October baseball is here

When I was five years old, I had the privilege of attending Game 4 of the 1995 World Series between Cleveland and Atlanta. While my beloved Indians lost 5-2 that night, I had the time of my life. This year, I'm stuck watching former Indians CC Sabathia and Cliff Lee wheel and deal for their current clubs. However, my childhood was filled with magical baseball memories, as it truly was a golden age. I am sure that my love for baseball and for covering sports can be traced back to the Indians' amazing run in the mid- and late-1990s.

So I will watch the October (and November) excitement and await the valiant return to the playoffs for my Indians soon (or maybe not so soon). And hey, we can always remember back to the championship run by the Green and Gold.

For now, a few off-season bullet points:

• While college baseball is probably the last thing on most people's mind right now, this time of the year is when the initial connections are made for summer ball. When the Copperheads' general staff meets for the first time in January, there will (most likely) be a "rough draft" roster ready. There has been over the last two years by January, but obviously that is far from set.
• I spoke with assistant coach Chris Moore a few days ago, and he told me that a few players have tentatively committed for 2010, including two all-stars (David Starn and Trent Moses). Andy Carter and Matt Robertson have also indicated that they will return for another summer in Athens.
• Taylor Davis will not return, as he has agreed to play for the Alexandria (Minn.) Beetles of the Northwoods League.
• Coach Moore also told me that Brannon Belair had Tommy John surgery recently and will be out for at least one year. Certainly a tough break for the southpaw, but he's a Walsh Jesuit Warrior--he will battle back.
• PGCrosschecker rated the top 25 prospects in the Great Lakes Summer Collegiate League, and Southern Ohio had two representatives. Click HERE for the entire list. Dayton's Cameron Hobson checked in at 7th, while Northwestern's Dave Jensen squeezed in at 24th.
• Two snubs in my mind are David Starn and Jerod Yakubik, but what do I know? Also, Jordan Langley could make a strong argument as a closer prospect, but he is just a sophomore this year. He has time.
• The colors Green and Gold seem to be the way to go in southeastern Ohio sports this year. Not only did the Copperheads go to their first ever title game, but the Athens High School Bulldogs' football team (a team I do play-by-play for during the fall) is 6-0 for the first time in a long time (the records don't go back far enough), and they don the Green and Gold.
  

If you have any feedback or questions, feel free to e-mail me at copperheadsradio@copperheadbaseball.com. Stay locked to copperheadbaseball.com, as the 2009 season rewind will be available at our podcast soon. Go Copperheads!

- Brian

Catching up with the professional Copperheads

Before we talk about some of the former Copperheads in the professional ranks, I have to congratulate all parties involved with the return of the 2009 coaching staff for 2010. Whenever you can hold onto a coaching staff, you are benefitting in the recruiting process (an underrated feature of this league) and on the field. Coaching summer ball is different than coaching spring ball in many ways. Five teams had head coaches returning last season in the GLSCL (Lima, Licking County, Xenia, Stark County and Anderson), and three made the postseason. The Copperheads have never had a skipper return. This year, they will have the whole staff. Hopefully, this can convince some of the solid underclassmen to return to Athens next summer.

Mike, Chris and Tim are all class acts and great baseball men, and I am happy to share another summer with them in 2010. Here's hoping there will be more dinners at Broney's, trips to the Greene County Fair, insightful pre-game interview additions by coach Florak, 6.46 60s, and (most importantly) W's.

Now, let's get you a minor league update. Here is how the former Copperheads are doing at the minor league level, in alphabetical order with their year with Southern Ohio in parentheses:

Paul Bennett (2005): Mississippi Braves, AA affiliate of Atlanta Braves

- .182 average, 0 homers and 10 RBIs in 48 games

Seth Bynum (2003): Syracuse Chiefs, AAA affiliate of Washington Nationals

- .260 average in 110 games; 16 homers and 57 runs batted in; competed in the AAA All-Star Game July 15.

Tony Campana (2007): Daytona Cubs, High-A affiliate of Chicago Cubs

- .280 average with 0 homers and 21 RBIs; second in Florida State League with 48 SBs in just 88 games; promoted to Daytona after 18 games at the low A level.

