Webster Yankees: 2008 season at a glance

Whether they realized it or not, Dave Brust’s 2008 Webster Yankees spent their summer proving a theory of Branch Rickey.

It was the former St. Louis Cardinal and Brooklyn Dodger general manager who once declared, “Baseball is a game of inches.”

On the surface the Yanks’ record of 17 wins and 24 losses seems like a lost season.

Time should prove itself as a more accurate gauge of how much these Webster Yankees gained from a New York Collegiate Baseball season of inches.

Of their 41 games played during the months of June and July, 20 were decided by two runs or less. Ten of those games Webster lost by one run. The difference between being a competitive team and a playoff team was measured by an inch here, an inch there, a play here, and a play there.

With a handful of league honors and a host of personal accomplishments, the 2008 Webster Yankees proved themselves as more than worthy adversaries.

Luke Wallace (UMass-Lowell) started the season with a bang. Wallace’s two-run home run in the eighth inning proved the difference as the Yankees opened the season with a 6-4 win in the first game of a doubleheader at Bolivar. Wallace went on to the lead the club with three round-trippers – his third served as a bookend for the season coming in the finale at Hornell. Did someone mention something about keeping an elbow down?

Wallace led five Yankees who went yard on the season.

Drew Hormann (Miami of Ohio) ripped a shot over the left-center field fence in a Yankee victory over the Niagara Power on June 29th. Hormann would fall a single short of the cycle that afternoon.

Hormann’s college teammate, Kyle Weldon, slapped a solo shot in a losing effort against Hornell. Weldon finished the season hitting .282 with 12 RBI. Weldon collected four hits in the Yanks victory over Elmira in the first game of a doubleheader on July 6th.

Ryan Sullivan went deep twice in a later triumph over the Power. Sullivan earned NYCBL Player-of-the-Day honors as he went three for four with five RBI and three runs scored.

Sullivan was one of five Yankees to earn the NYCBL honor.

Aaron Etchison (Ball State) nabbed the award early in June when the red-shirt freshman from Pendleton, Indiana slapped a one-out bases loaded double to help the home nine come back from a five-run deficit to defeat eventual NYCBL champ, Brockport.

‘Etch’ finished the campaign with eight doubles and eight RBI.

Adam ‘Bomber’ Curynski (So. Illinois) tossed a complete-game shutout on June 29th to earn the NYCBL honor. Coupled with eight shutout innings earlier in the week, ‘Bomber’ garnered the Western Division Pitcher-of-the Week. Going 16 innings for the week without allowing a run, ‘Bomber’ lowered his ERA to 1.34. Curynski finished the summer with 34 strike outs and 21 walks in 54.2 innings of work. ‘Bomber’ tossed one inning in the NYCBL All-Star Game and was credited with the win as the West topped the East 9-5.

John Kenny (Hofstra) also earned dual-league honors. The speedy outfielder went six for nine with a walk-off single as the Yanks swept a double header from the Elmira Pioneers on July sixth. The Franklin Valley, New York native led the league with 13 hits for the week including one home run and seven RBI for Player-of-the-Week honors. Kenny had four multi-hit games and a pair each of multi-RBI and runs scored contests in the seven-day period. The sophomore led the club with 24 base on balls and 28 runs scored.

Steve Muoio’s (Georgia College) team-leading batting average of .375 was good enough for third in the league. Muoio paced the Yanks with 48 hits, 20 RBI, and 12 extra base hits.

Cory Brownsten (Pittsburgh) and TJ Baumet blazed a trail with three triples a piece.

Brownsten finished the summer with 19 RBI and 19 runs scored.

Baumet proved his ability to perform in the clutch collecting nine two-out hits for the season and producing nine RBI in those situations.

Matt Zahel (Toledo) finished the season hurling 16 and a third consecutive shutout frames. He posted a team-leading ERA of 1.65 – striking out 26 while walking 12 in 32 and two-thirds innings of work.

