By Ben Harris

As summer leagues across the country recorded their seasons’ final outs, many positives could be drawn from the triumphant performances of Maryland ballplayers over the prior summer months.

A standout in the Cape League, a roost of Redbird hurlers and a record-breaking performance on the mound in the Perfect Game League topped the headlines.

Last week, Chris Rogers broke down the final numbers for every active summer Terp, eight of whom won their respective league championships. This week, Collegiate Summer Baseball released their comprehensive annual ranking of the nation’s Top 35 summer league teams.

Fifteen out of 25 Terps (60 percent) played on teams ranked in CSB’s Top 35.

Five Terps played for the Cal Ripken League’s Baltimore Redbirds, the most of any club. Four pitchers (Tyler Blohm, Mike Rescigno, Hunter Parsons, Andrew Miller) combined for a 1.79 ERA and 1.05 WHIP over 110.1 dominant innings, while Marty Costes tied for third in the league with seven homers.

Three more played for the Redbirds’ league rival Bethesda Big Train. The two clubs have met in the CRCBL championship the last eight seasons. John Murphy, Justin Morris and Peyton Sorrels all brought the CRCBL title back to Bethesda this summer after the Redbirds won the last four league titles.

Kevin Smith was vital to the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox taking home their third-straight Cape League championship and the top spot in CSB’s rankings. In addition to being named the CCBL Championship Series MVP, Smith led his club in hits, doubles and extra base knocks. While the Brewster Whitecaps failed to crack the rankings, both Smith and Brewster’s Nick Dunn earned All-League infield honors. Also on the Cape, Ryan Selmer’s Wareham Gatemen checked in at no. 31 on CSB’s list.

The Matsu Miners, summer home to both AJ Lee and Madison Nickens, battled to the nineteenth national ranking after winning the Alaskan Baseball League title. As Perfect Game League champions, Danny Maynard and Cameron Enck’s Amsterdam Mohawks fill the no. 12 spot. This summer, Enck set a league record with a miniscule 0.39 ERA.

Up north in the New England Collegiate Baseball League, the runner-up Sanford Mainers were powered in large part by center fielder Zach Jancarski. The rising junior led the Mainers in both runs and hits.

After a disappointing 2016 compared to their 40-win seasons and NCAA Super Regional appearances in 2014 and 2015, a sharp summer looks to be a positive early start for the 2017 Terps.

By Chris Rogers

Now that summer leagues around the country have concluded, we’ll take a final look at how Terps performed.

The biggest story by far is shortstop Kevin Smith, who helped lead the Y-D Red Sox to the Cape Cod League championship. He hit .370 with 3 homers, 7 RBI and 6 runs scored to capture the CCBL Playoff MVP award as the Red Sox won their third straight title. During the regular season, Smith was just as impressive, leading the Red Sox with 43 hits and 12 doubles while hitting .301 and playing in all but three of the team’s games.

Second baseman Nick Dunn enjoyed a fine summer in the Cape as well, finishing in the top ten in the league in hitting (.311, 9^th), hits (51, T-3^rd), RBI (25, T-3^rd) and runs scored (26, 5^th) while knocking eight doubles, two triples, and a homer. Brewster failed to make the playoffs, but that doesn’t take anything away from Dunn’s stellar summer campaign. Right-hander Ryan Selmer finished the regular season with a 3.17 ERA and 12 strikeouts across 22.2 innings of relief for the Cape’s Wareham Gatemen. He made only one playoff appearance, allowing an earned run on two hits and a walk in 1.1 innings.

In the Cal Ripken League, outfielder Marty Costes put together a nice season for the Baltimore Redbirds, hitting .319 with a team-high seven home runs and 24 RBI.

