Standings

1. Merchants (7-4, – GB); Week: 0-3, L3; Tiebreaker: 2-1 vs. Ground Sloths

Description: After a hot start, jumping out to 7-1 throughout the first few weeks of the season, they have hit a rough patch, going 0-3 with a blowout loss to the Ground Sloths, shootout loss to the Bobcats, and then a Home Run Derby loss against the BlueCaps. Over their first 8 games, they averaged 6.875 runs while allowing only 4.375 runs; however, backed behind some poor performances on the mound, they averaged 3.67 runs and allowed an average of 8 runs per game. It would be easy to blame the pitching for this skid; however, after calculating their SIERA (skill-interactive earned run average) which tries to eliminate all aspects that a pitcher cannot control, it ended up being a 5.89. Comparing it to a graph made by FanGraphs, anything above a 5 is considered awful. 

For game one, Wes Hunt got the start on the bump and lasted 4 innings, allowed 7 hits and 7 runs, only striking out 3 and allowing 4 free passes. Markunas tried to come in and stop the bleeding, however, he was also hit around, giving up 4 hits in two innings, 3 runs, and 3 walks. However, there was a shining star with Jack Shields, who had 3 ABs, with 2 H, and reached on an error. Game two saw Fletcher get the start going 2 IP with 2H, 1 R, and 3 SO. Following him was Brodine who lasted only 1.2 IP, allowing 2 H, 3 R, and 1 SO, but he did have trouble finding the zone, dishing out 5 walks. Bredeson came after and went 2.1 IP, 5 H, 6 R, 2 SO, and 4 BB, which will definitely be an appearance to forget. Lastly was their lights-out reliever Evan McAfee, who went 1 IP, 0 H, and 1 SO. Travis Lutz had himself a game at the plate, 3/3 with 2 triples, 1 single, 1 RBI, and 1 R.  Game 3 was all Cade Sharp: 5 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 3 SO, and 3 BB. Garard came to close it out and went 2 IP, 4 H, 2 R, and 4 SO. Anthony Martinez came into pinch hit and knocked a double which scored two. 

Lights-out Reliever: #26 Evan McAfee, LHP (Ripon College Sophomore) – 4 GP, 5.1 IP, 8 K, 3 BB, 3 H, 3.94 ERA, 1.13 WHIP

In his sole appearance this week, McAfee went 1 inning, 1 strikeout, and threw 100% of his first pitches for strikes, and 75% strike percentage on only 12 pitches in a solid 1-2-3 inning. While the bats didn’t get hot for his appearance, he definitely shut the Bobcats down. Going to some of his previous appearances, he has been the go-to guy in the pen for the Merchants. In 3 appearances and 3.1 innings, he has allowed one hit, one run, and 5 SO with 2 HBP. McAfee has been showing some bullpen ace behavior, but for the Merchants to regain their confidence and swagger, they need someone to step up and be able to set the table for McAfee to come in and shut the game down. 

Projected Depth Chart

	STARTER	2ND	3RD	4TH	5TH
C	Karter Hostetler	Demetrius Schupp	Logan Van Heuklon
1B	Anthony Martinez	Ben Nofsinger	Evan McAfee	Logan Van Heuklon
2B	Camden Porter	Beau Durbin	Chris LeCrone
3B	Chris LeCrone	Jack Keuthe	Anthony Martinez	Logan Van Heuklon
SS	Derek Botaletto	Camden Porter	Beau Durbin
LF	Jack Shields	Kaiden Rixner	Anthony Martinez	Nathan Garard
CF	Zach Otten	Jack Shields	Jack Keuthe	Nathan Garard
RF	Jack Keuthe	Travis Lutz	Kaiden Rixner	Zach Otten
DH	Logan Van Heuklon	Karter Hostetler	Travis Lutz	Nathan Garard
SP	Nathan Garard	Cade Sharp	Wes Hunt	Addison Fletcher	Parker Brodine
RP	Evan McAfee	Jesse Hake	Luke Markunas
CL	Ryan Bredeson

