Rounding the Bases: Horizon League Baseball Update

An update on current and former Horizon League baseball players. This blog is not all-encompassing, nor does it claim to be.

Milwaukee
Professionals:

Paul Hoenecke | 3B, Great Lakes Loons (Dodgers, Class A): 43 G, .230 BA, 2 HR, 11 RBI, 2 SB
Hoenecke batted .297 in April but struggled during the second month of the season. He is currently on the 7-day disabled list and last played May 31.

Chad Pierce | P, Brevard County Manatees (Brewers, Class A Advanced): 23 G, 4 GS, 5-3, 3.49 ERA, 69.2 IP, 76 K
Pierce started back-to-back appearances on July 7 and 12, going 1-0 while tossing 12.0 combined innings with nine hits, three earned runs, five walks and seven strikeouts

Eric Semmelhack | P, Wisconsin Timber Rattlers (Brewers, Class A): 18 G, 11 GS, 1-5, 5.23 ERA, 1 SV, 84.1 IP, 43 K
Semmelhack earned the first save of his professional career on June 15, tossing 4.0 innings of relief while allowing three hits and one earned run.

Josh Uhen | P, AZL Brewers (Brewers, Rookie): 6 G, 3 GS, 1-5, 6.00 ERA, 15.0 IP, 10 K
Uhen picked up the first win of his professional career out of the bullpen on July 19, throwing 2.0 innings and allowing three hits, three runs (two earned) and three walks while recording one strikeout.

UIC
Professionals:

David Cales | P, Birmingham Barons (White Sox, Double-A): 15 G, 0-0, 2.11 ERA, 1 SV, 21.1 IP, 29 K (full-season stats)
Cales has made 15 relief appearances across three levels without earning a decision. In three games with Double-A Birmingham, the right-hander has a 1.93 ERA and three strikeouts in 4.2 innings pitched.

Jason Ganek | IF, Southern Illinois Miners (Independent): No 2013 stats available
Ganek played in 62 games with the Miners in 2012 and batted .293 with eight home runs, 27 RBI and four stolen bases.

Curtis Granderson | OF, New York Yankees: 8 G, .250 BA (7-for-28), 1 2B, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 SB (major league stats only)
After suffering a broken bone in his wrist while being hit by a pitch during Spring Training, Granderson made his season debut for the Yankees on May 14 and batted .250 with a solo home run in eight games before suffering a similar injury when he was hit by a pitch on May 24. He is currently on the 60-day disabled list. The outfielder also had a five-game rehab stint with Triple-A Scanton/Wilkes-Barre in which he batted .400 (8-for-20) with a home run and three RBI prior to making his season debut with the Yankees.

Michael Heesch | P, Kane County Cougars (Cubs, Class A): 17 G, 15 GS, 3-8, 3.56 ERA, 93.2 IP, 53 K
Heesch has gone 0-4 in six games (four starts) since his last win despite a 3.24 ERA (12 ER in 33.1 IP) during that stretch.

Derrick Miramontes | P, Grand Prairie AirHogs (Independent): 22 G, 2 GS, 0-1, 4.11 ERA, 39.1 IP, 27 K
Miramontes took his first loss of the season -- in fact, his first decision -- in his most recent appearance, on July 19, throwing 6.0 innings with six hits, four earned runs, two walks and four strikeouts.

Nathan Orf | IF, Helena Brewers (Brewers, Rookie): 15 G, .311 BA, 3 2B, 1 3B, 9 RBI, 2 SB
In his past two games -- July 21 and 22 -- Orf went 4-for-6 at the plate with two runs, a triple, four RBI, a stolen base, two walks and zero strikeouts.

Summer League returners:
(From UICFlames.com on July 21): The UIC baseball program sent nine of its players across the country to participate in collegiate summer baseball leagues.  Most of the student-athletes are well into their seasons as the Flames recently ended the 2013 campaign with an overall record of 27-28.  UIC also tied-for-second in the Horizon League with a conference mark of 13-11.

Competing in the Prospect League for the Butler Blue Sox are Tyler Detmer and Alex Jurich.  The Blue Sox are tied-for-first place in the East Division at 12-9 as Detmer has 13 hits while, Jurich looks to help the team continue its success as he returns from an injury. 

In the Mid-West Collegiate League, Conor Philbin and Ryan Hinchley both play for the Dupage County Hounds.  The Hounds are currently tied-for-first place with an overall record of 9-3.  One-third of Philbin's hits have gone for extra bases, while Hinchley is pitching well with an ERA of just 1.58.

