Jan. 9, 2004

Here’s a final look at 2003 summer baseball stats for current and former Notre Dame baseball players (the pro player stats follow below the summer wooden-bat league recaps):

Final Notre Dame baeball stats in 2003 summer leagues:

Matt Macri (Brewster Whitecaps, Cape Cod League) – finished second in the CCL with 7 HRs (behind the 11 by USC’s Joey Metropoulos, with Falmouth) … chosen for the CCL home run derby … hit mostly in the 3-hole … played at 3B, with team featuring two other college starting SS … helped Brewster share Eastern Division title (24-17-3) … hit .172 (21-for-122) on squad with .231 team batting avg., plus 23 runs, 7 home runs, 1 triple, 4 doubles, 16 RBI, 30 walks, 8-of-11 stolen bases in 36 games played … saw his summer season end due to hand injury in late July.

Chris Niesel (Falmouth Commodores, Cape Cod League) – served in new role as bullpen ace, ranking 5th in the CCL with 7 saves … also posted 1-4 record in 13 games (3 starts), with 33 strikeouts, 11 walks and 24 hits allowed in 26.1 innings … team finished 16-26.

John Axford (Cotuit Kettleers, Cape Cod League) – joined CCL in midseason after completing training with the Canadian National Team … made 7 appearances with Cotuit (9.00, 1-0, 9 IP, 4 H, 16 BB, 8 Ks) … team finished 20-21.

Javi Sanchez (Madison Mallards, Northwest League) – helped team win first-half league title, en route to 38-26 final record …split time at C/3B while playing in front of large crowds that numbered up to 4,000 … hit .262 (50-for-191) on squad with .257 team batting avg. … added 19 R, 2 2B, 26 RBI, 17 BB, 9-16 SV, a .272 slugging pct., .325 on-base pct. and 10 errors in 53 games played.

Joe Thaman (Madison Mallards, Northwest League) – hit .215 (28-for-130) with 12 RBI (48 GP, 13 R, 7 2B, HR, 13 BB, 5-7 SB, .292 slugging, .301 on-base, 6 Es).

Tyler Jones (Madison Mallards, Northwest League) – made 10 appearances (4 starts) with 15 Ks in 32 IP (8.72, 0-4, 4 HB, 12 BB, 3 WP, .368 opp. avg.).

Tom Thornton (Newport Gulls, New England Baseball League) – ranked 4th on staff with 2.91 ERA in 9 appearances and 8 starts (3-1, 2 complete games, 1 shutout, 52.2 IP, 48 H, 23 BB, 43 Ks, .247 opp. batting, 1 WP, 1 HB, 25-14 team record).

Martin Vergara (Sanford Mainers, New England Baseball League) – made 7 relief appearances and 1 start, with a 3.21 ERA (1-0, 14 IP, 11 H, 8 BB, 7 Ks, .220, WP, 28-13 team record).

Craig Cooper (Hays Larks, Jayhawk League) – enjoyed stellar summer while playing LF and batting in 2 and 3 hole for most of season … stayed with Flax family that has hosted several previous ND players … team won league title (22-6), posted 39-10 overall record and placed 2nd at regional tournament before reaching final six at annual National Baseball Congress World Series in Wichita … led team in stolen bases (24-of-27) while ranking 2nd in RBI (38) and 3rd in batting (.337, 57-for-169), HRs (5), slugging (.527) and on-base (.413), plus 42 R, 5 3B, 7 2B, 20 BB and .939 fielding (4 Es) on squad that owned .299 team batting avg. and 42-12 final record.

Cody Rizzo (Hays Larks, Jayhawk League) – saw his summer cut short by foot injury (7 GP/6 GS, .174, 4-for-23, 4 R, 2 2B, 2 RBI, BB, 1-1 SB).

Greg Lopez (Delaware Cows, Great Lakes League) – hit .268 (22-for-82) as infield on squad with .296 team batting avg. and 26-15 final record (30 GP, 13 R, 4 2B, 6 RBI, 5 BB, 1-1 SB, .337 OB, .317 slugging).

Ryan Doherty (Delaware Cows, Great Lakes League) – dominant closer, allowing just one earned run for a 0.46 ERA while racking up 28 Ks in 19.2 IP (8 GP/1 GS, 3 saves, 10 H, 5 BB, 1 HB, 1 WP, 2.75 team ERA).

Brennan Grogan (Delaware Cows, Great Lakes League) – saw his summer cut short by hamstring injury (4 GP, 2-for-7, 2-2 SB).

Matt Edwards (Waynesboro Generals, Shenedoah League) – hit .300 in second half of summer to raise batting avg. to .207, while playing 3B, SS and 1B (28 GP/27 GS, 19-for-92, 7 R, 3 2B, 3 RBI, .239 slugging, 9 BB, .291 OB, .909 fielding, 6 Es) … injury-riddled team finished 13-27, with .217 team batting avg.

Scott Bickford (Waynesboro Generals, Shenedoah League) – posted 3.00 ERA in 12 relief appearances (1-0, 18 IP, 16 H, 5 BB, 16 Ks, .222, 2 WP, 2 HB).

