[tm1681]

BADDLEY BRUISES G.M. IN FIFTEEN-RUN STJ WIN
1ST-YEAR STARTER HAS 5 HITS & 6 RBI, HELPS TURN PAIR OF DOUBLE PLAYS ON DEFENSE

BURLINGTON, VER. (Aug. 8, 1868) – Normally, when St. John’s puts the sword to a New England opponent the key player is one of their plethora of All-Stars. Today that was not the case, as a first-year starter took center stage in the team’s mauling of Green Mountain in the season’s penultimate game:

While the legendary St. John’s outfield trio did play very well in the fifteen-run win – Konrad Jensen was 2/5 (2 R, 2 BB), William Johnson was 4/4 (4 R), & Nelson Townsend was also 2/5 (2 R, 1 BB) – the Player of the Game honor on this day went to SS John Baddley.

The #7 man in the St. John’s lineup did the following:

• T1: 2-run Double to RCF off S. Cato
• T3: 1-run Double to CF off S. Cato
• T4: 1-run Sac Fly to RF off S. Cato
• T5: 1-run Single past SS off W. Unger
• T7: 1-run Single past SS off W. Unger (R)
• T8: Single past SS off W. Unger (R)
• TOTAL: 5/5, 3 2B, 2 R, 6 RBI, 2 DEF DP, 96 GMSC

Baddley, a 25-year-old who is in his fifth year as a member of the St. John’s Baseball Club, has been a quality player in his first season as a regular starter for the senior team. He has a .317 average, .816 OPS, 35 extra-base hits, 55 RBI, and 2.0 WAR after having started his 60th game of the season on Saturday. Also, he is ending his maiden season as a regular player on quite a hot streak, batting 15/33 (.484) over his last seven games with a 1.195 OPS and thirteen RBI.

Baddley has added an element of quality that has been missing from the middle of the St. John’s infield in recent years and, after all, what could St. John’s possibly need more than even more high-level talent?