River Hawks in the Futures League

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We have reached what some people call the “Dog Days of Summer” for college baseball players, which also means the end is near for those playing summer ball across the country. Members of the UMass Lowell River Hawks baseball team have spent their summer playing in the Futures Collegiate Summer League. Let’s take a look at how their summer has gone.

Pitcher Nolan Gisler will be entering his sophomore season when he returns to UMass Lowell in the fall. This summer, he is pitching for the Westfield Starfires. His numbers are not that impressive, with an overall record of 0-1 with an ERA of 7.17. In 21.1 IP, he has made nine appearances, four of them starts. He has allowed 20 hits, struck out 18, and walked 15. In those 9 appearances, Gisler has given up runs in 6 of them. Last time out on July 27, in 2.1 IP, he surrendered 7 runs of which 5 were earned, on 3 hits. Walks were a problem as he gave up five of them while striking out one.

With the Norwich Sea Unicorns is catcher Cal Chance. The freshman is hitting .258 in 10 games, going 8-for-31 with 2 doubles and 7 RBI. He has two multi-hit games to his credit, including a three-hit game on July 19. The left-hander hitting the backstop had hits in 5 of his last 10 games. Norwich has won their last 6 in a row.

The Nashua Silver Knights have a couple of players on the team. Junior pitcher Kevin Rourke has a 0-1 record with a 7.13 ERA. In 12 games spanning 17.2 IP, he has allowed 19 hits, walking 11 with 9 strikeouts. In his last 10 appearances, Rourke has given up runs in 6 of them, with 5 of those being multiple-run outings. OF Ryan Strand has a tough month of July. He has played in 10 games this month and has yet to get a base hit, going 0-for-18. He has struck out 8 times in those 18 at-bats, while reaching base 7 times by way of a walk. Overall, Strand is hitting .214, 15-for-70 with zero extra base hits. The Silver Knights have lost their last 10 games.

The bright spot is pitcher Jake LeFrancois of the Worcester Bravehearts. The sophomore RHP pitcher is 5-1 with a 3.11 ERA. In 10 appearances, 7 of them starts, he has pitched 37.2 IP, given up 35 hits, walked 11, and struck out 33. He was an All-Star this summer, throwing an inning, allowing two hits, a run, walking one, and striking out one. He has allowed a run in his last three outings. Worcester is in first place in the league with a 36-15 record.