In wake of this summer’s CCBL All Star break, lets take a minute and reflect back on the 2011 Bourne Braves and how they are playing with the playoff push right around the corner.
Pitching (A)
The Braves still have one of the most dynamic pitching staffs in the Cape League, however, following the Braves four game losing streak last week, Hyannis has taken over the as top pitching staff. The Braves enter the All Star break with a dominant 2.70 team ERA, tied with the Harbor Hawks for the best ERA in the League. Bourne pitching has struck out 309 batters and allowed only 105 earned runs over 350+ innings in 2011. Braves pitchers have surrendered a league low 99 walks, and have held opposing batters to a .242 batting average.
Western Division starter Ryan Eades (LSU) has been a primary reason for the Braves 21 wins this season and their dominant pitching. Eades is the only CCBL pitcher to hold his ERA to under 1.00 up to the mid summer classic. The Bayou Bengal boasts a 0.84 ERA, derived from only three earned runs over 32.1 innings pitched. Eades (3-0) has surrendered only 7 walks and 19 hits this summer, while only allowing four extra base hits to opposing batters.
Josh Conway (Coastal Carolina) has also been chosen to represent the Western Division at Fenway Park. The combination of Eades and Conway has been proven to be nearly unhittable at the top of the Braves rotation. Conway (2-0) is third in the league in ERA (1.29) and has managed to strike out 26 batters in 28 innings pitched. Conway has also contributed pinch-hitting for the Braves this season, going 2-4, as well as contributing as a pinch runner.
Offense (B)
The Braves have crawled out of the team-batting cellar, and at the All Star Break have come in fifth overall in the league with a .240 batting average. Just a few weeks ago, Bourne’s bats caught fire during an unheralded eight game winning streak. In the first forty games, Braves hitters have totaled 311 total hits, including 73 extra base hits, and 14 homeruns.
Centerfielder Travis Jankowski (Stony Brook) has been the Braves go-to man for getting on base and RBI’s. The unanimous Western Division All Star, and potential CCBL MVP leads the league in batting average (.333), derived from 52 hits in his first 156 at bats. Travis has totaled 11 extra base hits this summer while totaling 21 RBI from his lead off spot. Travis has also been a valuable asset on the base paths for Bourne this summer, stealing 13 bases while only getting caught 5 times.
One Braves slugger who will not be suiting up at Fenway Park for the All Star Game will be Braves second baseman Tommy Coyle. Coyle (UNC) has been streaking as of late, climbing to the sixth best batting average (.323) in the league. Coyle has only appeared in 25 total games after arriving late this summer from his Tar Heels’ College World Series appearance. Coyle has 31 hits in 2011, including 7 for extra bags. With Coyle’s emergence in the second half of the summer, he will become a major role if the Braves are to make a championship run. Though Coyle may not be the most threatening looking Braves player, he exemplifies the expression, “its not the size of the dog in the fight, but the amount of fight in the dog”.
Defense (C)
The Braves defense is probably the biggest red flag for the team approaching the CCBL playoffs. One reason for this may be that field manager Harvey Shapiro has been playing players at different positions to account for strong batting matchups and injuries. Bourne has many star players who have yet to commit an error however, they could expect more from other star’s who haven’t played the hops as well as they could.
One person in mind would be third baseman Colin Moran. Moran (UNC) has come to Bourne after and appearance in the College World Series with the Tar heels. Moran has committed four errors this summer while battling an ankle injury that has held him out of the lineup as of late. In order for the Braves to make a late season playoff push, they will need the help of the former Baseball America’s Freshman of the Year at the hot corner.
The Braves have lived up to the preseason CCBL hype, and have proven that they are a talented group. Though they cooled off as of late, this team has the intangibles to go deep into the post season, and potentially hoist the prestigious Arnold Mycock trophy as CCBL champs.
