage.

Ross Smith – OF – 6’2 192
Auburn
Sophomore
Smith had a very good freshman season after coming in as a highly-touted recruit, but from what I can gather, he redshirted this season due to injury. He isn’t actually on the Auburn roster right now, so I’m not sure what that means. You can get to his bio from a Google search.