This Week in Baseball -
Headlines:
Welcome to tonight's edition of
This Week in Baseball. In this installment we will look forward to the amateur draft and get a sense for who the teams are looking to get, how deep the draft is, and what each team may be looking for. The NCBL is unique in that it works in partnership with the state colleges and universities as well as state high school players to provide the talent for the league. As the league is held to a strict cap on the amount of players that can be from out of state, this is as much by necessity as it is by design. That being said, let's start by taking a look at this year's collegiate and high school playoff teams. It's a good bet that the graduating seniors from the playoff squads will get a good look from the NCBL teams come draft day. Here's how the state NCAA Championship playoffs looked:
| Capital Standings |
| Blue | | Team | W | L | PCT | GB | Pyt.Rec | Diff | Home | Away | XInn | 1Run | M# | Streak | Last10 | | NC State Wolfpack | 28 | 22 | .560 | - | 27-23 | 1 | 16-9 | 12-13 | 3-1 | 9-6 | Clinched | W2 | 6-4 | | UNC Greensboro Spartans | 25 | 25 | .500 | 3.0 | 25-25 | 0 | 13-12 | 12-13 | 0-3 | 4-8 |
| W1 | 9-1 | | Wake Forest Demon Deacons | 25 | 25 | .500 | 3.0 | 23-27 | 2 | 17-8 | 8-17 | 1-1 | 3-3 |
| L1 | 5-5 | | Black | | Team | W | L | PCT | GB | Pyt.Rec | Diff | Home | Away | XInn | 1Run | M# | Streak | Last10 | | Campbell Camels | 29 | 21 | .580 | - | 29-21 | 0 | 16-9 | 13-12 | 1-1 | 5-4 | Clinched | W1 | 1-9 | | UNC Charlotte 49ers | 25 | 25 | .500 | 4.0 | 22-28 | 3 | 16-9 | 9-16 | 1-0 | 7-5 |
| L2 | 4-6 | | UNC Wilmington Seahawks | 18 | 32 | .360 | 11.0 | 23-27 | -5 | 9-16 | 9-16 | 0-0 | 3-5 |
| L1 | 5-5 | |
| Royal Standings |
| Green | | Team | W | L | PCT | GB | Pyt.Rec | Diff | Home | Away | XInn | 1Run | M# | Streak | Last10 | | Duke Blue Devils | 28 | 22 | .560 | - | 30-20 | -2 | 16-9 | 12-13 | 0-1 | 3-5 | Clinched | W3 | 7-3 | | North Carolina Tar Heels | 25 | 25 | .500 | 3.0 | 28-22 | -3 | 13-12 | 12-13 | 1-4 | 7-5 |
| L4 | 3-7 | | Western Carolina Catamounts | 25 | 25 | .500 | 3.0 | 23-27 | 2 | 14-11 | 11-14 | 1-0 | 5-3 |
| L1 | 6-4 | | Grey | | Team | W | L | PCT | GB | Pyt.Rec | Diff | Home | Away | XInn | 1Run | M# | Streak | Last10 | | East Carolina Pirates | 34 | 16 | .680 | - | 31-19 | 3 | 20-5 | 14-11 | 3-0 | 5-4 | Clinched | W4 | 8-2 | | Appalachian State Mountaineers | 22 | 28 | .440 | 12.0 | 23-27 | -1 | 11-14 | 11-14 | 1-1 | 5-7 |
| L2 | 5-5 | | NC Central Eagles | 16 | 34 | .320 | 18.0 | 17-33 | -1 | 7-18 | 9-16 | 0-0 | 3-4 |
| W1 | 1-9 | |
In the playoffs,
Campbell defeated NC State 3-1 to win the Capital League pennant while
East Carolina outlasted Duke in a 3-2 duel for the Royal League pennant. Campbell was simply no match for the Pirates as
East Carolina swept Campbell in 4 games to win the 2100 NCAA championship.
