Official League Website
League
Strength: **
Southern Collegiate League top 10 prospects (list)
With
an easy first-place finish in the Eastern Division in the bag, along
with easily the most-talented team in the Southern Collegiate League,
the Lake Norman Copperheads appeared primed to walk away with a
second straight league title in 2011. But those hopes were dashed
when the Copperheads lost a sudden-death divisional playoff to the
expansion Pineville Pioneers.
The
Pioneers then went on to win the league title by beating the Western
Division champion Morganton Aggies in a best-of-3 final.
Lake
Norman (29-14) not only dominated the regular season in the SCL, but
dominates the accompanying list of the league’s 10 best prospects,
which includes easily the two best talents in the eight-team circuit
in outfielders Nolan Gaige, who hit .459 and topped the league by a
wide margin in batting, and David Lee, who hit .363 and was the
league’s top run producer. Long-time observers say that both
players rank among the best prospects ever to play in the 13-year-old
league.
FAST
FACTS
Year
League Established: 1999.
States
Represented in League: North
Carolina, South Carolina.
No.
of Teams in League: 8.
Regular-Season
Champions: East—Lake Norman
Copperheads; West—Morganton
Aggies.
Post-Season
Champion: Pineville Pioneers.
Teams,
PG CrossChecker Summer 50/Final Ranking:
None.
No.
1 Prospect, 2010: Tyler Horan, of,
Lake Norman Copperheads (Virginia Tech; played in New England
Collegiate League in 2011).
First
2010 Player Selected, 2011 Draft:
Andrew Rash, of, Statesville Owls (Virginia Tech; Padres/36th round).
Most
Valuable Player: None selected.
Most
Outstanding Pitcher: None selected.
Top
Prospect (as selected by league):
None selected.
BATTING
LEADERS
Batting
Average: Nolan Gaige, of, Lake
Norman Copperheads (.459).
Slugging
Percentage: Luke Clements, of,
Carolina Chaos (.663).
On-Base
Average: Nolan Gaige, of, Lake
Norman Copperheads (.557).
Home
Runs: Garrett Furr, rhp, Morganton
Aggies (5).
RBIs:
David Lee, of, Lake Norman Copperheads (38).
Stolen
Bases: Preston Troutman, of,
Pineville Pioneers (18).
PITCHING
LEADERS
Wins:
Vince Voorhees, lhp, Carolina Chaos (5).
ERA:
Scott Elitzky, lhp, Morganton Aggies (1.53).
Saves:
Braxton Lewis, rhp, Morganton Aggies (7).
Strikeouts:
Derek Fulmer, lhp, Carolina Chaos
(45).
BEST
TOOLS
Best
Athlete: David Lee, of, Lake Norman
Copperheads.
Best
Hitter: Nolan Gaige, of, Lake Norman
Copperheads.
Best
Power: David Lee, of, Lake Norman
Copperheads.
Fastest
Base Runner: Nolan Gaige, of, Lake
Norman Copperheads.
Best
Defensive Player: Tyler Tewell, c,
Pineville Pioneers.
Best
Velocity: Brock Hudgens, rhp,
Statesville Owls.
Best
Breaking Ball: Tyler Herb, rhp, Lake
Norman Copperheads.
Best
Command: Tyler Herb, rhp, Lake
Norman Copperheads.
TOP
10 PROSPECTS
1.
DAVID LEE, of, Lake Norman Copperheads (Bethune-Cookman/JR in 2012)
SCOUTING
PROFILE: Lee is possibly the closest
thing to a five-tool talent that the SCL has seen in its 13-year
history. He has a chiseled 6-foot-3, 225-pound frame that is
ready-made for the pro game, and all his tools play to varying
degrees, though he has a long way to go in his overall development
after playing sparingly for Bethune-Cookman as a sophomore. In 49
at-bats, he hit just .163-0-2 with 20 strikeouts. Given a chance to
play every day this summer, Lee responded by topping the league with
38 RBIs, while hitting .363 with four homers. He has impressive raw
power, and routinely took a big hack at anything thrown his way until
there were two strikes on him. He then consciously shortened his
swing and made a concerted effort to use the whole field. He also
made good adjustments from at-bat to at-bat. While Lee significantly
curbed his strikeouts pace from the spring, he’ll still need better
pitch selection going forward. He spent most of the summer in right
field for the Copperheads while the faster Gaige patrolled center,
but Lee has the speed (6.68 in the 60) and defensive skills to play
center down the road. He also has the superior arm of the two.
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