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Summer League Recap: Gopher Hitters
8/21/2020 12:19:00 PM | Baseball
Since the onset of July, members of the Gopher Baseball program have been competing in various summer baseball leagues across the nation. While many played for their respective town teams due to the uniqueness of this summer, there were also a handful of Gophers that participated in developmental collegiate leagues, such as the Northwoods League, Sunbelt Baseball League and Expedition League.
Altogether, 27 Gophers were involved with some level of summer play. With the majority of these leagues winding to a close this week, here is an update on how the hitters performed over the course of the summer, with a final update on Minnesota pitchers scheduled to arrive in the days ahead.
Brett Bateman | Lyons Pub Warriors | Amateur Baseball
As one of six newcomers to the Gopher Baseball program this fall, Bateman will arrive in Gold Country fresh off an impressive summer with the Lyons Pub Warriors. Over 21 games played, Bateman finished with a .712 batting average (37-for-52) while recording three doubles, 11 RBI, five walks and eight stolen bases. Bateman struck out just two times all summer long.
Noah Berghammer | Pierre Trappers | Expedition League
Getting his fair share of reps during the offseason, Berghammer logged 28 games and 95 at bats for the Trappers. Berghammer concluded the summer with 17 total hits, four doubles, 14 runs scored, seven RBI, 13 walks and two stolen bases.
Kyle Bork | Alpharetta Aviators | Sunbelt Baseball League
Having recently wrapped up his second consecutive summer in the SBL, Bork appeared in 12 games for the Aviators and performed admirably at the plate. The rising redshirt freshman infielder batted .375 (15-for-40) with one home run, one triple and four doubles.
Zack Elliott | Green Bay Booyah | Northwoods League
Elliott began the summer playing for the Chaska Town Team, during which he posted a spectacular .471 batting average (eight-for-17) with one home run and four doubles. During eight games with the Booyah, the rising redshirt sophomore infielder batted .238 with one run, one RBI, one walk and two stolen bases.
Otto Grimm | Bemidji | Town Team
Although he appeared in just give games for Bemidji, Grimm collected eight hits, including three doubles while drawing 11 walks.
Drew Hmielewski | Marshall A's | Town Team
Hmielewski played in just four games with the A's, registering two hits, one double, two RBI, one run scored and three walks. Meanwhile, Hmielewski also provided errorless defense in the field and struck out only once in 13 at bats.
Sam Ireland | St. Cloud Rox | Northwoods League
Playing in 24 games for the Rox, Ireland slashed .256/.313/.333 with one home run, four doubles, 13 RBI, 11 runs, eight walks and four stolen bases while committing zero errors in the field. On July 19, Ireland was named the Northwoods League Player of the Night after going 3-for-4 with a home run, two doubles, three RBI and three runs scored to power St. Cloud over Rochester.
Cody Kelly | St. Cloud Rox | Northwoods League
Kelly and fellow incoming freshman Noah DeLuga represent the sixth and seventh high school seniors the Gophers have placed in the NWL dating back to the summer of 2016. Getting his first taste of summer collegiate baseball action, Kelly wrapped up play with the Rox with a .362 on-base percentage, one home run, eight runs scored, seven RBI and ten walks while striking out in just eight percent of his plate appearances.
Jack Kelly | St. Cloud Rox | Northwoods League
Joining Ireland and his younger brother on the Rox, Kelly had one of the steadier summer performances of any Gopher player. His 36 games played and 131 at bats paced all Gophers, as Kelly batted .260 with a .344 OBP. Kelly also totaled 34 hits, four doubles, 22 RBI, 18 runs scored and 15 walks while striking out in just 10 percent of his plate appearances and providing quality defense behind the plate. On July 22, Kelly was named the NWL Player of the Night after going 4-for-6 with a double and four RBI to lead the Rox to an extra innings win. 2020 marked Kelly's second summer competing in the NWL.
Gabe Knowles | Hansa Lakers | Town Team
Across 54 at bats with the Lakers, Knowles batted .435 with a tremendous .805 slugging percentage. Included in his 20 hits were three home runs, three triples and five doubles.
Boston Merila | St. Michael Knights | Amateur Baseball
Merila logged 25 games this summer and batted .371 (23-for-62) with a gaudy .556 OBP. The incoming Gopher infielder also chipped in one home run, four triples and five doubles while driving in 20 runs.
Zack Raabe | Green Bay Booyah | Northwoods League
The NCAA's 2020 Division I hits leader played in 10 games for the Booyah over the summer and delivered seven hits across nine starts. Additionally, Raabe contributed three runs, three RBI, two walks and three stolen bases over the course of 38 at bats.