2. Ground Sloths (7-4, – GB); Week: 3-0 W3; Tiebreaker: 1-2 vs. Merchants

Description: After a 1-3 week that saw the Ground Sloths fall three games back of the Merchants, the Sloths answered back with a 3-0 week with wins over each team, and with help from the BlueCaps and Bobcats, the Sloths are back to even with the Merchants. Offensively, the team slash was much better at .300/.434/.450 compared to last week’s .258/.348/.381. The Ground Sloths didn’t have just one guy this week offensively, as plenty of guys stood out with great performances from Davey Fitzpatrick, Eli Moore, Noah Campbell, Cole Nelson, and Peyton Dillingham. Momentum is only as good as tomorrow’s starting pitcher, and Austin Baker, Ryan Behling, and Keegan Gagliardo passed the baton this week, pitching to a starter’s ERA of 0.54 in 13 innings of work, each starter went 4+ innings, and each picked up a win. The entire team had an ERA of 1.10 this week, much better than the team ERA of 5.42 through the first two weeks. If the Sloths continue to pitch it better, they have a real chance to win the regular-season crown, if not the whole championship.

Lights-out Reliever: #12 Logan Wombles, LHP (Lakeland CC Freshman) – 4 GP, 9.0 IP, 8 K, 2 BB, 6 H, 0.79 ERA, 0.89 WHIP

Logan Wombles has been the man out of the pen for the Ground Sloths, pitching in 4 games, with a stat line of 9 innings, six hits, 1 earned run, and eight strikeouts with a .778 ERA, .889 WHIP, and a 2.83 FIP. Without Wombles, the Sloths would not be tied for first place, and they will need to continue to rely on him down the stretch to succeed in the race for first.

Projected Depth Chart

	STARTER	2ND	3RD	4TH	5TH
C	Garrett Latoz	Luke Lawrence
1B	Davey Fitzpatrick
2B	Matt Armstrong	Noah Campbell	Cole Nelson	Eli Moore
3B	Eli Moore	Noah Campbell	Cale Steinbaugh	Davey Fitzpatrick
SS	Cale Steinbaugh	Cole Nelson	Matt Armstrong
LF	JP Gauthier	Quinn Willard	Evan Jones	Bryce Bishop
CF	Gavin Gonzalez	Chase Adams	Quinn Willard	Bryce Bishop
RF	Peyton Dillingham	Quinn Willard	Evan Jones	JP Gauthier
DH	Bryce Bishop	Peyton Dillingham	Garrett Latoz	Luke Lawrence
SP	Keegan Gagliardo	Austin Baker	Ryan Behling	Garrett Swingler	Evan Jones
RP	Logan Wombles	Ben Dickerson	Ben Dickerson	Trey Krause	Brayden Closs
CL	Isaiha Immke	Alex Smith	Bryce Lohman

3. Bobcats (4-7, 3 GB); Week: 1-2 L1; Tiebreaker: 2-1 vs. BlueCaps

Description: The Bobcats didn’t quite keep the bats hot this week when compared to last week, and as a result lost two of their three games by the score of 4-1. On the bright side, the bats caught fire against the Merchants to beat them 10-8. Eli Hensley had a two-hit game as well as 5 RBIs to top it all off.  He looked like the best hitter not only on his team this week but in the entire KCL. The Bobcats had plenty of other guys play well in that game, such as Jackson Blemler who had 2 RBIs as well. Parker Mathieson and Bryce Hazzard displayed their ability to get on and score, as they each had 3 runs scored. When it came to pitching the Bobcats had a very good week despite the record. They posted a team ERA of around 4.60, but they only allowed 4 runs in each of their losses. This is manageable considering the Bobcats have one of the better offenses in the league. For example, Auggie Rasmussen came back down to Earth this week, and still posted a ridiculous .944 OPS for the week, good for sixth on his own team. With five games this week, it will be hard to keep the pitching staff fully rested, but this is the case for all teams. It’s shaping up to be a slugfest this week plus it’ll be hot all this week, so it’s a great week to have the Bobcat’s offense. The Bobcats will play the BlueCaps and Merchants twice a piece, then the Ground Sloths in the middle of those.

