Your Guide to the Cape Cod Baseball League
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
4VTheN Enterprise’sNFS4UBST Baseball League the Cape Cod Vool.l. 22,, ##33 YYoouurr GuideGuide toto the Cape Cod Baseball League JJuneune 228,8, 22007007 BBrewster’srewster’s CCookook SServingerving UUpp K’sK’s CCusickusick: Vooiceice ooff tthehe CCapeape SSnyder:nyder: HHomeome RRunun KKinging RRememberedemembered PRESORTED STANDARD U.S Postage Paid Falmouth Publishing Co. Y-D Off To A Fast Start At 6-2 Yarmouth-Dennis is off to the hottest start in the Cape League. The Red Sox are stacked with talent; from at pitching staff led by second-year starter, and last year's co- Pitcher Of The Year in the Cape League, Terry Doyle (Boston College), to the league’s leading hitter, Gordon Beckham (Georgia). Y-D Coach Scott Pickler has certainly done his homework, and it seems that once again the defending Cape League champion Red Sox might be the team to beat. But will the road to the 2007 championship run through Red Wilson Field as it did last summer? If everyone stays healthy Y-D has a good chance to repeat. But to do so once again they will have to face down some very talented teams. In their corner the Red Sox have players like second base- man Joey Railey (U of San Francisco) leading off. Railey puts the ball in play and, not surprisingly, can run. He leads the team in runs scored. Sean Ochinko (LSU) is a tenacious catcher/fi rst DON PARKINSON/ENTERPRISE baseman who is hitting over .300 and Collin Cowgill (Kentucky) A taste of Cape Cod. owns centerfi eld. There are few balls hit into his zip code that the speedy Cowgill doesn’t track down. In right fi eld the Red Sox have more speed and athleti- Luke Murton: cism with Johnny Ayers (Boston College). Ayers shocked New England and Boston Red Sox fans across the country Sticking To It when he was the fi rst to get a hit off Boston’s newest pitch- Page Two ing acquisition Daisuke Matzuska in spring training. His brief moment of fame behind him, Ayers has settled into a groove with Y-D and is playing solid baseball. Fans of Coastal Carolina University know Bobby Gagg Bourne’s Man and soon, if they don’t already, Cape League fans and Major of “Steele” League Baseball scouts will be watching the sophomore Page Four right-hander more closely. Gagg has been almost untouch- able, allowing just four hits over 11 innings. And how about pitchers Steve Dodson (Georgia) and Scott Green (Kentucky), who have respective ERA’s of 2.19 and 0.90? These guys can pitch. Corey Snyder: Home So will Y-D repeat? There are nine other clubs in the Run King league that say 'no.' We’ll just have to watch. Meet The President Page Seven Dan Crowley, Editor 3 DON PARKINSON/ENTERPRISE Luke Murton is enjoying playing in the Cape League NFS Warrior Code: Whitecaps’ Ryan Cook N 5IF&OUFSQSJTF Pages 5 4V T 4VNNFS 6OL *UNE 9 4 OUR'UIDETOT UB HE#APE ST #OD"ASEBALL,EAGU Photo Highlights E S Pages 8-9 4UB "REWSTERS #OOK3ERVING After two starts, and 5P+S Fred Cusick: Game of the Week 11 innings pitched, Page 11 Orleans Cardinals right- #USICK handed pitcher Brad 6OICEOF Boxberger has some of THE#APE Look for this issue online 3NYDER the top hitters in college (OME2UN+ING baseball shaking their 2EMEM2EMEMBEREDBERED @ www.capenews.net heads. While he doesn’t 02%3/2 4%$ have a win to show for 34!.$!2$ 530OSTAGE0AID On The Cover: Luke Murton of the Wareham Gatemen. &ALMOUTH 0UBLISHI his work, Boxberger has NG#O Photo by Don Parkinson. been outstanding on the mound. He has faced 41 batters thus far, allowing only fi ve hits and no runs. His ERA stands at a perfect 0.00. A freshman out of the University of Southern Califor- publisher operations manager design services manager nia, he went 3-5 with an ERA of 3.20 this spring for the William Hough Chuck Borge Christine Stutzman Trojans. In 14 starts. and 90 innings of work, he gave up 78 hits, 32 earned runs, struck out 72 and walked sports editor sales manager design services 34. This year he earned Rivals.com All-America sec- Dan Crowley Chris Avis Linda Stewart ond team honors. Jill Spencer A Pac-10 Pitcher of the Week for USC, he was born photo editor Julia Balducci in 1988, the same year that current and former ma- sales Don Parkinson jor league players Jeff Bagwell (Chatham), Jeromy Danielle Guay design & layout press supervisor Burnitz (Hyannis), Mo Vaughn (Wareham), Jeff Kent Dawn Mitchell Elisabet