University of Richmond Athletics
Photo by: Spiders Athletics
2020 Summer Baseball Wrap-up
08/20/2020 | Baseball
RICHMOND, Va. – In an unprecedented 2020 season, the Richmond baseball team competed in just 17 games before the season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The 17-game regular season was the least amount of games played in a season since the 1962 season which made summer baseball that much more important. Several Spiders competed in leagues across the country, with many leagues adopting new playing styles to allow student-athletes the chance to play.
The Northwoods League in the Midwest was one of the many leagues that had to alter its traditional schedule to allow games to be played. Traditionally, the NWL competes in 72 games each summer in a two-division, 21-team league. This season, pod systems were implemented for competition. The league was divided up into six pods, with Spiders competing in three of those. Bismarck, North Dakota, the traditional summer home of the Bismarck Larks, expanded its hosting abilities to house three teams during 2020. The trifecta of Larks, Bull Moose and the Mandan Flickertails competed against one another throughout the summer at Bismarck Municipal Stadium and was the home for three Spiders this summer.
Jacob Marcus (Malvern, Pa.) and Johnny Hipsman (Chester, N.Y.) competed with the Traverse City Pit Spitters, the 2019 Northwoods League Champions. Traverse City implemented a similar schedule to Bismarck, with attempts to host three teams for the summer. After the first week of scheduled play, the season was suspended for two weeks and the three teams were consolidated to two. The Pit Spitters and Great Lakes Resorters competed against one another throughout the summer. The Kenosha Kingfish also implemented a two-team summer series which housed the traditional Kingfish and the expansion K-town Bobbers. Jordan Schulefand (Parkland, Fla.), originally slated to play with the Madison Mallards, competed with the Bobbers.
Anthony Forte (Hoffman Estates, Ill.) was a late add to the San Antonio Flying Chanclas roster of the Texas Collegiate League. The Chanclas originated from Minor League Baseball's MiLB's Copa de la Diversion as an alternative to the San Antonio Missions, the Triple-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. Forte and the Chanclas competed at Nelson W. Wolff Municipal Stadium, home of the Missions since 1994.
Due to the pandemic, some student-athletes played in leagues where statistics were not as readily available. Retuner Peyton Sanderson (Austin, Texas) returned to his home state of Texas to play in the CenTex Collegiate Baseball League with the Action Baseball Club. Sanderson's team was scheduled to play 22 regular season games across the Lone Star State. Mason Majors (Kansas City, Mo.) competed with Regal Plastic in the Ban Johnson League in the Kansas City area. As of the end of July, Majors had seven strikeouts through three innings without allowing a run.
Newcomer Colby Wyatt (Glendale, Ariz.) also competed near his hometown, taking part of the Arizona Collegiate Wood Bat League. Freshmen Dane Armson and Jordan Dissin competed in the Baseball U PA Collegiate Summer League as members of the Orange team. The two Spiders helped lead the Orange team to a championship game appearance and a league-best 13-5 record. Dissin finished with a. .297 average, nine RBI and three triples.
Antonio Balducci (Mechanicsville, Va.) – Bismarck Bull Moose – Northwoods LeagueMade seven appearances out of the Bull Moose bullpen
Struck out 15 hitters in 11.1 innings of work
Worked a summer-high of 2.1 innings in his final appearance, striking out three hitters
Struck out a season-high three hitters in three appearances
Threw at least one inning in all seven appearances
The Northwoods League in the Midwest was one of the many leagues that had to alter its traditional schedule to allow games to be played. Traditionally, the NWL competes in 72 games each summer in a two-division, 21-team league. This season, pod systems were implemented for competition. The league was divided up into six pods, with Spiders competing in three of those. Bismarck, North Dakota, the traditional summer home of the Bismarck Larks, expanded its hosting abilities to house three teams during 2020. The trifecta of Larks, Bull Moose and the Mandan Flickertails competed against one another throughout the summer at Bismarck Municipal Stadium and was the home for three Spiders this summer.
