With nine Clark Griffith League and four All-American
Amateur Baseball Association championships among their accomplishments since
their inception in 1994, the Vienna (Va.) Senators have achieved plenty of
local and regional success in their brief history. But the team continues to
look for bigger and loftier goals, particularly on the national stage.
The Senators have made winning the annual National
Baseball Congress World Series title their goal since winning their final AAABA
crown in 2002. They haven’t come close yet, but were in the hunt a year ago
when they went 3-2 at the 40-team tournament on their way to posting a club
record 44-7 record.
With a 25-3 record to start the 2008 season and a No. 1
ranking in the PG Crosschecker Summer 16 rankings for the second straight week,
this year’s Senators club may have the best shot yet to achieve success in the
NBC World Series, set for Wichita, Kan., from July 29-Aug. 12. That may be a
tall order still as no team from the Eastern time zone has won the NBC title in
more than 50 years, other the defunct Grand Rapids (Mich.) Sullivans, NBC
champions in 1970 and 1983-84.
Vienna hopes to end that drought as it continues to hang
on to the top spot in the PG Crosschecker ranking of the nation’s top summer
college league teams. That ranking, though, is partly due to the continued
inability of a team from the Cape Cod League, the nation’s dominant summer
league, to separate itself from the pack—much like Yarmouth-Dennis did a year
ago. Y-D, with a team that included 2008 first-round draft picks Gordon Beckham
(Georgia), Jason Castro (Stanford) and Buster Posey (Florida State), went
wire-to-wire as PG Crosschecker’s No. 1 summer team in 2007.
The Senators don’t have that kind of raw talent on their
roster, but continue to dominate the Clark Griffith League standings with a
team that has outscored its opponents 216-73, while posting a 1.95 ERA—nearly
two runs better than the second-place team in the league. They continue to get
outstanding pitching performances from the starting twosome of George
Washington sophomore righthander Eric Cantrell (4-0, 1.55) and Marist junior
righthander Richard Cary (5-0, 0.62). In addition, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi
junior third baseman Martin Parra led the team with a .400 average and four
homers.
Led by Vienna, here are latest PG Crosschecker Summer 16
rankings, with records through July 7 (last week’s ranking noted in
parentheses):
| Rank |
Team |
League |
Record |
| 1. |
Vienna (Va.) Senators (1) |
Clark Griffith |
25-3 |
| Overshadowed by GWU teammate Eric Cantrell,
6-7 junior RHP Jimmy Duggan (2-0, 0.00, 4 SV) has been dominant in closer role. |
| 2. |
Brewster (Mass.) Whitecaps (4) |
Cape Cod |
11-7 |
| Mississippi State 3B Connor Powers
(.291-4-18), Missouri State RHP Tim Clubb (4-0, 0.35), both sophomores,
continue hot clip. |
| 3. |
Anchorage Glacier Pilots (6) |
Alaska |
18-6 |
| San Diego prep 2B Bryan Haar (.348-0-21), Long
Beach State frosh OF Jonathan Jones (.403-0-9) lack power, but swing hot bats. |
| 4. |
Hyannis (Mass.) Mets (9) |
Cape Cod |
11-8 |
| Pitching-rich Mets led by Virginia junior RHP
Andrew Carraway (2-1, 0.40), Vandy freshman closer Russ Brewer (0-0, 0.00, 9
SV). |
| 5. |
Luray (Va.) Wranglers (8) |
Valley |
20-8 |
| VMI freshman LHP Travis Smink (4-0, 2.00),
Liberty frosh C Jeff Jefferson (.350-6-18) key to Valley League's hottest team. |
| 6. |
Sanford Mainers (10) |
New England Collegiate |
16-8 |
| George Washington junior RHP Pat Lehman (3-0,
0.55), Cornell junior 1B Kyle Groth (.358-1-11) pace Mainers to best NECBL
mark. |
| 7. |
Wisconsin Woodchucks (11) |
Northwoods |
25-12 |
| Central Arkansas sophomore RHP-OF Bobby
Pritchett contributing at plate (.301-1-15) and on mound (5-2, 1.40, 39 IP/41
SO). |
| 8. |
Bourne (Mass.) Braves (NR) |
Cape Cod |
11-9 |
| Surging Braves boast four of top 10 hitters on
Cape, led by Wichita State sophomore SS Dusty Coleman (.367-2-12). |
| 9. |
Edenton (N.C.) Steamers (7) |
Coastal Plain |
23-10 |
| Rhode Islands's Luke Demko (3-0, 0.00, 10 SV)
dominant for Steamers in pen, Angelo State's Joe Key (4-1, 0.48) in rotation. |
| 10. |
Cincinnati Steam (13) |
Great Lakes |
17-4 |
| Ohio State OF Zach Hurley (.441-3-13,
league-high 18 R/30 H), Butler RHP Ryan Kruszka (2-1, 1.44) key eight wins in a
row. |
| 11. |
Waynesboro (Va.) Generals (5) |
Valley |
19-9 |
| Soph RHP Jared Dobbs (4-1, 1.06), junior LHP
Adam Liberatore (4-0, 0.73), both Tennessee Tech arms, continue hot clip. |
| 12. |
Florence (S.C.) Redwolves (3) |
Coastal Plain |
22-10 |
| Pitching-rich Redwolves' 2.53 ERA is tops in
CPL; Mercyhurst (Pa.) soph RHP Steve Grife (3-0, 1.59, 34 IP/40 SO) is team's
ace. |
| 13. |
Peninsula Oilers (NR) |
Alaska |
17-6 |
| Ohlone (Calif.) JC RHP Joe Gardner (4-0,
0.41), Washington State junior LHP Ross Humes (3-0, 1.26) key 2.05 team ERA. |
| 14. |
Youse's Maryland Orioles (15) |
Cal Ripken Sr. |
20-5 |
| Navy sophomore RHP Oliver Drake (3-1, 0.82),
Maryland soph RHP Scott Swinson (3-1, 1.57) give O's two power arms. |
| 15. |
Keene (N.H.) Swamp Bats (NR) |
New England Collegiate |
15-8 |
| Vanderbilt freshman LHP Sean Bierman (2-1,
2.70), Washington State soph RHP James Wise (4-2, 3.06) head up Bats rotation. |
| 16. |
Springfield (Ill.) Sliders (16) |
Central Illinois |
20-4 |
| Sliders lapping field in CICL behind Garden
City (Kan.) CC RHP Bryce Butt (4-0, 1.82), Valparaiso RHP Bryce Shafer (4-0,
2.03). |
| |
| --COMPILED BY ALLAN SIMPSON |