Mike Folli (2005): Springfield Cardinals, AA affiliate of St. Louis Cardinals

- .236 batting average in 59 games; 3 long balls and 20 RBIs

Jake Goebbert (2008): Tri-City Valley Cats, A-Short Season affiliate of Houston Astros

- .242 average in 40 games; 0 home runs and 13 runs batted in; 10 runs scored

Kevan Hess (2008): Oneonta Tigers, A-Short Season affiliate of Detroit Tigers

- 2-0 record with a 2.87 ERA in 31.1 innings; Strikeout-to-walk ratio of 26-14; 14 appearances, including one start, when he went four innings and allowed only one run on July 30, earning a no-decision

Marc Krauss (2009...signed, but did not play): South Bend Silver Hawks, Low-A affiliate of Arizona Diamondbacks

- .304 average with 2 homers and 17 runs batted in; done for the season with an ankle injury; had surgery on the ankle and is now preparing for instructional ball this fall

Joey Newby (2003): West Tenn Diamond Jaxx, AA affiliate of Seattle Mariners

- 0-1 record with a 3.44 ERA; strikeout-to-walk ratio at 28-25; 22 appearances; had a brief sting with AAA Tacoma, allowing one earned run in 6.1 innings

Ryan Peisel (2005): Asheville Tourists, Low-A affiliate of Colorado Rockies

- .295 average in 78 games; 3 home runs and 34 runs batted in

Jonathan Pokorny (2007): Helena Brewers, Rookie affiliate of Milwaukee Brewers

- 2-2 record with a 2.33 ERA in 10 appearances (two starts); 27 innings of work; 1.37 WHIP

Ryan Robowski (2007): Missoula Osprey, Rookie affiliate of Arizona Diamondbacks

- 3-2 record with a 3.79 ERA in 13 relief appearances; 16-6 K-BB ratio

Jason Rook (2006): Aberdeen Ironbirds, A-Short Season affiliate of Baltimore Orioles

- .240 average in 29 games; one home run and seven RBIs

David Rubinstein (2006): State College Spikes, A-Short Season affiliate of Pittsburgh Pirates

- .274 average in 48 games; 2 homers and 24 RBIs

Adam Russell (2002): Portland Beavers, AAA affiliate of San Diego Padres

- 0-0 record with a 7.88 ERA in eight innings with Portland; traded along with three other prospects from Chicago to San Diego for ace Jake Peavy; listed on the Padres' 40-man roster

Ben Watkins (2008): Staten Island Yankees, A-Short Season affiliate of New York Yankees

- 3-0 record with a 1.65 ERA in 32.2 innings; a 30-6 strikeout-to-walk ratio and a 0.98 WHIP

Kevin Winn (2006): Eugene Emeralds, A-Short Season affiliate of San Diego Padres

- .209 average in 12 games; 0 homers and five RBIs; recently demoted from High-A Lake Elsinore

More to come, including the audio tribute to the Copperheads' 2009 season at the Audio tab of copperheadbaseball.com sometime next week. 

- Brian

Coaching staff announcement coming soon

Stay tuned over the next few days to copperheadbaseball.com, as an announcement regarding the coaching staff for 2010 will appear on the homepage. 

A few other quick tidbits:

• We will have the rest of our 2009 pictures up on the Pictures tab of copperheadbaseball.com in the next 10 days or so. We apologize for the inconvenience, but please revisit the site soon to take a look at all of the pictures from the '09 campaign.
• Check out the 2009 Copperheads Awards article. It was a smashing success for guys like Jerod Yakubik, David Jensen, Jeff May, Jordan Langley, Trent Moses and some others. Easily one of the most enjoyable stories to write all year, so I hope you enjoy it.
• Congrats again to Jessie Martin, the newest Assistant General Manager of the Copperheads. A story on the Ohio University graduate student is on the homepage.

Again, stay tuned for a coaching staff announcement coming soon. Until then, take care.

- Brian

Wrapping it up

The team is back in Athens, and the season is over. Even though the Copperheads fell one game short of the GLSCL title, the season was a blast for everyone. Now, each player begins their trip home. Some have already started. Many players get little time at home, and as a person in the same boat, I hope that all of them get to enjoy it. 

Stay tuned to copperheadbaseball.com for a few season-ending stories, including the second-annual Copperheads Awards. You can relive all 38 games by going to our podcast and downloading the highlight packages. In a few weeks, I will have an audio recap of the wild ride that was the 2009 Copperheads season.

Thanks to everyone who has made this season an enjoyable one. Allie, Brad, Justin and I appreciate all of the kind words and the feedback that all of you have provided during the season. We look forward to more excitement in 2010, as the Copperheads will compete in the GLSCL for the ninth time.

Stay tuned to the blog in the coming weeks for updates on some of the former Copperheads. Until then, I'm off to my home like many of the players. Thanks, and go Copperheads!

- Brian

Why Licking County's win is good for the Copperheads

Licking County just beat Cincinnati in the first game of day two at the tournament. Had the Settlers lost to the Steam, then tonight's Lima-Southern Ohio game would have been for all the marbles in Pod 1. Now, the Copperheads would still be alive for the title game even if they lose tonight against top-seeded Lima. Here are the two scenarios that allow the Copperheads to play Friday night at 7:00 p.m. for the title.

