Eastern Michigan Athletics
Photo by: Steve King/KingStudios
2016 Eastern Michigan Summer Baseball Review
8/23/2016 11:05:00 AM | Baseball
21 Eagle players competed in collegiate leagues this summer season
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) — The end of summer also means the end of summer baseball leagues around the country. In 2016, the Eastern Michigan University baseball team was well represented across North America with 21 players in 13 leagues, spanning 11 different states and Canada.
For the second straight season, senior Sam Delaplane (San Jose, Calif.-Leigh) took home a summer league title. Last season he captured the New England League crown as a member of the Vermont Mountaineers. This season, he helped the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox to their third straight Cape Cod League championship.
During the regular season, Delaplane appeared in 14 games in relief for the Red Sox, totaling 21 innings. He finished with a 4.28 ERA and 23 strikeouts, while nabbing a pair of saves as well. In the Cape Cod League playoffs, he notched another save in the semifinal game after going 1.2 scoreless innings while striking out two, pushing his team into the title series.
Another regular season title was captured this summer, this one from redshirt senior Mike Mioduszewski (Dexter, Mich.-Dexter) in the Jayhawk League as a member of the Hays Larks. He also helped his team to the championship game of the National Baseball Congress World Series, including a win in the semifinals over the Kansas Stars, a team comprised of former MLB standouts. While at the NBCWS, he captured the home run derby crown as well.
During the regular season, Mioduszewski appeared in 49 games, totaling 193 at bats. He racked up a .373 batting average, the second-best on the team, with 72 hits, including 10 doubles, three triples, and nine home runs. He also knocked in 46 runs and scored 33 more.
A pair of Eagles played their summer ball north of the border this year, including senior Jeremy Stidham (Colorado Springs, Colo.-Sand Creek (Colby C.C.)) as a member of the Moose Jaw Miller Express in the Canadian-based Western Major Baseball League (WMBL). The backstop was named the team MVP after finishing the year with a .298 average over 36 games. He led the team in home runs with 11 and finished second in runs batted in with 27. Stidham was also a threat on the base paths, stealing 11 bags. He was named the WMBL Player of the Week, July 5, after hitting three home runs in three consecutive games.
Also in the WMBL, senior Matthew Beaton (Guelph, Ontario-Bishop Macdonnell Catholic) competed in his second straight season with the Lethbridge Bulls. He helped his team to a playoff appearance as the primary closer. In 15 regular season games, he finished second on the team with a 3.17 ERA in 17 innings, while racking up 15 K's and earning four saves.
Out west, senior John Montgomery (Anaheim Hills, Calif.-JSerra) played his second straight season in the California Collegiate League, this season as a member of the Long Beach Legends. He had a fruitful season, finishing third on his team with a .298 batting average, including the second-most hits with 42. This included seven doubles, a team-high four triples, and three home runs, as well as a team-best 34 RBI's. For his efforts, he was named a 2016 CCL All-Star.
The summer ball league with the most Eagles this offseason was the Great Lakes League with four participating. Senior Kevin Shul (Albuquerque, N.M.-Albuquerque Academy (College of Southern Nevada)) was a member of the Lake Erie Monarchs, and had an outstanding season as a relief pitcher.
He was named to the all-league team after making 10 appearances for the Monarchs out of the pen. He pitched 19.1 innings, and sported a 0.93 ERA at the end of the year. Shul recorded one save and allowed less than a hit per inning pitched, as well as having a strikeout to walk ratio of 1.16 K/BB.
Redshirt freshman Thomas Lindeman III (Milan, Mich.-Milan) was named a GLSC all-star in the middle of the season, playing in the infield. At season's end, he finished with 27 hits, including three doubles, and 20 runs scored. He also led the team by a wide margin in steals with 15 on the year.
The third GLSC member was sophomore John Rensel Jr. (Tallmadge, Ohio-Tallmadge) who competed for the Lorain Country Ironmen. Playing primarily at first base, Rensel Jr. tallied 16 hits, including four doubles and a triple, while knocking in four runs and scoring nine. Finally, redshirt freshman Robert Iacobelli (Rochester Hills, Mich.-Brother Rice) played in nine games for the Irish Hills Leprechauns as he battles back from injury. In his nine contests playing behind the plate, Iacobelli notched four hits and drove in a pair of runs, while scoring five more.
Two pairs of Eagles were on the same team this summer, beginning in the Prospect League with juniors Kyle Huckaby (Chandler, Ariz.-Perry) and Brent Mattson (Canton, Mich.-Canton), on the DuPage Drones.