His fellow Terps in Baltimore, pitchers Mike Rescigno, Andrew Miller, Tyler Blohm and Hunter Parsons each enjoyed strong seasons as well, all finishing with ERAs below 2.50. In one playoff appearance, Rescigno tossed 2.2 shutout innings with four strikeouts. Miller was just as dominant in the postseason, allowing just one earned run in 5.1 innings of work. While Blohm and Parsons struggled in the playoffs, their regular season numbers are nothing to scoff at, as they posted ERAs of 2.07 and 1.41, respectively.

Down the road, catcher/first baseman Justin Morris finished his summer with the Bethesda Big Train hitting .287 with 10 doubles and 25 RBI. He drove in four more runs in the playoffs en route to the Big Train winning their first Cal Ripken League championship in five years. John Murphy and Peyton Sorrels did not blossom in Bethesda however, as Murphy’s ERA neared 5 while Sorrels hit just .156.

With the Ripken League’s Gaithersburg Giants, infielder Pat Hisle hit just .221 in the regular season, but went 2-for-8 in the playoffs with an RBI in the postseason. His teammates, Nick Pantos and Truman Thomas, struggled as well. Pantos’s solid 3.53 ERA was overshadowed by his worrisome 1:1 K:BB ratio, and Thomas finished the season with a 5.91 ERA. For the Silver Spring Takoma Thunderbolts, catchers Nick Cieri (.301, 5 HR, 24 RBI) and Ty Friedrich (.351, 7 RBI) both flourished in limited time, while Jared Price notched four saves.

In the Valley League, Andrew Green made 13 appearances in the regular season, posting a 6.88 ERA, and did not make a playoff appearance.

Meanwhile with the Amsterdam Mohawks, Cameron Enck set a Perfect Game League record with a 0.39 ERA during the regular season. He continued his brilliance in the playoffs as well, going 2-0 in two starts with a 1.38 ERA in 13 IP as the Mohawks won their fourth league title in five years. Catcher Dan Maynard never got hot during the regular season, hitting just .185 with 16 RBI in 26 games, but he turned it on come playoff time, going 4-for-13 with three doubles.

In the New England Collegiate Baseball League, outfielder Zach Jancarski was a key player on a Sanford Mainers team that made it all the way to the championship series. During the regular season, he hit .288 with 10 doubles and 20 stolen bases, and he stayed hot into the playoffs, hitting .294 with eight runs scored in eight games. Jamal Wade contributed in more ways than one for the Keene Swamp Bats, hitting .267 in 75 at-bats, while pitching to a 1.58 ERA in 11.1 innings on the mound.

In the Alaskan League, AJ Lee and Madison Nickens played for the title-winning Mat-Su Miners, although neither saw any playing time in the postseason. Lee recovered from a slow start to hit .255 with 20 runs scored in the regular season, but Nickens struggled the whole summer, hitting just .146 with no extra-base hits.

Each player’s regular season statistics are available in the table below.

Statistics

By Chris Rogers

As summer ball across the country comes to a close, let’s take a look at how Terps have done in their respective leagues.

In the Cape Cod League, second baseman Nick Dunn and shortstop Kevin Smith were both named to the All-Star roster. Dunn, playing for the Brewster Whitecaps, ranks near the top of the league in numerous offensive categories, including average (.317, 7^th), hits (51, 3^rd), runs scored (25, 5^th) and RBI (24, 4^th). He has been reliable too, as he is the only Whitecaps player to appear in at least 40 games. Smith was deservingly named the starting shortstop for the East in the July 23 All-Star Game. Through August 2, he is hitting .295, and leads the Y-D Red Sox in hits (41) and doubles (12). Ryan Selmer, the lone Terps pitcher in the Cape, struggled early in the summer but has rebounded nicely of late. In 12 relief appearances, he has posted a 3.17 ERA, and tossed 4.1 scoreless frames last time out.

