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Other Award Winners Named As Well…

BOURNE, Mass. – The Bourne Braves called in Travis Jankowski (Stony Brook) for the last ten games of the season in 2010. Now, a little over a year later, he is the Cape Cod Baseball League’s Most Valuable Player.

Travis Jankowski

Bourne’s General Manager Mike Carrier said thankfully Jankowski scored a chance on the Cape because a former Brave’s assistant was working with Jankowski at Stony Brook. When current field manager, Harvey Shapiro, started calling around looking for good players, he found the 6-2, 190 pound outfielder.

“Not only is he a great baseball player, but a good person, student, citizen and overall nice person. Sometimes you don’t see nice people and ballplayers in the same combination,” said Carrier.

The ballplayer from Lancaster, Penn., played well from start to finish. The numbers do not lie. He was made a Cape League All-Star for the Western Division because of it.

Jankowski finished one of the top ten hitters and base stealers in the league. He batted .326 with 22 RBIs, 60 hits, 35 runs and a .444 OBP.

“I actually like his defense most of all. He played right center to left center and just caught everything in his way, everything. Balls I could never see anybody else get to during the season,” said Carrier.
Jankowski credits his speed and defense to his father and his brother chasing him around as a kid.

“That speed is good but you also need to be able to know how to use it. You need to be able to get a jump on balls and be able to track them well too. You can’t teach that. It’s inside you. That is instinct,” said Carrier.

The Stony Brook player, who didn’t make an error in 115 chances over his sophomore season, ranked second in America East with a .355 batting average.

“Before leaving for the year, the one thing he said to me was he wanted to come back. But in my mind I hope he has another great season at Stony Brook and ends up getting drafted high enough so he doesn’t have to come back and continue on to have a great baseball career,” said Carrier.

FLASHING THE HARDWARE – Congrats to the 2011 CCBL Postseason Award winners including: MVP – Travis Jankowski (Stony Brook) of Bourne; Batting Champion – Stephen Piscotty (Stanford) of Y-D; Top Pro Prospect – Victor Roache (Georgia Southern) of Cotuit; Top Pitcher – Ryan Eades (LSU) of Bourne; Top Relief Pitcher – Trevor Gott (Kentucky) of Orleans; 10th Player – Ben Waldrip (Jacksonville) of Orleans; Sportsmanship – Patrick Cantwell (Stony Brook) of Bourne; Top New England Player – Nate Koneski (Holy Cross) of Falmouth; Top GM – Bill Bussiere, Hyannis; Top Field Manager – Chad Gassman, Hyannis; Star of Stars Playoff MVP – Mike Garza(Georgetown), Harwich.

VANDY BOUND – Social Media/PR maven Ashley Crosby has landed a sports information position with Vanderbilt after four years working in the CCBL. She was presented with a specially engraved Barnstable Bat before last Thursday’s Wareham at Falmouth playoff game broadcast on WEEI Cape Cod (96.3 FM).

CCBL SPONSOR HONORED – Randy Shepard, CEO of Eye Health Services, was honored for 10 years of support of the CCBL during pre-game ceremonies at last Friday’s Falmouth at Harwich championship series playoff game one.

FALMOUTH KO ARTIST – Joe Bircher (Bradley) led the Cape League with 48 strikeouts and compiled a 1-1 record with a sparkling 1.44 ERA, good for second in the league;

TOP RUN PRODUCER – Catcher Dane Phillips (Oklahoma St.) of Chatham, who finished a mere .0002 points behind CCBL batting champion Stephen Piscotty, led the league with 34 RBI.

STINGY HURLER – RHP Scott Firth (Clemson) of Hyannis won the league’s ERA crown with a microscopic 1.15 ERA as he and Dylan Floro (Cal State-Fullerton) at 4-1 gave the Harbor Hawks a lethal 1-2 pitching punch.