Lights-out Reliever: #23 Ryne Willard, LHP (SWIC Freshman) – 5 GP, 7.0 IP, 6 K, 1 BB, 8 H, 5.00 ERA, 1.29 WHIP

Even though Drew Martin had another great week, Ryne Willard had an even better one. He appeared in 2 games out of the bullpen and had three strikeouts in 2.2 innings. His command was on display as well as he did not allow any walks. He even got credited with a save in his game against the Merchants. Overall, Willard has the only two saves on the Bobcats. He leads the league in saves over the season so far, and expect him to get a lot more as the season continues.

Projected Depth Chart

	STARTER	2ND	3RD	4TH	5TH
C	Hayden Stork	Colin Kalinowski	Lucas Ryan
1B	Evan Hutson	Bubba Mote
2B	Eli Hensley	Dan Mosele	Jackson Blemler	Brady Alexander
3B	Bubba Mote	Alec McGinnis	Dan Mosele	Jackson Blemler
SS	Jackson Blemler	Shai Robinson	Alec McGinnis	Dan Mosele
LF	Brady Alexander	Parker Mathieson	Tyson Mickie	Bryce Hazzard
CF	Auggie Rasmussen	Parker Mathieson	Tyson Mickie
RF	Bryce Hazzard	Tyson Mickie	Ryne Willard	Brady Alexander
DH	Tyson Mickie	Eli Hensley	Lucas Ryan	Bryce Hazzard
SP	Will Jackson	Tommy White	Nick Barlow	Isaac Reigler	Jack Bach
RP	Drew Martin	Logan Antrim	Chase Gockel	Christian Badorek	Brendan Short
CL	Ryne Willard	Seth Hotze

4. BlueCaps (4-7, 3 GB); Week: 2-1 W1; Tiebreaker: 1-2 vs. Bobcats

Description: Despite being in last place to end the week for the third week in a row, things are looking up for the BlueCaps after going 2-1 this week, bringing them back to a tie for third place with the Bobcats. The BlueCaps started off their three-game week with a 4-1 victory over the Bobcats, their first win over their rivals this season thanks to a stellar performance by Pitcher of the Week Jake Swartz. Saturday, just like the rest of the league this week, they took a loss to the red-hot Bobcats 4-2. Finally, in the best game in the league this week, the BlueCaps clutched out a 4-3 home-run derby victory against the league’s top team behind the bat of Ben Karpowicz, making them the only team to beat the Merchants twice this season, both times scoring the game-winning run in the seventh inning or later. The BlueCaps heavily relied on their pitcher this week giving up 7 runs in 3 games, good for an ERA of 2.33 behind strong starts by league-ERA/WHIP leader and Week 2 Pitcher of the Week Griffin McCluskey (4 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 6 K), Jake Swartz (Pitcher of the Week, 5 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 7 K), and Keegan Buksa (4 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 5 K), as well as Nick Sharp (1.2 IP, 2 GP, 1 SV, 5 K) and Aaron Agee (2 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 3K), among others in the bullpen. Hitting highlights include Dom Ferrari’s 3 RBIs, Mike Maloney going 3/7 with 2 RBIs, and a league-high 10 SB this week (2 by McGill, Maloney, Lynch, and Carpita; 1 by Karpowicz and Hagen).  It also helped to have a .988 fielding percentage this week, after having a .953 fielding percentage through the first eight games. With the busiest week of the entire season ahead, seeing 5 games in 5 days, and the BlueCaps beginning to find their expected pitching dominance, it is a good chance for the BlueCaps to begin racking up some wins.

