Standings

1. Ground Sloths (13-7, – GB); Week: 3-1, W3

Schedule: 4-9 L vs Bobcats,  5-0 W vs Merchants, 8-4 W vs BlueCaps, 10-6 W vs Bobcats

Description: Another strong week for the Ground Sloths as they extend their lead on the second-place Merchants to two games. The week started rough with a 9-4 loss against the Bobcats where the Sloths lost a 2-1 lead behind an 8-run Bobcats sixth. The starting pitchers for the Ground Sloths this week (Austin Baker, Evan Jones, Joey Wilmoth, and Nate Righi) all were phenomenal, giving up a combined 4 earned runs in 17 innings of work. The starting pitching for the Sloths is pitching like the best starting staff in the league, giving them an opportunity to win every night. Offensively, they also had another good week, putting up 27 runs (6.75 runs a game), while the league average was 5.38. Chase Adams (4-8 2B, HR, 4 RBI) had the KCL moment of the year so far with a walk-off grand slam to cap off a 6-run seventh inning to beat the BlueCaps 8-4. Other strong offensive performances this week were Cole Nelson (4-6, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 2 BB), Tyler Woltman (4-6, 2, 3RBI), and Daniel Pacella (3-9 2B, HR, 5 RBI, 3 BB). With 10 games and 18 days remaining until the playoffs, the Ground Sloths’ magic number to clinch the number one overall seed is 8 (any combination of wins and losses by the team in second place), which would mean the Sloths went worst to first after finishing last year at 15-23.

Unsung Hero Hitter: #13 JP Gauthier, LF (ISU Freshman) – 12/33, 4 2B, 8 RBI, 4 R, 4 BB, 10 K, 2 SB, .364/.432/.917

So far this season, JP Gauthier has appeared in a total of 11 games, good for about half of the season. However, he didn’t take his time making an impact on the Ground Sloths. Over the season he has posted a .917 OPS and a .364 batting average. Gauthier has 4 extra base hits and has 8 RBIs to go along with them. In the last week alone he batted .600 with 4 RBIs and seemed like he was always on base, which makes sense because of his ridiculous .667 on-base percentage. The Ground Sloths have been rolling recently as they stand atop the standings, and JP Gauthier is a huge contributor to the team.

Unsung Hero Pitcher: #8 Austin Baker, LHP (Lakeland CC Freshman) – 17.1 IP, 4 GS, 3-1, 18 H, 7 ER, 7 BB, 26 K, 2.83 ERA, 1.44 WHIP, 1.93 FIP

Behind the second-best strikeout pitcher in the league in Nate Righi and a likely Top 3 Cy Young Candidate in Keegan Gagliardo, Austin Baker has not received a lot of attention on the blog, despite leading the league in wins. Baker has seen the seventh most batters in the league and has made the most of the opportunity, as he is third in the league in strikeouts at 26, third in games started (4), 3rd in qualified ERA (2.83), 4th in WHIP (1.44), and most impressively leading the league in FIP at a 1.93 mark. Baker has started a game for the Sloths in every week except Week 2 and is not only the pitcher with 3 wins, but also the only pitcher with 1 win against all 3 opposing teams beating the BlueCaps in Week 1 (5 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 4 SO), Merchants Week 3 (4 IP, 5 H, 0 ER, 4 SO), and hot Bobcats lineup Week 5 (4 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 10 K. If Baker can continue to pitch as solid and consistent as he has, there is a good chance the Sloths will tab him for a start come playoff time.

Projected Depth Chart

Note: If a player changed positions they are underlined. If a player’s positional depth changed, but they remained at that position their name is italicized. Additionally, all depth charts are designed with the intent that each non-pitcher is a starter or primary backup for at least one position. Players who have not played in 3+ weeks may not be included.

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

Seeding Odds

Below is a list of the odds of being in sole possession or holding a tie for first, second, third, and fourth place based on 20000 Season Simulations (Odds will be greater than 100%).

