Aug. 23, 2007
NORMAL, Ill. -
As Illinois State students return to school and summer quickly turns into fall, members of the Redbird baseball team now have time to reflect on the experiences that they enjoyed while playing in one of the several collegiate summer baseball leagues. The final edition of "Around the Horn" will recap each Redbird baseball player's success during their summer season, as they adapted to new surroundings, teammates, coaches and hitting with wood bats in those leagues.
Head coach Jim Brownlee believes that the whole summer baseball experience has really benefited the `Birds that have spent the summer playing, feeling that it can teach each player more about the game of baseball.
"I think that summer baseball is a great thing, for many different reasons," said Brownlee. "It allows our players to get more experience, and they get to play with different players and coaches, learning how to adapt to different styles and see where they stack up against some of the other guys playing college baseball. The best thing that it can show our guys is what professional baseball is like, because of the grind of playing everyday as well as the long bus trips to play on the road. It can help them realize if it is a career they would like to continue to pursue.
"It also allows our guys to work on their weaknesses, which is an opportunity that they really don't have during our season because we are really working towards winning as a team. By playing in the summer, some of the players can re-establish some confidence in their abilities and get a fresh start if they didn't have the spring that they wanted. They also get to swing a wooden bat, which also gives them the experience of playing in the professional ranks."
Playing for the Falmouth Commordores of the highly-touted Cape Cod League, junior Kevin Dubler saw a glimpse of the postseason excitement that he will hope to carry over into the Redbirds' 2008 season. After beginning the season with a slow start, Dubler and the Commordores gained momentum as the season progressed and finished a close second to Borne in the West Division standings. Falmouth qualified for the playoffs and swept Bourne to advance to the championship series but fell short to Yarmouth-Dennis in the two-game series, 8-2 and 2-0.
Dubler finished the regular season with a .219 batting average, collecting 25 hits as well as four doubles, one home run and 14 RBI. The Downers Grove, Ill., native saw two starts behind the plate during Falmouth's playoff run, going 1-for-10 at the dish.
Normal, Ill., native Tyler McNeely had an outstanding summer at the plate, as the sophomore batted .308 with a team-best 44 hits, 54 total bases and 19 runs, to go along with seven doubles, one home run and 16 RBI as a member of the Allegany County (N.Y.) Nitros of the New York Collegiate Baseball League. McNeely was selected as a Western Division All-Star reserve for his play in the outfield, helping the Nitros finish with a 25-17-1 record and a third-place position in the West Division standings.
Infielder Mike Stalowy also traveled east to play for the Grand Lake Mariners (Celina, Ohio) of the Great Lakes Summer Collegiate League. In 109 at-bats, Stalowy batted .248 with 27 hits, 25 runs, five doubles and 13 RBI. The Joliet, Ill., native also walked a team-best 19 times, and recorded six sacrifice hits.
Senior Kyle Cherney spent his summer playing for the Liberal (Kan.) Beejays of the Jayhawk League, hitting .232 through 56 at-bats.
Pitchers Jim Sajewich and Dan Sorce enjoyed another season as teammates, this time as members of the Madison (Wis.) Mallards of the Northwoods League. Sajewich ended the summer with a record of 2-3 and a 4.29 ERA in 17 games (six starts). In 50.1 innings of work, Sajewich gave up 65 hits and 34 runs (24 earned) while striking out 32 batters. Sorce pitched 25.2 innings and finished 0-2 with a 4.21 ERA, while recording 24 strikeouts.
Christopher Newsome spent his summer as a relief pitcher for the Fauquier Gators, who completed its first season as members of the Valley Baseball League in Virginia. Newsome, a native of Pontiac, Ill., ended his season with a 3.00 ERA and a 0-2 record in eight appearances on the bump, striking out 12 and giving up only four earned runs in 12.0 innings of work.
Gabe DeMarco, Mike Tokarski and Dan Weston all contributed this summer as members of the DuPage Dragons of the Central Illinois Collegiate Baseball League (CIBL). DeMarco, a native of Rockford, Ill., batted .270 with 31 hits, five doubles, four home runs and 22 RBI. Weston hit .226 in 133 at-bats, collecting 30 hits, five doubles and 10 RBI, while going 0-3 with one save and a 9.37 ERA in 10 appearances on the mound. Tokarski batted .212 in 34 games with 22 hits and 7 RBI.
Tyler Cox also played in the CIBL, but as a member of the Quincy Gems. The Danville, Ill., native finished with a 4.53 ERA and a 2-3 record in nine appearances (seven starts). In 43.2 innings pitched, Newsome struck out 32 batters and surrendered 43 hits and 22 earned runs.
