Elkland Fast Pitch Team: News

Here is a list of former Elkland players now on other teams for the 2008 ISC and ISC II World Tournaments that will be in a few weeks in Wisconsin:

1. Gregg Garrity – Ashland Mets (ISC)
2. Bryan Miller – KMV Rise (ISC II)
3. Justin Cevette – KMV Rise (ISC II)
4. Joe Cevette – KMV Rise (ISC II)
5. Gord Scott – Palermo Athletics (ISC II)
6. Chris McColl – Palermo Athletics (ISC II)
7. Jason Whiteley – Ashland Stockpack (ISC II)
8. Dan Konkle – Team Easton (ISC II)
9. Bill Hillhouse – NY Knights (ISC II)
10. Jeff Murphy – Team Easton (ISC II)
11. Mike Sorzickas – CPI (ISC II)
12. Charlie Walseman – CPI (ISC II)
13. Jason Smith – CPI (ISC II) 

Notes:

Here is a catch up of some other former Elkland players and what they are doing this season:

1. John Dry – Dry has spent most of the season with the NY Bombers (20-4) and has also played one weekend with the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
2. Bruce Hackett- Hackett has spent time with both the NY Bombers and the Ricola Cough Drops this season.
3. Mike Makowiec – “Muck” has been playing the ESA Thunderbellys this summer.
4. Hugh Hillhouse – Hugh has pitched in one tournament this season with Erie Budweiser, and is also pitching in the Erie league.
5. Russ Cooley – Russ made a one game appearance in Dunkirk with Erie Budweiser, but has spent most of the season playing in the Erie League.
6. Kevin Brink – retired from the game, and is rumored to be playing baseball now in Olean, NY.

1. Mike Makowiec (Undecided) – “Muck” as he is known in fastpitch circles had a rough year at the plate at times, but ended the season playing shortstop for an open class team, which is no small task for a player in his mid 40’s. At the plate Makowiec hit just .194, but still drove in 18 runs, and had 8 extra base hits, including 3 homeruns. While it is not known if he will continue in tournament play, Muck is assured of returning to the Steve’s Beverage Team in the ESA League in 2008. 

What a team Gets in Makowiec: Muck is a heads up ballplayer that is always thinking two steps ahead of the play. The Thunderbelly’s get a veteran player that can play the infield, has a smooth throwing arm, and at times can still but the ball in the gaps. 

2. Grant Sherman (Undecided) – Grant took the place as one of the most unselfish players ever in Elkland history in 2007, as he sacrificed most of his at-bats this season in order to allow other players get a chance at at-bats. For the season Sherman had only 41 at-bats in 30 games, but totaled 322 putouts and a .979 fielding percentage for the year while handling the combo of Jason Smith and Gregg Garrity behind the plate. Sherman is also a question mark for the ESA League this year, after pitching for the Foghorns last year, and posting a 11-7 pitching record on the mound. 

What a team Gets in Sherman: As good natured a player as there is in the game, Sherman has been playing in tournaments since he was 13 years old, giving him over a decade of experience despite just turning 27 years old. Really can’t see retirement for Sherman, and good chance he will be in uniform for someone. 

3. Russ Cooley (Retirement) – Cooley played the part as a utility player last season for Elkland, and despite being in his 50’s, showed that time cannot slow a man down. Russ batted .250 in 24 games with the team last year, and managed to steal two bases, while also drawing 7 walks. In the field he played a variety of positions from the outfield to the infield and compiled a .950 fielding percentage. More than likely Russ is retiring from tournament play, but there is a good chance he will still play in the Erie (PA) once the season starts. For his 3 full seasons on the Elkland team, Russ batted .257 in 97 career games, and won an NAFA A-Major All-World selection at the 2005 NAFA World Series.

1. Jason Smith (CPI) – a starter for Elkland last year, Smith compiled a 5-6 record on the mound, with a 3.80 ERA, and also received 2 saves on the season.

What CPI gets in Smith: A hard throwing right hander who is trying to sit out this season from ISC competition in order to move down to the ISC II level. No longer the throw every game type of pitcher, but doesn’t have to be on CPI with their current pitching staff. Smith actually looked better in relief this past season with Elkland at times and might very well join CPI as a closer this year.