Jacob Marcus (Malvern, Pa.) and Johnny Hipsman (Chester, N.Y.) competed with the Traverse City Pit Spitters, the 2019 Northwoods League Champions. Traverse City implemented a similar schedule to Bismarck, with attempts to host three teams for the summer. After the first week of scheduled play, the season was suspended for two weeks and the three teams were consolidated to two. The Pit Spitters and Great Lakes Resorters competed against one another throughout the summer. The Kenosha Kingfish also implemented a two-team summer series which housed the traditional Kingfish and the expansion K-town Bobbers. Jordan Schulefand (Parkland, Fla.), originally slated to play with the Madison Mallards, competed with the Bobbers.
Anthony Forte (Hoffman Estates, Ill.) was a late add to the San Antonio Flying Chanclas roster of the Texas Collegiate League. The Chanclas originated from Minor League Baseball's MiLB's Copa de la Diversion as an alternative to the San Antonio Missions, the Triple-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. Forte and the Chanclas competed at Nelson W. Wolff Municipal Stadium, home of the Missions since 1994.
Due to the pandemic, some student-athletes played in leagues where statistics were not as readily available. Retuner Peyton Sanderson (Austin, Texas) returned to his home state of Texas to play in the CenTex Collegiate Baseball League with the Action Baseball Club. Sanderson's team was scheduled to play 22 regular season games across the Lone Star State. Mason Majors (Kansas City, Mo.) competed with Regal Plastic in the Ban Johnson League in the Kansas City area. As of the end of July, Majors had seven strikeouts through three innings without allowing a run.
Not much sweeter than this sound from @p_sand11. Sanderson hit for the cycle during this doubleheader last week. His summer with @ActionBaseball wrapped up earlier this month #OneRichmond pic.twitter.com/1efPPgd3Dx
— Richmond Baseball (@SpiderBaseball) July 21, 2020
Newcomer Colby Wyatt (Glendale, Ariz.) also competed near his hometown, taking part of the Arizona Collegiate Wood Bat League. Freshmen Dane Armson and Jordan Dissin competed in the Baseball U PA Collegiate Summer League as members of the Orange team. The two Spiders helped lead the Orange team to a championship game appearance and a league-best 13-5 record. Dissin finished with a. .297 average, nine RBI and three triples.
Antonio Balducci (Mechanicsville, Va.) – Bismarck Bull Moose – Northwoods League
Student-Athletes. There's a reason why "student" is first in that phrase.
— Bismarck Larks 😷 (@bismarcklarks) July 25, 2020
Bull Moose pitcher, Antonio Balducci, always keeps his school books in the dugout as he prepares for the MCAT.
The Medical College Admission Test is no joke. We support you, @A_Balducci21! 🤝👨⚕️💛 pic.twitter.com/7bPTHtUwc0
- Made eight appearances on the hill with six starts for the Bull Moose
- Logged 26.2 innings, earning a 3.71 ERA and struck out 26 hitters
- Struck out at least one hitter in all eight appearances
- Worked a season-long 5.0 innings with eight strikeouts in a start against Mandan
- Struck out four on two occasions against the Larks
- 2020 was his fourth summer playing for the Bismarck Larks
- Hit for a team-best .375 average in 26 games manning the outfield
- Team-high 35 runs scored and 17 stolen bases
- 11 multi-hit efforts throughout the season
- Season-best four hits in two games, going 4-for-5 and scoring three times in each game
- Drove in four runs in a 2-for-4 effort during a 13-4 win over the Bull Moose, scoring three times and hitting a home run
- All-time NWL record holder with 169 runs scored in his career
- Appeared in five games making four starts for Traverse City
- Earned a 1.80 ERA in 20.0 innings of work
- Scattered just eight hits and allowed four earned runs, recording a 0.80 WHIP
- Fanned multiple hitters in all five appearances
- Struck out a season-high six in route to earning the win after 6.0 shutout innings
- Traverse City was 4-1 in his five appearances on the hill
- Played in 22 games with the Pit Spitters
- Hit for a .230 average with 12 RBI and scored 14 runs
- Led the team with three triples and 14 stolen bases
- Five multi-hit games including a season-best 3-for-4 game with a triple, an RBI and scored a run
