The University of Akron Athletics
Akron Zips Summer Baseball Player Wrap-up
August 09 | Baseball
– The University of Akron baseball team will get back to work with the fall baseball season starting up in just over a month, however this summer many individuals continued to improve their skills playing in various leagues, including many of the nation's premier amateur leagues.
Tom Farmer (Berea, Ohio/Berea) spent his summer playing for the Bourne Braves of the Cape Cod League (wood bat league), known as the best summer league in the nation. Though his team could manage only a 9-32 season, Farmer did not go unnoticed, as he was selected to pitch in the Cape Cod All-Star game. He was the second pitcher to take the mound for the western division and pitched one inning as all pitchers in the all-star game do. In his inning he did allow a hit, but faced just the minimum three batters without allowing a run.
In his first start for the Braves, Farmer went six innings allowing no runs on just one hit. He did walk five, but struck out four in the no-decision. Since then he has made eight total starts and has a 1.75 earned run average, which is the best on his squad and ranks seventh in the league. He has pitched 46 1/3 innings this summer, allowing just 25 hits and nine earned runs, while striking out 36 batters.
Farmer gave up two or less earned runs in seven of his eight starts. Three times he held opponents without a run, though he earned just one victory for his efforts. In five of his starts he pitched six or more innings. In his eight starts, four of the games ended in one run losses, while one game even finished in a tie. In the other three starts, Farmer earned his one win, 5-0 and left the other two games with 2-0 leads after six innings completed.
Kurt Davidson (North Canton, Ohio/Hoover), who played in the Valley (Va.) Baseball League (wood bat league) as a member of the Waynesboro Generals, was selected as an All-Star finished the season strong as Waynesboro won the South Division with a 28-17 record. However, they were upset by eventual championship runner-up Staunton in a three-game playoff match-up.
Davidson finished the season leading his team in seven offensive categories and ranked second in four more. He led the team with a .468 slugging percentage, which ranked seventh in the league; a .429 on-base percentage, which was 3rd in the league; 48 hits, which was tied for 11th in the league; 12 doubles, which was fourth in the league; 74 total bases, which was seventh in the league; 25 walks, which was fourth in the league; and12 hit-by-pitches, which was also tops in the league.
He was second on his team with a .304 batting average, which ranked tenth in the league; 31 runs batted in, which was fourth in the league; four home runs, which was 13th in the league; and three sacrifice flies, which was fifth in the league.
At the All-Star Game, held on July 9, Davidson went 2-for-3 with a walk. He was one of only two players to record a pair of hits in the game and was the only one to reach base three times. The game ended in a 2-2 tie as both teams used all of their pitchers. Before the game, Davidson participated in a head-to-head Home Run Derby contest against Tyler Brown of the Staunton Braves but did not advance to the second round.
Probably the most decorated summer season was turned in by Charlie Lenhard (Columbus, Ohio/Upper Arlington). After a hot start in the Cal Ripken Sr. Collegiate Baseball League (wood bat league) as a member of the Silver Spring-Takoma (Md.) Thunderbolts, Lenhard continue to carry his squad through a tough season in which they went just 14-26. However, the team caught fire at the right time and went on to win the League Tournament Championship.
Lenhard was named Most Valuable Player of the tournament. He batted .364 (8-22) with five runs scored and five more driven in over six playoff games. He walked two times and was hit by three pitches, recording a .448 on-base percentage in the playoffs.
During the regular season, Lenhard made 37 starts while ranking in the top five in ten offensive categories. He led the team with seven home runs, which also led the league. In fact his team hit just 10 total home runs, with no other player on his team hitting more than one. He also led the team with a 42 hits (second in the league), .540 slugging percentage (third in the league), 22 runs batted in, 74 total bases and 11 hit-by-pitches. His total bases and hit by pitches ranked tops in the league as well. He ranked second with a .307 batting average (13th in the league), a .392 on-base percentage and nine doubles.
Rashard Graves (Indianapolis, Ind./Lincoln Trail) spent his summer playing for the Nashville River Rats in Tennessee. In 40 at-bats over 42 games, he hit an even .300, which ranked sixth on the team and was among the top-40 in the league. He led the team with 14 runs scored and one home run, while ranking third in walks (11) and stolen bases (9). His River Rats team finished 23-19, second in the National division and third overall in the league.
Garrett Knoll (Amherst, Ohio/Amherst Steele) pitched for the Vermilion Veterans of the Erie Shores Collegiate League. As the ace of the pitching staff, he pitched his team to within just a few games of winning the league world series. Selected as an All-Star, he held a record of 7-3 with a 1.00 earned run average. During the summer he had a streak of 24-straight innings without allowing a run. He made 10 starts, pitching six complete games and three shutouts. Over his 70 innings pitched he struck out 77 and walked just 13.
On the professional level, Ross Liersemann (Mansfield, Ohio/Lexington), was selected in the 18th round of the MLB Player Draft by the Florida Marlins and was assigned to the Jamestown Jammers of the New York-Penn League (Class-A Short Season). The Jammers opened their season on June 22 and currently stand at 22-22, three games behind division leader Mahoning Valley. Liersemann is 2-1 in 12 relief appearances and one start. He holds a 3.68 ERA. He has struck out 28 batters and walked just four.
In his only start of the season on August 5 vs. Mahoning Valley, Liersemann went three innings giving up four runs on seven hits in the no decision. Both of his wins have come against Williamsport this season (July 29 and August 2). In the two wins he went a combined 4 1/3 innings giving up one hit and not allowing a run. Both wins were by a final score of 5-3.