2. Jason Whiteley (Ashland Merchants) – the starting centerfielder for Elkland last season, “Whitey” batted .298 with 4 homeruns and 13 RBI’s for Elkland.

What Ashland gets in Whiteley:  Whitey is a blue collar type outfielder, who is a very patient hitter and can at times hit for power. He is a veteran of the game and does well in the top half of the order, where he can move runners if the situation calls for it. The #2 hole is his best spot, a bunter, an out of the box quick kind of player; he excels at this spot in the batting order.

3. Bryan Miller (KMV Rise) – A starting infielder on Elkland’s team for the past 5 years, last season Miller hit .455 with 9 homeruns and 24 RBI’s in 34 games

What the Rise gets in Miller: One of the best overall hitters in the game of fastpitch in Pennsylvania. Miller hit 40 homeruns with Elkland in 5 seasons, and his overall RBI total of 122 might nearly have been doubled had he not batted in the leadoff spot during those 5 seasons. Though he has played third base, shortstop, and second base during his Elkland years, Miller is probably best suited for second base at this stage of his career.

4. Justin Cevette (KMV Rise) – A starter all 6 seasons with the Elkland team, Cevette batted .308 last season with 5 homeruns and 30 RBI’s while hitting in the #3 hole for the team.

What the Rise Gets in Cevette: A player who has continually improved as a hitter almost every year since he started playing tournaments in 2002, with last season being the exception (in terms of batting average). Cevette will be out to prove last season was a fluke in batting average, in the last 3 seasons he has the combined number of a .380 batting average, 20 homeruns, and 98 RBI’s in 119 games. Those numbers make Cevette and Miller key acquisitions for the Rise at the ISC II level.

6. John Dry (NY Bombers) – the starting first baseman for Elkland in 3 of the last 4 seasons, Dry batted .299 for Elkland with 2 homeruns and 12 RBI’s in 2007.

What the Bombers get: Presence in the middle of their batting order. Dry, an imposing righty with arms the size of some players legs, Dry can still hit, and has veteran patience at the plate, making him an asset to the Bombers heart of the lineup. In three full seasons with Elkland Dry batted .349, with also drawing 39 walks in 375 plate appearances.

7. Tony Bruce (Knoxville-Ontario A’s) – A starting outfielder for Elkland in all 6 seasons with the team, last season Bruce batted .259 with 4 homeruns while batting out of the #9 spot for Elkland.

What the K-O Athletics get in Bruce: A team player. He doesn’t care if he plays every game of where he bats in the batting order, Tony only worries about whats best for the team, and that makes his weight with a team immeasurable. Tony is a very capable outfielder, especially right field where he has a very good throwing arm. At the plate, he might not lead the team in batting average on a week to week basis, but in the clutch he makes things happen and seems to be on base when the game is on the line.

8. Gregg Garrity (Unsigned) – A pitcher and Designated Hitter for Elkland last season, Garrity compiled a record of 8-6 on the mound with 153 strikeouts in 87.1 innings on the mound. As a batter Garrity hit .343 with 9 homeruns and 26 RBI’s in 25 games for the team.

What a team will get in Garrity: A horse. Garrity should have the nickname of “Bull”, because he knows no bounds when he enters between the white lines of the field. He can throw game after game and hit homerun after homerun when he gets hot at the plate. He can be a fastpitch gypsy, but once you get him on site, he is all business, right down to the protein shakes.

9. Kevin Brink (Unsigned) – An infielder that spent the first half of the season as a second baseman, and the second half as a third baseman, Brink batted .325 with 4 homeruns and 13 RBI’s in 40 games with Elkland in 2007.

What a team will get in Brink: Rumored to either be retiring or playing with the NY Bombers, if Brink does play the team he pays with will get a pesky hitter, with good bunting skills and at times surprising power. Though he played some second base for Elkland last year, he is most comfortable playing third base and could be plugged into the lead off spot with ease.

10. Joe Cevette (KMV Rise, Coach) – His fastpitch days the past few years have been spent mostly coaching, but in 6 seasons with Elkland Cevette batted .259 on a limited playing basis. His coaching record last season was 27-14 with the team.

