Post by elon_phan on May 30, 2007 22:22:33 GMT -5
Elon players gear up for summer leagues
Bob Sutton / Times-News
May 29, 2007 3:00 AM
ELON — Members of college baseball teams often head in separate directions for summer leagues.
And sometimes they meet again real soon.
That’s what Elon University pitcher Steven Hensley discovered last summer when he went to the Northwoods League and found himself standing on the mound and staring toward a college teammate in the batter’s box on more than one occasion.
Many Elon players are gearing up for summer leagues after their college season ended during the weekend in the Southern Conference Tournament. They’ll spend the next couple of months on these circuits.
For Hensley, it’s a spot in the prestigious Cape Cod League. Others will remain teammates and some will, at least temporarily, be members of opposing teams.
First baseman Ryan Adams, who completed his freshman season, is going to Waynesboro, Va., in the Valley Baseball League. Teammate Pat Irvine, an outfielder / catcher, will join him on the Waynesboro Generals.
“I’ve never been away from home to play,” said Adams, a Williams High School graduate. “I want to learn more about how to play the game. I think this will (help).”
The Valley Baseball League, based in Virginia, begins play this week. Teams play 42-game schedules in the wooden bat league.
Hensley said his brief stint in the Northwoods League, which is based in the upper Midwest, gave him good experience. There were a couple of encounters that he remembers particularly well.
Those came when his Elon teammates, Ryan Addison and Robert Rodebaugh, were in the batter’s box. Addison hit an RBI single against Hensley. Rodebaugh struck out against the right-hander.
This year, Hensley will play for the Bourne Braves in the Cape Cod Baseball League.
“It’s going to be a fun time to go up there in the summer,” he said, anticipating his first visit to the Massachusetts vacation hot spot. “If I go up there and throw well, then I’m set.”
Hensley said he learned of his Cape Cod League invitation in the fall, so it wasn’t based on anything he accomplished during the past few months for the Phoenix when he became a second-team All-Southern Conference selection.
Many of the roster spots in the Cape Cod League are occupied by players from major-college programs. On his team, Hensley said he’ll know D.J. Mitchell, a Clemson outfielder who’s a former North Forsyth High School player. They’ve played together on state-level, all-star youth teams.
“Hopefully for his sake, it’s a big summer for him,” Elon coach Mike Kennedy said of Hensley. “He’ll figure out where he stacks up with those guys.”
Former Elon pitchers Scott Light and Brad Pinkerton also spent time in the Cape Cod League. Catcher Drew Davis, who was the 2007 Most Valuable Player for Elon, played for Bourne last summer.
Elon reliever Tom Porter will be in familiar surroundings because he’s returning to the Mankato (Minn.) MoonDogs of the Northwoods League. Catcher Mike Melillo joins him on the roster.
Outfielder Chris Dove, a former Southern Alamance High School player, and infielder Chase Austin are coming off their first Elon seasons and they’re on the roster for the Duluth (Minn.) Huskies.
Elon pitcher Daniel Britt will join the Battle Creek (Mich.) Bombers of the Northwoods League. One of his teammates is expected to be Coastal Carolina outfielder David Sappelt, who’s a former Southern Alamance standout.
Bob Sutton / Times-News
May 29, 2007 3:00 AM
ELON — Members of college baseball teams often head in separate directions for summer leagues.
And sometimes they meet again real soon.
That’s what Elon University pitcher Steven Hensley discovered last summer when he went to the Northwoods League and found himself standing on the mound and staring toward a college teammate in the batter’s box on more than one occasion.
Many Elon players are gearing up for summer leagues after their college season ended during the weekend in the Southern Conference Tournament. They’ll spend the next couple of months on these circuits.
For Hensley, it’s a spot in the prestigious Cape Cod League. Others will remain teammates and some will, at least temporarily, be members of opposing teams.
First baseman Ryan Adams, who completed his freshman season, is going to Waynesboro, Va., in the Valley Baseball League. Teammate Pat Irvine, an outfielder / catcher, will join him on the Waynesboro Generals.
“I’ve never been away from home to play,” said Adams, a Williams High School graduate. “I want to learn more about how to play the game. I think this will (help).”
The Valley Baseball League, based in Virginia, begins play this week. Teams play 42-game schedules in the wooden bat league.
Hensley said his brief stint in the Northwoods League, which is based in the upper Midwest, gave him good experience. There were a couple of encounters that he remembers particularly well.
Those came when his Elon teammates, Ryan Addison and Robert Rodebaugh, were in the batter’s box. Addison hit an RBI single against Hensley. Rodebaugh struck out against the right-hander.
This year, Hensley will play for the Bourne Braves in the Cape Cod Baseball League.
“It’s going to be a fun time to go up there in the summer,” he said, anticipating his first visit to the Massachusetts vacation hot spot. “If I go up there and throw well, then I’m set.”
Hensley said he learned of his Cape Cod League invitation in the fall, so it wasn’t based on anything he accomplished during the past few months for the Phoenix when he became a second-team All-Southern Conference selection.
Many of the roster spots in the Cape Cod League are occupied by players from major-college programs. On his team, Hensley said he’ll know D.J. Mitchell, a Clemson outfielder who’s a former North Forsyth High School player. They’ve played together on state-level, all-star youth teams.
“Hopefully for his sake, it’s a big summer for him,” Elon coach Mike Kennedy said of Hensley. “He’ll figure out where he stacks up with those guys.”
Former Elon pitchers Scott Light and Brad Pinkerton also spent time in the Cape Cod League. Catcher Drew Davis, who was the 2007 Most Valuable Player for Elon, played for Bourne last summer.
Elon reliever Tom Porter will be in familiar surroundings because he’s returning to the Mankato (Minn.) MoonDogs of the Northwoods League. Catcher Mike Melillo joins him on the roster.
Outfielder Chris Dove, a former Southern Alamance High School player, and infielder Chase Austin are coming off their first Elon seasons and they’re on the roster for the Duluth (Minn.) Huskies.
Elon pitcher Daniel Britt will join the Battle Creek (Mich.) Bombers of the Northwoods League. One of his teammates is expected to be Coastal Carolina outfielder David Sappelt, who’s a former Southern Alamance standout.