Wake Forest Baseball: Summer Wrap-Up
8/19/2015 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
By Jay Garneau, Wake Forest Athletic Communications (@WakeBaseball)
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - With summer coming to an end, members of the Wake Forest baseball team are returning to campus for the fall semester after wrapping up summer ball.
It was a successful summer for the Demon Deacons, with multiple league all-star honorees and Stuart Fairchild, Gavin Sheets and Ben Breazeale winning a league title with the Baltimore Redbirds, who finished the summer ranked 14th nationally in the Collegiate Summer Baseball rankings.
A full look at the Demon Deacon performances is below.
Cape Cod League
Chatham Anglers
• Will Craig finished with a team-leading 21 runs batted in and competed in the Cape Cod League's Home Run Derby. He also led the team in walks (23), doubles (seven) and runs scored (17), while hitting .242.
• Nate Mondou ranks right behind Craig in runs with 16, and was one off the team lead with 31 hits. Mondou stole three bases and finished with two doubles and a triple.
• Parker Dunshee had a breakout summer, finishing with a 3-2 record and miniscule 2.16 ERA. That isn't counting his postseason start, in which he tossed 6.0 innings of shutout ball, allowing no walks and two hits while striking out eight in a 1-0 victory. He also pitched in the Cape Cod League all-star game, throwing a perfect inning. He didn't allow a run in his last 14.0 innings (including playoffs and all-star game), allowing just six hits and striking out 15 in that span.
• Joey Rodriguez joined the Anglers as a late addition. In limited action, he finished 2-for-19 and stole a base. He started the summer with the Mankato MoonDogs of the Northwoods League, where he recorded five doubles and a homer, stealing three bases in 25 games.
Northwoods League
Thunder Bay Border Cats
• Donnie Sellers struck out more than a batter per inning, fanning 27 in 23.2 frames. He struggled with his control, though, and finished with a 7.22 ERA. He also saw time at the plate, hitting .400 with two doubles and four RBIs in 15 at bats.
St. Cloud Rox
• Chris Farish again showed off his impressive stuff, striking out 22 batters and allowing less than a hit per inning in 19.0 frames. He finished with a 1-2 record and 5.68 ERA, appearing in 13 games and making two starts, helping the Rox finish with a 51-25 and No. 10 national ranking.
• Bruce Steel was set to join the Rox before suffering an injury that kept him out for the summer.
Cal Ripken League
Baltimore Redbirds
• Ben Breazeale had am impressive summer, hitting .291 with a team-high 10 doubles and added 16 RBIs and 19 walks. He qualified for the Cal Ripken League all-star game and made just one error, finighing with a .994 fielding percentage.
• Stuart Fairchild showed off his strong all-around game, hitting .307 with six doubles, three triples, a homer and 16 RBIs, also stealing 13 bases. In the playoffs, he went 7-for-16 with a pair of triples and four RBIs, also walking four times as the Baltimore Redbirds claimed the league title. Fairchild also played in the league all-star game.
• Gavin Sheets came on strong in the second half of summer, boosting his average to .280 with nine extra-base hits and 18 RBIs. He went 2-for-2 with a double in the league's all-star game and had four RBIs in four playoff games.
Coastal Plains League
Wilmington Sharks
• Connor Johnstone was consistent on the mound throughout the summer, finishing with a 2-1 record and 3.09 ERA in eight starts. In 43.2 innings, Johnstone walked just 14 while striking out 40, helping the team to a 29-24 record.
Martinsville Mustangs
• Jonathan Pryor tapped into his power over the summer, hitting four longballs after tallying one for Wake Forest in the spring. He started a team-high 52 games and also led the squad with 33 runs scored, 35 walks, 11 hit by pitches. He swiped 11 bags while hitting .253 with nine doubles.
• Paul Kirkpatrick finished the season with a 4-3 record and 4.66 ERA. In 63.2 innings - second-most on the team - he walked just 19 batters while striking out 49.
Perfect Game League
Amsterdam Mohawks
• Drew Freedman had a strong summer at the plate, finishing with a .287 average, six doubles, two homers and 17 RBIs. He displayed improved patience with 25 walks and an on-base percentage of .425, scoring 32 runs. Freedman also stole six bases, helping the Mohawks to a 41-13 record and No. 22 national ranking.
Utica Brewers
• Aaron Smith finished the summer with a .265 average in 29 games, tallying five doubles and a triple to go along with three stolen bases. He knocked in 13 runs and scored 14 times, himself.
Elmira Pioneers
• Keegan Maronpot finished third on the team with nine doubles, also adding 20 RBIs, 23 runs scored and 22 walks in 41 games.
Valley League
Staunton Braves
• Parker Johnson capped off the regular season with a 2-2 record and 3.85 ERA. He struck out more than a batter per inning, fanning 24 in 21.0 frames. Johnson reeled off six straight scoreless outings late in the season, and had a 3.60 ERA in postseason action. The Braves finished the summer ranked No. 23 nationally with a 34-17 mark.
Charlottesville TomSox
• Kevin Conway joined the team midway through the year after recovering from an ankle injury, and led the squad with a .319 average the rest of the way. He walked nine times and added six doubles, also recording a hit in the league all-star game.
Southern Collegiate Baseball League
SBA Bones
• Andrew Loepprich had the best season of any starting pitcher on the team, going 3-0 with a 2.16 ERA. He allowed only seven walks and 40 hits in 45.2 innings, striking out 35. Loepprich didn't allow more than two earned runs in any of his nine outings.