The El Dorado Broncos play in the Jayhawk Baseball League, and they are joined by John Coen and Alex Posey.  The Broncos are currently 7-4 with contributions coming from both Coen and Posey.

In the Walter Johnson League, Mike Schoolcraft and Zenon Kolakowski both represent the Hutchinson Monarchs.  Both Schoolcraft and Kolakowski look to improve upon the success that they have already achieved.

The Lombard Orioles look to continue their great season as Jon Ryan will be joining the team in early July.  The Orioles are currently in second place as they compete in the Wisconsin State League with a record of 9-1.

VALPARAISO
Professionals:

Chris DeBoo | P, Joliet Slammers (Independent): 6 G, 0-0, 5.27 ERA, 13.2 IP, 7 K
Though he has yet to earn a save, DeBoo has closed out three of his first six professional games and is averaging 4.2 strikeouts per nine innings.

Kyle Gaedele | OF, Lake Elsinore Storm (Padres, Class A-Advanced): 91 G, .252 BA, 14 2B, 8 3B, 8 HR, 43 RBI, 16 SB
In his past 10 games, Gaedele has batted .371 (13-for-35) with nine runs, one double, two home runs, 11 RBI and a stolen base.

Jon Gulbransen | P, Rockford Aviators (Independent): 6 G. 6 GS, 1-3, 5.94 ERA, 1 CG, 33.1 IP, 24 K
Gulbransen is currently on Rockford's inactive list.

Bryce Schafer | P, Frontier Greys (Independent): 21 G, 0-1, 3.22 ERA, 8 SV, 22.1 IP, 17 K
Schafer has picked up eight saves while closing out 20 games for the Greys. His still above average ERA took a hit in his most recent outing, when he gave up three earned runs on three hits and a walk in just 1.1 inning pitched, uncorking a wild pitch and recording one strikeout.

Tanner Vavra | IF, Elizabethton Twins (Twins, Rookie): 20 G, .201 BA, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 1 SB
In his past 10 games, Vavra has batted .292 (7-for-24) with four runs scored, five walks and a stolen base.

Summer League returners:
(From ValpoAthletics.com on June 20): Seniors Chris Manning (Lake Forest, Calif./El Toro) and Karch Kowalczyk (Peru, Ill./La Salle-Peru) are competing for the Lakeshore Chinooks in the prestigious Northwoods League. The Chinooks are currently in first place in the south division with a 14-7 record.

Junior Spencer Mahoney (LaGrange Park, Ill./Lyons Township) has traveled to the Pacific Northwest, as he is playing for the Matsu Miners in the Alaska Baseball League.

Senior Cole Webb (Tulsa, Okla./ Union), junior Mark Johnson (Evanston, Ill./Evanston Township) and junior Kyle Schneider (Mishawaka, Ind./Penn) have teamed together to play in the Far West League for the San Francisco Seals. The team travels throughout northern California, Oregon, and Alaska.

Junior Ben Mahar (Mundelein, Ill./Mundelein) and sophomore Trevor Haas (Mt. Prospect, Ill./Hersey) are both pitching for the Terre Haute Rex in the Prospect League.

Redshirt sophomore Grant Yoder (Fort Wayne, Ind./Snider) and junior Zack Walsh (Batesville, Ind./Batesville) are leading the Dayton Docs in the Great Lakes Summer Collegiate League. The Docs are currently in second place with a 7-3 record.

Senior Andrew Bynum (Huntington Beach, Calif./Ocean View) has returned to the Kansas Jayhawk League for his second season with the Dodge City A’s.

Sophomore Dalton Lundeen (Streamwood, Ill./Streamwood) has continued his pitching success with the Crystal Lake Cardinals of the Chicago Suburban Baseball League.

Redshirt freshman Ellis Foreman (Round Rock, Texas/Stony Point) has fully recovered from Tommy John surgery and is now starting for the Austin Shockers in the Centex Collegiate Baseball League located in the heart of Texas.

Two Crusaders are playing locally in the Midwest Collegiate League. Rising senior Andy Burns (Edwardsville, Ill./Edwardsville) is leading off and playing shortstop for the Lexington Snipes and redshirt freshman Scott Jerge (Munster, Ind./Munster) is pitching with the Northwest Indiana Oilmen.

Incoming junior college transfer Joppi Martin (Irvine, Calif./University) is playing for the Cal Knights in the Orange County Collegiate League located in southern California.

