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Tobs crack the Top 25 in nation
August 5, 2009
Compiled by Allan Simpson (PG Crosschecker) / Andrew Hartwell (College Summer Ball Blogspot)
The 2009 regular season has established the leading contenders for the nation’s top summer college team. Now it will be up to the various forms of post-season play that exist in summer ball to determine the No. 1 team.
Playoffs have begun (and even ended) in most leagues, with the notable exception of the Cape Cod League. The Cape’s expanded playoffs (from four teams to six) begin Friday, and that’s very relevant as the league’s top team, the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox, is ranked No. 1 for the second week in a row among the nation’s top summer clubs and will be seeking its third Cape playoff title in the last four years. Fittingly, the Red Sox earned a final No. 1 ranking by PG Crosschecker when they won league championships in 2006 and 2007.
A year ago, the California Collegiate League’s Santa Barbara Foresters stole the thunder of the powerful and prestigious Cape League by running the table to win the National Baseball Congress World Series in Wichita, Kan., to claim the No. 1 ranking. The No. 5-ranked Foresters are back to defend their title, and scheduled to open play in the 75th edition of the 37-team NBC tournament Thursday.
Several other summer teams are primed to step into the No. 1 spot if Y-D should falter in the Cape playoffs—or even Santa Barbara at the NBC tournament. Among the leading contenders are the Coastal Plain League’s Forest City Owls, who were ranked No. 1 for four straight weeks earlier this summer; the surging Newport Gulls of the New England Collegiate League; and the Corvallis Knights of the West Coast League. Forest City is ranked No. 2 this week, while Newport is at No. 4 and Corvallis at No. 6.
Forest City begins play Thursday in the CPL’s three-tiered, eight-team Pettit Cup competition, and must beat three-time defending champion Thomasville in a one-game showdown just to move on to the second round.
It would not be inconceivable, though, for either No. 3 Bourne or No. 7 Orleans, two of the hottest teams in the Cape Cod League entering post-season play, to vault into the No. 1 spot if they can overtake Yarmouth-Dennis and successfully complete a run through the league playoffs.
We’ll rank the top 25 summer college league teams every Tuesday or Wednesday from 20-plus leagues around the country, and here’s our take on the top teams in Week Eight (last week’s ranking noted in parentheses).
| Rank | Team | League | Record |
| 1 | Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox (1) | Cape Cod | 27-15-1 |
| Boston College power-hitting 1B-3B Mickey Wiswall (.295-5-28) a stalwart for Cape leader in team batting, ERA. | |||
| 2 | Forest City (N.C.) Owls (2) | Coastal Plain | 46-9 |
| Wofford 1B Konstantine Diamaduros (.376-4-45), Appy State RHP Ryan Arrowood (10-0, 1.88) lead team in BA, wins. | |||
| 3 | Bourne Braves (6) | Cape Cod | 24-17-2 |
| East Carolina 1B Kyle Roller (.342-10-33), Coastal Carolina OF Scott Woodward (.246, 28 SB), supply power, speed. | |||
| 4 | Newport (R.I.) Gulls (5) | New England | 33-10 |
| Washington 1B Troy Scott (.316-5-22), Vanderbilt 1B Aaron Westlake (.312-2-24) providing offensive punch for Gulls. | |||
| 5 | Santa Barbara Foresters (3) | California Collegiate | 35-11 |
| RHPs Tim Kelley (Wichita State) and A.J. Griffin (San Diego) are a combined 12-0, 0.72 for defending NBC champs. | |||
| 6 | Corvallis (Ore.) Knights (4) | West Coast | 42-10 |
| Mt. Hood (Ore.) CC 1B Trevor Ard (.407-5-36) and UC Riverside RHP Matt Andriese (5-0, 0.64) are shining Knights. | |||
| 7 | Orleans Firebirds (10) | Cape Cod | 24-17-2 |
| Cal State Fullerton OF Gary Brown (.310-2-14), UCLA LHP Rob Rasmussen (3-0, 1.91) spark surging Firebirds. | |||
| 8 | Rochester (Minn.) Honkers (8) | Northwoods | 39-23 |
| UNLV OF Rance Roundy (.311-6-31), Cal State Fullerton 2B Corey Jones (.301-12-37) are team’s two potent bats. | |||
| 9 | *Bethesda (Md.) Big Train (11) | Cal Ripken Sr. | 34-10 |
| Ripken playoff champs led by Mississippi State OF Luke Adkins (.380-0-37), Michigan State OF Eli Boike (.371-2-34). | |||
| 10 | *Mat-Su Miners (9) | Alaska | 31-17 |
| Central Florida 3B Shane Brown (.284-1-27), Florida State OF James Ramsey (.314-1-25) lead Alaska champions. | |||
| 11 | Vienna (Va.) Senators (7) | Clark Griffith | 30-11 |
| 12 | El Dorado (Kan.) Broncos (13) | Jayhawk | 36-9 |
| 13 | *San Luis Obispo (Calif.) Blues (14) | Independent | 40-12 |
| 14 | Lima (Ohio) Locos (12) | Great Lakes | 28-8 |
| 15 | Peninsula (Va.) Pilots (NR) | Coastal Plain | 35-21 |
| 16 | Cotuit Kettleers (22) | Cape Cod | 20-18-5 |
| 17 | Amsterdam Mohawks (20) | New York Collegiate | 33-12 |
| 18 | Victoria Generals (16) | Texas Collegiate | 26-14 |
| 19 | Jersey Pilots (21) | Atlantic Collegiate | 27-11 |
| 20 | Wareham Gatemen (15) | Cape Cod | 19-18-6 |
| 21 | Madison (Wis.) Mallards (NR) | Northwoods | 35-26 |
| 22 | Wilson (N.C.) Tobs | Coastal Plain | 35-21 |
| 23 | *Anchorage Bucs (24) | Alaska | 31-21 |
| 24 | *Carney (Va.) Pirates (19) | Clark Griffith | 30-12 |
| 25 | Battle Creek (MIch.) Bombers (NR) | Northwoods | 36-26 |
*Season complete
www.collegesummerball.blogspot.com/
The Wilson Tobs are a member of the Coastal Plain League, the nation's hottest summer collegiate baseball league. Celebrating its thirteenth season, the Coastal Plain League features 14 teams playing in North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia. The CPL gives college players the chance to refine their skills with the use of wooden bats. Players are housed with local host families for the summer and past experiences have been very positive for both players and hosts. For more information on the Coastal Plain League, please visit the league website at www.coastalplain.com.
Contact:
Benjamin Jones
252-291-8627
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