{"id":29273,"date":"2016-08-01T12:10:32","date_gmt":"2016-08-01T16:10:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/?p=29273"},"modified":"2016-08-01T14:41:21","modified_gmt":"2016-08-01T18:41:21","slug":"staying-sharp-fall-emus-boys-summer-join-rockingham-county-baseball-league","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2016\/staying-sharp-fall-emus-boys-summer-join-rockingham-county-baseball-league\/","title":{"rendered":"Staying sharp for fall, EMU’s ‘boys of summer’ join the Rockingham County Baseball League"},"content":{"rendered":"

When most collegiate baseball players head home, they resign themselves to summers of solo workouts. But for 14 Eastern Mennonite University athletes who have spent their summer playing in the Rockingham County Baseball League, their experience has been a little different: cow-milking contests during the seventh inning, homeruns and foulballs falling into cornfields, Old Order Mennonite girls in a cart pulled by a miniature pony beyond the right field fence and the old-time nostalgia of the packed wooden grandstand at Clover Hill.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe best thing about this, besides the baseball and the talent and skill of the players, is the connection with the community,\u201d says rising junior Brendon Salladay. \u201cIt\u2019s not just parents and friends coming to games. I talk to people around town and they all have their story about how they connect to County League. It\u2019s a real part of this community.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"20160703-Rockingham<\/a>
EMU players on the Futures RCBL All-Star team: Tristan Childress, Jimmy Miller, Zach Roberts, Tyler Wilcher.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The RCBL is a wooden-bat amateur league comprised mostly of current and former collegiate players, with a sprinkling of former minor leaguers and high school players added to the mix. Supported by a cadre of dedicated volunteers, the all-amateur league has been in existence since 1924. Nine teams play a 26-game schedule with playoffs currently in progress.<\/p>\n

The Montezuma Braves have seven EMU players, including Zach Roberts<\/strong>, Brendon Salladay<\/strong>, Kyle Mathews<\/strong>, Cody Gibson<\/strong>, Ryan Hedrick<\/strong>, Kyle Salladay<\/strong> (now playing in the all-collegiate, NCAA-sanctioned Valley League), and 2016 graduate Kyle Armstrong<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Seven others are divided among four teams: Tyler Wilcher<\/strong> and Tristan Childress<\/strong> with the Stuarts Draft Diamondbacks; Clay Atkins<\/strong> and John Dudley<\/strong> with the Luray Cavemen; Adam Marston<\/strong> and Julian Bussells <\/strong>with the New Market Shockers; and Jimmy Miller<\/strong> with the Grottoes Cardinals.<\/p>\n

EMU coaches are former players<\/h3>\n

EMU head coach Ben Spotts<\/strong> helps connect players with managers. Spotts played several seasons in the RCBL before coaching responsibilities ended his playing days, as did assistant coaches (and former ODAC All-State honorees) Ryan McAlister<\/strong> and Adam Posey<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a great way to get reps, learn from older guys and stay in shape for the fall, when you\u2019re expected to come back and prove yourself, even if you had a starting spot last season,\u201d says Armstrong, who has played at Montezuma for four seasons.<\/p>\n

For players, though, the atmosphere is loose, the crowds are impressive, and the roster\u2026 well, let\u2019s just say that\u2019s a little loose, too. Guys play out of their normal positions. Pitchers hit for themselves. It\u2019s an amateur approach by necessity some nights depending on who shows up \u2014 a bit of anarchy among the more traditional (and markedly more successful) utilization of personnel during the college season.<\/p>\n

Summer \u2018reps\u2019 valuable<\/h3>\n

On a regular basis this summer, starting catcher Brendon Salladay has been reminding Montezuma manager Ronnie Brunk that he wants to pitch. This reminder is accomplished by using the universal sign of a player begging to go to the mound, a quick subtle gesture mimicking a throw, which is also usually accompanied by some words designed to encourage the manager that one is well and truly an undiscovered Stephen Strasburg.<\/p>\n

So when he got his chance in a July 22 blowout, entering the final inning with one out, Salladay proved his worth, inducing a ground-out and striking out one. This means, of course, that his ERA is a fabulous 0.00 and that he\u2019ll return to EMU this fall and try to convince his coach that the best use of his talents will be as the Royals No. 1 closer.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m going to hear about it from Ben, I\u2019m sure,\u201d says Brunk.<\/p>\n

\"Cody<\/a>
Cody Gibson at third, with Zach Roberts at short in the background.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Joking aside, Salladay says his time with Montezuma has proven to be a valuable experience. He\u2019s appreciated the time behind the plate, spelled occasionally by teammate Ryan Hedrick, a local in his sixth season with Montezuma.<\/p>\n

Playing time redefined<\/h3>\n

Playing time has been a bonus, too, for Cody Gibson, a pitcher at EMU. In college, the designated hitter rule usually means pitchers don\u2019t hit for themselves. With Montezuma, however, Gibson is Montezuma\u2019s starting third baseman. The former high school shortstop is hitting .254 and hoping to press his case for an infield position next season.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s done well for us there,\u201d says Brunk. \u201cI don\u2019t blame him at all for wanting to see if he can do the job there at EMU. That\u2019s another one I\u2019ll hear about from Ben.\u201d<\/p>\n

One player who is right where he\u2019s supposed to be is shortstop Zach Roberts, a sophomore in his second season with the Braves. \u201cIt\u2019s really fortunate I found this team because I\u2019ve played a lot and benefited from being around Kyle Armstrong and learning from him. It helped me prepare for my first season at EMU, and then being asked to move from second base to shortstop at EMU, playing here has given me reps and a different mindset with the expectation that I\u2019ll play every game in that position.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Braves are in the running for a semi-final spot. Brunk says the team has a good chance of advancement, giving a nod to his EMU contingent for their consistent attendance and skilled contributions.<\/p>\n

\u201cHaving this group of guys here this season has made a big difference,\u201d he said. \u201cThey\u2019re a lot of fun and a good bunch of ballplayers.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When most collegiate baseball players head home, they resign themselves to summers of solo workouts. But for 14 Eastern Mennonite University athletes who have spent their summer playing in the ... read more about Staying sharp for fall, EMU’s ‘boys of summer’ join the Rockingham County Baseball League<\/span><\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":29274,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5176],"tags":[14401],"feature":[17427,17426,17241,17422],"class_list":["post-29273","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-baseball","tag-ben-spotts","feature-emu-home-page-feature","feature-myemu-feature","feature-news-feature","feature-news-landing-page-main-feature"],"yoast_head":"\nStaying sharp for fall, EMU's 'boys of summer' join the Rockingham County Baseball League - EMU News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2016\/staying-sharp-fall-emus-boys-summer-join-rockingham-county-baseball-league\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Staying sharp for fall, EMU's 'boys of summer' join the Rockingham County Baseball League - EMU News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"When most collegiate baseball players head home, they resign themselves to summers of solo workouts. 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