Delaware Conference Monthly Awards
DE Conference Batter of the Month Honors to Kohl: Andy Kohl battered Delaware Conference pitchers all May and wound up taking home the Batter of the Month Award. "I've been around DELMARVA Baseball League long enough to know you really have to work hard day in and day out to be able to put up this kind of consistency," the 28-year-old Kohl told reporters. "I put in a lot of work, even on the days I might not take the field, and it's always nice when everything comes together for me like it did this last month." In 25 games, Kohl hit .310 with 11 home runs, 30 RBIs and scored 19 runs. This season in 45 games, Kohl has hit at a .306 clip with 53 hits, 20 home runs, 58 RBIs and 32 runs scored.
Heath Earns DE Conference Top Pitcher Trophy: "The kid had it all working last month," a veteran teammate told reporters. "He keeps up those kind of numbers, we might have to start inviting him out with us after the games." Will Heath put together a very solid month to take home the Delaware Conference's top pitching honor in May. The 24-year-old reliever threw like a veteran. In 15 relief appearances he raked in 10 saves and 15 strikeouts in 15 innings as he put together his 2-0 record and 2.40 ERA. This season Heath has rung up 14 saves. He is carrying a 2-2 record with a 3.47 ERA in 23.1 innings pitched.
Delaware Conference Names Rookie of Month: Chad Campbell's eyes seem to light up whenever he sees the baseball. The young Milford left fielder has been hitting everything in sight for the better part of a month. In May he was voted the Rookie of the Month Award. During the month he hit .412 with 5 doubles, no triples and 1 home run. Campbell also scored 8 times and drove in 9 runs. So far this season Campbell has 1 home run and a .369 batting average.
MarVa Conference Monthly Awards
Reyes Awarded May's MarVa Conf Top Bat Prize: Seasoned by several years of professional experience, 30-year-old Francisco Reyes put together a solid offensive month for Norfolk and was crowned May's top batter in the MarVa Conference. He batted .400 with 10 home runs, 27 RBIs and 22 runs scored. In 50 games Reyes is hitting .292 this season with 52 hits, 14 home runs, 39 RBIs, 27 walks, .380 OBP and has scored 31 runs.
May's Starter of the Month Goes to Hollis: The Pitcher of the Month Award has been announced and the MarVa Conference winner is Norfolk hurler, Matt Hollis. For his fine efforts in May he has been named the league's #1 pitcher. During the month, Hollis excelled with a 1.07 ERA and 5 wins and no losses. In 42 innings he struck out 43 and gave up 25 hits and 12 walks. This season to date Hollis has a record of 9 wins and 1 loss with a 2.22 ERA, has appeared in 10 games and struck out 92 in 81 innings.
Sensational Month for MarVa Conf Rookie: Tsuginori Ichikawa is a latecomer to this league. The 30-year-old Salisbury second baseman is putting up quality numbers, even though he's not your traditional rookie. On the heels of posting a .293 average, the MarVa Conference named him May's Rookie of the Month. He hit 4 home runs last month, knocking in 11 runs and scoring 16 runs. He banged out 34 hits and drew 8 walks to post a .339 OBP. In his 2020 season totals, Ichikawa has 7 home runs, .284 BA, .328 OBP, 20 RBIs and 24 runs scored.
Delaware Conference League Leaders
MarVa Conference League Leaders
Standings as of June 1st 2020
The biggest surprise to me is the turn around of the Dover Generals. Last season they finished 4th with a .543 WPct. They sat down reevaluated, let a few good guys go and rebuilt. A quick turn around, by first year GM John Ross.
The Northern Division shaping up to be a good battle yet again. The Colonials were the favorites to win at the beginning of the season, but they lost their ace so they have their work cut out for them. Both Newark and Milford have made a lot of moves this season/off-season to make themselves better.
The Eastern Division is up for grabs. I like these kinds of races and I hope that all 4 teams will stay in the battle all season. The Admirals have won the division the past 4 years (5 of 7), so I am ready for someone else to take the title.
In the Western Division its shaping up to be the Cavaliers division again. That being said, the injury to Miguel Contreras may open the door. The Cav's staff isn't as strong as it once was.