What the Rise gets in Joe Cevette: Cevette is an organizer, and if the Rise needed help with that aspect of their team, they picked the right guy. Budgets, fund raising, calls to players, Cevette did it all for Elkland. It is unknown if he will just be coaching first base, or helping with other aspects of the Rise, but either way they got a fastpitch coach who has done it all this off season.

11. Bruce Hackett (Ricola) – A first basemen who spent most of last season as an outfielder, Hackett batted .336 with 6 homeruns and 20 RBI’s for Elkland on the senior tournament circuit.

Outfielder Jason Whiteley who played with the Elkland fastpitch Team briefly in 2006, then full time in 2007 has agreed to play with the Ashland Merchants for the 2008 season.

Whiteley appeared in 31 games for Elkland in 2007, batting .298 with 4 homeruns and 13 RBI’s while patrolling centerfield for the team.

The move to the Ashland organization is a good one for Whiteley, as he spends a great deal of time in the state of Ohio with his business. Whiteley is the 8^th player from the Elkland 2007 roster who has now moved onto playing with another team. Here is the running list of players and their new teams:

The rumor mill on the Saskatoon Message Board has revealed that former Elkland Fastpitch pitcher Scot Adams will retire from fastpitch, after helping to win the ISC II Tournament of Champions last season with TNT of South Lebanon (PA).

Adams appeared in games with Elkland in both 2005 and 2006. Between both seasons Adams appeared in 13 games, totaling a 9-2 record with a 2.21 ERA in 63.1 innings. Perhaps his most impressive stat was his strikeouts per 7 innings while with Elkland. Between the two seasons Adams struck out 105 batters in 63.1 innings, good for 11.6 strikeouts per 7 innings pitched.

The news was delivered on the message board by Mike Rohrer, another former Elkland player who also currently is on the TNT roster.

Elkland Fastpitch Team manager Joe Cevette has agreed to join Hoffmans Rise for the 2008 season as a coach. Cevette managed the Elkland Fastpitch Team for 6 season, compiling a 160-98-4 record during that time (a .610 winning percentage).

Cevette was the glue that held together the Elkland team during the last 6 years, adding sponsors, organizing fund raising, contacting tournaments and players, all thankless tasks that helped lead the team to 5 straight winning seasons.

Cevette, a former player, also put his playing time on hold so that he could donate the time needed to manage the team. Despite his managing, Cevette appeared in 127 games during 6 years, and batted .259 with 18 RBI's. Cevette struck out just 19 times in 263 career plate appearances, an average of only 1 strikeout every 13.48 plate appearance.

Team Fastpitch Managing Record
------------------------------
2002 Elkland Fastpitch Team – 25-27-2
2003 Elkland Fastpitch Team – 24-20
2004 Elkland Fastpitch Team – 26-15-2
2005 Elkland Fastpitch Team – 33-10
2006 Elkland Fastpitch Team - 25-12
2007 Elkland Fastpitch Team - 27-14
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Totals (6 Seasons) – 160-98-4 (.610)

Tony Bruce, the Elkland Fastpitch Team's all-time leader in appearances, has decided to play the 2008 season with Knoxville-Ontario Athletics. Bruce, 33, batted .259 last season with Elkland, and hit 4 homeruns with 9 RBI's in 37 games.

Normally an outfielder, Bruce filled in as a catcher late in the year, and was one of the senior members on the team, playing with the team in each of it's 6 seasons of existence. In those 6 seasons Bruce appeared in 242 games, batting .252 with 23 homeruns and 98 RBI's in 622 at-bats. As a fielder, Bruce appeared in 239 games in the field, compiling a .924 fielding percentage.

Bruce Hackett has signed with the Morris Plains; New Jersey based Ricola Cough Drop Fastpitch team for the 2008 season. Hackett had intended on retiring from tournament fastpitch, but quickly discovered that retirement wasn’t really in the cards, and as a call from longtime Ricola player/Manager Doug Smith came, it was evident that Hackett would again be playing fastpitch in 2008.