- Season-high three stolen bases twice
- Ended the summer on a three-game hit streak, driving in four runs, drawing five walks and stealing four bases
- Played in 12 games with the K-town Bobbers, going 6-6 while in the dairy state
- Hit for a .231 average in 39 at bats with a double, four RBI, scored six times and hit two home runs
- Three multi-hit performances including a 2-for-5 game with a double, a homer, an RBI, and scored twice
- Went 1-for-3 with a home run and was hit by a pitch in a game where he made a diving catch in the left-center field gap
- Played in 16 games, getting 63 at bats, earning 14 base hits primarily playing corner outfield positions
- Went for extra bases twice with a pair of doubles
- Drove in three runs, scored seven times and stole two bases
- Burst onto the scene with a pair of 3-hit performances with a double, driving in a total of three runs
- Season-long four-game hitting streak
- Appeared in 16 of the Patriots 18 games playing third base and first base
- Hit for a .341 average with five extra-base hits, four RBI and scored seven times
- Drew five walks and earned a .950 OPS
- Season-long three-game hit streak, going 8-for-11 with a double, two triples and scored twice during the middle of July
- Ended the regular season by going 2-for-4 with a double, two RBI and scored a run
- Threw an inning of relief on the mound, picking up a strikeout
- Played in 17 games, catching and as the designated hitter
- Hit for a .383 average with 12 RBI, scored 11 times and hit for a .617 slugging percentage and a 1.048 OPS
- Hit his first home run of the summer in his second game, a three-run blast
- Over the final 11 games, hit for a .457 average going 16-for-25 with three doubles, a triple and a home run
- Led the Patriots with 26.0 innings pitched, appearing in 10 games getting five starts
- Earned a 3-2 record with a 3.12 ERA and 24 strikeouts
- Made eight appearances during the regular season, throwing 20.0 innings earning a 1.80 ERA
- Season-long 5.0 innings pitched in two games
- Struck out a season-high six hitters in the regular season finale against the eventual league champion Lakeside Sluggers
- Struck out multiple hitters in seven of 10 appearances
- Played in 22 games playing all around the infield
- Drove in four runs in 40 at bats throughout the summer
- Scored eight runs and drew nine walks
- Earned a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage while playing second base and third base
- Appeared in seven games making one start
- Threw a total of 8.1 innings allowing just four hits and one earned run
- Struck out 15 hitters while earning a team-best 1.08 ERA amongst pitchers making multiple appearances
- Struck out multiple hitters in six of seven appearances working no more than two innings in any outing
- Struck out a season-high four hitters in 2.0 innings of work to close out the summer
- Back-to-back appearances where every out was recorded via strikeout
- Earned the win after throwing 2.0 innings with three strikeouts to close out July
- Played in all 16 games for the Colts this summer
- Tied for the team lead with two home runs and drove in nine
- Earned a 2:1 BB:K ratio, drawing eight walks
- Stole two bases and scored seven times
- Drove in a season-high three runs in a 1-for-2 performance with two runs scored and a homer in a 12-3 win
- Finished 2-for-5 with a homer, an RBI and scored once in another Colt victory
- Appeared in six games making five starts on the mound
- Did not allow an earned run in four of six appearances
- Went 2.0 or more innings and struck out three or more hitters in all six appearances
- Struck out a season-high seven in 3.1 innings
- Began the summer with six strikeouts over 3.0 innings without allowing a hit
- Appeared in all 16 games for the Colts playing on the infield
- Tallied eight hits, two for extra-bases and drove in six runs
- Swiped a base and scored seven runs throughout the summer
- Went 2-for-3 with an RBI and scored twice in a 12-3 win
- Drove in a run in three-straight games, and went on a three-game hit streak during that stretch
Matthew Plisko (Alpharetta, Ga.) – Bismarck Bull Moose – Northwoods League – Transfer From Macalester College
Wyatt Ulrich (International Falls, Minn.) – Bismarck Larks – Northwoods League – Transfer from St. John's (Minn.)