Only a few players from this year's playoff teams bear close attention while
2098 and 2099 champ Wake Forest has a large amount of its talent moving on this year. Pitching talent throughout the NCAA is suffering a down year and very few graduating seniors will get much of a look in the majors. Here's the best of the best for this year's graduating class (career numbers in parentheses):
Batters -
CF Matt Alder (Campbell): .395 18 70 12 SB (.403 75 251 64 SB)
1B Melvin Barraclough (Wake Forest): .418 15 49 (.418 60 202)
LF Terry Stephens (Wake Forest): .320 19 61 (.394 48 201)
LF Flint Peterson (North Carolina): .414 16 62 (.360 57 182)
RF Carlos Oliva (East Carolina): .326 14 47 (.333 35 151)
CF William Crow (Wake Forest): .294 2 31 25 SB (.307 19 116 64 SB)
LF Carlos Vargas (NC State): .350 11 34 (.412 49 169)
Pitchers -
SP Jim Meyer (UNC Wilmington): 6-3 5.85 (19-11 5.28)
SP Martin Carpenter (East Carolina): 4-0 5.40 (17-7 6.29)
SP David Murray (Appalachian State): 7-3 4.93 (27-9 3.22)
SP Dennis Brown (East Carolina): 5-2 4.64 (14-14 4.60)
Now we turn our attention to the High School grads. Here are the final standing from this year's play:
| Capital Standings |
| Blue | | Team | W | L | PCT | GB | Pyt.Rec | Diff | Home | Away | XInn | 1Run | M# | Streak | Last10 | | Fuquay-Varina Tigers | 22 | 18 | .550 | - | 22-18 | 0 | 11-9 | 11-9 | 2-1 | 2-3 | Clinched | L2 | 7-3 | | DH Conley Vikings | 21 | 19 | .525 | 1.0 | 21-19 | 0 | 11-9 | 10-10 | 1-1 | 5-3 |
| W4 | 6-4 | | Scotland Fighting Scots | 19 | 21 | .475 | 3.0 | 16-24 | 3 | 14-6 | 5-15 | 1-0 | 6-0 |
| W3 | 5-5 | | South Caldwell Spartans | 18 | 22 | .450 | 4.0 | 20-20 | -2 | 9-11 | 9-11 | 1-1 | 4-5 |
| L8 | 2-8 | | Rose Ramparts | 13 | 27 | .325 | 9.0 | 15-25 | -2 | 9-11 | 4-16 | 3-2 | 2-4 |
| L4 | 2-8 | | Black | | Team | W | L | PCT | GB | Pyt.Rec | Diff | Home | Away | XInn | 1Run | M# | Streak | Last10 | | Providence Panthers | 27 | 13 | .675 | - | 25-15 | 2 | 14-6 | 13-7 | 1-0 | 4-1 | Clinched | W4 | 7-3 | | Northwest Guilford Vikings | 25 | 15 | .625 | 2.0 | 26-14 | -1 | 15-5 | 10-10 | 1-1 | 2-5 |
| W2 | 6-4 | | Apex Cougars | 24 | 16 | .600 | 3.0 | 23-17 | 1 | 16-4 | 8-12 | 0-4 | 4-5 |
| L2 | 6-4 | | New Hanover Wildcats | 18 | 22 | .450 | 9.0 | 20-20 | -2 | 13-7 | 5-15 | 1-0 | 4-4 |
| W2 | 4-6 | | Lee Senior Yellowjackets | 13 | 27 | .325 | 14.0 | 15-25 | -2 | 8-12 | 5-15 | 0-1 | 3-6 |
| L3 | 5-5 | |
| Royal Standings |
| Green | | Team | W | L | PCT | GB | Pyt.Rec | Diff | Home | Away | XInn | 1Run | M# | Streak | Last10 | | South View Tigers | 27 | 13 | .675 | - | 25-15 | 2 | 14-6 | 13-7 | 0-0 | 2-2 | Clinched | W4 | 7-3 | | Glenn Bobcats | 22 | 18 | .550 | 5.0 | 19-21 | 3 | 10-10 | 12-8 | 3-1 | 6-6 |