MEMORIES OF YESTERYEAR – It was 85 years ago that Truro native Danny “Deacon” MacFayden was mowing down opposing batters in the fledgling Cape Cod League. The right-hander posted a 9-2 record leading Osterville to its second straight CCBL title in 1925 before switching to a Falmouth uniform in 1926 and hurling a one-hitter against Hyannis. He signed with the Boston Red Sox and led the AL with four shutouts in 1929 and enjoyed a 17-year career before coaching at Hebron (ME) Academy and Bowdoin College.

 

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Top Players Honored For Latest Week’s Actions…

Taylor Rogers

Taylor Rogers (Kentucky) has earned this week’s Coca Cola Pitcher of the Week honor for leading his team to a 1-0 victory over Orleans on Saturday. Rodgers threw seven innings of two-hit ball, striking out two and walking none.

The shutout performance lowered Rogers’ earned run average to a paltry 2.14. He is 2-2 on the season, but has pitched two shutouts and not given up more than three runs in a start this season.

Rogers is a sophomore at Kentucky. He is a promising prospect, and quickly established himself as a force to be reckoned with in the SEC, leading the Wildcats in innings pitched in his freshman year. Rogers was selected by the Orioles in the 37^th round of the 2009 Major League Baseball draft.

Jason Monda

Brewster leadoff hitter extraordinaire Jason Monda (Washington State) is this week’s Coca Cola Player of the Week. Monda recorded at least two hits in all but one of his team’s contests this week, highlighted by a two-for-three performance against Harwich that included a triple and two stolen bases.

Monda has a .375 batting average this season. That mark would tie him for the Cape League lead, but Monda’s at-bat total is just short of qualifying him for the race.

Monda just completed his freshman year at Washington State, where his father also played baseball. He is a draftee of the Colorado Rockies, who selected him in the 32^nd round of the Major League Baseball draft following his senior year of high school.

(CCL Release)

BOURNE, MA —– In a pitcher-dominated season, Bourne’s 6-6 southpaw Grayson Garvin (Vanderbilt) stood above all others, winning the BFC Whitehouse Top Pitcher Award in the Cape Cod Baseball League for his outstanding season on the mound.

Grayson Garvin (courtesy Bournebraves.org)

Garvin’s perfect 5-0 record, along with his league-leading 0.74 ERA in 36.2 innings pitched, was enough to earn the award over other pitching notables, such as Brewster’s Boston Red Sox-bound Anthony Ranaudo (LSU) and Cotuit’s Tampa Bay draftee Austin Wood (St. Petersburg).

“He was pleasantly surprised,” said Bourne general manager Mike Carrier. “I’m guessing he knew he had a shot at it. It basically came down to him and Wood, and as I was doing the stats myself, it was clear by the formula that Grayson was going to win it.”

The award is based on a formula that longtime league statistician and volunteer John Wylde devised, incorporating 10 criteria, from innings to ERA  to strikeouts-to-inning ratio.

“When Grayson took the mound you knew a ‘W’ was almost automatic as long as the offense did a little bit,” Carrier said. “He had a lot of confidence in what he was doing. He’s a tough left-hander, spotted the ball very well, and just competed every game.”

Garvin racked up 37 strikeouts, while allowing only 12 walks and 18 hits, and held opponents to a .146 average.

“What was nice about it was the turn-around, well maybe not ‘turn around,’ but the success from what he did in Falmouth last year,” Carrier said. ”I’m still not sure why Falmouth didn’t protect him, but their loss was our gain. I think after he had injuries in college and then coming here and doing what he did exceeded everyone’s expectations —– including his.”

The improvement from 2009 with Falmouth to Bourne this year was one of many contributing factors that landed Garvin on the West Division All-Star squad. Taking his place on the mound at Fenway Park for this year’s game, he pitched a perfect inning, striking out one as the West went on to win.

(Cape Cod Release)

Game Set For July 28 At Fenway Park…

The Cape Cod All-Star Game will be played at Boston's historic Fenway Park.

The All-Star game is presented by the leading banks of Cape Cod —- Bank of America, Eastern Bank, TD Bank, Cape Cod Cooperative Bank and Cape Cod Five Cents Savings Bank.

Scott Pickler of the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox will be the field manager for the East Division, with Harvey Shapiro of the defending champion Bourne Braves piloting the West.