Closer to home, the Cal Ripken League is filled with Terps. Coming off a stellar freshman campaign, outfielder Marty Costes continued to hit this summer with the North Division champion Baltimore Redbirds. He led the team in homers (7) and RBI (24), ranking third in the league in the former, while hitting .319. Four Terps pitched for the Redbirds, including Hunter Parsons, who led the league in wins (6) and strikeouts (44), while ranking second in ERA (1.41). Sophomore left-hander Andrew Miller served mostly as a reliever this summer, making 13 appearances (one start) and posting a 2.37 ERA with 33 strikeouts in 30.1 innings. Mike Rescigno, who was drafted by the San Francisco Giants (25^th round) in June but elected not to sign, was brilliant out of the bullpen as well, striking out 19 in 15.2 innings, with a magnificent 1.14 ERA. Incoming freshman Tyler Blohm was also drafted this June (Baltimore Orioles, 17^th round) but chose to attend Maryland instead. This summer he posted a 1-0 record with a 2.07 ERA in seven games (four starts).

Down the road in Montgomery County, catcher/first baseman Justin Morris shined for the league-champion Bethesda Big Train, hitting .287 with 10 doubles, 25 RBI, and a team-high four triples. John Murphy and Peyton Sorrels, however, did not enjoy the same success Morris did in Bethesda. Murphy showed flashes of brilliance but pitched to a 4.71 ERA in seven starts, while Sorrels hit .156 with 6 RBI in 45 at bats.

While Morris impressed with the Big Train, two other Terps’ catchers did the same with the nearby Silver Spring-Takoma Thunderbolts. Nick Cieri hit .301 with 24 RBI and a team-high 5 long balls, and incoming freshman Ty Friedrich hit .351 in 37 at-bats. Tayler Stiles pitched only one game, allowing one run over five innings pitched, but teammate Jared Price turned in a solid summer, posting a 3.55 ERA in 12 relief appearances.

Senior utilityman Pat Hisle struggled to get anything going with the Gaithersburg Giants, as he finished the summer with a .221 average and 16 RBI, although he did throw a scoreless inning on the mound. His teammates, Nick Pantos and Truman Thomas also had mixed seasons pitching for the Giants. Pantos, an incoming freshman, made nine appearances (four starts) and owned a respectable 3.53 ERA, but struggled with his control (17 walks, 17 strikeouts). Thomas started off the summer hot, with a 2.82 ERA through his first four starts, but did not finish strong, as he ended up with a 5.91 ERA over 35 innings pitched.

Of the 15 Terps in the Cal Ripken League, seven (Costes, Rescigno, Parsons, Blohm, Morris, Cieri, Price) were named to the All-Star team.

In the nearby Valley League, Andrew Green has struggled for the Purcellville Cannons, with a 6.88 ERA and 2.18 WHIP in 13 games.

Going back up the coast, Zach Jancarski and Jamal Wade both put together nice summers in the New England Collegiate Baseball League. Jancarski, playing for the Sanford Mainers, hit .288 with 10 doubles, 27 runs scored, and 20 stolen bases (good for second in the league). Meanwhile, Wade made an impact with the Keene Swamp Bats on both sides of the field. In 72 at bats, he posted a .278 average and 11 RBI. Additionally, he returned to the mound for the first time since high school, tossing 11 innings as a reliever with an impressive 1.58 ERA and 22 strikeouts.

With the Amsterdam Mohawks of the Perfect Game League, right-hander Cameron Enck set a league record with his 0.39 ERA. In nine games (eight starts) he threw 46 innings, allowing just two earned runs while striking out 24. His battery-mate Dan Maynard has not found the same success, however, hitting just .185 with 16 RBI in 35 games.

In the Alaskan League, AJ Lee has rebounded nicely after a slow start to the summer. The infielder has hit .255 with 20 runs scored in 35 games. His Mat-Su Miners teammate, Madison Nickens, remains glacially cold, hitting just .150 in 18 games.

By Jake Eisenberg

While the 2016 season is over, 29 Terps will continue playing this summer for various summer teams. Below is the full chart of each player, with which team they’re playing for, and the league in which the team plays. Throughout the summer, we’ll provide bi-weekly updates on the Terps’ summer ball activities.

*incoming freshman