Drew Stahl | Fond du Lac Dock Spiders/Mankato MoonDogs | Northwoods League
Splitting time with the Dock Spiders and MoonDogs in the NWL, Stahl swatted two home runs in his final game of the season on Aug. 20 to close out the summer. Additionally, Stahl hit three doubles while notching 15 total hits, 11 runs, 10 RBI and nine walks. Stahl was also a force to be reckoned with on the base paths, swiping seven bags in 23 games played.
Chase Stanke | Willmar Stingers | Northwoods League
Perhaps Minnesota's top summer performer this year, Stanke slashed an impressive .310/.360/.470 with three home runs, one triple, five doubles, 22 RBI, 14 runs and seven walks over 100 at bats. Stanke played in 26 games and committed just two errors behind the plate. On both July 18 and Aug. 5, Stanke earned NWL Player of the Night honors for his offensive performance. 2020 marked Stanke's second summer in the NWL, having previously taken over for Eli Wilson as the starting catcher for the Stingers last year. Since the summer of 2017, a Gopher catcher has been behind the plate for Willmar.
Ronald Sweeny | La Crosse Loggers| Northwoods League
After slashing .357/.412/.750 over 28 at bats with the Miesville Mudhens to start the summer, Sweeny stayed hot upon transitioning to play in the NWL for the third straight year. Over 101 at bats with the La Crosse Loggers, Sweeny posted a .361 OBP with a .767 OPS, clubbing five home runs and three doubles while driving in 25 runs. On July 28, Sweeny was named the NWL Player of the Night after going 3-for-5 with two home runs, four RBI and three runs scored. Overall, Sweeny holds a combined .256/.342/.481 batting line to go with a program-high seven home runs, 22 runs scored and 36 RBI.
Be on the lookout for more news on Gophers developing their game through summer baseball action, with a final update on Minnesota pitchers soon to come.
Altogether, 27 Gophers were involved with some level of summer play. With the majority of these leagues winding to a close this week, here is an update on how the hitters performed over the course of the summer, with a final update on Minnesota pitchers scheduled to arrive in the days ahead.
Brett Bateman | Lyons Pub Warriors | Amateur Baseball
As one of six newcomers to the Gopher Baseball program this fall, Bateman will arrive in Gold Country fresh off an impressive summer with the Lyons Pub Warriors. Over 21 games played, Bateman finished with a .712 batting average (37-for-52) while recording three doubles, 11 RBI, five walks and eight stolen bases. Bateman struck out just two times all summer long.
Noah Berghammer | Pierre Trappers | Expedition League
Getting his fair share of reps during the offseason, Berghammer logged 28 games and 95 at bats for the Trappers. Berghammer concluded the summer with 17 total hits, four doubles, 14 runs scored, seven RBI, 13 walks and two stolen bases.
Kyle Bork | Alpharetta Aviators | Sunbelt Baseball League
Having recently wrapped up his second consecutive summer in the SBL, Bork appeared in 12 games for the Aviators and performed admirably at the plate. The rising redshirt freshman infielder batted .375 (15-for-40) with one home run, one triple and four doubles.
Zack Elliott | Green Bay Booyah | Northwoods League
Elliott began the summer playing for the Chaska Town Team, during which he posted a spectacular .471 batting average (eight-for-17) with one home run and four doubles. During eight games with the Booyah, the rising redshirt sophomore infielder batted .238 with one run, one RBI, one walk and two stolen bases.
Otto Grimm | Bemidji | Town Team
Although he appeared in just give games for Bemidji, Grimm collected eight hits, including three doubles while drawing 11 walks.
Drew Hmielewski | Marshall A's | Town Team
Hmielewski played in just four games with the A's, registering two hits, one double, two RBI, one run scored and three walks. Meanwhile, Hmielewski also provided errorless defense in the field and struck out only once in 13 at bats.
Sam Ireland | St. Cloud Rox | Northwoods League
Playing in 24 games for the Rox, Ireland slashed .256/.313/.333 with one home run, four doubles, 13 RBI, 11 runs, eight walks and four stolen bases while committing zero errors in the field. On July 19, Ireland was named the Northwoods League Player of the Night after going 3-for-4 with a home run, two doubles, three RBI and three runs scored to power St. Cloud over Rochester.
SAM IRELAND WITH THE POWER! 💪@GopherBaseball Sam Ireland sends a three run bomb over right field and gives the Rox the lead!
— St. Cloud Rox (@StCloudRox) July 19, 2020
Highlight is presented by @KrillanStudio pic.twitter.com/4YlP6HCjXq
Cody Kelly | St. Cloud Rox | Northwoods League
Kelly and fellow incoming freshman Noah DeLuga represent the sixth and seventh high school seniors the Gophers have placed in the NWL dating back to the summer of 2016. Getting his first taste of summer collegiate baseball action, Kelly wrapped up play with the Rox with a .362 on-base percentage, one home run, eight runs scored, seven RBI and ten walks while striking out in just eight percent of his plate appearances.