A trio of returning sophomores - Jake Hanson (Yorkville, Ill./Aurora Christian), Drew Hasler (South Bend, Ind./Mishawaka Marian) and Jeff Edwards (Massillon, Ohio/Jackson) - have joined together to play in the Northeast for the Newark Pilots of the Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League.

Wright State
Professionals:

Casey Henn | P, Florence Freedom (Independent): 2 G, 1 GS, 0-0, 9.00 ERA, 5.0 IP, 4 K
In an extremely small sample size, Henn has yet to earn a professional decision but is averaging 7.2 strikeouts per nine innings.

Joe Smith | P, Cleveland Indians: 42 G, 4-1, 2.92 ERA, 1 SV, 37.0 IP, 30 K
Smith's first loss of the season came in his most recent appearance, July 19 at Minnesota, when he allowed an earned run on three hits and a walk in 1.0 inning of work. Despite a rocky month of July (6.75 ERA in nine games), he still has a sub-3.00 ERA for the year and is a vital part of Cleveland's vaunted middle relief corps.

Summer League returners:
(From the Wright State Facebook page on July 20): David Deliz threw 1.2 scoreless innings for the winning North Squad in the Hampton Collegiate Baseball League All-Star game. He leads his team with 16 appearances and 4 saves.

Cody Gardner has 31 hits for the Terre Haute Rex, which is fourth on the team. He's hitting .242 on the season and recently had a three-hit, three-RBI game against Springfield.

In the Coastal Plain League for Fayetteville Michael Timm continues to be among the team leaders in hits, RBI, batting average (.307) and steals (9).
Jack Van Horn leads the team with 15 appearances and a 0.49 ERA in short relief.
Travis Hissong has notched saves in both of the last two nights. He leads the team in that category, also has a win, and has fanned 21 in 13.2 innings.

Several Raiders continue to be active in the Great Lakes Collegiate League:
Brad Macciocchi is second on his team, the Hamilton Joes, in RBI's with 19. His 24 hits ranks third on the Joes.

The Grand Lake Mariners have four WSU players contributing:
Isaac Beller is 3-0 in six starts. He has a 2.31 ERA with 24 Ks and 10 walks in 35 innings.
 Luke Mamer is cruising along with a 1.98 ERA, has appeared in a team leading 14 games, and has posted a 4-1 record.
Jason DeFevers is hitting .236 and had a recent three-hit, three-RBI game against the Licking County Settlers.
John Brodner is tied for the team lead with 17 RBI.

The Dayton Docs also have several Raiders on the roster:
E.J. Trapino has a 4.65 ERA, has appeared in seven games, and fanned two in 1.0 inning pitched in his last outing.
Joe Ford has played a steady shortstop, is hitting .264 with 28 hits (fourth on the team).
Cody Simon has hit .375 in 16 at bats with a home run and 7 RBI.

Youngstown State
Professionals:

Drew Dosch | IF, unassigned (Orioles organization): No 2013 stats available
Dosch, who suffered a devastating knee injury during the last series of the Horizon League regular season, is spending the summer rehabbing after being drafted in the seventh round by Baltimore. He signed his first professional contract on July 11 and, according to the Baltimore Sun, received a $218,000 signing bonus, nearly $50,000 higher than the slot value.

Phil Klein | P, Frisco RoughRiders (Rangers, Double-A): 27 G, 4-0, 2.68 ERA, 50.1 IP, 63 K (full-season statistics)
After posting a 1.98 ERA in seven games with Class-A Myrtle Beach, Klein received an early season promotion and has made the most of it, going 3-0 with a 2.95 ERA for the RoughRiders while racking up an impressive 51 strikeouts in just 36.2 innings pitched.

Eric Marzec | P, Huntsville Stars (Brewers, Double-A): 31 G, 3-0, 1.93 ERA, 42.0, 36 K (full-season statistics)
As impressive as Klein has been, Marzec may have him topped. After just three appearances for Class-A Brevard County, Marzec was promoted to Double-A Huntsville and has gone 2-0 with a 1.98 ERA in 28 relief appearances.

Justin Thomas | P, Hakkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters (Japan): no current stats available
(From YSUsports.com on July 15): Thomas' signing with the Hakkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters in Japan was announced on July 12. Thomas spent the early part of the 2013 season pitching for the Sacramento River Cats, the Triple-A affiliate of the Oakland Athletics. In 16 starts for the River Cats, Thomas was 3-6 with a 4.48 ERA. Thomas pitched in the major leagues as recently as 2012 for the Red Sox and the Yankees, and he has also pitched for the Pirates and Mariners.