Summer Collegiate: Top 30 Teams (7/26)

SUMMER BASEBALL
TOP 30 TEAMS

Y-D Supplants Cape Rival At No. 1

In the five-year history of the PG CrossChecker summer baseball rankings, the Cape Cod League’s Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox are the only team to occupy the No. 1 spot every season.

The Red Sox won Cape Cod League championships in 2006 and 2007 to clinch the top spot both years, and were ranked No. 1 deep into the 2008 and 2009 seasons before suffering critical playoff losses that knocked them from the top spot.

This season, Y-D has been lurking near the top of the nation’s top 30 all season and finally moved to their accustomed No. 1 spot on the eve of the annual Cape Cod League all-star game (Wednesday at Boston’s Fenway Park). For the Red Sox to move into the top position, it took a four-game winning streak on their part that coincided with a four-game losing stretch by the Brewster Whitecaps, their counterparts in the Cape’s Eastern Division.

Brewster had been No. 1 since the outset of the 2010 summer season, and still have the most points in the Cape Cod standings (44, to 42 for Y-D), but have played two more games than Y-D. The loss of Louisiana State righthander Anthony Ranaudo, who did not allow an earned run in five starts for Brewster, was a crushing blow for the suddenly reeling Whitecaps.

Ranaudo was expected to be one of the top two or three picks in the 2010 draft, but encountered elbow problems in the spring at LSU and slid to the sandwich round, where he was selected by the Boston Red Sox. He spent time in the Cape this summer to demonstrate he was healthy, and cleared proved that, though his early departure left a huge void in the Brewster rotation.

Y-D lost its own ace in Stanford lefthander Brett Mooneyham (3-0, 3.18), a projected first-rounder in 2011, who left after four starts to join Team USA’s college national team. But the Red Sox have gotten steady performances from a number of quality arms, and added Fresno State first baseman Jordan Ribera (.234-5-17), the nation’s home run leader, to bolster their offense. Ribera was available when he went undrafted in June.

Brewster slipped to No. 5 in the latest rankings, but will be expected to give Y-D all it can handle in the Cape Cod League playoffs, which begin Aug. 6.

Meanwhile, the nation’s No. 2-3-4 teams (the Santa Barbara Foresters of the California Collegiate League; the Alaska Goldpanners and the MINK League’s Sedalia Bombers) are expected to settle things on the field at the 76^th annual National Baseball Congress World Series in Wichita, scheduled to start Friday and continue through Aug. 13.

With six championships, the No. 3 Goldpanners are the most successful team in NBC history, though the No. 2 Foresters have enjoyed more success than any club in the last decade. No. 4 Sedalia (35-8) should give both teams a run after rolling through the MINK League this summer.

The Goldpanners, a perennial NBC power until a recent slide, have had a significant reawakening under former San Diego State coach Jim Dietz, 74, who coached the Goldpanners (31-10) to four NBC titles in five years from 1972-76. Dietz rejoined the team this year after more than 30 years.

PG CrossChecker’s ranking of summer league clubs is compiled in conjunction with the summer-league website,www.summercollegebaseball.net. The nation’s top 30 summer-league teams will be ranked each week. An emphasis is placed on the league’s competitive level, the prospective professional-quality talent on each club, a team’s won-loss record and its league dominance in arriving at the rankings. Each club must have at least a .500 record to be eligible.

PG CROSSCHECKER

SUMMER BASEBALL TOP 30

Weekly Ranking of College Summer League Teams (Previous Week's Ranking Noted in Parentheses)