.@StCloudRox Pre-Game Chat🗣
— St. Cloud Rox (@StCloudRox) July 6, 2020
Evan Hughes caught up with Cody Kelly of @GopherBaseball following his first career home run on Friday⚾️#RoxSolidFun pic.twitter.com/jGN7ib2Av7
Jack Kelly | St. Cloud Rox | Northwoods League
Joining Ireland and his younger brother on the Rox, Kelly had one of the steadier summer performances of any Gopher player. His 36 games played and 131 at bats paced all Gophers, as Kelly batted .260 with a .344 OBP. Kelly also totaled 34 hits, four doubles, 22 RBI, 18 runs scored and 15 walks while striking out in just 10 percent of his plate appearances and providing quality defense behind the plate. On July 22, Kelly was named the NWL Player of the Night after going 4-for-6 with a double and four RBI to lead the Rox to an extra innings win. 2020 marked Kelly's second summer competing in the NWL.
Jack Kelly dropping DIMES 🤑 pic.twitter.com/pP0Kk1wzpI
— St. Cloud Rox (@StCloudRox) July 20, 2019
Gabe Knowles | Hansa Lakers | Town Team
Across 54 at bats with the Lakers, Knowles batted .435 with a tremendous .805 slugging percentage. Included in his 20 hits were three home runs, three triples and five doubles.
Boston Merila | St. Michael Knights | Amateur Baseball
Merila logged 25 games this summer and batted .371 (23-for-62) with a gaudy .556 OBP. The incoming Gopher infielder also chipped in one home run, four triples and five doubles while driving in 20 runs.
Zack Raabe | Green Bay Booyah | Northwoods League
The NCAA's 2020 Division I hits leader played in 10 games for the Booyah over the summer and delivered seven hits across nine starts. Additionally, Raabe contributed three runs, three RBI, two walks and three stolen bases over the course of 38 at bats.
Drew Stahl | Fond du Lac Dock Spiders/Mankato MoonDogs | Northwoods League
Splitting time with the Dock Spiders and MoonDogs in the NWL, Stahl swatted two home runs in his final game of the season on Aug. 20 to close out the summer. Additionally, Stahl hit three doubles while notching 15 total hits, 11 runs, 10 RBI and nine walks. Stahl was also a force to be reckoned with on the base paths, swiping seven bags in 23 games played.
Have a night @drew_stahl16!
— Minnesota Baseball Student Managers (@gopher_managers) August 21, 2020
In his final game of the summer, Drew Stahl hits 2️⃣ home runs. @NWLbaseball Another #Gopher Player of the Night? 👀 pic.twitter.com/VE9rRLM2kg
Chase Stanke | Willmar Stingers | Northwoods League
Perhaps Minnesota's top summer performer this year, Stanke slashed an impressive .310/.360/.470 with three home runs, one triple, five doubles, 22 RBI, 14 runs and seven walks over 100 at bats. Stanke played in 26 games and committed just two errors behind the plate. On both July 18 and Aug. 5, Stanke earned NWL Player of the Night honors for his offensive performance. 2020 marked Stanke's second summer in the NWL, having previously taken over for Eli Wilson as the starting catcher for the Stingers last year. Since the summer of 2017, a Gopher catcher has been behind the plate for Willmar.
Stop us if you've heard this one before: @ChaseStanke is scorching hot at the plate!
— Minnesota Baseball Student Managers (@gopher_managers) August 6, 2020
With home runs in consecutive games, Stanke is slugging 0.707 since July 18th with 11 RBI in 12 games.
Stanke's 1st inning 💣, courtesy of the @WillmarStingers ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/jPFNpNRjOu
Ronald Sweeny | La Crosse Loggers| Northwoods League
After slashing .357/.412/.750 over 28 at bats with the Miesville Mudhens to start the summer, Sweeny stayed hot upon transitioning to play in the NWL for the third straight year. Over 101 at bats with the La Crosse Loggers, Sweeny posted a .361 OBP with a .767 OPS, clubbing five home runs and three doubles while driving in 25 runs. On July 28, Sweeny was named the NWL Player of the Night after going 3-for-5 with two home runs, four RBI and three runs scored. Overall, Sweeny holds a combined .256/.342/.481 batting line to go with a program-high seven home runs, 22 runs scored and 36 RBI.
Ronnie Sweeny, your new Loggers home run leader after last night's big fly. #RollAsOne pic.twitter.com/We9KilSEqU
— La Crosse Loggers (@LoggersBaseball) August 19, 2020
Be on the lookout for more news on Gophers developing their game through summer baseball action, with a final update on Minnesota pitchers soon to come.
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