1st: 87.21% , 2nd: 12.05% , 3rd: 0.08% , 4th: 0.01%

2. Merchants (11-9, 2 GB); Week: 2-2, L1

Schedule: 12-5 W vs BlueCaps, 0-5 L vs Ground Sloths, 6-1 W vs Bobcats, 7–8 L vs BlueCaps

Description: The Merchants had an even week, keeping them at second place in the standings. In their 12-5 win against the ‘Caps, the Merchants hopped out to an early 10-2 lead by the end of the third inning, behind Derek Botaletto going 3-4 with two doubles and an RBI. Despite playing in only two games this week Botaletto was 6-8 with 2 doubles, a home run, and 2 RBIs. Addison Fletcher turned in the best start of the week for the Merchants going three innings and striking out four while giving up zero earned runs and only one hit. In the loss to the Ground Sloths, although the hitters were shut down, Cade Sharp turned in 4 innings while only giving up an earned run on 4 hits behind 6 strikeouts. In Sunday’s loss to the BlueCaps, the Merchants blew a 4-1 lead and a 7-5 lead in the bottom of the seventh. The bullpen has been a consistent issue for the Merchants 20 games into the season, where plenty of games have been lost because of inefficiencies out of the pen. The Merchants can finish first during regular season play and win the championship but they need to sure up the bullpen to be a serious contender.

Unsung Hero Hitter: #18 Logan Van Heuklon, C/1B/3B/DH/RHP (Carl Sandburg Freshman) – 18/52, 2 2B, 7 RBI, 14 R, 13 BB, 8 K, 5 SB, .346/.493/.877

Whether it’s at catcher, DH, first base, closer, or third base, Logan Van Heuklon has become an every-day fixture of the Merchants’ lineup, playing in 19 of their 20 games (starting in 18), as one of only eight players in the league to play at five or more positions. Although the only stat he leads the league in is catcher caught stealing percentage at 25%, he can be found top ten in a multitude of them including average (.346, 2nd), on-base percentage (.493, 2nd), hits (18, 2nd), walks (13, T-2nd), plate appearances (67, 3rd), OPS (4th, .877), batting average on balls in play (.409, 4th), runs (14, T-5th), stolen bases (5, T-7th), at bats (52, T-7th), runs created (9.54, 9th), slugging (.385, T-9th). If that was not impressive enough, he has also begun receiving save opportunities for the Merchants, picking up his first save of the season on Friday in 1.1 innings of solid work. Van Heuklon now has the chance to continue crossing the plate by consistently getting on base to give the Merchants the lead, before closing the game out himself.

Unsung Hero Pitcher: #6 Addison Fletcher, RHP (Monmouth College Junior) – 10.0 IP, 4 GS, 0-0, 6 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 7 K, 2.10 ERA, 0.80 WHIP, 2.56 FIP

Addison Fletcher has gotten the starting nod for the Merchants a team-high four times and despite a current inning limit of three innings (the minimum for a win is 4) has put up impressive numbers. In ten innings of starter work, Fletcher has allowed only six hits, three earned, and two walks, while striking out seven, only needing 145 pitches (14.5 per inning, 3.86 per batter faced) to do so. The Merchants are 3-1 in the four games and were even in the lead when Fletcher left the game in the one loss, meaning that when Fletcher is on the mound, whether he leaves with the lead, tied, or down, he keeps the Merchants in contention to win the game. Fletcher will likely continue to get a weekly start that can be backed up by typical strong bullpen options that follow him such as Kaiden Rixner or Logan Van Heuklon to keep adding to the win column for the Merchants, rather than his personal stats.

