News & Notes: O's go 33 straight in hot start and a note from the editor...

From the editor: Hello Ripken, Sr. League fans and welcome back for our fourth season of summer college baseball! The rains held off (until today!) this past week and I hope you've had a chance to catch some wood-bat baseball at its most genuine. I'm excited to once again bring you the Weekly Round-Up each Monday or Tuesday of the 2008 season. Unfortunately, they will be slightly shorter than what you may have gotten used to from the past (maybe that's a good thing!). I am studying to take the Maryland Bar this July and the workload has been cramping my baseball style! As the exam gets closer, I don't expect the workload to diminish, so I won't be able to spend as much time on the Weekly Round-Ups as I have in the past. They will still include the weekly awards, standings, and special news and notes about the past week and upcoming events. For more in-depth information (and the upcoming schedule), I encourage you to continue to check out the league web site at www.ripkensrcollegebaseball.org.

Enjoy the 2008 season!

Alex Thompson
Executive Director

2008 Stats │ 2008 Schedule

Youse's Maryland Orioles raced out to a 7-1 record to start the 2008 campaign, primarily behind the efforts of their pitching staff. Orioles pitchers did not allow a run from the fifth inning of their Opening Night contest with the Bethesda Big Train to the seventh inning of their June 11 game against the Big Train -- a span of 33.2 consecutive scoreless innings. The Orioles' team ERA is 1.50, over a run-and-a-half per game better than the next lowest team ERA, the Maryland Redbirds' 3.06. O's pitchers have tossed four shutouts, three more than any other team and one more than the rest of the league combined. Their 19 walks are tied with the College Park Bombers for fewest in the league thus far.

The Bombers (3-3) were the only team to get to the Orioles this week, as they won the teams' June 13 contest, 7-6. College Park leads the league with five home runs as a team, and the Ripken, Sr. League as a whole has already launched 21 long-balls in 58 combined games. Curiously, the team with the fewest home runs is the Big Train (1), yet Bethesda is by far the hottest hitting ballclub in the league. Bethesda has scored a league-high 56 runs on a league-high 86 hits. Their 16 doubles as a team are six more than the next highest team, the Redbirds, and their 111 total bases are 31 more than the second-most team (also the Redbirds). As a team, the Big Train is reaching base at a .414 clip -- an impressive number for a single player, let alone a whole team.

The Big Train's hot hitting has helped them win four in a row to climb to 6-2, one game back of the first-place Orioles. Behind the Big Train, the middle of the pack is extremely tight, with three teams at an even .500. The Redbirds (3-3) have hit .285 as a team, while the Silver Spring-Takoma Thunderbolts (4-4) have swiped 17 of 20 bases.

The league's newest entry, the Alexandria Aces (3-4) won three of their first five games before dropping the last two straight, while the Herndon Braves (2-6), who beat the Aces on Opening Night, have already endured two three-game losing streaks. The defending champion Rockville Express (1-6) lost their first six games, five of which were by two runs or less, before winning at Herndon on Sunday.

Meet the 2008 CRSCBL Official Photographers!

Celenza (Salisbury/Bombers), Drake (Navy/Orioles) win weekly awards

Mike Celenza (Salisbury University) of the College Park Bombers was named the Cal Ripken, Sr. Collegiate Baseball League Hitter of the Week for the week of June 6 to June 15. Last year's batting champion got an early jump on defending his crown by collecting 12 hits in 21 at-bats (.571 average) this week. Celenza had exactly two hits in all six of the Bombers games, and had at least one extra-base hit in every game (four doubles and two home runs overall). He knocked in six runs, including three on Opening Night against the Redbirds. Celenza also scored four runs and was successful once in two steal attempts. The third baseman, who walked only 11 times all season in 2007, has already collected eight free-passes, including three of the intentional variety. Celenza slugged at an astounding 1.048 clip and posted a .690 on-base percentage.

Also considered: Luke Adkins (Mississippi State/Big Train); Zach Kim (San Francisco/Big Train); Nick Wojnowski (Rider/Redbirds); Jared Norris (Yavapai (AZ)/Aces)

Oliver Drake (United States Naval Academy) of Youse's Maryland Orioles has been named the Cal Ripken, Sr. Collegiate Baseball League Pitcher of the Week for the week of June 6 to June 15. The righthander did not allow a run over two starts (12 total innings pitched) and won both. On June 7, Drake pitched five innings of shutout ball against the Braves, allowing four hits and a walk and striking out four. A week later, Drake was rocksteady in a pitcher's duel with the Express, scattering six hits and a walk in a complete-game 1-0 shutout. Drake struck out two in that game as he ran his record to 2-0 on the year.

Also considered: Jordan Cudney (Belmont Abbey/T-Bolts); Mike Stangroom (Buffalo/Redbirds); Matt Hiserman (San Francisco/Big Train); Andrew Chilcoat (Young Harris/Orioles); Tyler Doughty (Eastern New Mexico/Bombers)

2008 CRSCBL Standings