| W1 | 6-4 | | Harding Rams | 22 | 18 | .550 | 5.0 | 21-19 | 1 | 13-7 | 9-11 | 1-2 | 3-3 |
| L4 | 6-4 | | South Mecklenberg Sabres | 20 | 20 | .500 | 7.0 | 19-21 | 1 | 11-9 | 9-11 | 2-1 | 3-3 |
| W1 | 5-5 | | Hoke County Bucks | 18 | 22 | .450 | 9.0 | 19-21 | -1 | 11-9 | 7-13 | 0-1 | 1-5 |
| L1 | 6-4 | | Grey | | Team | W | L | PCT | GB | Pyt.Rec | Diff | Home | Away | XInn | 1Run | M# | Streak | Last10 | | Eastern Wayne Warriors | 25 | 15 | .625 | - | 25-15 | 0 | 14-6 | 11-9 | 1-1 | 7-3 | Clinched | L1 | 7-3 | | Broughton Capitals | 19 | 21 | .475 | 6.0 | 20-20 | -1 | 9-11 | 10-10 | 2-0 | 4-4 |
| W4 | 4-6 | | Independence Patriots | 17 | 23 | .425 | 8.0 | 19-21 | -2 | 7-13 | 10-10 | 0-1 | 4-1 |
| L1 | 6-4 | | Richmond Raiders | 17 | 23 | .425 | 8.0 | 16-24 | 1 | 9-11 | 8-12 | 0-1 | 5-5 |
| L7 | 1-9 | | Southern Wayne Saints | 13 | 27 | .325 | 12.0 | 18-22 | -5 | 8-12 | 5-15 | 1-2 | 3-6 |
| W1 | 2-8 | |
Come playoff time, Fuquay-Varina dug deep and produced, as
Fuquay-Varina outlasted Providence in a very close 3-2 series while
Eastern Wayne upset South View 3-1 to set the stage for the battle of the two Cinderella teams. Fuquay-Varina would not be denied as they claimed the glass slipper.
Fuquay-Varina defeated Eastern Wayne handilly, 4-1, to become the 2100 North Carolina High School Champions.
Come draft day, this year's real depth is found in the talented players coming out of high school. Top talent and likely 2nd overall selection (behind superstar-in-waiting SP Ryan Burke) RF Pat Foyt suffered a torn ACL in the playoffs to cast a big shadow on his draft status as he will be out of action for 8 or 9 months. Here's Foyt's numbers along with the best of the graduating seniors for this years amateur draft:
Batters -
RF Pat Foyt (Providence): .497 22 75 (.465 60 237)
CF John Holbrook (Broughton): .461 15 52 (.453 42 184)
2B Joe Goguen (South View): .465 8 65 (.409 24 160)
1B Joe Werner (South Mecklenberg): .426 11 63 (.378 42 204)
3B Curt Oldknow (South View): .394 17 53 (.383 57 191)
1B Andrew Shaw (Lee Senior): .449 7 32 (.427 55 209)
Pitchers -
SP Ryan Burke (Glenn): 7-1 2.92 (22-5 3.58)
SP Bryan O'Toole (Apex): 5-1 4.09 (9-13 7.92)
SP Arthur Ward (Providence): 5-1 4.67 (18-6 5.85)
SP Roger McConnell (South View): 6-1 6.12 (12-9 7.71)
The Week in Review:
Here come the Patriots! Fayetteville is buzzing after their hometown Patriots tore up the league with a solid 6-1 week to put themselves in a clear #1 position. Nemesis Greensboro also performed well, winning 5 out of 6 to keep within striking distance of the Platinum Division lead. Over in the Copper Division, Cary is holding off Raleigh and Rocky Mount for now but no one is a clear leader.