Projected Depth Chart

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

Seeding Odds

1st: 21.44% , 2nd: 66.63% , 3rd: 11.34% , 4th: 0.05%

3. Bobcats (9-11, 4 GB); Week: 1-3, L3

Schedule: 9-4 W vs Ground Sloths, 6-8 L vs BlueCaps, 1-6 L vs Merchants, 6-10 L vs Ground Sloths

Description:

After surging up the standings last week, the Bobcats cooled off, posting a 1-3 record this past week. The Bobcats started off the week well, winning their fifth straight game by beating the Ground Sloths on Wednesday, coming back and scoring 8 runs in the bottom of the sixth to pull within 1 game of first place. However, that was it for the win column this week, as they lost the next three games, one against each other KCL team. First up was a blown lead against the BlueCaps, as the Caps scored 5 in the fifth and added 1 in the sixth to beat the Bobcats. Then came dominant performances by the Merchants and Ground Sloths against them. At the plate, the Bobcats had a pretty good week apart from one dreadful showing against the Merchants on Friday. They scored 22 runs which was the least of any team this week, but this was mainly due to their 1 run in the aforementioned Merchants game. They were led by Shai Robinson (4 for 10 with a double, 2 walks, and 4 runs scored), Dan Mosele (3 for 7 with a double and a triple, 4 RBIs, and 3 walks), Alec McGinnis (6 for 14, a double, 3 RBIs and 4 runs), and Bubba Mote (2 for 7 with a triple, 2 walks, 2 runs, and 2 RBIs). Colin Kalinowski had a great 2 games this week as well, going 2 for 4 with both hits being doubles as well as drawing a walk and being hit by a pitch, leading to an OPS of 1.667. He also knocked in 1 and scored 2. On the mound, it was a pretty tough week, giving up 28 runs (25 earned), but the starters were not too bad this week with three decent outings. Will Jackson gave up 2 runs in 5 innings with 4 Ks, Mitchell Sampson gave up 2 runs in 4 innings with 10Ks, and Brady Banker gave up 1 run in 3 innings with 3 Ks. If the starters can again deliver solid outings, the Bobcats will have a strong chance for some wins next week. One bright spot from the bullpen was outside Thomas Harper who had a very good outing, going 2 innings and striking out 2 while giving up no hits and 1 walk. However, the rest gave up 15 earned runs on 15 hits, 12 walks, and 4 hit batters in only 10 innings, which means they had a 10.50 ERA and a 2.70 WHIP. The bullpen will have to vastly improve if the Bobcats are to better their record this coming week.

Unsung Hero Hitter: #3 Dan Mosele, 3B/DH/2B/SS (Heartland CC Freshman) – 12/36, 5 2B, 1 3B, 9 RBI, 5 R, 4 BB, 11 K, 1 SB, .333/.405/.933

It might be easy to overlook someone like Dan Mosele in a lineup that has Auggie Rasmussen, Jackson Blemler, Shai Robinson, Alec McGinnis, and Eli Hensley. Although he has not been mentioned a lot in the weekly updates, Mosele has been good all season and is an important part of the Bobcats’ vaunted lineup. Mosele has a slash line of .333/.405/.528 and an OPS of .933. He also has 5 doubles, a triple, 1 HBP, 4 walks, 9 RBIs, and 5 runs. His fielding is solid as well, only committing 1 error (in his first game) in 21 chances. The Bobcats are 7-4 in games Mosele plays in and 2-7 in games he does not, a good sign that Mosele has been a big plus for this Bobcats team.

Unsung Hero Pitcher: #17 Logan Antrim, LHP (Lincoln Land CC Freshman) – 9.1 IP, 1 GS, 0-1, 8 H, 3 ER, 6 BB, 12 K, 2.25 ERA, 1.50 WHIP, 2.81 FIP

Logan Antrim has been a bright spot in the often shaky bullpen of the Bobcats. Antrim has a 2.25 ERA and 1.50 WHIP in 9.1 innings while striking out 10, including 1 start spot. Of the 9.1 innings, 7 of them have been no walk innings, always a good sign for a reliever. He is holding batters to a .235 batting average against and has yet to give up a home run. Although the Bobcats pitching, and the bullpen, in particular, have been easy targets for criticism, it is important to highlight Antrim from the rest, as he has been efficient in his outings.