Leading the way for the East are Brewster outfielder Drew Martinez (Memphis) and Orleans second baseman Kolten Wong (Hawai’i), who are currently 1-2 in the league in batting average.

Wong will be joined on the right side of the infield by Chatham first baseman Aaron Westlake (Vanderbilt). Anchoring the left side will be two players from second-place Y-D —-  shortstop Joe Panik (St. John’s) and third baseman Tyler Hanover (LSU). This is the second All-Star selection for Hanover, who was a reserve last year.

Martinez will also have a friendly face beside him in the outfield as teammate Cohl Walla (Texas) was named a starter along with Y-D’s Caleb Ramsey (Houston).

The designated hitter is Harwich’s Clint Moore (West Point), with Harwich’s Pratt Maynard (N.C. State) named the starting catcher.

The Mariners also landed two reserve players in utility man Levi Michael (North Carolina) and outfielder Ronnie Richardson (Central Florida). Chatham catcher Joe Pavone (UConn) fills out the roster.

Leading the pitching staff for the East will be Brewster’s Andrew Gagnon (Long Beach State). Gagnon leads the league with five wins and sports a 1.69 ERA through six appearances. He also ranks second with 38 strikeouts. He will be joined by a strong supporting staff that includes teammate and closer Colton Murray (Kansas), Kyle Simon (Arizona) and Marcus Stroman (Duke) of Orleans, Derek Self (Louisville) and Logan Verrett (Baylor) of Chatham, and Adam Morgan (Alabama), Braden Kapteyn (Kentucky) and Matty Ott (LSU) of Harwich.

The Wareham Gatemen lead the West Division All-Stars with five selections, while the Braves had three players named.

Representing Bourne will be starter Grayson Garvin (Vanderbilt), and relievers, RJ Alverez (Florida Atlantic) and Tony Zych (Louisville). Alvarez and Zych have yet to allow an earned run this summer. Garvin is 3-0 in four starts with a 0.79 ERA.

Right-hander Austin Wood (St. Petersburg), who has dominated, going 3-0, with an 0.58 ERA in 31 innings, represents Cotuit. Joining him from the Kettleers is right-handed reliever AJ Achter (Michigan State), who has posted a 1.03 ERA in 10 appearances.

Making the team from the Gatemen are right-hander Max Perlman (Harvard) and lefty Jed Bradley (Georgia Tech). Hyannis’ Tyler Ray (Troy) will make the trip to Fenway, along with Falmouth southpaw Christian Jones (Oregon).

Falmouth’s Andrew Susac (Oregon State) gets the start behind the plate, with Hyannis’ Cam Seitzer (Oklahoma) at first base, Falmouth’s Kevin Medrano (Missouri State) at second, Wareham’s Tyler Bream (Liberty University) at third and Falmouth’s KC Serna (Oregon) manning shortstop.

The starting outfielders are Cotuit’s Chad Wright (Kentucky), Wareham’s  Zach Wilson (Arizona State) and Hyannis’ John Ruettiger (Arizona State).

The designated hitter will be Cotuit’s Jordan Leyland (UC Irvine).

The reserves are Wareham catcher Tony Caldwell (Auburn), utility infielder Casey McElroy (Auburn) and Bourne outfielder Scott Woodward (Coastal Carolina).

General admission tickets for the game, priced at $10, are still available and can be purchased on the Cape League website at www.capecodbaseball.org, or at any of the 10 ballparks.

(Cape Cod Release)

High Expectations For FGCU In First Year Of NCAA Eligibility

2009 Regular Season Champion: Florida Gulf Coast

2009 Tournament Champion: Jacksonville defeated Lipscomb 7-4 to win their 4^th A-Sun title.

End of the Rhodes: North Florida head coach Dusty Rhodes announced that 2010 will be his last season with the Ospreys.  Rhodes announced his retirement last August.  He will have spent 23 season at the helm, starting the program from scratch and guiding UNF to 16 postseason appearances, including 5 trips to the College World Series (2 in NAIA, 3 in NCAA Division II).  UNF announced that their home field will be named after Rhodes and will be dedicated March 6^th before their home game against Alcorn State.