Lights-out Reliever: #19 Graham O’Gorman, RHP (Hope College Freshman) – 6 GP, 6.0 IP, 5 K, 1 BB, 5 H, 0.00 ERA, 1.00 WHIP

Graham O’Gorman leads the league in pitching appearances coming out of the ‘Caps pen 6 times having yet to allow a run in 6 innings of work. O’Gorman has given up 5 H, 1 BB, and 1 HBP to go along with 5 K and a .208 BAA, pitching in 2 of the 4 ‘Caps wins this season. Additionally, he has a .596 strike percentage and a .577 first-pitch strike percentage leading to outs in 73.3% of those at-bats. With five weeks left in this young KCL season, expect to see O’Gorman’s number 19 jersey on the mound for the Caps at least ten more times this season.

Projected Depth Chart

	STARTER	2ND	3RD	4TH	5TH
C	Trevor Davis	Dom Ferrari
1B	Patrick Mulcahey	Zach Carpita	Jayden Comia	Liam McGill
2B	Gage Wolfe	Mitch Murphy	Trevor Davis
3B	Mike Maloney	Zach Carpita	Jayden Comia	Mitch Murphy
SS	Liam McGill	Jayden Comia	Gage Wolfe	Mike Maloney
LF	Hunter Brewer	Ben Karpowicz	Ty Coartney	Mitch Murphy
CF	Sean Lynch	Joey Hagen	Liam McGill
RF	Brock Minor	Ty Coartney	Joey Hagen	Hunter Brewer
DH	Joey Hagen	Gage Wolfe	Mike Maloney	Dom Ferrari
SP	Griffin McCluskey	Keegan Buksa	Kolby Pemberton	Jake Swartz	Julius Sanchez
RP	Graham O’Gorman	Braden Roesch	Shane Moore	Mason Telford	Ryan Borberg
CL	Nick Sharp	Aaron Agee	Will O’Gorman

League Leaders

SPOTLIGHT PLAYERS

Hitter of the Week: Bobcats #15 Eli Hensley, SS/2B (Blackhawk CC Commit) – 6/10, 5 RBI, 1 R, 1 BB, .667 BARISP, 1.267 OPS

Eli Hensley had a fantastic week for the Bobcats. In his 10 at-bats over the week, Hensley had six hits. He also managed to work a walk and get on base via a hit by pitch. Over the week he got on base 67% of the times he got up to bat. While he had no extra-base hits, he still batted in five runs. In three games played, Hensley managed to get at least one hit in all of them. Hensley was a huge factor in the Bobcats’ win against the Merchants, in which he recorded all five of his RBIs for the week. The best part about Hensley’s game is that he just puts the ball in play, as he only struck out twice and put up a .600 average. With an incredibly high on-base percentage, his OPS for the week was team-leading at 1.267. Over the season, Hensley now has the second-highest OPS on the team as well as being second on the team in batting average and hits. Since he seems to be heating up, it makes the Bobcats’ lineup even scarier than it already is. There is plenty of protection in the lineup for Bobcats’ hitters like Hensley to thrive throughout the next week.

Pitcher of the Week: BlueCaps #12 Jake Swartz, RHP (Illinois Commit) – 5 IP, W, 3 H, 0 ER, 7 K

Jake Swartz made his KCL debut on Thursday with the BlueCaps against the Bobcats, and he did not disappoint, pitching five innings, giving up no earned runs, and striking out 7. Swartz was very efficient with 72 pitches (52 strikes, 72% S). 15 of these pitches were first-pitch strikes (75% FPS), which he used to retire 80% of those batters who saw a first-pitch strike. The Illinois commit is a significant addition to the BlueCaps, who have struggled to pitch and have a productive offense the first three weeks. However, they are starting to settle in now with a starting trio of Griffin McCluskey, Julius Sanchez, and now Jake Swartz, in addition to one of the best relievers in the leagues so far in Graham O’ Gorman. This could lead to them winning more games as well as potentially making themselves one of the best two teams in the league.