Sam Dawes (Miami of Ohio) won three games and saved two for the season. Dawes struck out 35 and walked 14 in 35 innings of work. The southpaw put opposing hitters in lock down holding them to a miniscule average of .190.

Pat Urckfitz also saved two before his NYCBL season was cut short when he signed a contract with the Houston Astros of Major League Baseball. In seven appearances for Webster Urckfitz fanned 25 and walked five in 14.2 innings of work. Since leaving the NYCBL the left hander has made 10 appearances for the Greenville Astros of the Appalachian League. Urckfitz’s professional line currently stands at 15 strike outs, six walks and an ERA of 1.54 in 11.2 frames of work.

Ryan Schreiber (Mercyhurst) and Dom Sapp (Monroe CC) joined the club after the departure of Urckfitz.

Schreiber worked 27 and third stanzas picking up the win in the second game of the doubleheader sweep of Elmira.

Sapp introduced NYCBL hitters to his ‘ghost’ pitch while working 24 and two thirds for the season. With his variation of a change up Sapp struck out 27 and finished with a record of 2-1 and an ERA of 2.19.

Versatility belonged to Geoff Dornes (R.I.T). After running down a fly ball forty yards away in foul territory, the lefty from Landisville, Pennsylvania drove in the winning run with two outs in the ninth as the Yanks topped Brockport on July 29th. After getting the job done at the plate, Dornes took the hill and closed out the game for his first save of the season. The two-time Empire 8 Conference Player-of-the-Year finished the season with 34 hits and a batting average of .301. He struck out 25 and walked 10 in 43 innings of work on the mound.

Theft became the department of Shawn Bailey (Cortland St.). The Webster, NY native led the team with eight stolen bases in ten attempts.

Give Adam Perlo (Hofstra) credit for timeliness. Mired in a slump the native of Fairport, NY busted out with a pair of RBI against Niagara and a rally-hopping single in the Webster comeback victory over Brockport.

The Webster infield turned 27 double plays for the season. Mark Wiggins (UMass-Lowell) had a hand in several of those efforts. The freshman also slapped four doubles and a triple on the season.

Fearlessness was provided by Jacob Bernath (Toledo). After taking a line drive in the jaw, the lefty recovered and finished the season striking out 19 and walking 12 in 30 innings work.

Inspiration came from Dustin Ramey (UMass-Lowell). Less than a year and a half removed from ‘Tommy John’ surgery to replace the ulnar collateral ligament in his pitching elbow, Ramey went on to lead the club with four victories. Webster fans watched as Ramey pitched in a game for the first time since the procedure. Starting out on a pitch count and working three innings for his first two appearances of the summer, Ramey would eventually work his way up to five innings. In 31.2 stanzas of work Ramey fanned 29 and walked 9.

Perseverance became a close friend of Anthony Gionesi (Hofstra). The big right hander from North Bellmore, New York worked 47.2 innings on the season (second only to Curynski). He struck out 30 and walked 17, yet for all his efforts came away without a win for the season.

In the final count the Yankee efforts could be best measured against the top teams of the Western Division.

Webster finished the ’08 season with a record of four wins and two losses against eventual the league champion Brockport. The Riverbats won six of their seven post-season games including two of three against Eastern Division foe, Glens Falls.

The home nine finished one and five against first-place Hornell, but four of those losses were decided by a total of five runs.

Western Division champions have won three of the last four NYCBL titles with Elmira taking the crown last year and Hornell winning in 2005.

Lost in all the statistics and numbers could be the efforts of Brust and his assistants, Bob Shaffer and Dave Parlet. Shaffer lent his insights to the young pitching corps. Parlet shared pearls with the hitters. And Brust steadied the ship over rough waters. It was these three sages who allowed the young players to gain the full benefit of the 2008 season.

The 2008 Webster Yankees can wear their lessons with pride knowing that Branch Rickey is looking down nodding in approval. Not everyone gets a chance to learn the value of an inch.