Florida Gulf Coast is the unanimous choice to win the A-Sun title according to the coaches.  FGCU won the title last season winning 23 conference games becoming the first Atlantic Sun team to win back-to-back conference titles in its first 2 years in the league since the conference went to a one-division formant in 1999.

Belmont

2009 Season: (29-29, 15-15)

Nickname: Bruins

Head Coach: David Jarvis

Location: Nashville, TN

Dylan Craig

Vitals: .295 BA, 63 HR, .382 OBP, .959 Fld. %…6.47 ERA, 6 CG, 10 SVs, 294 K, 237 BB, .316 Opp. BA

Hole in the Middle: Belmont loses three top players from last year, including their 3-4 hitters Derek Wiley (.308, 17 HR, 51 RBI), the A-Sun’s career homerun hitter, and Brandon McCall (.344, 8 HR, 48 RBI) who combined to score or drive in 46.7 percent of Belmont’s runs in 2009.   The Bruins must also replace 2B Daniel Wagner (.323, 10 HR, 57 RBI).

Who’s Back: While Belmont loses a lot of offense they do bring back a couple key parts.  So. OF Dylan Craig (.397, 92 H, 9 triples) was the Atlantic Sun Freshman of the Year and a Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American.  Jr. C Matt Zeblo (.335, 5 HR, 35 RBI) returns behind the plate.

Campbell

2009 Season: (27-24, 7-19)

Nickname: Fighting Camels

Head Coach: Greg Goff

Location: Buies Creek, NC

Vitals: .346 BA, 42 HR, .444 OBP, .966 Fld. %…6.95 ERA, 2 CG, 7 SVs, 337 K, 186 BB, .353 Opp. BA

Great Offense: Campbell’s offensive numbers in 2009 stack up with some of the best in the nation.  They were ranked in the top 10 nationally in team BA (.346), scoring (10.1), doubles per game (2.78), stolen bases per game (2.29), and hit by pitch (123).  They also had three players hit over .400 for the season.

Key Returners: Campbell loses top hitter Ryan Hamme (.438, 26 doubles, 51 RBI), but do bring back two key offensive players from a season ago.  Leading the offense this season will be Sr. OF Zach Johnson (.380, 29 doubles, 12 HR), who led the nation in doubles last year, and Jr. 2B Ellis Lowe (.404, 5 HR, 62 RBI).  On the mound, Sr. LHP Jeff Rydman (5-1, 5.43 ERA, 45 K) will lead the staff.

East Tennessee State

2009 Season: (25-28, 10-20)

Nickname: Buccaneers

Head Coach: Tony Skole

Location: Johnson City, TN

Paul Hoilman

Vitals: .313 BA, 72 HR, .398 OBP, .948 Fld. %…8.27 ERA, 2 CG, 8 SVs, 293 K, 218 BB, .349 Opp. BA

Big Bucs: ETSU returns its top two sluggers from last year in Jr. 1B Paul Hoilman (.380, 17 HR, 66 RBI) and So. 3B Bo Reeder (.339, 15 HR, 53 RBI).  Both Hoilmand and Reeder earned 3^rd team preseason All-American honors from Louisville Slugger.

On the mound, the Bucs return Jr. RHP Chas Byrne (6-4, 5.53 ERA, 67 K), and Bo Reeder, who in addition to putting up big power number at the plate, went 4-4, with 1 CG and 1 SV on the rubber.

Traveling’ Men: ETSU makes its first ever trip to the West Coast this season when they travel to take on Oregon in Eugene May 14-16^th.

