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Compiled by Allan Simpson (PG Crosschecker) / Andrew Hartwell (College Summer Ball Blogspot)
After four weeks at No. 1, the Coastal Plain League’s Forest City Owls (42-7) have been bumped from the No. 1 spot among the nation’s top summer-league teams. The fast-charging Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox of the Cape Cod League, No. 2 previously but winners of nine straight games, took over the top spot in the weekly Top 25 rankings.
The Red Sox (24-12-1) are more than familiar with the No. 1 ranking. They were the nation’s top-ranked summer team in both 2006 and 2007 after winning back-to-back Cape League titles. Their latest surge has seen them open up a sizeable lead in the Cape’s Eastern Division standings with little more than a week remaining in the regular season, and they have positioned themselves as clearly the team to beat in the Cape’s expanded six-team playoff.
Most of the nation’s top summer leagues have started or are about to embark on post-season play, and it is readily apparent who some of the heavy favorites are to capture league titles. Look no further than the top four teams in this week’s national rankings—the same four clubs have occupied the first four spots the last three weeks. Those clubs went a combined 19-4 over the course of the last week.
Y-D was the only one of the four to go undefeated, though, and leapfrogged past Forest City, which had the misfortune of dropping from the top rung despite losing only one game. The Owls, who tied a CPL record with their 42nd win Tuesday, haven’t lost consecutive games all season—and only once have had as few as three wins between losses. Basking in the limelight of being the nation’s No. 1-ranked team, the Owls have regularly drawn crowds to home games in excess of 2,500 over the last month.
Last year’s No. 1-ranked team, the California Collegiate League’s Santa Barbara Foresters (34-9), are primed to make another run at the top spot after winning six in a row and 12 of 13. The Foresters are set to defend their title at the 75th NBC World Series, which begins Saturday in Wichita, Kan. The Foresters, fourth a week ago, moved past the West Coast League’s Corvallis Knights (39-8), into third. The Knights, who won 31 of 33 at one point this season, dropped two games last week.
We’ll rank the top 25 summer college league teams every Tuesday or Wednesday from 20-plus leagues around the country, and here’s our take on the top teams in Week Seven (last week’s ranking noted in parentheses).
| Rank |
Team |
League |
Record |
| 1 |
Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox (2) |
Cape Cod |
24-12-1 |
| Virginia Tech OF Austin Wates (.354-0-18), second in league in hitting, has been one of big surprises on Cape. |
| 2 |
Forest City (N.C.) Owls (1) |
Coastal Plain |
42-7 |
| App-State RHP Ryan Arrowood (9-0, 2.11) leads CPL in wins, SIU-Edwardsville RHP Spencer Patton with 96 SO. |
| 3 |
Santa Barbara Foresters (4) |
California Collegiate |
34-9 |
| Rice OF Jeremy Rathjen (.296-4-18) leads Foresters in homers, Texas SS Darren Loy (.355-0-13) in batting. |
| 4 |
Corvallis (Ore.) Knights (3) |
West Coast |
39-8 |
| Local JC products, 1B Trevor Ard (.400-4-32) and RHP Trevor Smith (6-0, 2.15), lead Knights in batting, wins. |
| 5 |
Newport (R.I.) Gulls (5) |
New England |
30-10 |
| Washington RHP Andrew Kittredge (3-1, 2.43), Washington State RHP Chad Arnold (3-1, 2.68) have 18 BBs, 89 SOs. |
| 6 |
Bourne Braves (23) |
Cape Cod |
19-15-2 |
| East Carolina 1B Kyle Roller (.331-7-21) in top three in Cape in triple-crown categories, tops league in slugging. |
| 7 |
Vienna (Va.) Senators (7) |
Clark Griffith |
29-9 |
| Tulane freshman 1B Jamie Bruno (.327-8-36) leads league in homers, RBIs, quickly emerging as circuit’s best talent. |
| 8 |
Rochester (Minn.) Honkers (18) |
Northwoods |
35-20 |
| Cal State Fullerton 2B Corey Jones (.291-12-35), Long Beach State RHP Drew Gagnon (4-1, 1.33) leading way. |
| 9 |
Mat-Su Miners (14) |
Alaska |
29-14 |
| Washington State LHP David Stilley (4-1, 2.05), Arkansas RHP Sam Murphy (3-2, 1.12) team’s biggest winners. |
| 10 |
Orleans Firebirds (6) |
Cape Cod |
19-16-1 |
| Oregon State RHP Jorge Reyes (1-2, Cape-best 0.63 ERA), ex-CWS outstanding player, has rediscovered his form. |
| |
| 11 |
Bethesda (Md.) Big Train (15) |
Cal Ripken Sr. |
31-10 |
| 12 |
Lima (Ohio) Locos (16) |
Great Lakes |
25-6 |
| 13 |
El Dorado (Kan.) Broncos (21) |
Jayhawk |
33-8 |
| 14 |
San Luis Obispo (Calif.) Blues (12) |
Independent |
37-11 |
| 15 |
Wareham Gatemen (9) |
Cape Cod |
17-15-5 |
| 16 |
Victoria Generals (24) |
Texas Collegiate |
25-12 |
| 17 |
La Crosse (Wis.) Loggers (11) |
Northwoods |
33-23 |
| 18 |
Outer Banks (N.C.) Daredevils (13) |
Coastal Plain |
30-18 |
| 19 |
Carney (Va.) Pirates (25) |
Clark Griffith |
29-9 |
| 20 |
Amsterdam Mohawks (NR) |
New York Collegiate |
30-12 |
| 21 |
Jersey Pilots (20) |
Atlantic Collegiate |
25-11 |
| 22 |
Cotuit Kettleers (10) |
Cape Cod |
17-16-5 |
| 23 |
DeLand Suns (22) |
Florida Collegiate |
24-11 |
| 24 |
Anchorage Bucs (NR) |
Alaska |
28-18 |
| 25 |
Keene (N.H.) Swamp Bats (NR) |
New England |
27-13 |
UNDER CONSIDERATION: Youse’s Maryland Orioles/Cal Ripken Sr. League (29-12); Wilson Tobs/Coastal Plain League (30-18); Grand Lake Mariners/Great Lakes League (25-9); Chillicothe Mudcats/MINK League (26-14); Mankato MoonDogs/Northwoods League (34-22); Quincy Gems/Prospect League (27-15); Front Royal Cardinals/Valley League (26-14); Staunton Braves/Valley League (25-15); Luray Wranglers/Valley League (24-16); Wenatchee AppleSox/West Coast League (25-12).
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