Schedule and Results

Last Week’s Predicated Game of the Week: Ground Sloths 4 Bobcats 1, Sunday, June 12 Game 2

This game was not quite an offensive showcase as expected, but it was still a great game nonetheless. As the game went on, it became more and more of a pitcher’s duel. The Ground Sloths’ pitching core did not give up a run until the last inning of this game. The Bobcats, on the other hand, gave up three early runs and then held it down from there. Despite the lower run totals, there were plenty of hits to go around. Eli Hensley had three hits alone for the Bobcats and Eli Moore had two for the Sloths. Keegan Gagliardo continued to solidify himself as one of the best starters in the KCL, going four innings and striking six batters along the way. For the Bobcats, Ryne Willard went 1.2 innings and struck out two batters. While he wasn’t up for a save, he still proved that he was one of the best relievers of the week. Overall, the Bobcats and Ground Sloths are both 2-2 against each other so far this year. They play each other once this week, so the tie will have to be broken sooner rather than later.

Actual Game of the Week: BlueCaps 4 Merchants 3 F/8, Sunday, June 12 Game 1

After dropping two straight games, the Merchants were looking to bounce back against the BlueCaps. Sharp was on the bump for the Merchants and had a good outing, going 5 IP, and only allowing 1 R on 2 H and 2 SO. Garard came in the 6th and tried to get the win, however, he allowed 4 H, 2 R, and 4 SO. While Sharp was good, McCluskey was lights out through 4. He only allowed 1 hit and struck out 6, exhibiting ace behavior for the BlueCaps. Borberg went 2 IP and allowed 2 runs on 2 hits while striking out 2 and allowing 1 free pass. Dom Ferrari got the offense started for the BlueCaps on a sac fly in the second inning. The Merchants showed some fight in the bottom of the 6th, tallying two runs. The Caps responded by doing the same; however, the Merchants weren’t going to go down without a fight. With two outs and the game on the line, a wild pitch scored Van Keuklon to tie the game up. A foul-out forced this game into a Home Run Derby, where Ben Karpowicz and Jack Shields were the players selected to represent the teams. Karpowicz hit one homer, while Shields was able to hit none, giving the BlueCaps a win in the first Home Run Derby of the Merchants’ season.

Next Week’s Game of the Week: Ground Sloths at Merchants, Saturday, June 18, 5:30 PM (Jurassic Park Night – Dino Stress Ball Giveaway)

This week the top two teams in the league will face off twice, once in Wednesday’s nightcap and again in this game’s projected game of the week on Saturday night. The Merchants hold the edge in the season series so far at 2-1, but the Ground Sloths dominated their most recent meeting with a 10-0 mercy rule victory that ended in 6. It will be a battle between the league’s best contact hitting, the Merchants, who lead the way in average (.299), R (66), OBP (.414), and an absurd .420 BABIP and the heaving-hitting Ground Sloths, leading the league in HR (4 + 2 Derby HR’s), SLG (.416), and OPS (.819). Additionally, it will be Jurassic Park Night at the ballpark that night, which should favor the Ground Sloths as a fellow extinct species.

Just for Fun: Favorite KCL Team

Two weeks ago, the interns were asked to vote on their favorite logo, of which the Ground Sloths won with 42% of the vote, followed by the Merchants (29%), Bobcats (19%), and BlueCaps (10%). Now after 11 games, interns were asked which team they were rooting for to win the KCL this season and although the 1 and 2 were the same, the Ground Sloths dominated this poll as a clear intern favorite with a majority (55%) rolling with the Sloths. Additionally, in results that are essentially the inverse of the interns, the BlueCaps and Bobcats have the most fans on Gamechanger. Follow your favorite team on Gamechanger to get all the most up-to-date results, lineup changes, roster changes, scores, and more at https://gc.com/g/kclbaseball22.

Recent Transactions

• June 10: Ground Sloths sign RHP #34 Richie Snider from UIS