When I wasn't pitching, I was always in the lineup - at third base, shortstop, or even a little bit at second base. After my somewhat disappointing high school season at the plate, I was able to rebound with a good hitting summer. More importantly, I have elevated my approach in many ways; I am a smarter, more explosive hitter.
- link to "my development" page
Here is a rundown of our season, from most recent games to earliest:
Tournaments
July 27-31: 18U CABA World Series, Youngstown, Ohio.
Our team was probably one of the younger teams entered in
this event, and therefore we were facing some serious
competition. I had the privilege of pitching
against our toughest opponent (Team San Diego, the
defending champs). I probably had some of my best
stuff, but this was also the best team I had ever
faced. Through three innings, I was able to hold
off their hitters by busting them inside and changing
speeds; however, they were able to fight off my best
pitches and then took full advantage of any small mistake
(including a high changeup that ended up in PA !). This game proved to be my greatest
learning experience of the summer.
I was in the lineup for two additional games for Coach Harrison, and went 3-8 (double, 1 sac fly) for the tournament.
July 16-19: Wright State Classic, Dayton, Ohio.
Our team did not fare well, going 0-4. We opened
against a very strong team (Greenville Technology); after
dropping that first contest, things seemed to go downhill
from there. We lost to some teams we should have
defeated. I pitched that opening game; didn't have my best
stuff, but went into the fifth inning down 3-0 (and two
of those runs were unearned). Hitting-wise, I went
3-7; our team has a whole did not hit well.
July 9-12: Buckeye Elite, Columbus, Ohio.
MSA started out strong against the Columbus Sharks.
I pitched well in this opening game, and we came from
behind to tie the score 4-4 in the bottom of the 7th - I
drove in one of the runs in this rally. We lost in
the 8th playing the weird tie-break of this tournament,
where all batters start with a 3-2 count. Team
record: 1-3.
July 2-5: Firecracker Tournament, S.E. Michigan
MSA's highlight performance of the summer, as we made it
to the semifinals against good competition. We were
eliminated by the Bluegrass Stars from Kentucky; had we
won this game, I would have likely pitched against
A.Green in the final. In the opening game, I threw
a three-hitter with nine strikeouts against the Michigan
Red Sox. Team record: 5-1.
June 26-29: U-M Tournament, Ann Arbor area
We went 2-1-1 (tie game ended by rain). I made my
first pitching appearance of the summer, and defeated a
very good Cincinnati West Stars team 4-3. I missed
our team's last game as I was playing basketball with my
Gabriel Richard teammates at U-M's summer camp.
June 19-22: Great Lakes Tournament, Ann Arbor
area
We went 3-0, but didn't advance due to a strange
tie-break situation, where the rain caused us not to play
one of the teams in our bracket - and they had better run
differential. My personal highlight was the game at
Fisher Stadium (U-M), where I had a perfect day at the
plate with 3 RBI's as we mercy'd "Premier".
Batting Average in Tournament Play: 19-43 (.442)
Pitching Stats in Tournament Play: 3-2 record; 31 IP
Single-Game Competition
Overall, we went 8-2 in single- game competition
against teams from SE Michigan.
My personal highlights:
- 2nd game v. Lincoln Park Rails, 6/16: I hit a three-run homer off Madonna Univ. pitcher Brian Diroff, and drove in two more runs with a single as we won the 2nd game of the doubleheader, 8-6.
- versus Saline Hornets, 7/13: I went 3-3, with run-scoring hits (2B, 1B, 1B) in every at-bat as we won, 4-1. I also had one of those days in the field (at 3B) where you get to make some flashy plays on defense...
Current Batting Average in Single-Game Play: 11-24 (.458)
Summer Batting Average: 30-67 (.448)
