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Summer Collegiate Team Rankings

Allan Simpson
7/12/2011

Fast-Charging Edenton Moves Into No. 1 Spot

For the first time this summer, a team other than a team from the Cape Cod League has ascended to the No. 1 spot in Perfect Game’s weekly ranking of the nation’s top 25 summer-league clubs.

The Coastal Plain League’s Edenton Steamers moved into the top position by winning 10 of their first 11 games in the second half of the CPL schedule. The Steamers, on the strength of an early 10-game winning streak, had already posted the league’s best record in the first half while clinching top spot in the North Division. Overall, the team was 29-9 on the season.

The Cape League’s Hyannis Harbor Hawks held the No. 1 spot a week ago, but slipped to No. 2 after a 3-3 week. The Hawks (17-10) still had the best record in that league, but are being pushed by the No. 5-ranked Harwich Mariners (16-10), No. 9-ranked Brewster Whitecaps (14-10) and No. 11-ranked Bourne Braves (14-10).

Edenton has dominated the Coastal Plain League this season, posting the league’s best batting average (.277) and ERA (2.71). They also topped the 15-team circuit in runs (253) and stolen bases (92).

“We’re not a club with a lot of big names,” Steamers coach Dirk Kinney told the local Daily Advance earlier this summer, “we just have a lot of guys who play extremely hard. They care. Sometimes you don’t get that in summer ball. But they do, and they want to put a good product on the field for the community.”

The Steamers have a deep, balanced pitching staff, but the player that makes the team go on offense is middle infielder Joe Wendle, who was passed over in this year’s draft after an all-star season in the New England Collegiate League a year ago and a .346-2-32 junior season at West Chester (Pa.), a Division II school in Pennsylvania.

Wendle (.408-3-30) is second in the league in batting and third in RBIs, and tops the circuit in on-base percentage (.473) and runs (34). He also has been steady in the field at second base and will be one of six Steamers who will play in the Coastal Plain League all-star game next Monday in Fayetteville, N.C.

The Coastal Plain League, acknowledged as one of the nation’s top three summer leagues along the Cape Cod and Northwoods leagues, has seen one of its teams ascend to No. 1 in the past as the champion Forest City Owls finished the 2009 season ranked No. 1.

Several other summer leagues are in the process of staging their own all-star games over the last three weeks of the month of July.



