Spartans Find Success In Summer Ball
7/14/2006 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
July 14, 2006
EAST LANSING, Mich. - Several members of the Michigan State baseball team are continuing to shine on the diamond, excelling in summer play. After one season under head coach David Grewe, the Spartans are finding success spread out among 11 summer collegiate baseball leagues throughout the nation.
Sophomore Kyle Day and junior Mike Monterey are enjoying positive summers for the Hays Larks of the Kansas Jayhawk League. Day has proven to be a threat to opposing pitchers, hitting .389 through 113 at bats, cracking three home runs and adding 18 RBI. Monterey, meanwhile, has solidified himself as the go-to-guy out of the bullpen, owning a 2.84 ERA through 19 innings, while tallying four saves and 18 strikeouts. Monterey has held opposing batters to a meager .147 batting average this season.
Two Spartans have pitched masterfully in the Cal Ripken Sr. Collegiate League in Southern Maryland. Chris Cullen of Bethesda Big Train and John Kibler of Youse's Maryland have aided their teams to identical 17-9 records through 26 contests thus far. Cullen, a junior, earned himself the starting pitcher role in the Cal Ripken Sr. All-Star game and currently has a miniscule ERA of 0.49 through 18 innings of work, appearing out of the bullpen with one save, 10 strikeouts and an opposing average of .156. Kibler, who will make this upcoming year his first season in East Lansing, is 2-1 with a 2.01 ERA while starting five contests. The 6-5 left-hander has 20 strikeouts through 31.1 innings and has only surrendered four walks.
Junior Mark Sorensen has found success on the mound as well, throwing for the Columbus All-Americans of the Great Lakes Collegiate League. Sorensen has compiled a 3-0 record in four starts, while owning a 1.78 ERA in 25.1 innings pitched. He has notched 17 strikeouts and is holding opposing hitters to a .207 batting average. Also appearing on the Columbus roster are fellow juniors Steve Gerstenberger and Tony Clausen. Gerstenberger has produced a batting average of .245 through 18 games, collecting three doubles and nine RBI. Clausen, who recently joined the All-Americans, has fanned four batters and maintains an ERA of 4.15 in four innings pitched, while opposing offense has .235 average against him.
Spencer Hahn has enjoyed his summer in the New England Collegiate League playing for the Vermont Mountaineers. The senior is 3-0 in four starts with 10 strikeouts, holding the opposition to a .237 batting average.
Putting up impressive numbers of their own for the New Market Rebels in the Valley League are sophomores A.J. Dunn and Quinn Ewert. Dunn has an ERA of 3.38 with one save in 16 appearances to go along with 24 strikeouts. Working in relief, batters are hitting a feeble .203 against Dunn this summer in 16 innings pitched. Ewert has had similar success appearing out of the bullpen, building a 3-0 record with a 4.40 ERA through 14.1 innings of work. Ewert has fanned 12 batters, while teams have only posted a .259 average against the strong-armed right-hander this summer.
Another pair of pitchers, junior Peter Wolff of the Dupage Co. Dragons in the Central Illinois Collegiate League and senior Craig Brookes of the Wisconsin Woodchucks in the Northwoods League have had impressive showings. Wolff has recorded 21 strikeouts in 14 innings while opposing batters are hitting a frail .176. Brookes possesses an ERA of 3.80 through 47.1 innings of work with 31 strikeouts and .283 average against.
Also having notable summers are a few new faces to the Spartan family. Adam Slusher and Justin Potes have had huge impacts at their respective summer programs. Slusher is pitching for the Wilson Tobs in the Coastal Plain League and hasn't given up a run through eight innings. He has tallied four strikeouts and has held teams to a meager .154 batting average. Potes is playing with the Chillicothe ballclub in the M.I.N.K. League and is currently hitting .324 through 102 at bats while playing multiple positions for the Mudcats.
