This Week in Baseball -
Headlines:
The season is two weeks in now, and today marks the debut of our weekly feature,
This Week in Baseball. In this segment we will break down the league from many different angles, bringing to the viewer a capsule of the daily goings-on within the league.
This week, we will highlight the High Point Renegades. Last season's State Champion is off to a blazing start, sporting a gaudy 11-2 record. They have already opened up a 5 game lead over the rest of the Piedmont Gold division as the early season schedule allowed High Point to take on their division foes directly. The Renegades completed an undefeated week, going 6-0 with sweeps against division foes Wilmington and Jacksonville from the Piedmont Silver division. High Point leads the Piedmont League in runs scored with 85 (average of 6.5 runs/game) and fewest runs allowed with 42 (team ERA of 2.72).
Individually, High Point
LF Max Orlebar leads the NCBL in RBI and total bases. Starting pitcher
Greg Butler is tied for the league lead in Wins (3) and innings pitched (23). If no team can step up and challenge High Point, they will walk away with their second consecutive State Championship.
The Week in Review:
As evidence of the athleticism required and the strain encountered when playing baseball, several players were struck down with injuries this week, including:
RF Bob Park, Durham - out 5-6 weeks with a torn knee meniscus
SP Ray Pierce, Jacksonville - out 2 weeks with shoulder trouble
SP Harvey Walker, Asheville - out 4 months with a torn labrum
RF Don Fleming, High Point - out 6 weeks with a torn knee meniscus
Here's hoping that the rehabilitation goes well for these men and that they can return healthy to their teams. In the meantime, the managers will have to adjust to the loss of their players.
Signings:
RP Vic Ross, High Point - 3 years, 11.6 million
SP Bob McFarland, High Point - 3 year, 18.8 million
SP Chris Reynolds, Jacksonville - 3 years, 23.7 million
Game of the Week:
4/12/2100 -
Chapel Hill 5, Charlotte 4 (12 innings)
Chapel Hill stormed out to a 3-0 lead after 3 innings against Charlotte as Starter
Bryce Baker pitched a strong 6 innings, allowing only 3 hits and a walk over 6 innings. He left the game after six with his shutout intact but the bullpen let him down as they allowed Charlotte a run in the seventh and 3 in the eighth. Chapel Hill had also scored a run in the eigth to knot the game at 4-4 going into the ninth.
RP Truman Wynn was handed the ball in the bottom of the 10th and he shut out the Royals the rest of the way and secured the win with the help of
RF Kevin Swanson's RBI single.
Players of the Week:
This week he let his bat do the talking. That's why
Max Orlebar of the High Point Renegades was named the Piedmont Player of the Week.
For the week the 28-year-old left fielder batted .458 (11-24) with 3 home runs, 9 runs and 10 RBIs.
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Ken Raymond must have thought he died and went to heaven this week. First he went on a remarkable batting rampage, hammering the ball at a .545 clip, then the Cary third baseman finds outs he has been voted the league's top performer and gets the APP Player of the Week Award.
For the week Raymond batted .545 (12-22) with 3 home runs and 9 RBIs.
Down on the Farm:
1B Rodger Noble of AAA Statesville (Cary) leads AAA with 8 HR but his accomplishments are dwarfed by the offensive display of AAA Burlington (Greenville)
RF Curtis Clark who is dominating offensively with a .471 5 HR 13 RBI mark so far in this young season. AAA Hickory (Fayetteville)
SP Mike Vance (1-0) has yet to yield an earned run this season with 9 IP, 7 Hits, 2 BB, and 7 K.
SP Craig Taylor (0-1) of AA Roanoake Rapids (Fayetteville) is off to a tremendous start in 2 outings this year with a 0.59 ERA, 15 IP, 10 H, 5 BB, 23 K.
RF Ken Rice of Single A Albemarle (Wilminton) leads the league in most offensive categories with a .450 BA, 6 HR, and 12 RBI.
Weekly Power Rankings:
| Rank Last Week | Team | Points | Tendency | Record | PCT | AVG | ERA | Pyt.Rec | Diff |
| 1st (1st) | High Point | 169 | o | 11-2 | .846 | .288 | 2.72 | 10-3 | 1 |
| 2nd (2nd) | Winston-Salem | 125 | o | 8-4 | .667 | .287 | 3.75 | 8-4 | 0 |
| 3rd (5th) | Rocky Mount | 119 | + | 9-5 | .643 | .238 | 1.91 | 10-4 | -1 |
| 4th (11th) | Fayetteville | 108 | ++ | 7-5 | .583 | .255 | 3.60 | 6-6 | 1 |
| 5th (7th) | Durham | 98 | + | 7-6 | .538 | .293 | 3.76 | 8-5 | -1 |
| 6th (6th) | Concord | 98 | o | 7-6 | .538 | .274 | 3.43 | 7-6 | 0 |
| 7th (4th) | Raleigh | 96 | -- | 7-6 | .538 | .261 | 4.31 | 7-6 | 0 |
| 8th (12th) | Gastonia | 92 | ++ | 6-6 | .500 | .233 | 4.63 | 4-8 | 2 |
| 9th (8th) | Asheville | 91 | - | 6-6 | .500 | .276 | 4.79 | 6-6 | 0 |
| 10th (15th) | Cary | 82 | ++ | 6-7 | .462 | .249 | 4.15 | 5-8 | 1 |
| 11th (3rd) | Wilmington | 78 | -- | 6-7 | .462 | .244 | 3.88 | 7-6 | -1 |
| 12th (9th) | Chapel Hill | 76 | -- | 6-8 | .429 | .242 | 5.14 | 5-9 | 1 |
| 13th (10th) | Greenville | 68 | -- | 5-8 | .385 | .231 | 4.38 | 6-7 | -1 |
| 14th (13th) | Greensboro | 55 | - | 4-8 | .333 | .247 | 4.07 | 5-7 | -1 |
| 15th (16th) | Charlotte | 51 | + | 4-9 | .308 | .220 | 4.54 | 5-8 | -1 |
| 16th (14th) | Jacksonville | 37 | - | 3-9 | .250 | .248 | 6.88 | 3-9 | 0 |
Looking Forward to Next Week:
In a battle of the top two teams in this week's power rankings, Winston-Salem is scheduled for a 2 game set at High Point pitting the two division leaders in the Piedmont division against each other. Here's a look at the pitching matchups:
4/19 WS
Benny Leville (0-0, 7.50) vs. HP
George Smith (1-0, 3.07)
4/20 WS
Phil Christensen (0-0 5.40) vs. HP
Greg Butler (3-0, 3.57)