The Bethesda Big Train’s Eli Boike (Michigan State) has been named the Cal Ripken, Sr. Collegiate Baseball League Most Valuable Player for the 2009 season. The Alexandria Aces’ Jonathan Abramson (San Francisco) and Youse’s Orioles’ Sander Beck (Maryland) have been named the Cal Ripken, Sr. League Co-Most Outstanding Pitchers for 2009.

Although he finished as the runner-up for the batting title to Bethesda teammate Luke Adkins (Mississippi State), Boike led the League with 56 hits while posting a .371 batting average. He also led the League with 18 stolen bases, while finishing second in on-base percentage (.450), second in runs scored (44), second in total bases (78), and third in RBI (34). Boike’s 12 doubles were fourth most in the League. The rightfielder failed to reach base just twice in 39 starts for the Big Train, and led his team with 17 multi-hit games, including three 3-hit games and two 4-hit games. He drove in multiple runs in a game nine times, and had a season-high hitting streak of 11 games from July 9 to July 22, second longest on the team. After representing the Cal Ripken, Sr. League against the Valley Baseball League as a starter in the Mid-Atlantic Classic on July 15, Boike finished the regular season strong, driving in runs in eight of the Big Train’s final ten games and in each of Bethesda’s final four. The slugger struck out just 12 times all season, and just twice over the Big Train’s final 13 games.

Beck and Abramson finished one-two in the League in earned run average, with Beck’s 1.56 ERA barely besting Abramson’s 1.59 mark. Beck tied for the League-lead with six wins, while Abramson’s 42 strikeouts were just two shy of Aces teammate Thomas Gray (Armstrong Atlantic), who led the League.

Abramson finished the season 3-2 with a save in seven starts and three relief appearances for the Aces. His 45.1 innings pitched were second most on the team and his 13 runs and 34 hits allowed were fewest among regular Aces starters. Only eight of those thirteen runs were earned, and Abramson commanded the strike zone all season long, posting a strikeout to walk ratio of 42:18. He also held opposing hitters to a .206 batting average, best among Alexandria starters. Abramson finished the season particularly strong. He did not allow an earned run over his final three starts (21 innings), scattering just 13 hits and five walks over that stretch while striking out 16. For the whole season, Abramson allowed more than one earned run in a start only twice, and he struck out a season-high seven batters in a game three different times. Out of the bullpen, Abramson went 1-0 with a save in four innings of work, allowing three runs (one earned) on two hits and three walks, with three strikeouts outs in relief.

Beck pitched a team-high 40.1 innings for the top staff in the League, leading the Orioles with a 6-1 record. He made seven starts, including a seven-inning complete game on July 12 against the Rockville Express. Beck allowed 11 runs (seven earned) on 28 hits and 15 walks in 2009, while striking out 28 batters. Opponents hit just .192 off of him. Beck’s 1.56 ERA helped the Orioles to a League-best 2.41 staff ERA. He never allowed more than two earned runs in a game, and held the opposing team to no earned runs in half of his ten appearances. Beck won the final Pitcher of the Week Award in the Cal Ripken, Sr. League in 2009, after winning twice in two starts from July 20 to July 27.