Wyatt Ulrich played his last game in Bismarck this week.
— Bismarck Larks 😷 (@bismarcklarks) August 16, 2020
Wyatt, thank you for allowing us to be part of your journey. You represent yourself and all of Bismarck with the upmost class.
We asked him what he'll remember about his time as a Lark and how he hopes we remember him.💛 pic.twitter.com/B5cCE4rQXa
Jacob Marcus (Malvern, Pa.) – Traverse City Pit Spitters – Northwoods League
Johnny Hipsman (Chester, N.Y.) – Traverse City Pit Spitters – Northwoods League
Jordan Schulefand (Parkland, Fla.) – K-town Bobbers – Northwoods League
Have a day, kid. @Jschulefand with his second homer of the season and robbed an extra-base hit with a diving catch in the gap last night for the K-Town Bobbers #OneRichmond pic.twitter.com/TYTbmdouzh
— Richmond Baseball (@SpiderBaseball) July 26, 2020
Anthony Forte (Hoffman Estates, Ill.) – San Antonio Flying Chanclas – Texas Collegiate League
Another huge one at The Wolff! Here's the @FrostBank lineup for the rubber game between Chanclas and @sodpoodles. San Antonio enters Thursday just a half game behind both @bv_bombers and @RRHairyMen in the South with just four games left. pic.twitter.com/ToZWBrGWpl
— Flying Chanclas de San Antonio (@missionsmilb) July 30, 2020
Justin Cook (Virginia Beach, Va.) – Churchill Patriots – Piedmont League
Zach Lass (Mechanicsville, Va.) – Churchill Patriots – Piedmont League
Matthew Haines (Mechanicsville, Va.) – Churchill Patriots – Piedmont League
Mark Ready (Dallas, Texas) – Delray Beach Lightning – South Florida Collegiate Baseball League
Sammy Senders (Potomac, Md.) – Koa Green Wave – Maryland Collegiate Baseball League
Good to see the reemergence of #SouthpawSammy with a couple groundouts in his outing tonight. Only struck out 1/3 outs in a 12 pitch scoreless frame #OneRichmond pic.twitter.com/IPxibZdRnC
— Richmond Baseball (@SpiderBaseball) July 26, 2020
Jason Neff (West Palm Beach, Fla.) – Wellington Colts – Collegiate League of the Palm Beaches
The Colts strike first as Jason Neff blasts a 2 run homerun to left field and now lead this game 2-0 still looking to add more here in this first inning #CLPB #DoSummerBallDifferent
— CL of Palm Beaches (@CLPalmBeaches) July 25, 2020
Jeremy Neff (West Palm Beach, Fla.) – Wellington Colts – Collegiate League of the Palm Beaches
Jeremy Neff (#20) with his 4th K of the game to get out of a bases-loaded jam in the bottom of the 2nd against the Vipers. Score still 0-0. #CLPB #DoSummerBallDifferent pic.twitter.com/jwGwNkZWPL
— CL of Palm Beaches (@CLPalmBeaches) August 4, 2020
Drew Beno (Loxahatchee, Fla.) – Wellington Colts – Collegiate League of the Palm Beaches
The Colts get their first run of the game in the top of the 7th! RBI single from Drew Beno. Vipers-2 Colts-1 #CLPB #DoSummerBallDifferent pic.twitter.com/jwIgaa8MwM
— CL of Palm Beaches (@CLPalmBeaches) July 8, 2020
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