Hackett is no stranger to the Ricola roster, having played against the team in the past and with current Ricola players Paul Furlong, Chris Mendell, Matt Foster, and Mike Rapacioli before during his days with the Elkland Fastpitch Team and the Olean Lumberkings amateur baseball team. Last season Ricola had a smaller schedule (6 events) than in years past and finished the season with an overall record of 12-11. Last season with the Elkland Fastpitch team, Hackett batted .336 with 6 homeruns and 20 RBI’s in 40 games. Overall Hackett played 6 seasons with Elkland Fastpitch in tournaments, and had a .330 career batting average with 17 homeruns and 123 RBI’s in 240 games with the team.

Hackett had received a couple of other offers from fastpitch teams, but after weighing the options felt that playing for Ricola would be the best fit for him, and would also fit well with his baseball schedule for the summer.

The Ricola team is sponsored by the Ricola Company, a Switzerland based company that has been making herbal candies, such as cough drops for over 60 years. The team has been sponsored by Ricola for the last 18 years. For more information on the Ricola team you can view their website: www.njfastpitch.com

Salamanca, NY- John Dry, the first baseman for the Elkland Fastpitch Team for 3 of the last 4 seasons, has officially joined the NY Bombers for the 2008 season, Last season Dry batted .299 with 2 homeruns and 12 RBI’s in 39 games.

Dry was one of the middle lineup hitters for Elkland, and in his time with the Elkland squad posted a career batting average of .349, with 12 homeruns and 72 RBI’s in 116 games with the team. Dry also posted a fielding percentage of .974 over his career with Elkland, committing only 10 errors in 388 chances.

Elkland, PA- The Elkland Fastpitch Team has decided to fold after 6 straight seasons playing under the town name which is where many of the players on the roster got their start in playing men’s fastpitch softball.

With 2007 being their last season together, the team posted a 27-14 record, placing 2^nd in the 2007 NSA World Series, their highlight for the year. In total over 6 seasons, the team played 262 games, winning 160 of them, good for a .611 winning percentage. Also during those 6 seasons the team played in 7 different states, as well as 4 trips to Canada, including last seasons ISC World Tournament.

Reasons for the teams choice to not have a team in 2008 mostly stemmed from the rising costs of tournament softball, and with no main sponsor in hand, rather than trying to again struggle to raise the money, it seemed the appropriate time to announce this decision, giving current players time to find other teams to play on.

Left on the roster at the end of the season were the following 11 players: Justin Cevette, Bryan Miller, Mike Makowiec, Grant Sherman, Tony Bruce, Bruce Hackett, John Dry, Kevin Brinks, Jason Whiteley, Russ Cooley, and player/manager Joe Cevette.

Miller and Justin Cevette have already signed on to play with Hoffmans Rise for the 2008 season. While other players left from the team have not yet announced their plans for the 2008 season. For some retirement from tournaments will more than likely occur, while others will continue to play the game.

1. Close Knit Group - The Elkland Fastpitch Team used the least number of players ever in their 6 year history this season. Just 19 total players suited up for the team in 2007.

2. Strike One, Two, Three.... - Elkland pitchers struck out a team single season record 394 batters in 40 games this season, an average of 9.85 batters per game.

3. Deep, way back....Gone! - Elkland hit the 2nd most homeruns in a single season, as the team tallied 46 homeruns this year. The team record is 49, set back in 2005.

Overall Season Record- 27-14

Team Record in 1 Run Games- 7-2

Team Record in 2 Run Games- 3-1

Team Record in 3 Run Games- 3-3

Shutouts - 8

Mercy Rule Wins- 6

Team Record vs. US Teams- 20-10

Team Record vs. Canadian Teams- 7-4

Elkland, PA - The Elkland Fastpitch Teams season ended a weekend earlier than expected, as the 2007 Cheektowaga Tournament was cancelled yesterday. Elkland ends the season with an overall record of 27-14 on the season, the second most season wins in the teams 6 year history.

More end of the year results will be added to this page in the coming week.