Projected Depth Chart

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

Seeding Odds

1st: 2.05% , 2nd: 20.12% , 3rd: 66.10% , 4th: 11.52%

4. BlueCaps (7-13, 6 GB); Week: 2-2, W1

Schedule: 12-5 W vs Bobcats, 0-5 L vs Ground Sloths, 6-1 vs W Bobcats, 7–8 L vs Bobcats

Description: After ending last week on a four-game losing streak, the BlueCaps were looking for some sort of bounceback. Their first game of the week was a rematch versus the Merchants. Whereas, in their last matchup they came up just short with an 8-7 loss, this time things just couldn’t go their way, getting down 10-2 before the 4th inning, crushing whatever energy they had left. The BlueCaps defense was a culprit in the game, committing a season-high five errors, allowing five Merchants to cross the plate in the first inning (only 2 earned) before the starter, Cameron Glick, was pulled in his return to the KCL from the Cornbelters. Will O’Gorman was the best pitcher of the game for the ‘Caps, coming in for 2.1 IP and only giving up 1 run and 1 hit, while sitting down 5 on strikes. After a tough loss, they were faced with another worthy adversary next with the red-hot Bobcats. They started strong and took the lead in the bottom of the 1st by tallying two runs, but the Bobcats came roaring back and reclaimed the lead going into the 5th inning 4-2. After a single, walk, and another single, two runs came across for the ‘Caps, helping them hang on 8-6. Keegan Buksa went 3.2 and gave up 4 runs on 7 hits. Mason Telford then came in and did a fantastic job at limiting the damage, lasting 2.1 and only giving up 1 run on 2 hits and 3 strikeouts. Nick Sharp closed the day out with one inning of work, allowing 1 run on no hits. Riding the high of victory only goes so long in this league, as the next game was against the Sloths. It was a pitching duel with Roesch taking the mound. He lasted 4.1 innings and allowed 2 runs on 5 hits. Going into the bottom of the 7th inning, the Caps took the lead at 4-2, however, a 6-run bottom 7th that was capped off with a walk-off grand slam by the Sloths sent the Caps home heartbroken. In another nail-biter, the Caps sought revenge against the Merchants. The ‘Caps were sluggish to begin, going down 4-1 entering the bottom of the 5th. A four-run inning pushed them back into the driver’s seat before the Merchants scored three in the seventh unbeknownst to them. The ‘Caps didn’t back down, storming back into the fight, and tallying 3 runs to walk it off by a sacrifice fly by Gage Wolfe, ending their week on a high note.

Unsung Hero Hitter: #32 Ty Coartney, RF/LF/DH (Lakeland CC Freshman) – 13/32, 5 2B, 1 HR, 8 RBI, 4 R, 3 BB, 7 K, .406/.457/1.113

Ty Coartney has undeservingly flown under the radar for the BlueCaps. This week alone, he batted .462 with an OPS of 1.115, totaling 6 hits and an RBI, while only striking out once. He has been a backbone of the team for the entire season, batting .406 with 8 RBIs, one long ball, and 4 runs. He is also the team leader in doubles with five, as well as tied for second in the league overall.

Unsung Hero Pitcher: #24 Aaron Agee, RHP (Millikin Junior) – 8.0 IP, 1 GS, 1-0, 11 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 10 K, 2.63 ERA, 1.50 WHIP, 2.25 FIP

For the ‘Caps pitching corp, Agee has been a diamond in the rough. He has thrown 8 innings throughout the season and only allowed 11 hits and 4 runs. His command is also impressive, having a 10/1 strikeout to walk ratio. He has faced 34 total batters and thrown 21 first-pitch strikes and throws 70% of his pitches for strikes. He is definitely the most reliable arm that the Caps have out of the bullpen, and will continue to ride his streak of dominance well into the second half of the season. 

