SUMMER 16

Cotuit Remains No. 1

With a pair of .400 hitters and the league’s leading home run hitter and RBI man, the Cape Cod League’s Cotuit Kettleers continue to produce the offensive might to remain atop the PG Crosschecker Summer 16 rankings for the second straight week.

The Kettleers (5-2) are hitting a Cape Cod League-best .313, thanks to first baseman Kevin Patterson (.407-0-10), who hit only .255 this spring as a freshman at Auburn, and sophomore shortstop Robbie Shields (.414-0-8), a product of Division II Florida Southern. Moreover, junior outfielder Mike Bianucci (.303-3-12) has given the Kettleers, who finished near the bottom of the Cape League standings in 2007, a big bat in the middle of the order.

Bianucci (Auburn) was drafted in the eighth round earlier this month by the Texas Rangers and remains one of five players on the Cotuit roster who was drafted that had yet to sign. Arizona outfielder Jason Kipnis, a fourth-round pick of the San Diego Padres, was the latest player to join the team.

Led by Cotuit, the top six teams in the Summer 16 rankings remain the same from a week ago. The latest rankings, with records through June 23 (last week’s ranking noted in parentheses):
Rank Team League Record
1 Cotuit Kettleers (1) Cape Cod 5-2
  Auburn duo of freshman 1B Kevin Patterson (.407-0-10) and junior OF Mike Bianucci (.304-3-12) swinging big bats for Kettleers.
2 Vienna (Va.) Senators (2) Clark Griffith 18-1
  Senators opened 2008 season with 14 straight wins, continue to get perfect pitching from Marist junior RHP Richard Cary (3-0, 0.00).
3 Wisconsin Woodchucks (3) Northwoods 17-6
  Kentucky OF Troy Frazier (.333-3-20), Embry-Riddle (Fla.) RHP Aaron Varnum (0.00, 2.67, 6 SV) keep Woodchucks atop NWL.
4 Keene (N.H.) Swamp Bats (4) New England Collegiate 9-3
  Hitting of St. John’s freshman 1B Paul Karmas (.318-0-12), Clemson soph OF Alex Lee (.375-2-9) help Bats to best record in NECBL.
5 Florence (S.C.) Redwolves (5) Coastal Plain 17-4
  Mercyhurst (Pa.) soph RHP Steve Grife (3-0, 1.33) continues to be best arm on Redwolves; staff 2.15 ERA is easily best in CPL.
6 Peninsula Oilers (6) Alaska 11-2
  Oilers have no homers in 13 games, but St. Mary’s (Calif.) sophomore 1B Anthony Alliotti (.395-0-15) has swung a hot stick.
7 Mankato (Minn.) Moondogs (9) Northwoods 17-7
  Arizona State-bound C Carlos Ramirez (.395-4-22), Texas-San Antonio OF Michael Rockett (.343-1-24) two big RBI men in NWL.
8 Hyannis (Mass.) Mets (NR) Cape Cod 6-2
  Virginia junior RHP Andrew Carraway (2-0, 0.00), Vandy freshman closer Russ Brewer (0-0, 0.00, 5 SV) lead Cape’s best staff.
9 Falmouth (Mass.) Commodores (NR) Cape Cod 5-3
  Team ready to roll behind Notre Dame soph OF A.J. Pollock (.412-0-3, 10 R), Quinnipiac junior LHP Chris Gloor (0-0, 0.00, 8 IP/1 H).
10 Forest City (N.C.) Owls (NR) Coastal Plain 14-7
  Two Canisius junior infielders, 3B Kevin Mahoney (.383-7-25) and 2B Kevin Mailloux (.362-2-17), provide offensive spark for Owls.
11 Waynesboro (Va.) Generals (NR) Valley 12-6
  Two big Tennessee Tech pitchers, 6-5 soph RHP Jared Dobbs (3-1, 0.47), 6-3 junior LHP Adam Liberatore (3-0, 0.62) key Generals.
12 Hays (Kan.) Larks (NR) Jayhawk 12-6
  Michigan State soph C Eric Roof (.357-3-11), Slippery Rock (Pa.) soph 1B Rick Michalek (.435-2-14) big bats in Larks lineup.
13 Anchorage Bucs (NR) Alaska 8-3
  Pitching dominant for Bucs, led by Texas Christian duo of soph RHPs Paul Gerrish (3-0, 1.23) and Tyler Lockwood (2-0, 0.79).
14 Wenatchee (Wash.) Applesox (NR) West Coast Collegiate 6-2
  Soph RHP Steve Ames (2-0, 0.00) of Columbia Basin CC, junior 3B Hawk Gebbers (.379-1-8) of Biola are home-state products.
15 Luray (Va.) Wranglers (NR) Valley 12-6
  Wranglers make strides behind Virginia Tech soph RHP Kyle Cichy (2-0, 1.83), VMI freshman LHP Travis Smink (3-0, 1.80).
16 Newport (R.I. Gulls (8) New England Collegiate 6-4
  Elon soph C Mike Melillo (.467-1-10), UConn freshman RHP Dan Mahoney (1-0, 0.00, 8 IP/14 SO) best on talented Gulls roster.