Signings:
SP Ron Gibbs, Fayetteville - $26.1 million over 3 years
C Lindsay Webster, Asheville - $17.6 million over 3 years
Injuries:
CF Max Orlebar, High Point - day to day with left hamstring tendinitis
SP Trevor Aldridge, Greenville - out 1-2 weeks with inflamation in his throwing elbow
SS Doyle Johnston, Greensboro - out 4 weeks with a broken right hand
Game of the Week:
5/29/2100 -
Jacksonville 4, High Point 3 (14 innings)
Jacksonville may not come out of the 2100 season with many highlights but this game will go down as one of the best of the season for the struggling club. #16 against #1 in the Power Rankings started off looking like the mismatch everyone was expecting as High Point plated 3 runs in the top of the first inning as Jacksonville
SP Ryan Clark (4-3 4.55) had one of the strangest innings ever witnessed. He surrendered a leadoff double, followed by a walk and a hit batsmen to load the bases. Obviously shaken, Clark was unable to fool High Point cleanup hitter
1B Alfredo Ocampo and walked in a run before finding his spots and striking out consecutive batters.
RF Ryan Holohan then came up to bat and wasted no time delivering a two RBI single to run the score to 3-0. To his credit, Clark did not allow the early control problems to derail him completely and he struck out the #8 batter to escape further damage and then followed with 5 strong innings allowing no hits or walks before exiting in the 7th inning. For their part, the Jester's offense was unable to answer in the 1st but clawed their way back to even by plating a run in the 2nd and 2 in the 3rd. What looked like a walk in the park for High Point was turning into an epic struggle. Both teams gave the game over to the bullpen once High Point
SP Ben Sullivan left in the middle of the 8th.
The game dragged on and on as neither team seemed to have the stamina to mount a winning rally. Time after time men would end up stranded on base only to have their teammates fail to finish the game. Finally, mercifully, in the bottom of the 14th
C Shane Baker worked a leadoff walk and
PH Bob Garrison sacrificed him over to 2nd. The stage was set.
CF Arthur Durberville crushed an 0-2 pitch deep to center. Only a miraculous catch by Renegade CF Holohan prevented the game from ending right there. Alertly, Baker kept his head and tagged up - then advanced easilly to 3rd on the throw in.
3B Dana Harris seemed to thrive in the pressure and looked unfazed even after getting behind 0-2. Then, with 2 outs and no strikes left to take, Harris punched a single to the right of the shortstop into left field as Baker came home with the winning run.
The marathon 4 hour 22 minute game was over. Jester's players flew out onto the field and mobbed their catcher moments after he hop-stepped over home plate. For one night, at least, Jacksonville has taken on Goliath and triumphed. In post-game interviews, Harris looked exhausted but proud as he recalled his final at bat. "I knew High Point was as tired as we were. Their pitcher was throwing well but with a man on 3rd I just felt that he wouldn't risk his breaking stuff hitting the dirt and rolling to the backstop. I fouled off a good fastball on 0-1 so I had my timing for the heater. When he threw it everything just went into slow motion, man. I could see every stitch on that ball as it was heading for the outside of the plate. I swung as hard as I could but I topped it a little bit. I couldn't tell right away if it was going to get through the hole or not so I hauled ass to first as fast as I could. Before I even got there, though, I heard the crowd and I knew it got through. It was awesome, man - probably the best I've ever felt playing baseball."
Congratulations to Jacksonville. They definitely deserve to be our Game of the Week.
Players of the Week:
It's always a thrill for fans of the team and students of the game alike when a superstar in the making shows what he's got.
Alex Willis, the Charlotte Royals 25-year-old second baseman, put himself in the spotlight last week making him the clear-cut choice for Piedmont Player of the Week honors.
He ripped 13 hits in 32 at-bats, compiling a .406 average with 4 home runs and 12 RBIs.
Willis is currently batting .308 with 5 home runs and 20 RBIs.
----------------------------
There's nothing like being in the prime of your baseball career -- and playing like it. Just ask
Ryan Cole, the Fayetteville first baseman, who swung a sweet bat all week to not only aid his team, but also pick up the Appalachian Player of the Week honors.
Cole piled up 13 hits in 30 at-bats, 5 home runs and 11 RBIs while hitting .433.
