Summer of Swat: Summer is heating up, are Missouri baseball players keeping up?
By Kyle Jones
As summer presses on through America’s independence celebrations, so too does America’s pastime. For the first time this month, let’s see how Missouri baseball players are faring in their various summer leagues
CJ Cepicky-Danville Otterbots
Cepicky has only had 6 credited at-bats since last week’s Summer of Swat. In that time he has struck out three times.
He has 8 hits on the season, with 2 RBIs and has added 4 walks to his total since last week for a total of 16.
There’s still time left for Cepicky to turn things around but right now things are looking grim. Let’s hope he can find his swing before Spring rolls around.
Brenner Maloney-Danville Otterbots
Maloney is still trying to chip away at his 6.91 ERA after an early season disaster, but he has raised his strikeout total to 26.
He has had much better luck since moving from a starting role to the bullpen, and perhaps that will be where Tiger fans seem him next year.
If Maloney can keep making guys miss, he’ll only get better when he links back up with new Missouri pitching coach Brian DeLunas.
The Otterbots were able to snap a 4-game losing streak last week, but still well behind first place in the East Division.
Trevor Austin-Greeneville Flyboys
Austin may not have one of the highest batting averages on the high-flying Flyboys, but his .396 batting average is still strong. He’s one of the top RBI getters with 11, and leads the Flyboys in walks with 15.
If he can continue to get on base, either with his bat or through the walk, he will be a valuable asset for both Greeneville and Missouri.
Austin Troesser-Greeneville Flyboys
Troesser has one of the best ERAs on the team, has earned 3 wins, and ranks second on the team in strikeouts with 27. Suffice to say, he’s having a great summer.
Troesser is doing a phenomenal job of finding his spots, having only thrown 4 walks so far. Just like Brenner Maloney, he’s only set to get better under DeLunas’ coaching.
The Flyboys sit atop the West Division, with the best record in the Appy League (16-10-1).
Tre Morris-Princeton WhistlePigs
Morris has kept up his good hitting form, upping his total to 24 as of this week. He has also kept his strikeout number down, and is second on the team in walks with 12.
His on-base percentage is still one of the best on the team, though it has fallen from .427 last week to .413. His one knock is that he hasn’t been able to hit lots of extra bases hits, and his RBI total is a bit low.
The WhistlePigs are on a 3-game losing streak, but they’re still only a half-game behind Pulaski for first place in the East Division.
Ross Lovich-Pulaski River Turtles
Lovich has stopped the bleeding quite a bit in his strikeout column, adding only 3 this week. On top of that, he’s got 24 hits, second on the team.
Lovich still leads the team with 16 walks, and also tops the triples column with 4. If Lovich continues keeping that strikeout count down, he’s on pace for a great summer.
Garrett Rice-Pulaski River Turtles
Rice has also found his bat hitting ball more often over the last week. While, in last week’s Summer of Swat, I mentioned his 28 strikeouts, he has only struck out once since.
On top of that, Rice now has 15 RBIs and a stellar .385 OBP. Pulaski and Missouri fans alike will be hoping Rice can ride this hot streak for a long, long time.
Jackson Beaman-Pulaski River Turtles
Beaman has also managed to limit his strikeouts since last we checked on him, with only 2 in the last week.
He has also driven in 13 RBIs with 22 hits. Beaman has also shown himself to be a threat on the basepaths, with 6 stolen bases.
As with his fellow Tigers on the Pulaski squad, Beaman is having a fine turnaround.
Zach Hise-Pulaski River Turtles
Hise has not appeared since last week’s Summer of Swat. Let’s hope he can get some time on the mound between now and next Wednesday.
Pulaski sit atop the East Division, but Princeton are nipping at their heels.