NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Lipscomb baseball team has 12 players competing across the country in wooden bat leagues this summer, ranging from New England to Wisconsin.
In a week that saw "Pokemon Go" sweep the nation faster than a wildfire, this group of Bisons may have been the only thing hotter.
Left-handed pitcher John Pryor (Springfield Sliders) and first baseman Cade Sorrells (Alexandria Aces) have played so well that the duo were named to All-Star teams in their respective leagues. Pryor drew the start for his team in the all-star game, while Sorrells went out and earned himself MVP honors.
They aren't the only two who will bring home mid-season honors as there are a few more who should expect to have their names called in the coming days.
Lee Solomon has taken the reigns of the Southern Ohio Copperheads and has been able to carry over his success from the diamond this past spring with the Bisons. He currently leads the team in average, hits, doubles and stolen bases while ranking second in runs and RBI.
Perhaps the biggest storyline, however, is out of the Cape Cod League in Massachusetts where Michael Gigliotti, Jeffrey Passantino and Brady Puckett have shown that not only are they three of the best players on the Falmouth Commodores, but three of the best in the entire Cape.
Gigliotti, with hits in all but five games, sports the second highest average on the team. Passantino leads the entire CCBL with a 0.56 ERA while posting a 29/3 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Puckett's three wins are tied for the most in the Cape. All three are expected to earn an All-Star selection with the game set for July 23.
Check out each player and how they are doing to date below.
Gigliotti continued his impressive start to the summer Tuesday when he came off the bench in the top of the ninth to deliver a go-ahead, pinch-hit RBI single on the road at Orleans. It comes on the heels of a 6-for-16 stretch (July 6-12) that has seen Gigliotti up his batting average to .312. He now has recorded base hits in 21 of his 26 games played.
Passantino continued his torrid pace Tuesday against Orleans by working 7.0 shutout frames and running his consecutive innings thrown without allowing an earned run to 25.2. Passantino allowed just four hits and struck out five before exiting in a scoreless game. Orleans got to the bullpen walked off in the ninth with a 2-run home run.
Puckett tossed 6.0 scoreless frames in Falmouth's 1-0 win over Bourne at home on July 8. He allowed only two hits and struck out a season high five batters. Puckett did not factor into the decision after picking up wins in his previous three starts. Falmouth is 5-0 this summer when Puckett toes the rubber.
Crisan appeared in two games this week (July 6-12) against the Baltimore Redbirds where he was 1-for-6 and also reached base on a hit by pitch.
Sorrells put together a 6-for-27 week (July 6-12) at the plate with two doubles, four walks and five RBI. He was one of five Aces to be selected for the Cal Ripken League All-Star game on Wednesday night. Sorrells ranks in the top three on his squad in doubles, at-bats, walks, games played, runs, hits and RBI.
Following Solomon's July 5 appearance in which he went 0-for-3, the second baseman posted a five-game hit streak this past week (July 6-12). He batted .455 (10-for-22) with one run scored, two walks, two doubles, three stolen bases and six RBI.
Adkins just wrapped up a 3-for-16 week (July 6-12) where he scored three runs, drove in two and walked four times. He has provided the Scouts with steady production all across the board as he leads the team in RBI, while also ranking second in average, at-bats, runs, hits, triples and home runs.
Furstace appeared in two games this week (July 6-12) where he went 2-for-5 while extending his hitting streak to five games. He recorded a double, drove in a run and scored twice while helping the Bucks to two wins over the Norcross Astros.
Gibson made one relief appearance this week (July 6-12) for the Wisconsin Woodchucks. The righty allowed one earned run on one hit while striking out two in one frame of work.
Pryor was voted an All-Star in the Prospect League after posting solid numbers for the Springfield Sliders. He last pitched on July 3 against the Quincy Gems where was tagged with his first loss of the summer. Pryor tossed a season high 7.0 innings and gave up four earned runs on seven hits. However he did punch out six batters, the fifth time in his last six games that Pryor reached that plateau.
Curtis appeared in three games this past week (July 6-12) for the Sanford Mainers. He pitched a scoreless innings in three games while striking out two. He also picked up his first save of the summer in an 8-5 win over Mystic Goodall Park.
Moynihan's summer came to a close after suffering a knee injury that required season-ending surgery. He is recovering with hopes of returning to the diamond in the spring.