Standings of the Elyrian Baseball League after 30 games
Trinidad City are pulling ahead in the National League South while Tamarac and East Winslow Buccaneers battle for top spot in the Continental League
News around the EBL:
Chapman Grabs CL Best Batter Award for April: Jim Chapman has a lot going for him. The Tamarac second baseman just broke into the majors this year and now the Continentall League has just picked him as its top hitter for April.
In 24 games last month this outstanding rookie batted .341 with 7 home runs, 22 RBIs and 14 runs scored.
Mazur Snags NL Batting Honor in April: Nate Mazur may be much younger than other hitters in the National League, but he performed like a seasoned veteran in April to win the Batter of the Month award.
The 25-year-old Emmaus first baseman hit .299 with 10 home runs, 29 RBIs and 20 runs scored.
Reliever Snags CL Top Hurler Trophy: Sean Butler was the anchor in the Tamarac bullpen last month and snatched up the Continentall League Pitcher of the Month honors for April. The 28-year-old is in the prime of his career and pitching like he intends to stay around baseball for quite some time to come.
He threw 11.1 innings over 13 relief appearances and collected a 1-0 record with 13 strikeouts and 9 saves while etching his 0.00 ERA.
National League Names #1 Pitcher in April: Any time a rookie makes a splash on the scene, it's got to be great for his career potential. Just ask Justin Pardue, who put together a stellar month out of the pen. The Trinidad City Jets closer, 26, kept the opposition off balance all month as he held them to a .157 average and walked away with the National League Pitcher of the Month award for April.
Pardue posted a 1-1 mark and a 1.80 ERA in 15 relief appearances. In 15 innings, he had 13 saves, 18 strikeouts, and 11 walks.
Tamarac Second Baseman April's #1 Rookie: For a man of advanced years in baseball terms, Jim Chapman is defying all logic by wading through his first Continentall League season. Nonetheless, Chapman is proving a formidable performer for Tamarac, at least as far as this past April is concerned. Today he was hailed as the Continentall League Rookie of the Month.
He put up a .341 average with 7 home runs, 22 RBIs and 14 runs scored.
NL Selects Rookie Star of the Month: Youngster Jon Marinakis emerged as the latest National League Rookie of the Month today. The young man from Clayton deserved the honor, batting .367 with 4 home runs and 16 RBI. Is the month of April a harbinger of things to come or just a fluke? We'll find out someday, but for now, we'll just let Marinakis enjoy the limelight.
Edmonson Pitches Old Town to Shutout Victory: Jeff Edmonson humbled the Bonhomme Raiders today at Old Town Field in a shutout win. In the 5-0 victory, the Old Town Thugs starter yielded 3 hits, fanned 10 and walked 1.
"Hard not to go home happy after a game like that," Edmonson said.
Checking out his stats for the season, Edmonson has registered 1 win and 4 losses in 6 starts, 4.75 ERA and struck out 34 batters in 36 innings.
Murray Razor-Sharp, Shuts Out Ladue: Jason Murray of the Trinidad City Jets humiliated the Ladue Ducks at Field of the Jets today, spinning a complete game shutout and holding the visitors to 6 hits.
"He stayed aggressive and his ball was really moving," said Ladue manager Bill Brace, after the game.
Murray whiffed 7 and walked 2 in the 10-0 win.
"If I make good pitches, I'm going to get some outs," Murray said. "I was making good pitches the entire game."
In 5 starts this year Murray has fashioned a 2-0 record and a 4.40 ERA.
CL Star of the Week Picked: At the age of 28, Joe Duncan might have some potential he hasn't realized yet -- if his success at the plate last week is any indication. The New Charleroi shortstop put up some exceptional numbers the past seven days with a .524 batting average. For his efforts Duncan collected the Continentall League Player of the Week Award.
He racked up 11 hits in 21 at-bats, 3 home runs and 6 RBIs last week in 5 games.
This season Duncan is batting .312 with 14 RBIs, 15 runs scored and 5 home runs.
Dutton National League's Hottest Hitter: 25-year-old Aaron Dutton sent shock waves through Elyrian Baseball League last week with an eye-popping performance that brought him the National League Player of the Week Award.
A newcomer to the league, Dutton made the establishment sit up and take notice, punishing opposing pitchers with a .367 average, 11 hits in 30 at-bats, 2 home runs and 8 runs batted in.
Where the Trinidad City Jets shortstop goes from here, only the baseball gods know for sure, but Dutton certainly made his mark last week.
During the current season Dutton is batting at a .309 clip with 6 home runs and 24 RBIs. He has played in 25 games and scored 18 times.
BNN Stats: Batting Leaders at Right Field: Check out who leads the Elyrian Baseball League in triples while playing Right Field!
Thomas Cartee, EW, 3
Dan Prewitt, TAM, 2
Logan Walker, TC, 2
Jimmy Defoe, EW, 1
Scott Engleman, LAD, 1
Another Setback For East Winslow's Nate Long: East Winslow Buccaneers shortstop Nate Long is not healing as well as expected as he recovers from a sore back and will miss an additional 5 days as a result. Long had been working with the team medical staff, but was taken to a specialist as a precaution. Examination revealed more damage than originally thought.
So far this season Long has 4 home runs and a .324 batting average.
Connolly Out 4 Weeks: A blow for Matt Connolly today -- team doctors were able to determine the full extent of his recent injury. He will miss 4 weeks with a fractured hand. Connolly suffered the injury on 05/03/2157. The team will likely place Connolly on the disabled list today.
This year Connolly has 1 home run and a .196 batting average.
Weekly Team Power Rankings: Here are the current team power rankings for Elyrian Baseball League:
Teams (Total Points, Tendency):
1) Trinidad City Jets (152.0, o)
2) Emmaus Pelicans (125.7, +)
3) Tamarac Unforgiven (125.4, -)
4) East Winslow Buccaneers (118.2, o)
5) Alameda Outlaws (104.8, +)
6) Leyden Seals (86.4, +)
7) Clayton Crows (84.4, o)
8) East Winslow Stags (82.7, --)
9) Melrose Park Centaurs (78.2, +)
10) Elyria Continentals (77.0, o)
11) Soulard Apache (76.2, -)
12) New Charleroi Vipers (71.0, ++)
13) Old Town Thugs (70.2, o)
14) Bonhomme Raiders (67.0, -)
15) Oakdale Park Ravens (64.3, +)
16) Ladue Ducks (58.8, -)
Batting Leaders after 30 games
Pitching Leaders after 30 games
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