Florida Gulf Coast

2009 Season: (36-18, 23-7)

Nickname: Eagles

Head Coach: Dave Tollett

Location: Fort Myers, FL

Vitals: .320 BA, 74 HR, .409 OBP, .962 Fld. %…5.02 ERA, 3 CG, 14 SVs, 460 K, 169 BB, .290 Opp. BA

Chris Sale

Conference Power: Florida Gulf Coast swept the preseason honors from the A-Sun.  They were picked to win the conference for the third year in a row by the coaches.  1B Zach Maxfield (.383, 20 HR, 66 RBI) was named the preseason A-Sun Player of the Year, while Jr. LHP Chris Sale (7-4, 2.72 ERA, 104 K) is the preseason Pitcher of the Year.  Sale also was named a 1^st team All-American by Baseball America, a 2^nd team All-American from Ping!, and was the Cape Cod Pitcher of the Year last summer.

Playing the Best: FGCU faces a tough slate this year.  The Eagles will face 12^th-ranked Miami, 16^th ranked Clemson, 9^th-ranked Florida, and 27^th-ranked Wichita State all on the road in 2010.

Jacksonville

2009 Season: (37-22, 19-11)

Nickname: Dolphins

Head Coach: Terry Alexander

Location: Jacksonville, FL

Vitals: .301 BA, 62 HR, .400 OBP, .952 Fld. %…5.18 ERA, 2 CG, 13 SVs, 451 K, 184 BB, .288 Opp. BA

Pitching Strength: Jacksonville won its 5^th A-Sun conference championship last year and should contend again behind a strong pitching staff this season.  Two JU pitchers are on the preseason All-A-Sun team led by Jr. RHP Matt Loosen (4-1, 4.16 ERA, 91 K) and Jr. RHP Chris Kaminski (5-1, 2.70 ERA, 8 SVs).

Offensive Leaders: The Dolphins lose top hitter Jeremy Gillan (.400, 11 HR, 62 RBI), but bring back plenty of speed and power with 1^st team preseason All-A-Sun player Sr. Chuck Opachich (.377, 42 RBI, 19 SB) and Sr. OF Alex Martinez (.306, 12 HR, 53 RBI).

Kennesaw State

2009 Season: (30-22, 20-9)

Nickname: Owls

Head Coach: Mike Sansing

Location: Kennesaw, GA

Vitals: .307 BA, 65 HR, .391 OBP, .963 Fld. %…5.08 ERA, 7 CG, 8 SVs, 475 K, 199 BB, .281 Opp. BA

Stepping Up: KSU loses 13 players overall, including 6 regular starters off their 2^nd place team last year.  The top five hitters are all gone, but two preseason All-Atlantic Sun performers do return in Sr. SS Tyler Stubblefield (.300, 7 HR, 27 RBI) and Jr. OF Josh Whitaker (.379, 4 HR, 25 RBI in 22 GP)

Owl Arms: The biggest concern for KSU has to be the pitching staff where 6 pitchers are gone from the 2009 team including A-Sun Pitcher of the Year Chad Jenkins (8-1, 2.54 ERA, 98 K, 5 CG).  The top returning pitcher is Jr. RHP Ryan Rodebaugh (1-1, 4.10 ERA, 2 SVs).

Lipscomb

2009 Season: (24-32, 17-13)

Nickname: Bison

Head Coach: Jeff Forehand

Location: Nashville, TN

Vitals: .280 BA, 42 HR, .356 OBP, .949 Fld. %…6.19 ERA, 6 CG, 9 SVs, 442 K, 258 BB, .279 Opp. BA

Strong Down the Stretch: Lipscomb finished 8 games below .500 overall, but still finished with a winning conference record, reaching the tournament championship game before falling to Jacksonville 7-4.

Ace in the Hole: While the Bison lose staff ace and first round MLB draft pick Rex Brothers (5-5, 3.26 ERA, 4 CG, 132 K), they do bring back Sr. RHP Josh Smith (7-4, 3.86 ERA, 101 K).

Offensive Production: Lipscomb will look to improve the offense this year behind CF Tyler Wilson (.320, 65 H, 25 SB), 1B Ryan Wilkins (.290, 5 doubles, 21 RBI).  Several newcomers expect to fill out the lineup as well with Jr. Cory Hale (.304, 14 HR, 41 RBI), a transfer from Columbia State CC, and Jr. Zach Messer (.378, 14 HR, 56 RBI) from Walters State CC who both figure to start.