Matt Bransfield (Colorado Sox, Rocky Mountain League) – hit cleanup while ranking among top hitters in entire National Baseball Congress, spanning 16 leagues across the nation … his 9 regular-season HRs tied for the national lead among all NBC teams (he finished with 12 total HRs) … also ranked 4th in the NBC regular-season rankings for RBI (36), 9th in batting (.381) and 8th in hits (32) … hit 4-for-11 at the NBC World Series (2 HR, 4 RBI, 3 R, 2 BB) … team finished 25-15 overall and 2nd in the RML (19-8).

Final Notre Dame baseball stats in 2003 pro baseball leagues:

Kris Billmaier (Lakeland Tigers; Detroit class-A) – hit .205 in 32 games played (16-for-78, 13 R, 3 2B, HR, 11 RBI, 13 BB, 2 SB).

Matt Bok (South Georgia Waves; L.A. Dodgers class-A) – hit .195 in 31 games (15-for-77, 11 R, 3 2B, 3B, HR, 8 RBI, 11 BB, SB) … also played 4 games with class-A Ogden Raptors (3-for-8, 2 R, 2B, 2 RBI, BB).

Andrew Bushey

Andrew Bushey (Tri-City Dust Devils; Colorado Rockies class-A) – hit .224 in 39 games (33-for-147, 18 R, 4 2B, 9 RBI, 16 BB, 2 SB) … also played 4 games with single-A Ashville Tourists (0-for-8, 2 R, RBI, 3 BB).

Craig Counsell

Craig Counsell (Arizona Diamondbacks) – hit .234 in season cut short by injury (89 GP, 71-for-303, 40 R, 6 2B, 3 3B, 3 HR, 21 RBI, 41 BB, 11 SB).

Paul O’Toole (Daytona Cubs, Chicago class-A) – hit .185 in 49 games (23-for-125, 11 R, 4 2B, 11 RBI, 19 BB, 3 SB) … also played 8 games with single-A Lansing Lugnuts (9-for-25, .360, 3 R, 2B, 3 RBI, 3 BB, 2 SB).

Paul O’Toole

Steve Stanley

Steve Stanley (Midland Rockhounds, Oakland A’s double-A) – hit .296 in 124 games (142-for-479, 68 R, 10 2B, 3 3B, 39 RBI, 56 BB, 13 SB) … named to league all-star game.

Brian Stavisky (Kane County Cougars, Oakland A’s single-A) – hit .266 in 98 games (88-for-331, 54 R, 20 2B, 2 3B, 6 HR, 35 RBI, 62 BB, 4 SB) … named to all-star game and postseason MVP.

Brant Ust

Brant Ust (Toledo Mud Hens, Detroit Tigers triple-A) – hit .253 in 86 games (75-for-296, 26 R, 25 2B, 2 3B, 5 HR, 31 RBI, 14 BB, SB) … also plated 45 games with double-A Erie Sea Wolves (.286, 46-for-161, 24 R, 11 2B, 2 3B, 5 HR, 25 RBI, 7 BB, 2 SB).

J.P. Gagne (Tri-City Dust Devils, Colorado Rockies single-A) – posted 3.63 ERA and 16 saves in 34.2 innings (1-2, 32 GP, 35 H, 8 BB, 21 Ks).

Former Notre Dame pitcher Aaron Heilman followed Christian Parker and Brad Lidge as the third former Notre Dame pitcher from the Paul Mainieri era to pitch in the Major Leagues.

Aaron Heilman (New York Mets) – made debut in Major Leagues, with 6.75 ERA in 65.1 IP (2-7, 14 GP/13 GS, 79 H, 41 BB, 51 Ks) … also pitched 94.1 IP with triple-A Norfolk Tides (3.24, 6-4, 16 GS, 99 H, 32 BB, 71 Ks).

Ryan Kalita (Chicago Cubs rookie ball) – started pro career after summer illness (0.2 IP, 5 R, 3 R, BB).

Tim Kalita (Erie Sea Wolves, Detroit Tigers triple-A) – posted 4.93 ERA in 50.1 IP (0-5, 15 GP/10 GS, 75 H, 23 BB, 47 Ks).

Former Irish pitcher Brad Lidge picked up the win as the fourth of six pitchers in the Houston Astros’ historic no-hitter vs. the New York Yankees and is a top candidate for NL rookie of the year.

Brad Lidge (Houston Astros) – ranked as one of MLB’s top rookies in his first full season with the Astros, posting 3.60 ERA in 85 IP (6-3, SV, 78 GP, 60 H, 42 BB, 97 Ks).

Chris Michalak (Colorado Springs Sky Sox, Rockies triple-A) – posted 4.41 ERA in 120.1 IP (7-9, SV, 24 GP/18 GS, 138 H, 44 BB, 72 Ks) … also pitched with Louisville Bats, triple-A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds (5.13, 2-1, 9 GP/3 GS, 26.1 IP, 35 H, 5 BB, 18 Ks).

Christian Parker (Columbus Clippers, Yankees triple-A) – posted 4.90 ERA in 108.1 IP (7-6, 19 GS, 135 H, 44 BB, 41 Ks) … also pitched with double-A Trenton Thunder (2,83, 1-2, 5 GS, 28.2 IP, 17 H, 11 BB, 9 Ks) and single-A Tampa Yankees (1.80, 0-0, 1 GS, 5 IP, 6 H, BB, 6 Ks).

Christian Parker

Danny Tamayo (Wichita Wranglers, Kansas City Royals single-A) – named a league all-star en route to 4.56 ERA in 154 IP (11-14, 27 GP/26 GS, 159 H, 56 BB, 95 Ks).