Huckaby was named to the 2016 PL All-Star Game, although he did not participate. The lefty had 12 appearances, including six starts over the summer, totaling 41 innings. He finished fourth on the team with a 2.19 ERA while racking up 39 K's. His biggest highlight came July 4 when he pitched a complete game shutout with six strikeouts.
Mattson was also part of the Drones' rotation, making seven starts in eight appearances. In 37 innings, the righty held a 4.62 ERA while striking out 28 batters.
The second pair of teammates was in the New York-based Hamptons League, with juniors Brennan Williams (Commerce Township, Mich.-Walled Lake Northern) and Luke DeVenney (Des Moines, Iowa-Dowling Catholic) suiting up for the Riverhead Tomcats.
Williams only saw action in six games, but made the most of them with six hits in 20 at bats for a .300 batting average. He had a double, as well as a home run, while totaling three RBI's and four runs scored. DeVenney meanwhile, participated in 30 contests in the outfield. He collected 19 hits, including a double, while scoring 10 runs. He also swiped seven bases.
Sophomore Davis Feldman (Warren, Mich.-Brother Rice) also went east this summer, playing on Delaplane's old team, the Vermont Mountaineers in the New England League. The versatile Feldman saw time at both pitcher, as well as in the infield. On the bump, Feldman earned three starts in six appearances. He finished with a 4.71 ERA in 21 innings pitched, while striking out 13. In the box, Feldman had one hit, which was an RBI single, while scoring two runs as well.
On the east coast, playing in the Cal Ripken League for the Baltimore Dodgers was redshirt sophomore Alex Wolanski (Naperville, Ill.-Neuqua Valley). The catcher saw action in 22 games, totaling 15 hits, including three doubles. He drove in five runs and scored nine as well.
Finally down south, redshirt freshman Jake Weiss (Marietta, Ga.-East Cobb) returned to his native Georgia to play for the Marietta Patriots in the Sunbelt Baseball League. The outfielder helped his squad to a playoff appearance with a 16-12 record. He appeared in 25 games himself, finishing with a .258 batting average, with 16 hits in 62 at bats. He tallied a double, triple, and a home run, while driving in 10 and scoring 11 runs, as well as stealing seven bags.
The final five Eagles players, senior Justin Thompson (Canton, Mich.-Plymouth (Concordia)), sophomores Caleb Hester (Coloma, Mich.-Coloma), Drake Lubin (West Bloomfield, Mich.-Walled Lake Northern), and Max Schuemann (Portage, Mich.-Portage Northern) and redshirt freshman Joey Sweigart (Saline, Mich.-Saline) all played locally in Michigan-based summer leagues which did not keep stats.
For the second straight season, senior Sam Delaplane (San Jose, Calif.-Leigh) took home a summer league title. Last season he captured the New England League crown as a member of the Vermont Mountaineers. This season, he helped the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox to their third straight Cape Cod League championship.
During the regular season, Delaplane appeared in 14 games in relief for the Red Sox, totaling 21 innings. He finished with a 4.28 ERA and 23 strikeouts, while nabbing a pair of saves as well. In the Cape Cod League playoffs, he notched another save in the semifinal game after going 1.2 scoreless innings while striking out two, pushing his team into the title series.
Another regular season title was captured this summer, this one from redshirt senior Mike Mioduszewski (Dexter, Mich.-Dexter) in the Jayhawk League as a member of the Hays Larks. He also helped his team to the championship game of the National Baseball Congress World Series, including a win in the semifinals over the Kansas Stars, a team comprised of former MLB standouts. While at the NBCWS, he captured the home run derby crown as well.
During the regular season, Mioduszewski appeared in 49 games, totaling 193 at bats. He racked up a .373 batting average, the second-best on the team, with 72 hits, including 10 doubles, three triples, and nine home runs. He also knocked in 46 runs and scored 33 more.
A pair of Eagles played their summer ball north of the border this year, including senior Jeremy Stidham (Colorado Springs, Colo.-Sand Creek (Colby C.C.)) as a member of the Moose Jaw Miller Express in the Canadian-based Western Major Baseball League (WMBL). The backstop was named the team MVP after finishing the year with a .298 average over 36 games. He led the team in home runs with 11 and finished second in runs batted in with 27. Stidham was also a threat on the base paths, stealing 11 bags. He was named the WMBL Player of the Week, July 5, after hitting three home runs in three consecutive games.
Also in the WMBL, senior Matthew Beaton (Guelph, Ontario-Bishop Macdonnell Catholic) competed in his second straight season with the Lethbridge Bulls. He helped his team to a playoff appearance as the primary closer. In 15 regular season games, he finished second on the team with a 3.17 ERA in 17 innings, while racking up 15 K's and earning four saves.
