Wake Forest Baseball Summer Notebook
6/17/2002 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
June 17, 2002
WINSTON-SALEM, NC -- - Summer baseball seasons have started across the country and once again, Wake Forest has a strong representation, particularly in the Cape Cod League. Ten Demon Deacons are playing in the wood bat league widely considered to the best college summer league.
Last year, Wake Forest had eight players in the league. No school in America sent more players to the Cape Cod League than the Deacons.
The ten players are scattered on four different teams. The Chatham A's feature four Deacons including Ryan Johnson, Steve LeFaivre, Ryan Hubbard and Jamie D'Antona, who blasted an opposite field three-run homer in the team's first game on Sunday night.
The Cotuit Kettleers have a trio of Wake Forest pitchers on their roster. Right-handers Ryan Braun and Adam Hanson are off to good starts. In their opener, Hanson retired the side in order in the ninth inning to get the save. On Sunday against Wareham, Braun got the victory out of the bullpen, pitching five innings. He allowed just one unearned run on three hits with four strikeouts.
Kyle Sleeth, who took the Cape League by storm last summer for Cotuit, is on the Kettleers' roster. He has not yet joined the team, however, as he tries out for the USA National Team in Tucson, Ariz., this week. If Sleeth makes the team, he will spend all summer on the national team that will represent the United States in the first-ever FISU World University Championships scheduled for Aug. 1-11 in Italy.
Adam Bourassa, a Cape Cod All-Star last summer, rejoins the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox. This summer, he is joined by Deacon teammate Tim Morley. Bourassa scored three runs in the first game against Hyannis. Morley, who finished the regular season on fire for Wake Forest, started for the Red Sox on Sunday. He pitched well, going 6.1 innings allowing two runs on two hits with a pair of strikeouts. But Morley didn't get enough run support and took the loss.
Cape Cod native Brad Scioletti with the Orleans Cardinals. He has a hit in each of the first two games.
Nearly one-third of all current major leaguers played on the Cape including stars such as Jeff Bagwell, Albert Belle, Craig Biggio, Jeromy Burnitz, Darin Erstad, Nomar Garciaparra, Jeff Kent, Tino Martinez, Kevin Tapani, Mo Vaughn and Robin Ventura.
Five Deacons are participating in another wood bat league, the New England Collegiate Baseball League. Ryder Mathias, Brian Bach and Gregory Russell are with the Riverpoint Royals. Ben Ingold and Daniel Davidson have joined the Manchester Silkworms. Doug Riepe has returned to the Great Lakes League and is playing for the Grand Lake Mariners in Celina, Ohio.Chris Caudill is in the Coastal Plain League with the Durham Americans.