Projected Depth Chart

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

Seeding Odds

1st: 0.01% , 2nd: 2.19% , 3rd: 20.34% , 4th: 77.00%

League Leaders

Spotlight Players

Hitter of the Week: BlueCaps #28 Ben Karpowicz, LF (ISU Commit) – 6/13, 2 2B, HR 7 RBI, 1 R, 1 BB, .462/.500/1.346

Ben Karpowicz absolutely feasted on opposing pitchers this week. His slash line was incredible, hitting .462/.500/.846 to go along with a 1.346 OPS. Karpowicz’s 7 RBIs led the league this week, and his 3 extra base hits and 11 total bases were tied for the most in the week. He was also tied for the league lead this week in 2 out RBIs with 4 and had the second most quality at-bats this week with nine. Of batters with at least 8 at-bats, he had the second highest RISP (.625), and third highest slugging percentage (.846). These performances were one of the main reasons that the bottom of the league BlueCaps won 2 games this week. In the past, Karpowicz has shown he has the power to deliver, but the consistency he showed this week was the main reason why he is being recognized as the hitter of the week. His average coming into this week was .167, and he raised it to a .290 by the end of the week. He also had hits and RBIs in three of the four games, extra base hits in two of the games, and quality at bats in three of the games. All in all, not only was Karpowicz one of the best hitters of the week, but he was also consistently stellar.

Pitcher of the Week: Ground Sloths #29 Joey Wilmoth, RHP (ISU Commit) – 4 IP, W, 2 H, 0 ER, 6 K

With a team as hot as the Ground Sloths are, it is a given that the pitching rotation has been fantastic over the last week, and the season as a whole. There were multiple notable performances, but Joey Wilmoth’s start against the Merchants on June 23rd tops them all. He went 4 innings and allowed no runs to score. Throughout those innings, he struck out four batters and gave up two hits. Including walks, Wilmoth only allowed Merchant’s hitters to reach base safely four times, all while throwing only 60 pitches. Out of those 60 pitches, Wilmoth threw 41 of them as strikes, resulting in a strike percentage of 68.3%. Another impressive feat from his start is that out of the 16 batters he faced, he threw 11 first-pitch strikes. That combined with the high strike percentage means that Wilmoth pounds the strike zone early and often. Overall, Joey Wilmoth had a fantastic week and is part of the reason the Ground Sloths are rolling right now. Expect him to keep it going as we approach the playoffs.

Schedule

Last Week’s Predicted Game of the Week: Ground Sloths 10 Bobcats 8, Sunday, June 26 Game 2

The predicted game of the week was Sunday Night baseball between the first-place Ground Sloths and the Bobcats. The Sloths got out to an early lead with a first-inning five spot aided by a Daniel Pacella 3-run homer that according to Google Earth is estimated to have traveled 420 feet. Pacella would finish the game 2-3 with 4 RBIs. Austin Baker turned in 4.0 innings of two-run ball on 3 hits while striking out 10. Bryce Lohman worked out of a bases-loaded jam in the fifth inning but gave up 2 runs in the sixth. Logan Wombles came in the seventh and gave up two unearned runs. Wombles has been one of the best relievers so far in the KCL, pitching to a 0.60 ERA in 11.2 innings pitched. The Bobcats got off to a slow start on Sunday, scoring 4 of their 6 runs in the sixth and seventh inning. Offensively, Colin Kalinowski was 2-2 with 2 doubles, a walk, and an RBI. On the pitching side, Thomas Harper came in and pitched two innings, striking out two and allowing no runs.