RANK	LW	Team	ST	League	Record
1	4	Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox	MA	Cape Cod	21-12
Talented Sox making their move in Cape, getting big seasons from Kansas RHP Tanner Poppe (3-0, 2.67), Houston RHP Michael Goodnight (3-1, 2.10)
2	2	Santa Barbara Foresters	CA	California	33-9
15-game win streak broken, but Foresters getting big seasons from JC LHP Chris Joyce (5-0, 1.57), Texas LHP Sam Stafford (1-0, 0.36, 25 IP/48 SO)
3	7	Alaska Goldpanners	AK	Alaska	31-10
Rejuvenated summer power continues to get big seasons from USC RHP Ryan Cabral (5-0, 2.25), Yuba (Calif.) CC RHP Matt Vedo (4-0, 2.20)
4	8	Sedalia Bombers	MO	MINK	35-8
Kickham twins, LHP Mike (3-0, 0.29), RHP Dan (2-0, 1.33, 4 SV), both unsigned 2010 drafts, have helped Bombers to collective 1.98 ERA
5	1	Brewster Whitecaps	MA	Cape Cod	22-13
Displaced No. 1 team still getting all-star seasons from Long Beach State RHP Drew Gagnon (5-1, 2.15), Kansas RHP Colton Murray (0.00 ERA, 6 SV)
6	3	Eau Claire Express	WI	Northwoods	33-16
Illinois-Chicago OF Steve McGuiggan (.300-6-22), Texas A&M-Corpus Christi RHP Ian Campbell (4-1, 0.66) have been key weapons for Express
7	6	Chillicothe Paints	OH	Prospect	31-13
Paints have been getting big production all season from pair of Michigan State talents, 1B Jeff Holm (.354-8-49, 31 SB), OF Torsten Boss (.302-1-24)
8	12	Licking County Settlers	OH	Great Lakes	25-9
Winners of 12 of 14, Settlers getting big mileage from Xavier OF John McCambridge (.474-0-21, 20 SB), Bradley RHP Justin Ziegler (6-0, 0.99)
9	13	Haymarket Senators	VA	Valley	26-12
Senators separating themselves from Valley pack behind Western Carolina RHP Matt Benedict (6-2, 2.27), Harvard RHP Matt Doyle (1-1, 1.17, 5 SV)
10	26	Cotuit Kettleers	MA	Cape Cod	17-14
Surging Kettleers riding arms of USC-bound RHP Austin Wood (3-0, 0.58), Michigan State RHP A.J. Achter (2-2, 0.90, 3 SV), two 2010 drafts
11	20	Kenai Peninsula Oilers	AK	Alaska	29-12
Florida International RHP Jorge Marban (4-0, 1.48, 5 SV), Stanford 1B Steve Piscotty (.307-1-22) provide spark for NBC World Series-bound club
12		Morehead City Marlins	NC	Coastal Plain	28-17
CPL expansion club riding high in second half (13-4) behind Barry RHP Brad McAllister (6-1, 2.10), Sam Houston State LHP Brent Powers (6-2, 1.68)
13	16	Harwich Mariners	MA	Cape Cod	18-15
North Carolina 2B Levi Michael (.279-0-9), Central Florida OF Ronnie Richardson (.278-1-7, 11 SB) rank 1-2 on Mariners in batting average
14		North Adams SteepleCats	MA	New England	23-13
Barry 3B Matt Petty (.354-4-20), Rutgers RHP Tyler Gebler (5-1, 1.96) lift Cats to top of NECBL Western Division standings
15	17	San Luis Obispo Blues	CA	California	27-15
Blues beat No. 2 Santa Barbara 2 of 3 on weekend; Texas A&M 3B Matt Juengel (.407-2-21), New Mexico C Rafael Neda (.290-3-24) playing well
16	14	St. Cloud River Bats	MN	Northwoods	28-21
Six-6, 260-pound Loyola Marymount LHP Jason Wheeler (6-0, 1.54), Rutgers SS Steve Nyisztor (.310-4-40) have been key contributors for Bats
17		Gastonia Grizzlies	NC	Coastal Plain	31-17
Wagner 2B Seth Boyd (.327-1-19, 12 SB), Pitt 1B David Chester (.292-4-23), both CPL all-stars, lighting a fire under red-hot Grizzlies
18		Corvallis Knights	OR	West Coast	23-14
