Seven Dukes players
selected to NECBL All Star GameBy: Michael Radomski
( PITTSFIELD, Mass.)- The
All Star teams for the Northern Division and Southern Division were
announced today and seven of the first place Pittsfield Dukes were
recognized.
Three Dukes pitchers and four Pittsfield position players will take
the field in Torrington, Connecticut on Sunday, July 20th against
the finest talent that the NECBL has to offer.
Closer Zach Anderson (Buffalo), and starters Michael Ness (Duke) and
Kyle Vazquez (Franklin Pierce) will make up three of the nine
pitching spots on the Southern Division roster.
Anderson picked up his sixth save of the season tonight when he
closed out the Dukes’ 4-1 victory at the North Shore Navigators.
Anderson is 1-1 on the season with a 0.00 ERA. He has yet to allow
an earned run (two unearned) and is tied for second in the league
with six saves.
Ness started in the game on Monday night against the Navigators and
pitched six and a third innings of no-hit ball. The Duke student
athlete earned his fourth win of the season and improves to 4-1 with
a 1.22 earned run average. Ness also pitched a complete game at
Vermont in a 2-0 loss, his only one of the season.
Vazquez also got off to a fine start for Pittsfield who tied a
franchise high with their sixteenth win of the season. The Franklin
Pierce student athlete is 3-0 on the season in his six appearances
(five starts). He has a miniscule 1.04 ERA and leads the team with
twenty six strikeouts so far this season. His best start of the
season came on June 25th against the North Shore Navigators at
Wahconah Park when he allowed two unearned runs over seven innings
on four hits while striking out seven.
The Dukes also have four position players on the Southern Division
All Star team including two starters. Teammates Matt Adams (Slippery
Rock) and Chris Edmondson (Le Moyne) will be starters in the All
Star game while Jake Rosenbeck (Buffalo) and Jason Martin (San Jose
State) make the team as reserves.
Adams is hitting fourth on the team with a .340 batting average. He
also has four home runs and leads the NECBL with 27 runs batted in
as the fifth hitter in a Dukes lineup that is second in the league
with a .278 average. Edmondson will also start for the Southern
Division All Star team in the outfield. Edmondson is second in the
NECBL with a .364 average and leads the league in runs (25) and hits
(40). The Le Moyne student athlete is also second in triples with
three, and second in total bases with 61.
As reserves, the Dukes will have Jake Rosenbeck backing up Michael
Olt (UCONN) at shortstop. Rosenbeck has been Mr. Clutch this season
for the Dukes continuing to pick up big hits in pressure-packed
situations. Rosenbeck is hitting .281 on the season with no home
runs and eighteen runs batted in. With runners in scoring position,
he is hitting .351 on the season while driving in the second most
runs batted in on the first place Dukes team.
Jason Martin will also be a reserve outfielder for the Dukes in the
2008 NECBL All Star Game. Martin is hitting .229 on the season with
no home runs and seven runs batted in. He holds a .323 on base
percentage as well drawing five walks and being hit six times so far
this season. Martin also has eight stolen bases on nine attempts on
the season and has played a fine defensive center field for
Pittsfield this season.
The events start on July 20th with the Skills Competition being held
at 1:30 in the afternoon. Fans will be able to see the fastest
runner competition, mascot games, and home run derby live at
Fuessenich Park. Pre-game introductions will begin at 5:30 in the
evening with first pitch scheduled for six o’clock.
Fans can listen to the All Star game and all Dukes games on the
teamline video and audio streams located at
http://www.teamline.cc/sportpage?teamcode=6301&eventcode=5