Out west, senior John Montgomery (Anaheim Hills, Calif.-JSerra) played his second straight season in the California Collegiate League, this season as a member of the Long Beach Legends. He had a fruitful season, finishing third on his team with a .298 batting average, including the second-most hits with 42. This included seven doubles, a team-high four triples, and three home runs, as well as a team-best 34 RBI's. For his efforts, he was named a 2016 CCL All-Star.
The summer ball league with the most Eagles this offseason was the Great Lakes League with four participating. Senior Kevin Shul (Albuquerque, N.M.-Albuquerque Academy (College of Southern Nevada)) was a member of the Lake Erie Monarchs, and had an outstanding season as a relief pitcher.
He was named to the all-league team after making 10 appearances for the Monarchs out of the pen. He pitched 19.1 innings, and sported a 0.93 ERA at the end of the year. Shul recorded one save and allowed less than a hit per inning pitched, as well as having a strikeout to walk ratio of 1.16 K/BB.
Redshirt freshman Thomas Lindeman III (Milan, Mich.-Milan) was named a GLSC all-star in the middle of the season, playing in the infield. At season's end, he finished with 27 hits, including three doubles, and 20 runs scored. He also led the team by a wide margin in steals with 15 on the year.
The third GLSC member was sophomore John Rensel Jr. (Tallmadge, Ohio-Tallmadge) who competed for the Lorain Country Ironmen. Playing primarily at first base, Rensel Jr. tallied 16 hits, including four doubles and a triple, while knocking in four runs and scoring nine. Finally, redshirt freshman Robert Iacobelli (Rochester Hills, Mich.-Brother Rice) played in nine games for the Irish Hills Leprechauns as he battles back from injury. In his nine contests playing behind the plate, Iacobelli notched four hits and drove in a pair of runs, while scoring five more.
Two pairs of Eagles were on the same team this summer, beginning in the Prospect League with juniors Kyle Huckaby (Chandler, Ariz.-Perry) and Brent Mattson (Canton, Mich.-Canton), on the DuPage Drones.
Huckaby was named to the 2016 PL All-Star Game, although he did not participate. The lefty had 12 appearances, including six starts over the summer, totaling 41 innings. He finished fourth on the team with a 2.19 ERA while racking up 39 K's. His biggest highlight came July 4 when he pitched a complete game shutout with six strikeouts.
Mattson was also part of the Drones' rotation, making seven starts in eight appearances. In 37 innings, the righty held a 4.62 ERA while striking out 28 batters.
The second pair of teammates was in the New York-based Hamptons League, with juniors Brennan Williams (Commerce Township, Mich.-Walled Lake Northern) and Luke DeVenney (Des Moines, Iowa-Dowling Catholic) suiting up for the Riverhead Tomcats.
Williams only saw action in six games, but made the most of them with six hits in 20 at bats for a .300 batting average. He had a double, as well as a home run, while totaling three RBI's and four runs scored. DeVenney meanwhile, participated in 30 contests in the outfield. He collected 19 hits, including a double, while scoring 10 runs. He also swiped seven bases.
Sophomore Davis Feldman (Warren, Mich.-Brother Rice) also went east this summer, playing on Delaplane's old team, the Vermont Mountaineers in the New England League. The versatile Feldman saw time at both pitcher, as well as in the infield. On the bump, Feldman earned three starts in six appearances. He finished with a 4.71 ERA in 21 innings pitched, while striking out 13. In the box, Feldman had one hit, which was an RBI single, while scoring two runs as well.
On the east coast, playing in the Cal Ripken League for the Baltimore Dodgers was redshirt sophomore Alex Wolanski (Naperville, Ill.-Neuqua Valley). The catcher saw action in 22 games, totaling 15 hits, including three doubles. He drove in five runs and scored nine as well.
Finally down south, redshirt freshman Jake Weiss (Marietta, Ga.-East Cobb) returned to his native Georgia to play for the Marietta Patriots in the Sunbelt Baseball League. The outfielder helped his squad to a playoff appearance with a 16-12 record. He appeared in 25 games himself, finishing with a .258 batting average, with 16 hits in 62 at bats. He tallied a double, triple, and a home run, while driving in 10 and scoring 11 runs, as well as stealing seven bags.
The final five Eagles players, senior Justin Thompson (Canton, Mich.-Plymouth (Concordia)), sophomores Caleb Hester (Coloma, Mich.-Coloma), Drake Lubin (West Bloomfield, Mich.-Walled Lake Northern), and Max Schuemann (Portage, Mich.-Portage Northern) and redshirt freshman Joey Sweigart (Saline, Mich.-Saline) all played locally in Michigan-based summer leagues which did not keep stats.
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