K. Rodrigues David Pittman (Cotuit), Mike Myers (Brewster), Tim Salmon (Cotuit), Trisha Herlihy J.T. Snow (Orleans), Dan Wilson (Cotuit) and Frank Rebecca Whittingdon 50 Depot Avenue Thomas (Orleans) among others played on the Cape. Nancy Medeiros Enterp His father Rod Boxberger (12-1) pitched for the USC e ri Falmouth, MA 02540 Esther Buchanan h s 1978 national championship team that went 54-9 and e 508-548-4700 • 1-800-286-7744 Pam deLala T was named the MVP of the College World Series. Falmouth • Mashpee • Bourne • Sandwich Fax: 508-540-8407 Thursday, June 28, 2007 SUMMER STARS 3 Life's Still Good For Luke Murton BY RICH MACLONE Instead his batting average Life was good for Luke dipped 100 points and his Murton as a freshman at power numbers fell as well. Georgia Tech. The big fi rst He hit just .239, although he baseman/outfi elder for the did hit nine homers with 14 Ramblin’ Wreck was a one- doubles. man wrecking crew for his With that type of history, college team, hitting .339 one might expect Murton to for the year with some big be a ball of nerves, stran- power numbers, smacking gling the bat at the plate six homers and 44 runs bat- and ready to do the same ted in. to those around him. The That summer he came truth, though, is far from to Cape Cod to play in the that. country’s premier summer After drilling a ball out to baseball league and again right fi eld in batting practice, Murton put up some quality and lining one through the numbers. While his .234 bat- box in his fi nal cut, Murton ting average for the summer runs out to the fi eld and was not by any means earth dances around the infi eld shattering, it was a point of as his teammates fi nish up DON PARKINSON/ENTERPRISE pride after a tough start to their swings. He dares them First baseman Luke Murton of the Wareham Gatemen the season, which saw him to take aim at his linebacker- go hitless over his fi rst 23 like frame and smiles all the different things at the begin- on-deck circle and think, I’m days.” at-bats. way back to the dugout. ning, but I just didn’t feel going to get out here, you In Murton’s younger days, Murton, the younger broth- With the struggles he’s myself. It’s just a matter of tell yourself that. And then he spent a lot of time watch- er of the Chicago Cubs’ Matt had, one might think he getting back into my own there’s other times when ing his big brother play Murton, who also played for doesn’t have much to be comfort zone and hopefully you’re in the batter’s box baseball. When Luke was in the Wareham Gatemen, was smiling about. Luke Murton, playing the way I think I can and you think, I’m probably junior high school, Matt was riding high as he got ready though, would beg to differ. play.” going to hit a double here. tearing things up at Eagle’s for year No. 2 with the Yellow “You’ve got to (have fun). Hitting is a lot like the Sometimes, when you start Landing High. When Luke Jackets. The sweet-swing- You’re playing a game that stock market, past profi ts struggling, the game starts was tearing it up at Eagle’s ing right-handed hitter had you love, so you’ve got to do not guarantee future moving a little faster and Landing, Matt had moved experienced a great deal of have as much fun as you earnings. That’s why Mur- the balls a little smaller and onto Georgia Tech, where he success, and expected more can. Usually when you’re ton is going about things a little faster and it’s just a was a star. The elder Murton of the same. having fun, success is hap- the old fashioned way in his matter of slowing everything brother would then spend He didn’t get it, though. pening, so you want to keep quest to regain his stroke at down and getting comfort- some time playing for the Things went the other way it light-hearted and keep the plate. able,” he said. “I love be- Wareham Gatemen. Like for Murton as a sophomore. things in perspective. “I have confi dence in ing up there on a day when Matt, Luke did both of those As good as things were his Murton said that his strug- myself and in my ability to a guy’s throwing 90-miles things as well. He decided freshman year, they were the gles began at the start of the play the game. I think I have per hour, with good stuff, upon GT for college, and this exact opposite. The Georgia season and then manifested the ability to be a really good and you’re like ‘you know is his second summer just native struggled mightily and into something big.