Perennial power starting to assert itself after slow start; Portland RHP Kyle Kraus (5-1, 1.75), UC Riverside RHP Mitch Patito (0. 50, 8 SV) provide spark
19	28	Amsterdam Mohawks	NY	New York	26-13
Marist LHP Dan Zlotnick (4-0, 1.54), Dartmouth LHP Kyle Hunter (5-0, 0.68) lift surging Mohawks to 9-game winning streak, best league record
20	27	Winter Park Diamond Dawgs	FL	Florida	27-9
Streaking Dawgs (7 W in row) getting big production from pair of Florida JC infielders, Sam Kimmel (.371-1-21), Brad Dantzler (.357-3-23)
21	10	Bourne Braves	MA	Cape Cod	17-16
Vanderbilt LHP Grayson Garvin (4-0, 0.61), Louisville RHP Tony Zych (0-0, 0.00, 9 SV) quietly having big seasons on mound for Braves
22	5	Mat-Su Miners	AK	Alaska	28-13
Stetson-bound RHP/3B Ben Carhart (.313-2-26; 3-0, 0.00, 5 SV) excels both ways for O's, Wake Forest's Patrick Blair (.377-2-16) at shortstop
23	25	Youse's Maryland Orioles	MD	Cal Ripken Sr.	29-13
Stetson-bound RHP/3B Ben Carhart (.313-2-26; 3-0, 0.00, 5 SV) excels both ways for O's, Wake Forest's Patrick Blair (.377-2-16) at shortstop
24	29	Haysville Heat	KS	Jayhawk	28-9
First-year Jayhawk club rolling behind bats of Southern Tech OF Gary Owens (.394-5-21), Southeastern Oklahoma OF K.C.Pfister (.369-6-28)
25	15	North Shore Navigators	MA	New England	22-14
Navs still cling to NECBL East lead behind pair of all-stars, Pt. Loma Nazarene 2B Tyler Kuehl (.291-0-25), Baylor LHP Crayton Bare (3-0, 1.50)
26		Madison Mallards	WI	Northwoods	27-21
Valparaiso OF Kyle Gaedele (.328-5-21), N.C. State 1B Harold Riggins (.371-7-26), Illinois C Adam Davis (.363-4-30) form potent offensive trio
27	23	Brazos Valley Bombers	TX	Texas	26-15
Two local products, Houston RHP Ryan Eastman (5-0, 3.55), Texas State RHP Brian Borski (6-2, 3.45), have led Bombers to top of TCL
28	18	North Fork Ospreys	NY	Atlantic	24-10
Ospreys continue to dominate ACBL behind pitching of Quinnipiac RHP Derek Lamacchia (5-1, 1.50), Fordham RHP James Stone (4-1, 1.72)
29		Wenatchee AppleSox	WA	West Coast	22-13
St. Martin's (Wash.) LHP Michael McIver (6-2, 1.82), Hawaii OF Collin Bennett (.352-2-19) keeping Sox on top in WCL's Eastern Division
30	11	Wilson Tobs	NC	Coastal Plain	32-18
Tobs getting big production from local player, Barton OF Ryan Daughtry (.308-7-31), plus Belmont RHP Matt Hamann (3-1, 2.92, 7 SV)

OTHERS RECEIVING CONSIDERATION: Bethesda Big Train/Cal Ripken Sr. (26-16); Baltimore Redbirds/Cal Ripken Sr. (28-14); Edenton Steamers/Coastal Plain (29-18); Forest City Owls/Coastal Plain (30-17); Sanford River Rats/Florida (26-12); Southern Ohio Copperheads/Great Lakes (18-11); Augusta Pirates/Great South (21-4); Tradewater Pirates/KIT (29-15); St. Joseph Mustangs/MINK (26-15); Newport Gulls/New England (20-14); Elmira Pioneers/New York (25-13); Wisconsin Woodchucks/Northwoods (28-21); Springfield Sliders/Prospect (27-16); Quincy Gems/Prospect (24-17); Palm Springs Power/Southern California Baseball Association (33-3); Victoria Generals/Texas (22-13); East Texas Pumpjacks (24-15); Winchester Royals/Valley (22-15); Luray Cardinals/Valley (21-16); Bend Elks/West Coast (25-16); Swift Current Indians/Western Major (29-11); Regina Red Sox/Western Major (29-12).