1. Southern Ohio defeats Lima tonight.
2. These three things:

• The Copperheads beat Grand Lake Friday at 1 p.m.
• Licking County defeats Lima at 4 p.m. Friday
• The Copperheads allow fewer runs in their three tournament games than Lima and Licking County (right now, the Copperheads have allowed two runs in one game; Lima three runs in one game; and Licking County eight runs in two games).

Obviously, the first scenario is easier.

Andy Carter will battle Tyler Newhart (3-0, 1.09 ERA in 33 IP) on the mound tonight. Tune in beginning at 6:45 p.m. to Power 105 for the action.

- Brian

Day 1 is done

It was an exciting day of action at the GLSCL Tournament today. Southern Ohio took down the Licking County Settlers, and the other two games were decided by one run. Cincinnati downed Grand Lake 3-2 at 3:30 p.m., and Lima, with three runs in the 9th, stunned the host Scouts 4-3. Now, with the pod set-up the way that it is, Southern Ohio's season is (almost) on the line tomorrow. If the Copperheads defeat the Locos, then the Snakes will go to the title game for the first time in team history. If Lima wins, then the Copperheads would need a lot of help.

Southern Ohio would need Licking County to win its game tomorrow against Cincinnati, and then take down Lima Friday. The Copperheads would then need to beat Grand Lake Friday. If all that were to happen, then there still is no guarantee that the Copperheads would be in the title game. In fact, I have no idea what would happen if this scenario would play out (because all three teams would be 2-1 and 1-1 within the pod). A situation like this would require something strange (run differential anybody?), but I don't know exactly what it would be.

A few other tidbits from Xenia:

• If there is a "meaningless" game Friday, it will still be played. For instance, if Southern Ohio wins and Grand Lake loses tomorrow, they will still play Friday at 1:00 p.m. even though the Copperheads would already be in the title game and Grand Lake would already be eliminated. When discussing this at the coaches meeting Tuesday to figure out the tournament after the rain, the majority of the coaches wanted to play it no matter what.
• It's always tough to predict baseball games (see today's Copperheads win against a team that swept them in the regular season), but this Lima-Southern Ohio match-up is even tougher because you can't look at the two teams' four regular season battles. The first two, during a twin bill at Simmons Field, came in the season's first week, and it was a split. The second doubleheader came last Sunday, and it meant nothing in the standings.
  
• Speaking of tomorrow, Andy Carter will toe the rubber for the Green and Gold. Carter faced Lima Sunday for two innings and walked three but did not allow a run.
• Low seeds in the tournament are no strangers to the title game. Last year, #4 Columbus went to the title game. In 2007, Grand Lake won the whole thing as a #5 seed. In 2006, Grand Lake went to the championship game as the #6 seed. So, Southern Ohio's run isn't out of the ordinary.
• David Starn will not be with the team, as he has a wedding to attend. However, he certainly made his mark with his outing today.
  
• The quote man, pitching coach Chris Moore, on what his plans were today after the game: "The best part about tournaments is when you win, you go back and everyone thinks you're awesome."

Tune in tomorrow at 6:45 p.m. on Power 105 and online at copperheadbaseball.com. If you are listening online, again your best bet is to click on the AWAY link. Don't miss the biggest game in the history of the franchise.

- Brian

New GLSCL Tournament Schedule

Well, we are going to get the tournament done by Friday...as long as the weather holds off. Here's the scoop. There are now two "pods," with Southern Ohio grouped with #1 Lima and #4 Licking County. #2 Grand Lake, #3 Cincinnati and #6 Xenia are in the other pod. Each team will play both teams in their pod and one from the other pod. Here's Southern Ohio's schedule:

• Wednesday, 12:00 p.m.: vs. Licking County
• Thursday, 7:00 p.m.: vs. Lima
• Friday, 1:00 p.m.: vs. Grand Lake

If Southern Ohio's record is better than Lima and Licking County's, then the Snakes will be playing in the GLSCL title game against the winner of the other pod. So, no matter what, the Copperheads will be in Xenia until Friday.

A few notes prior to the opening of the tournament:

• David Starn will still pitch in game one, and Andy Carter is scheduled for Thursday's game.
  
• The Copperheads went 0-4 against the Settlers in 2009 and were outscored 20-9.
  
• For an interview with the Voice of the Settlers Ben Bradley to learn more about the Settlers, go to the Audio tab and tune into the 2009 GLSCL Tournament Preview Show.
• The Greene County Fair (Xenia is in Greene County) was a little low on people, but it was a solid event. From the foot long corn dogs to the rock climbing wall to the demolition derby, Allie, Coach Moore and I lived it up Xenia-style Tuesday night.

Tune in tomorrow at 11:45 a.m. to Power 105 and online at copperheadbaseball.com, as Allie and I get you ready for the tournament opener. If you listen online, click the AWAY link. It will be a bit more dependable.

- Brian