Tournament Record – 3-2, 3^rd place (out of 16 teams)

Overall Season Record – 27-14

Game #1 Elkland defeats Jersey Shore Merchants 9-1

Game #2 Elkland defeats Wyevale Tribe 7-6

Game #3 Elkland defeats ESA Thunderbelly’s 11-0

Game #4 Elkland loses to Shaggy Dog 9-1

Game #5 Elkland loses to Hoffman’s Rise 13-12

John Dry - .571 (8-14), double, 5 RBI’s

Bruce Hackett - .428 (6-14), 2 doubles, triple, 4 RBI’s

Kevin Brink - .375 (6-16), 2 doubles

Jason Whiteley - .333 (4-12), HR, 3 RBI’s

Bryan Miller - .333 (4-12), double, 2 RBI’s

Dan Konkle - .333 (3-9), double, 2 RBI’s

Darren Rea - .333 (3-9)

Dan Konkle – 2-1, 4.11 ERA, 17 IP, 43 K’s

Darren Rea – 1-1, 11 IP, 15 K’s

*Special thanks goes out to the team to Dan Konkle, Darren Rea, and Eric Hemphill, who all helped out with showing up after several team members were not in attendance.

2007 Season Record (to date) - 24-12

2007 ISC World Tournament Record- 1-3 (22nd Place out of 32 teams)

Game by Game Results

Game #1 – Elkland Loses to Circle Tap 3-0

Game #2 – Elkland Loses to Elmira Cubs 6-0

Game #3 – Elkland Defeats Rice Creek Lightning 4-3

Game #4 – Elkland Loses to Townline 11-0

Elkland Top Hitters

Bryan Miller .555 (5-9)

Justin Cevette .300 (3-10)

Elkland Top Pitchers

Jason Smith – 1-2, 10.2 Innings, 15 strikeouts, 3.93 ERA

Gregg Garrity – 0-1, 1 save, 12.1 Innings, 23 strikeouts

.535 (15-28), 4 doubles, 5 triples, 8 runs, 8 RBI’s

*Had at least one hit in all 8 games the team played at the NSA World Series.

*Had 6 multi hit games, including two 3-hit games at the NSA World Series.

*Broke the team record for hits in a tournament(15), as well as triples in a tournament(5).

.450 (9-20), 5 HR’s, 11 RBI’s

3-1, 1.52 ERA, 18.1 IP, 34 strikeouts

*Garrity had 2 multi homerun games, vs. the Hoffman's Rise and Keating Fitness.

*Pitched a no-hitter with 13 strikeouts vs. SC Tornadoes

*Averaged 1.85 strikeouts per inning at the NSA World Series (as a pitcher)

3-0, 0.85 ERA, 16.1 IP, 29 Strikeouts

*Murphy started 4 games at the 2007 NSA World Series, and actually maintained the lead in his no decision game vs. Hoffmans Rise.

*In his last 9.1 innings of work at the NSA's, Murphy struck out 17 batters.

2007 Season Record - 23-9

2007 NSA World Series Record - 8-1, 2nd place finish

Game by Game Results

Game #1 Elkland Defeats DC Trojans (forfeit victory)
Game #2 Elkland Defeats Westerville Capitals 4-1
Game #3 Elkland Defeats Rathway AC 12-0
Game #4 Elkland Loses to NY Bombers 6-5
Game #5 Elkland Defeats SC Tornadoes 3-0
Game #6 Elkland Defeats Hoffmans Rise 8-7
Game #7 Elkland Defeats Knoxville-Ontario 4-3
Game #8 Elkland Defeats Keatings 5-1
Game #9 Elkland Defeats Adco 5-0

Elkland Top Hitters

Bryan Miller .535 (15-28), 4 doubles, 5 triples, 8 runs, 8 RBI’s

Greg Garrity .450 (9-20), 5 HR’s, 11 RBI’s

Kevin Brink  .416 (10-24), HR, 6 RBI’s

Justin Cevette .375 (9-24), Double, 2 Triples, 7 RBI’s

John Dry .400 (8-20), Double, RBI

Bruce Hackett .318 (7-22), 2 Doubles, HR, 2 RBI’s

Elkland Top Pitchers

Jeff Murphy – 3-0, 0.85 ERA, 16.1 IP, 29 Strikeouts

Greg Garrity – 3-1, 1.52 ERA, 18.1 IP, 34 strikeouts, No-Hitter vs. SC Tornadoes

Jason Smith – 1-0, 4.72 ERA, 13.1 IP, 23 strikeouts