Mercer

2009 Season: (23-23, 12-15)

Nickname: Bears

Head Coach: Craig Gibson

Location: Macon, GA

Vitals: .302 BA, 60 HR, .370 OBP, .965 Fld. %…6.39 ERA, 2 CG, 7 SVs, 346 K, 183 BB, .302 Opp. BA

Big Offense: Mercer loses top hitter Steven Karwatt (.374, 10 HR, 43 RBI), but do return the five other guys who hit over .300, including Sr. INF Michael Langley (.358, 7 HR, 27 RBI) and So. INF Jacob Tanis (.340, 11 HR, 35 RBI), who was named a Freshman All-American by Louisville Slugger.  Pitching wise Jr. RHP closer J.T. Odom (5-5, 3.88 ERA, 3 SVs) returns as does Sr. RHP Lath Guyer (2-4, 5.55 ERA, 76 K).

Home in Dixie: Mercer hosts 18 of their first 21 games with only trips to Tallahassee to play Florida A&M and Atlanta to face Georgia State the only road trips.  Mercer will not play north of Nashville, TN all season long while playing games in only four states (Georgia, Florida, Tennessee, and South Carolina).

North Florida

2009 Season: (23-31, 15-15)

Nickname: Ospreys

Head Coach: Dusty Rhodes

Location: Jacksonville, FL

Vitals: .295 BA, 59 HR, .377 OBP, .948 Fld. %…5.78 ERA, 6 CG, 9 SVs, 381 K, 183 BB, .296 Opp. BA

The American Dream: Dusty Rhodes announced that this will be his final season at the helom of North Florida.  Rhodes started the program in 1988 and has built the team from scratch.  He should win his 900^th game at UNF this season, playing on the newly named Dusty Rhodes Field at Harmon Stadium.

Foundation: North Florida’s lineup will center around Sr. OF Preston Hale (.371, 10 HR, 43 RBI) who led the Ospreys in batting average, slugging percentage, runs, hits, HR, and RBI.  Hale was a 2^nd-team All-conference performer in 2009 and enters 2010 a unanimous selection to the preseason All-Atlantic Sun team.

Stetson

2009 Season: (27-30, 16-14)

Nickname: Hatters

Head Coach: Pete Dunn

Location: DeLand, FL

Vitals: .314 BA, 60 HR, .395 OBP, .951 Fld. %…5.85 ERA, 1 CG, 9 SVs, 383 K, 223 BB, .305 Opp. BA

Poised for a Run: Stetson returns 19 letterwinners and 7 starters from last season’s 5^th place team.  Leading the offense will be Sr. DH Aaron Crittenden (.339, 13 HR, 66 RB) and So. 3B Mark Jones (.363, 82 H, .518 Slg. %).   Crittenden is a preseason All-conference pick this season, while Jones earned Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American honors last season.

Pitching Rotation: The Hatters will have a much different weekend rotation this season with So. RHP Lindsey Caughel (4-3, 6.30 ERA, 41 K) the only returner.  The other spots will be filled with two pitchers that missed last season with injuries.  R-Jr. RHP Justin Dechert (5.51 ERA, SV) and R-So. RHP Will Dorsey (2-1, 3.72 ERA, SV) will fill out the rotation.

USC Upstate

2009 Season: (17-37, 7-23)

Nickname: Spartans

Head Coach: Matt Fincher

Location: Spartanburg, SC

Vitals: .283 BA, 18 HR, .358 OBP, .964 Fld. %…7.81 ERA, 1 CG, 7 SVs, 345 K, 296 BB, .322 Opp. BA

Marching On: USC-Upstate enters its third season in Division I, still making the transition to the higher level.  After winning 17 conference games in 2008, they fell off to just 7 wins in 2009 finishing in last place.  This season they look for improvement behind 17 returning lettermen including 7 pitchers.

Key Returners: Jr. RHP Matt Branham (2-5, 4.39 ERA, 82 K) is back to lead the pitching staff, while Sr. 1B/C Jimmy Tanner (.354, 15 doubles, 34 RBI) the top hitter for the Spartans last year will once again power the lineup.