Actual Game of the Week: Ground Sloths 8 BlueCaps 4, Friday, June 24 Game 1

While the BlueCaps vs. Merchants game on June 26th almost gave that matchup a third straight game of the week in a row, the Ground Sloths’ victory over the BlueCaps (June 24th) is the game of the week for Week 5. The Ground Sloths were up 2-1 entering the 7th inning, which is when the game got crazy. The BlueCaps scored 3 runs in the top of the 7th to take a 4-2 lead and looked like they were about to shock the league leaders. With 2 outs and runners on first and second, Luke Lawrence singled to load the bases. Bryce Bishop was then hit by a pitch and Matt Armstrong walked to tie the game up at 4 apiece. Then, Chase Adams came up to the plate. Now, all Chase had to do was walk, be hit, or single. However, Chase Adams was not interested in doing the bare minimum. He stepped up to the plate and, with a 2-2 count, down to his last strike, walloped the ball over the right field fence. This grand slam won the game for the Ground Sloths and even made the 8-4 final score look more impressive for his team. After a calm first 6 innings, the last inning proved to be a roller coaster of emotions for fans and players alike, capped by Adams’s grand slam which sent the Sloths’ players and fans into a frenzy. Braden Roesch started for the BlueCaps and went 4.1 innings, giving up 2 runs on 8 baserunners and striking out 3. Nate Righi, the pitcher of the game, went 5 innings, striking out 5 and allowing only 4 baserunners, and was in line for the win until the last inning madness. Joey Hagen gave up 2 runs in 2 innings, and Will O’Gorman gave up 4 runs on Adams’s grand slam, only recording 1 out. Richie Snider gave up 3 runs in 2 innings for the Sloths and was spared the loss by the bigger meltdown from the ‘Caps bullpen. For the BlueCaps, Ben Karpowicz went 3 for 4 with 3 RBIs, and Liam McGill went 2 for 4 with 2 runs and an RBI. For the Sloths, JP Gauthier had 2 doubles, a walk, a run, and an RBI, Eli Moore walked all four times and scored a run, and Luke Lawrence went 2 for 4 with a run. Chase Adams, the player of the game, went 2 for 4 with 2 runs and the all-important grand slam that gave him 4 RBIs on the night.

Next Week’s Game of the Week: Bobcats at Merchants, Saturday, July 2, 5:00 PM (Born in the USA Night)

Next week’s predicted game of the week is a Saturday, July 2nd matchup between the Merchants and the Bobcats, which is starting to look like a preview of a first-round playoff matchup. The Merchants lead the series 4-3 right now. The Merchants beat the Bobcats in their last game 6-1. This matchup will also give us a look at the MVP race, as two of the top contenders are Auggie Rasmussen and Travis Lutz. Auggie was the frontrunner, but a slump this past week means that Lutz is back in it. Lutz has produced more when he has played but has come to the plate a considerably less amount than Auggie has, so MVP voters could be swayed in either direction. In addition to the battle between the two sluggers, fans can look forward to the Corn Crib’s Born in the USA night. Fans will be treated to a USA-themed night celebrating the anniversary of our independence which will occur two days after the game. Fans in attendance will also receive a bobblehead and will be treated to a fireworks show after the game.

Honorable mentions for the game of the week are both games on Sunday, July 3rd. First, the Merchants and BlueCaps will face off, and the two teams produce fireworks every time they play. The two teams have combined for 2 of the last 3 games of the week, and would have been 3 for 3 had Chase Adams not hit a walk-off grand slam in our game of the week this week. Then, the Bobcats will take on the Ground Sloths. These two teams might have the most intense rivalry so far, and with the Sloths leading the series 4-3 the Cats will be sure to make it a good game. Stay for both of these games and after you will see the Normal Cornbelters take on the Terre Haute Rex later in the day. There is a lot of exciting baseball coming up at the Corn Crib that you will not want to miss!

Just for Fun Poll: Best Walk-Up Songs

After one of the most intense debates in Kernelytics history, the top ten best walk-up songs in the league, four hitters and six pitchers, were narrowed down and sent out to the Cornbelters staff and interns. Although there was no clear favorite for any of them, the most popular hitter walkup songs were Mike Maloney’s Big Rings by Drake and Davey Fitzpatrick’s Can’t Tell Me Nothing by Kayne West, while for pitchers, they were Keegan Buksa’s Lose Yourself by Eminem, Ryne Willard’s Pump it Up by Endor, and Mitchell Sampson’s Public Service Announcement by Jay-Z. Come out to the Corn Crib to hear these and more walk-up song at every KCL baseball game.

Hitters

Pitchers

Stay tuned for next week’s weekly update, which will include Rapsodo info on players, the best of the week from Week 6 in the KCL, plans for the KCL postseason awards, and more as the KCL season nears its exciting conclusion