RankTeamStLeagueRecord
1Edenton SteamersNCCoastal Plain League29-9
Steamers vault to No. 1 behind steady play of West Chester 2B Joe Wendle (.408-3-30), pitching of Delta State RHP Josh Branstetter (4-1, 1.34), Miami (Ohio) RHP Brooks Fiala (3-1, 1.78)
2Hyannis Harbor HawksMACape Cod League17-10
Steady pitching of Cal State Fullerton RHP Dylan Floro (4-0, 1.32), Purdue RHP Nick Wittgren (3-0, 0.79, 3 SV) has carried Hawks; Jacksonville 1B Adam Walker (.260-3-14) has been primary power source
3Wenatchee ApplesoxWAWest Coast League25-5
AppleSox continue to roll behind big bats of Gonzaga OF Payden Cawley Lamb (.412-0-18), Washington State 3B Adam Nebulowich (.331-7-20), and pitching staff with combined 2.19 ERA
4Mankato MoonDogsMNNorthwoods League27-12
MoonDogs OF Shaun Cooper (Utah) positioning himself for Northwoods triple-crown season (.368-12-37), Minnesota State RHP Blake Schwartz (5-0, 1.38, 46 IP/55 SO) for pitching triple crown
5Santa Barbara ForestersCACalifornia Collegiate League24-8
Texas State OF Jeff McVaney (.402-2-13) carrying team at plate, Wichita State RHP T.J. McGreevey (4-0, 1.35) and Oklahoma State RHP Ian McCarthy (4-0, 1.99) are stalwarts on mound
6Harwich MarinersMACape Cod League16-10
Stellar relief pitching of Mt. Olive RHP Carter Capps (3-0), North Carolina State RHP Chris Overman (2-0, 1 SV), VCU RHP Blake Hauser (0-0, 2 SV), with no ER in 39 innings, has been instrumental
7Bethesda Big TrainMDCal Ripken Sr League25-7
Cal State Northridge 3B Adam Barry (.402-1-27), Mississippi State C Hunter Renfroe (.278-7-22) have been key weapons on offense, Princeton RHP Matt Bowman (4-1, 0.42) on mound
8Harrisonburg TurksVAValley League23-8
Wake Forest OF Mac Williamson (.377-9-33) and Wingate (N.C.) OF Dodson McPherson (.323-6-32) have provided the offensive spark, three all-star arms have stabilized Turks pitching staff
9Brewster White CapsMACape Cod League14-10
Cubs signed Morehead State C Taylor Davis (.375-2-13) as non-drafted free agent, but Michigan State RHP Tony Bucciferro (1-2, 1.78, 35 IP/33 SO), Rice RHP J.T. Chargois (6 SV) have picked up pieces
10Keene Swamp BatsNHNew England Collegiate League17-9
Bryant OF Kevin Brown (.340-4-17), Louisville IF Alex Chittenden (.337-1-15) have been offensive keys for Bats, Central Connecticut State RHP Nick Neumann (1-0, 0.52) on mound
11Bourne BravesMACape Cod League14-10
Stony Brook OF Travis Jankowski (.324-0-16) has been surprise at plate, while Florida Atlantic RHP R.J. Alvarez (0-2, 2.53, 4 SV), Kentucky RHP Trevor Gott (0-0, 0.69, 7 SV) have been nails in bullpen
12Kenai Peninsula OilersAKAlaska League20-9
Oilers boast league's top hitter in Cal Poly SS Mike Miller (.403-0-8), but St. Mary's LHP Jordan Mills (2-0, 0.00), Fresno State RHP J.D. Salles (2-1, 0.48) have helped team post 1.44 ERA
13East Texas PumpjacksTXTexas Collegiate League24-11
Pumpjacks pulling away in TCL behind Arizona State C Beau Maggi (.321-0-18), Texas A&M IF Ty Marlow (.321-3-13), pitching of McNeese State RHP Jaden Dillon (5-1, 2.81)
14Quincy GemsILProspect League23-11
Pitching of San Diego State RHP T.J. Kendzora (5-0, 1.99), Southeastern Louisiana RHP Josh Janway (3-2, 1.35), both league all-stars, has carried Gems to top spot in Prospect standings
15Fayetteville SwampdogsNCCoastal Plain League25-13
Starting pitcher of LeMoyne LHP Michael Anarumo (4-0, league-best 1.06 ERA) has been critical for surging Swampdogs, as has relief work of Tampa RHP Cody Davis (1-1, 1.29, league-best 11 SV)
16Battle Creek BombersMINorthwoods League25-14
Texas-San Antonio OF Daniel Rockett (.325-4-48), Central Michigan 2B Jordan Dean (.310-1-19) and Northern Illionois 3B Troy White (.310-6-21) have sparked Bombers offensively
17San Luis Obispo BluesCACalifornia Collegiate League22-9
Utah C Jo Jo Sharrar (.370-1-18), Kansas 1B Zac Elgie (.302-2-18) have carried team at plate, College of Southern Idaho RHP Travis Huber (2-0, 2.43), Northern Illinois LHP Tom Barry (4-2, 1.97) on mound
18Palm Springs PowerCASouthern California Collegiate League31-3
Power on 19-game win streak, thanks to bats of Southern California-bound OF Ryan Garvey (.419-2-16), Ventura (Calif.) JC 1B Ryan Jones (.408-0-31), pitching of Chico State RHP Nick Baker (7-0, 1.38)
19St. Joseph MustangsMOMINK League26-9
Missouri State IFs Brent Seifert (.355-2-28), Spiker Helm (.331-0-23) continue to produce at plate for MINK's top club, Southern Arkansas RHP Doug Shields (3-1, 0.84, 4 SV) has been bullpen stalwart
20Brainerd Lakes Area LunkersMNNorthwoods League23-14
Northern Colorado LHP Joe Willman (4-0, 1.30), Florida Gulf Coast RHP Jason Forjet (2-0, 1.76) have been surprises on mound for Lunkars, Regis (Colo.) OF Steve Breault (.341-2-24) at plate
21Corvallis KnightsORWest Coast League19-12
Unheralded Pacific Lutheran (Wash.) RHP Max Beatty (4-1, 2.78) and Redlands (Calif.) RHP Kyle Hart (3-0, 1.82) have been top starters, UC Irvine LHP Mark Trentacosta (7 SV) stabilizer in pen
22Cincinnati SteamOHGreat Lakes League17-9
Steam slips with five losses in nine games, but still hold top spot in GLL behind play of Miami (Ohio) 1B Kevin Bower (.314-3-18), pitching of Northern Kentucky RHP Blake Bagshaw (3-0, 1.73)
23Amsterdam MohawksNYPerfect Game Collegiate Baseball League18-12
Perennial power Mohawks finally asserting themselves behind Kentucky C Luke Maile (.469-3-10), Lamar OF Jude Vidrine (.344-3-13), bullpen work of Radford RHP Abram Williams (1-1, 2.30, 9 SV)
24Utica BrewersNYNew York Collegiate League26-6
Brewers continue to roll behind Southeastern (Fla.) OF Daniel Mims (.380-1-22), Missouri Baptist 3B Scott Krutel (.305-7-30), pitching of Warner Southern RHP Jacob Petitt (5-1, 0.50)
25Winter Park Diamond DawgsFLFlorida Collegiate League15-6
Dawgs reclaim top spot in FCSL behind top Florida JC talents like St. Pete OF Ted Blackman (.391-1-13), State College of Florida 3B B.J. Zimmerman (.357-2-18), RHP Jeremy Strawn (3-0, 1.78)

Others Receiving Consideration: Jersey Pilots/Atlantic Collegiate (16-10); Westhampton Aviators/Atlantic Collegiate (17-12); Southern Maryland Nationals/Cal Ripken (19-9); Orleans Firebirds/Cape Cod (12-12); Forest City Owls/Coastal Plain (23-14); Leesburg Lightning/Florida (16-8); Lima Locos/Great Lakes (17-10); Southern Ohio Copperheads/Great Lakes (16-9); Oahu Paddlers/Hawaii (15-7); Hayesville Heat/Jayhawk (17-10); Gaithersburg Giants/Maryland Collegiate (22-4); Danbury Westerners/New England Collegiate (15-9); Holyoke Blue Sox/New England Collegiate (15-10); Oneonta Outlaws/New York Collegiate (19-8); Green Bay Bullfrogs/Northwoods (22-17); Glens Falls Golden Eagles/Perfect Game (15-11); Cooperstown Hawkeyes/Perfect Game (14-11); West Virginia Miners/Prospect (21-15); Nashville Outlaws/Prospect (20-14); Morganton Aggies/Southern (22-8); Douglasville Bulls/Sunbelt (18-3); Waynesboro Generals/Valley (17-12); New Market Rebels/Valley (18-12); Winchester Royals/Valley (18-12); Bend Elks/West Coast (17-14); Cowlitz Black Bears/West Coast (17-14); Medicine Hat Mavericks/Western Major (26-8); Regina Red Sox/Western Major (22-7); Okotoks Dawgs/Western Major (23-9).