Silver Spartans: This year marks the 25^th season for baseball at the school.

2010 Atlantic Sun Predicitons

2010 Champion: Florida Gulf Coast

2010 Player of the Year: Preston Hale—North Florida

2010 Pitcher of the Year: Chris Sale—Florida Gulf Coast

KENT, Ohio - The Kent State University Athletics Department and extended baseball family mourns the loss of Richard Schoonover, who passed away Monday (Dec. 7). Schoonover, 81, served as an assistant coach at Kent State on 1986 and 1989 and pitching coach from 1990-1996.

Richard Schoonover

Our thoughts and prayers go out to his wife JoAnn and his entire family.”

Schoonover first served the Golden Flashes as an assistant coach under former head coach Bob Todd. He followed Todd to Ohio State for the 1988 season, but returned to Kent State for the 1989 season and was the Golden Flashes pitching coach for the next seven seasons on the staffs of both Danny Hall from 1989-1993 and Rick Rembielak from 1994-96.

During his time with the Golden Flashes, the Kent State pitching staffs recorded the best seasons in program history. In 1992, KSU finished second in the NCAA in overall team ERA (2.61) and ranked first in the country in team ERA (2.37) during the 1993 campaign. Under his tutelage at KSU, three pitchers were named All-Americans by the American Baseball Coaches Association (Dustin Hermanson and Mike Nartker in 1993, Ted Rose in 1996). Schoonover mentored 12 All-Mid-American Conference pitchers, eight Mid-East Regional Team selections, six MAC Pitchers of the Year, four Kent State Varsity “K” Hall of Fame pitchers and three first round draft selections, including the third pick overall in 1994 (Hermanson).

Schoonover also served as pitching coach in the prestigious Cape Cod Summer Baseball League in 1994-96, 1998 and 2003. During the summer of ’03, the Bourne Braves recorded the league’s lowest ERA.

The Akron native also is well known as pitching coach in the international circles. In the summer of 1989, Schoonover was selected to coach in the Netherlands for six months. During the fall of 1989, the U.S. Sports Information Service asked him to teach pitching to coaches and players in four major Nicaraguan cities. In the fall of 1991, Schoonover returned to Nicaragua, working with the country’s Olympic team as well as instructing in clinics for coaches and players.

Most recently, Schoonover served as pitching coach and consultant for the Dick Schoonover Academy of Pitching Instruction and Professional Consulting. He was also inducted into the Summit County Sports Hall of Fame, the Akron Baseball Hall of Fame and was a Dapper Dan honoree.

Visitation will be Thursday from 4 to 8 p.m. at Redmon Funeral Home at 3633 Darrow Road in Stow, Ohio. Rev. Arthur Cubbon will conduct service Friday, 2 p.m. at St. Stephen Lutheran Church, 3725 Kent Road, Stow, Ohio. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Stewart’s Caring Place, 2955 W. Market Street, Akron, OH 44333 or St. Stephen Lutheran Church.

Former Kent State baseball coach Danny Hall: “Dick Schoonover was the most positive person I have ever been around. Even though he has passed away, his legacy will live on forever just because of the lives he has touched. In particular for me, he has had a major influence on my coaching career. Any success I was able to enjoy at Kent State, he deserves much of the credit. He did a tremendous job not only with the pitching staff, but he made a better person out of anyone that came in to contact with him. He is definitely going to be missed but his legacy will live on forever. Between he and his brother Hal, they have done so much for the baseball program at Kent State in particular as a coach and their donation to upgrade the facilities. He has contributed a lot to Kent State baseball over the years.”

Former Kent State baseball coach Rick Rembielak: “The first thought that I had after his passing is that I never met a more positive person. It was never about him but the other person, even his passing. He always got the most out of every player by making them feel as if they were the best person in the world. He had that golden touch.”

Kent State athletic director Laing Kennedy: “Dick Schoonover to me represents the heart and soul of any great program. His relationship with me personally, when I first became athletic director, was very helpful and supportive. As I got to know him, I understood his tremendous knowledge about intercollegiate baseball and in particular pitching.”

(Release)