By Paul Gotham
ROCHESTER, NY – Corey Kafka (Mercer University) came to the New York Collegiate Baseball League looking for innings. The Oneonta Outlaws hurler left with the Reliever of the Year honor and a league championship.
After getting less than five innings of work during his freshman season at Mercer, Kafka proved his worth on the fields of the NYCBL. The right-hander started the summer season with five shutout appearances out of the bullpen pitching to just three over the minimum in seven and a third innings of work. The streak continued as he did not allow an earned run for his first nine outings – a stretch consisting of nineteen-plus stanzas.
“He was a real big reason why we were able to get in position to win a championship,” said Oneonta head coach, Joe Hughes. “We felt real comfortable bringing Corey into the game.”
Though making only one start on the season, Kafka finished 4-0 with an ERA of 1.33, 26 strike outs and just eight walks in 27 frames of work. Opposing batters hit a measly .170 against Kafka, and he compiled a WHIP of .89.
“He was an important part of our pitching which was the strongest part of our team,” Hughes added. “Corey did a great job shutting down for us and pitching a gap in the middle innings. He’s got a live arm and a lot of potential.”
When weather conditions dictated numerous postponements and subsequent double-headers, Hughes turned to Kafka for a spot start. He responded with six shutout innings.
“He did everything we asked him to do including that spot start,” Hughes continued. “He’s such a competitor and wants the ball and wants to do well. Those are great attributes for an athlete to have.”
Kafka gave a nod to Atlee Pearson for his success. The Oneonta Outlaws pitching coach helped Kafka make adjustments to his slider and change-up.
“He showed me different ways to throw it,” Kafka said of the adjustments made with his slider. “That was my main out pitch. He also showed me how to get a little speed off my change-up. He kinda tweaked my mechanics and my arm action. That was my out pitch to lefties.”
Kafka received four of eighteen first-place votes. Outlaw teammate, Brandon Agar (North Georgia College & St. University) as well Jeff Beall (Hornell/Urbana) each earned three first-place votes. Jason Gray (Hornell/Webster University) and Kyle McLain (Olean/Washington & Jefferson) grabbed two first-place nods apiece. Zac Connelly (University of Tampa), Ray Messner (Syracuse Salt Cats/Ave Maria), Derek Vail (Olean/Santa Fe CC), and Rob Winemiller (Geneva Red Wings/Case Western Reserve) all garnered one top tally.
“To be named the best reliever out of a lot of the good pitchers that were there, that means the world to me.”
After pitching more than six times the innings he hurled in the spring, Kafka made his last appearance for the Outlaws on July 12th.
The NYCBL is part of the National Alliance of College Summer Baseball (NACSB) which oversees the rules and policies of ten different summer leagues: the Atlantic Collegiate Baseball League, Cape Cod Baseball League, Cal Ripken Collegiate Baseball League, Florida Collegiate Summer League, Great Lakes Collegiate Summer League, New England Collegiate Baseball League, Southern Collegiate Baseball League, Sunbelt Baseball League, and the Valley League Baseball.
Click here to see photos of Corey Kafka and more.
These ten leagues provide a variety of competition levels that help prepare young players for life in professional baseball. One in every six Major League players has spent at least one summer playing in the Cape Cod League.
Click here to view more photos of the NYCBL by BRIANthePHOTOguy.
Current major league players Tim Hudson, Hunter Pence and Rajai Davis all spent a summer in the NYCBL. In all, more than 100 NYCBL alums dot rosters in Major and Minor League Baseball.
The NYCBL, sending players to the pros since 1978.
2013 NYCBL Reliever of the Year votes
Corey Kafka (4) 58
Brandon Agar (3) 50
Jeff Beall (3) 37
Derek Vail (1) 28
Kyle McLain (2) 24
Jason Gray (2) 22
Others receiving votes (arranged in order by total votes):
Rob Winemiller, Zach Augustine (Geneva Red Wings/Johns Hopkins University), Bo Watson (Syracuse Salt Cats/St. Bonaventure), Zac Connelly, Connor Nolan (Syracuse Salt Cats/LeMoyne), Ray Messner, Karney Boff (Geneva Twins/Massachusetts-Dartmouth), Tim Knesnik (Rochester/SUNY Stony Brook), Skyler Geissinger (Sherrill/SIU-Edwardsville), Zach Verner (Geneva Twins/John Carroll), Travis Laitar (Niagara/SUNY Cortland)
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