Cole is batting .320 with 13 home runs and 39 RBIs this season.
Down on the Farm:
Speedy 25 year-old Sanford (Gastonia)
CF Keith Stone leads AAA with 22 stolen bases to go along with his impressive .341 Batting Average. In an earlier shot with Gastonia, Stone failed to impress, hitting a miserable .173 in 52 at bats. Now having had a taste of what the major leagues is like, he is working like mad to get back up as soon as possible.
AAA New Bern (Chapel Hill)
SP Steve Johnston hopes that he will have said goodbye to AAA permanently after his recent call up. The 24 year-old was the dominant pitcher in AAA until the move, having posted a 5-0 2.39 in 7 starts before the promotion. Things haven't gone as well with the Saints, however, as Johnston so far has a 5.68 ERA in 2 starts with the big club.
Time may be running out for AA Kernersville (High Point)
RF Dan Church. Although he is hitting well in AA (.372 5 26) he is currently on the disabled list for 5-6 weeks with a ruptured tendon in his right middle finger. At 27, the clock ticks by quickly in AA. Even assuming he comes back full strength, Church did not seem to do enough in his time in AAA Matthews to keep him on the radar of the High Point brass.
Weekly Power Rankings:
| Rank Last Week | Team | Points | Tendency | Record | PCT | AVG | ERA | Pyt.Rec | Diff |
| 1st (2nd) | High Point | 120 | + | 33-16 | .673 | .287 | 3.53 | 34-15 | -1 |
| 2nd (3rd) | Fayetteville | 118 | + | 31-20 | .608 | .267 | 3.83 | 29-22 | 2 |
| 3rd (1st) | Winston-Salem | 110 | - | 33-18 | .647 | .282 | 4.06 | 31-20 | 2 |
| 4th (6th) | Greensboro | 107 | + | 28-22 | .560 | .262 | 3.92 | 28-22 | 0 |
| 5th (4th) | Wilmington | 106 | - | 29-22 | .569 | .261 | 3.80 | 29-22 | 0 |
| 6th (9th) | Raleigh | 99 | ++ | 26-24 | .520 | .280 | 4.61 | 25-25 | 1 |
| 7th (7th) | Durham | 98 | o | 28-24 | .538 | .284 | 4.07 | 28-24 | 0 |
| 8th (8th) | Rocky Mount | 91 | o | 26-25 | .510 | .266 | 3.80 | 25-26 | 1 |
| 9th (5th) | Cary | 90 | -- | 27-24 | .529 | .249 | 4.09 | 26-25 | 1 |
| 10th (13th) | Charlotte | 76 | ++ | 20-30 | .400 | .238 | 4.85 | 21-29 | -1 |
| 11th (16th) | Gastonia | 76 | ++ | 21-29 | .420 | .247 | 4.98 | 21-29 | 0 |
| 12th (14th) | Concord | 74 | + | 21-31 | .404 | .251 | 4.27 | 24-28 | -3 |
| 13th (15th) | Jacksonville | 69 | + | 19-31 | .380 | .275 | 5.31 | 20-30 | -1 |
| 14th (12th) | Chapel Hill | 69 | - | 21-30 | .412 | .256 | 5.33 | 18-33 | 3 |
| 15th (10th) | Asheville | 69 | -- | 21-29 | .420 | .255 | 4.77 | 22-28 | -1 |
| 16th (11th) | Greenville | 65 | -- | 20-29 | .408 | .235 | 4.10 | 23-26 | -3 |
Looking Forward to Next Week:
The amateur draft is 2 weeks away. The first five picks belong to
Rocky Mount, Charlotte, Chapel Hill, Cary, and Asheville. Raleigh also deserves mention in this draft as they have stockpiled picks hoping that the draft turns out to be one of the deepest in recent memory. With 3 picks in the first, 4 picks in the second, and 3 in the 3rd, the Cardinals have an opportunity to do just about anything they desire. They may try to move up, trade picks for players, or just rebuild their entire minor league system. Whatever they do, we'll be watching!