Summer baseball update

Summer baseball is in full swing and here's an update on how the Commodores are faring in the early going.

Team USA

Mike Minor is off to a terrific start in his second season with Team USA. The left-hander has won both starts, giving up seven hits while striking out six and walking none in eight scoreless innings.

Cape Cod Baseball League

Hyannis (2-2) -- Russell Brewer has already picked up two saves for the Mets, while catcher Curt Casali is 1-for-7 with a walk and run scored in two starts.

Brewster (1-1-1) -- Mark Lamm pitched a 1-2-3 ninth on Tuesday to pick up his first save, while Caleb Cotham has yet to make a start as of Tuesday night.

Wareham (1-2) -- Outfielder Steve Liddle is off to a good start, batting .300 (3-for-10) with one double and a RBI as of Tuesday night.

Harwich (3-0) -- Catcher/first baseman Andrew Giobbi is 2-for-14 with two doubles and five RBI as of Tuesday night.

NECBL

Newport (6-2) -- Right-hander Chase Reid has been outstanding out of the bullpen, picking up a save and giving up just one hit and no walks while striking out seven in four scoreless innings. Outfielder Joey Manning is hitting .280 with two homers, one double, six RBI and a team-leading six walks (.419 OBP) and has a very respectable OPS of .969.

Keene (7-1) -- Lefty Sean Bierman is off to a great start, giving up one earned run on four hits while striking out 15 in just nine innings. Meanwhile, infielder Aaron Westlake has struggled (1-for-14, 4 walks, 4 errors) early on.

Holyoke (3-5) -- Outfielder Alex Hilliard is hitting .242 with a homer, two doubles and a team-best 5 RBI to go along with two stolen bases.

Sanford (4-5) -- Infielder Brian Harris is hitting .211 with one RBI and two stolen bases.

NYCBL

Saratoga (2-3) -- Outfielder Jordan Wormsley is 1-for-7 with a double in two starts, while lefty Kellen St. Luce gave up three earned runs to go along with four walks and five strikeouts in four innings.

Valley

Winchester (9-4) -- Taylor Hill is 1-0 with a 2.84 ERA in two starts. He has given up 12 hits in 12.2 innings to go along with two walks and 14 strikeouts.

Staunton (6-7) -- Steven Schwartz gave up one earned run on five hits while walking three and striking out five in five innings.

CICL

Danville (5-4) -- Lefty reliever Richie Goodenow is 1-0 with 6.00 ERA after giving up four runs on six hits to go along with four walks and seven strikeouts in six innings of work.

Great Lakes

Stark County Terrier (4-1) -- Shortstop Gabe Ortiz is hitting .333 (4-for-12) with one double and two RBI in four starts. He has made one error.

A few other non-Vanderbilt thoughts:

-I took in the Hyannis-Chatham game Wednesday night and came away very impressed with right-hander Drew Muren of Cal St. Northridge. Muren gave up just one hit and struck out eight while walking one in four scoreless innings of relief for Hyannis.

Muren is 6'6, 185 pounds, and throws in the low 90s consistently, topping out at 93 mph on Wednesday. As a freshman, he was 3-5 with a 4.95 ERA in 40 innings and had just 25 strikeouts, which was surprisingly low for someone with his arm. He also played outfield and hit .270 with one homer and 14 RBI in 43 games.

-The starting pitcher for Hyannis was Matt Ridings of Western Kentucky, who pitched well with the exception of a five-run second inning. He struck out nine in five innings and gave up just two hits and fanned six and also picked off a runner in the final three frames. The Franklin, Tenn., native and BGA alum went 10-3 with a 3.88 ERA for the Hilltoppers this year.

-Two pitchers from Chatham were also impressive. Left-hander Sammy Solis (San Diego) had scouts talking after giving up two unearned runs on six hits while striking out eight and walking one in five innings. Solis went 3-1 with a 3.83 ERA in 49.1 innings as a freshman. He has good downward movement on his fastball and also throws a good breaking ball and changeup.

Also, hard-throwing Brad Boxberger (USC) struck out the side in the ninth to pick up his first save. Boxberger was ranked No. 24 by Baseball America on its CCBL prospect list last summer but the sophomore went 2-4 with a 6.12 ERA in 50 innings this year for the Trojans. He certainly has the stuff to be a a high-round draft pick in 2009 so it will be interesting to see how he performs this summer.

-I will be attending Thursday night's contest between the Newport Gulls and Team USA in Rhode Island. Should be a great take, and I'll be sure to file a report after the game.