July 13, 2010
For many college students, the summer is a time for taking things easy and breaking from the routine. Not so for a slew of George Mason baseball players who are spending the summer playing in various leagues along the East Coast. Two of the dozen players participating in summer leagues were named all stars as both Nick Allen and Chris O'Grady were named to the Cal Ripken League All-Star Teams.
Allen and Nick Kendrick are playing for the Alexandria Aces. Allen is hitting .370 with a .469 on-base percentage in 22 games while Kendrick has pitched 10 innings with nine strikeouts over four games. O'Grady and Chris Cook are playing for the Youse Orioles. O'Grady is 2-1 with a 1.78 ERA. In 35.1 innings he has struck out 23 while holding the opposition to a .165 average. Cook is hitting .286 with a .439 OBP in 30 games.
In the Atlantic Collegiate Baseball League, Brandon Kuter, playing for the Westhampton Aviators, is 1-1 with a 4.50 ERA in eight games. Over 12 innings he has struck out 14 while allowing just six walks and 12 hits.
In the New York Collegiate Baseball League, three players are on the Watertown Wizards roster, Jeremy Haas, Brig Tison and Brandon Bartlett. Haas was leading the team with a .348 average before suffering a wrist injury, ending his summer. Tison has continued to excel on the base paths where he is 6 for 7 in stolen bases and he has struck out just 10 times in 107 at-bats. Brandon Bartlett, pitching in relief, is 2-1 with a 2.49 ERA in 12 games. He is holding the opposition to a .211 batting average and he has one save.
Playing in the Coastal Plain League, Ryan Pfaeffle is 3-1 with a 3.23 ERA. Pitching as a starter for the Asheboro Copperheads, he has struck out 24 while walking nine in 39 innings while holding the opposition to a .228 average. Over in the Valley Baseball League, Dan Schafferman, playing for the New Market Rebels, is hitting .246 in 18 games. Shane Davis, playing for the Rockbridge Rapids, has played in just nine games with a .276 on-base percentage. Playing in the M.I.N.K. League (Missouri-Iowa-Nebraska-Kansas) for the Joplin Outlaws is Jake Leonardo. In nine games he is batting .250 with a .400 OBP and three doubles.
While those dozen are preparing for another season at Mason, 10 former Patriots are continuing their professional careers. Mason's lone major leaguer is having his finest season in the big leagues. Shawn Camp is currently 3-1 with a 2.53 ERA on the season and he has allowed just 51 baserunners in 46.1 innings of work. His ERA and WHIP are currently the lowest of his seven-year career and his win total is his second-highest.
Of the nine players in the minor leagues, Jason Bour is the closest to the majors. Bour opened the season playing for the Winston-Salem Dash in the Class A Advanced Carolina League where he hit .299 with five homers, 11 doubles and 18 RBI in 32 games. Several weeks ago, he was promoted to the Birmingham Barons of the Double A Southern League. In six games he is hitting .375 with two runs and two RBI. Last week, he went 3 for 4 with a double and two runs.
Scott Krieger opened the season in Huntsville playing for the Stars of the Double A Southern League. He hit .176 in eight games with a solo homer before being moved to the Brevard Manatees in the Class A Advanced Florida State League. He is hitting .229 with six homers, 18 RBI, 12 runs and two steals in 30 games. In his past two games, he is 5 for 10 with a homer and he is on a six-game hitting streak.
Also having a lot of success in Class A is Jason Bour's brother, Justin Bour. Playing for the Peoria Chiefs of the Midwest League, Bour is batting .274 with nine homers, 50 RBI and 34 runs scored in 75 games. He has a .795 OPS with 36 walks and he is hitting .324 with runners on and .318 with runners in scoring position.
Like Krieger and Justin Bour, Chris Henderson was drafted in 2009. Playing for the Ogden Raptors of the Rookie Pioneer League, Henderson is hitting .233 with three doubles and two RBI in 11 games. He had a pair of two-hit games last week.
The Mason player that has been in the minors the longest is Robby Jacobsen, who is also a volunteer assistant coach for the team. Playing for the Class A Advanced Carolina League Potomac Nationals, he is hitting .209 with five homers in 59 games. The former player who has been in the minors the briefest is Ryan Soares. Drafted last month, Soares has appeared in nine games for the Connecticut Tigers of the Class A Short-Season New York-Penn League. He has one homer and two doubles and is batting .233. Last week, he had three straight two-hit games.
Three Mason pitchers were drafted in 2009 and all three are currently pitching in Class A. Mike Modica opened the season with the Lexington Legends of the Class A South Atlantic League. After going 0-1 with a 3.00 ERA in six innings, he was promoted to the Lancaster JetHawks of the Class A Advanced California League. In 20 games, Modica is 2-2 with a 3.66 ERA and a save. He has pitched 32 innings allowing 30 hits, 11 walks and 18 strikeouts and he's holding lefthanders to a .200 average.
Jordan Flasher is pitching for the Greenville Drive of the Class A South Atlantic League. He has appeared in 19 games throwing 32 innings. He has struck out 37 batters and put together a 4-2 record with two saves. Since the All-Star break, he is 1-0 with a save and a .063 batting average. Shawn Griffith is the other Mason hurler in the minor leagues. He opened the season with the Dunedin Blue Jays of the Class A Advanced Florida State League. In four games, had a 2.25 ERA allowing three hits, one walk and four strikeouts in four innings. He has since been moved down to the Auburn Doubledays of the Class A Short Season New York-Penn League and is 0-1 in seven games with 10 strikeouts in nine and two-third innings.
