May 30, 2008
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – A total of 25 Notre Dame baseball players will or have already opened their summer baseball leagues all across the country this week. The Irish finished 2007 with a 33-21-1 overall record and 16-10 mark in the BIG EAST.
Rising sophomore Brian Dupra will play with the Harwich Mariners of the Cape Cod League this summer.
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Rising senior David Phelps (Hazelwood, Mo.) and rising sophomore Ryan Sharpley (Marshall, Mich.) will each play with the Hyannis Mets in the Cape Cod League. The Mets missed out on the CCLB playoffs by just a single point. Phelps, who is draft eligible, spent last summer with the Falmouth Commodores. Falmouth will once again be the home to a pair of Irish players. Rising sophomore Evan Danieli (East Hanover, N.J.) and rising junior A.J. Pollock (Hebron, Conn.) will suit up for the Commodores. Falmouth reached the league championship series. Rising sophomore Brian Dupra (Rochester, N.Y.) is the fifth and final Notre Dame player that will spend the summer on the Cape. Dupra will play with the Harwich Mariners.
Irish players now have combined to play 35 times in the Cape Cod League over the last 14 years, with several others invited over the years but unable to play in the Cape due to Team USA participation or injury. The Irish have featured at least one Notre Dame player in the CCL every year except 1996, with multiple Irish players on CCL rosters in 1995, 1997 and every year since ’99 (see list below).
The past 12 summers have seen Notre Dame players be members of eight of the 10 Cape Cod League teams (since ’97), with the only exceptions being the Orleans Cardinals and the Chatham A’s.
Recent Irish players who have played in the Cape Cod League include the following: IF Mike Amrhein (1995), CF Scott Sollmann (1995), C Jeff Wagner (Harwich Mariners, 1997 all-star), IF Brant Ust (Harwich, 1997), RHP Alex Shilliday (Harwich, 1998), IF Alec Porzel (Brewster, 1999), CF Steve Stanley (Brewster, 1999-00), C Paul O’Toole (Brewster 2000, Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox 2001), OF Brian Stavisky (Hyannis Mets 2000-01), OF Matt Bok (Bourne Braves, 2001), 3B/C Andrew Bushey (YDR, 2001), 2B Steve Sollmann (YDR, 2001-02), RHP Chris Niesel (Falmouth Commodores, 2002-03), RHP John Axford (Hyannis, 2002; Cotuit Kettleers, 2003), RHP Martin Vergara (Falmouth, 2002), 3B Matt Macri (Brewster, 2003), LHP Tom Thornton (Wareham Gatemen, 2004), OF Craig Cooper (Brewster, 2004-05), Greg Lopez (Yarmouth-Dennis, 2005), Dan Kapala (Falmouth, 2005), Sean Gaston (Cotuit, 2005-06), Jeff Manship (Cotuit, 2005), Derik Olvey (Cotuit, 2005), Brett Lilley (Cotuit, 2006), Kyle Weiland (Falmouth, 2007), Brett Graffy (Falmouth, 2007), David Phelps (Falmouth, 2007), Sam Elam (Falmouth, 2007).
Rising sophomore Evan Danieli will don the uniform of the Falmouth Commodores of the Cape Cod League.
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A total of four players, Gaston (2005, 2006), Sollman (2001), Stavisky (2000, 2001) and O’Toole (2000), have earned Cape Cod League All-Star nods since 2000.
Nearly one-third of all current major leaguers that played college baseball performed on the Cape. In fact, 212 former players from the Cape are currently on MLB rosters.
Rising senior Jeremy Barnes (Garland, Texas), rising sophomore David Casey (Whitefish Bay, Wisc.) and rising senior Evan Sharpley (Marshall, Mich.) will all play in the Northwoods League. Barnes will suit up for the Wisconsin Woodchucks and Casey will play for the Green Bay Bullfrogs. Sharpley has already joined the Battle Creek Bombers. In fact, he opened his season with the Bombers in style, slugging a three-run home run on opening day Thursday night.
The following is a complete listing of the Irish players that will be participating in summer baseball leagues and the web sites to track their progress throughout the summer:
Ty Adams, Fr., OF/1B
Hays Larks (Jayhawk Collegiate League)
www.larks.hdnews.net
Brayden Ashdown, So., OF
Conejo Oaks (California Collegiate League)
www.oaksbaseball.org
Jeremy Barnes, Jr., 2B
Wisconsin Woodchucks (Northwoods League)
www.woodchucks.com
Billy Boockford, So., OF
Hays Larks (Jayhawk Collegiate League)
www.larks.hdnews.net
David Casey, Fr., OF/1B
Green Bay Bullfrogs (Northwoods League)
www.greenbaybullfrogs.com
Evan Danieli, Fr., RHP
Falmouth Commodores (Cape Cod League)
www.falcommodores.org
Mick Doyle, Fr., INF
Joplin Slashers (Jayhawk Collegiate League)
www.joplinslashersbaseball.com
Brian Dupra, Fr., RHP
Harwich Mariners (Cape Cod League)
www.harwichmariners.org
Matt Grosso, So., OF
Manchester Silkworms (New England Collegiate League)
www.manchestersilkworms.org
Will Harford, So., INF
Geneva Red Wings (New York Collegiate League)
www.genevaredwings.com
Ryne Intlekofer, So., INF
Conejo Oaks (California Collegiate League)
www.oaksbaseball.org
Cole Johnson, Fr., RHP
Stark County Terriers (Great Lakes Collegiate League)
www.terriersbaseballclub.com
Matt Katich, Fr., C
Forest City Owls (Coastal Plains League)
www.forestcitybaseball.com
Eric Maust, So., RHP
Mentium Athletics (Great South League)
www.mentiumathletics.com
Steven Mazur, So., RHP
Hays Larks (Jayhawk Collegiate League)
www.larks.hdnews.net
Cameron McConnell, Fr., C
Delaware Cows (Great Lakes Collegiate League)
www.delawarecows.com
Eddy Mendiola, Jr., INF
Geneva Red Wings (New York Collegiate League)
www.genevaredwings.com
Herman Petzold, So., INF
Florence Red Wolves (Coastal Plains League)
www.florenceredwolves.com
David Phelps, Jr., RHP
Hyannis Mets (Cape Cod League)
www.hyannismets.org
A.J. Pollock, So., OF
Falmouth Commodores (Cape Cod League)
www.falcommodores.org
Matt Scioscia, Fr., 1B/C
Conejo Oaks (California Collegiate League)
www.oaksbaseball.org
Ryan Sharpley, Fr., RHP
Hyannis Mets (Cape Cod League)
www.hyannismets.org
Evan Sharpley, Jr., INF
Battle Creek Bombers (Northwoods League)
www.battlecreekbombers.com
Greg Sherry, Fr., INF
Vermont Mountaineers (New England Collegiate League)
www.thevermontmountaineers.com
Joe Spizzirri, Fr., LHP
MLB Urban Youth Academy (California Collegiate League)
www.calsummerball.com
— ND —