22 July, 2004


A Galaxy of Stars to Shine on Saturday

     There are many sorts of All-Stars and we thought we’d introduce you to some of the East Division talent that will be playing Saturday in Orleans in the Cape Cod Baseball League All-Star Game.

     Here are star sluggers, big horse pitchers and crafty relievers, experts with the mitt and temporary men made good.

     Ryan Mullins of Chatham turned in one of the top performances of the year Sunday night, beating Falmouth 2-0. He pitched a complete game, one of five in the league so far, striking out 15, giving up just three hits while walking two.


Ryan Mullins, ace of the Chatham A’s.

Staff photos by Rich Eldred

     “All my pitches were working,” Mullins recalled. “I was throwing strikes. The wood bats make it a lot easier.”
     Mullins is 4-0 this summer, with a 1.16 ERA. With 40 strikeouts in 31 frames, he’s given up 21 hits.
“I’m a lefty, I throw 87-89 though I can touch 90 with my fast ball. I have a curveball, change-up, slider but my curve is my main out pitch,” he explained. “I’m surprised to do as well as I have up here. Learning how to pitch at college (Vanderbilt) has helped me a lot. And I’ve had good luck since I’ve been here and I have good players playing behind me as well.”
One of Mullins’ teammates at Vanderbilt is Cody Crowell of Harwich High. 
     “Facing SEC batters all the time, those are some of the best hitters in the nation,” Mullins said. “But it’s definitely a step up here.”
     The tall lefty is from Nashville so he’s going to school in his hometown.
     “My goals here were to work on command of all my pitches, get ahead of the batters and deep into the game,” he explained. “You can pick up some velo and strength, experience and exposure. I’m starting to learn how to pitch at this level. The key for me is to throw strikes to be successful.”
     He’s enjoyed his Chatham summer so far.
     “The local people are really nice. There is something to do all the time,” he said. “They love you in Chatham if you play for the Chatham A’s.”

     Frank Curreri of Y-D leads the Cape League in batting with a .352 average and in runs scored with 21. And he doesn’t hail from a famous program.

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Frank Curreri of Y-D leads the Cape League in batting.
Staff photos by Rich Eldred

     Curreri is a local, from Weymouth. He attended Boston College High and goes to UMass.
     “This is something I always wanted to do,” he said. “I didn’t expect too much. Coach Pick (Scott Pickler) took me for the full season. I’ve done pretty well. I’ve caught almost every game.”
     Curreri hit .380 at UMass., with seven homers and 56 RBIs.
     “I’m doing what I always have,” he said. “I was taught to hit the ball where it was pitched and hit it hard. I’ve had a lot of help from the coaches here. They’ve all worked on my batting.”
     Being a catcher who handles pitchers can be an advantage at the plate.
     “Most of the time it helps. Then again you never know what they are thinking,” he said. “They are much better, they throw harder and they throw a lot of different pitches but I go about it the same way.”
     He’s a big man, at 6-4 220 pounds. He’s looking forward to catching in the All-Star game
     “There are a lot of pro prospects there with a chance of going high in the draft. It’ll be fun to say I caught so and so. It’s definitely an honor,” he said.
     Curreri isn’t an unknown. He was drafted by the Arizona Diamondbacks and they told him spend the summer here. They can’t be unhappy with what they’ve seen.

     Ryan Falcon of Rougemont, N.C., has an 0.81 ERA for Brewster in 22 innings. He’s struck out 38 while giving up just 14 hits.
     “I’m very very excited. This is an exceptional honor,” he said. “Coming into the year I was just happy to be on the (Whitecaps) roster. here. It’ll be a great experience. It’ll be fun to play with the top players in the league.”

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Reliever Ryan Falcon of Brewster.

Staff photos by Rich Eldred

     Falcon has one start and one save for Brewster. Coming out of the bullpen, which he’s done in seven games this summer, is a new experience.
     “I got 12 starts in college (at UNC Greensboro) and relieved four or five times. It’s been mostly relief here. Everybody likes to start but I’ve gotten used to relieving. It has a different mentality. Warming up when you have a start is more of a set thing. As a starter you don’t want to show all your pitches the first time around the order whereas as a reliever you use everything you’ve got.”
     Cape Cod can be a pitcher’s paradise.
     “This is definitely a pitcher’s league,” Falcon declared. “The wood bats handicap everybody. You can go after the batters and that won’t hurt you in this league.”
     Falcon is 6 feet tall, which is short for a pitcher; scouts prefer big powerful Roger Clemens sorts. But Falcon would like to play pro ball.
     “Yeah, like everyone,” he admitted. “It’ll be exciting if it happens but I’m not counting on it like some guys. I’m making plans accordingly. I think short guys can get the job done. But the scouts feel taller guys have more endurance, they’re throwing downhill more.”
     So far the batters swinging at Falcon’s pitches have felt they were in the hole. 

     Will Rymes arrived for two weeks and has stayed the whole summer. He was a temporary player for the Whitecaps who stuck.

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Will Rymes of Brewster.

Staff photos by Rich Eldred

     “I did pretty well and made the team and kept playing even as the other guys came in,” he said. “I want to take advantage of the opportunity that was given me. I came up here to try and play good defense. Defense is something I can control. As far as offense goes I just try to put the ball in play and see what happens and not try and do too much. If you’ve got some speed you just try to put it on the ground and see what happens.”
     The 5-foot-9 155-pound middle infielder has anchored the Whitecaps’ defense at second base while batting .253 with 11 runs scored and seven stolen bases.
     “I just like the opportunity to play every day,” Rymes noted. “At college you’re doing a lot of things besides baseball. Here you can concentrate on baseball and having fun. It’s been great.”
     Rymes, a native of Houston, attends William and Mary.
     “I’ll take a lot back to college. Since I come from a smaller school you gain confidence playing with elite players from good programs. That will definitely help against our competition,” he said. “Mostly it’s confidence. We had two first rounders in our conference but you see more good pitchers every day here. You see three good pitchers a night. There is a lot more depth.”
     This temp added needed depth to Brewster.

     Chris Nicholl of the Cardinals is 3-0 a 1.67 ERA. He’s whiffed 24 men in 32 innings.

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Pitcher Chris Nicholl of Orleans.

Staff photos by Rich Eldred

     “I just throw strikes basically, getting ahead of the batter, mixing up my pitches,” Nicholl said. “And I get help from my team. That’s made my record good. I wouldn’t say I throw gas but my fast ball is my best pitch.”
     Nicholl has walked just nine in six games this season. 
     “In college ball you’ve got metal bats, faster infields and the strike zone is smaller than it his here,” he added. 
     Nicholl plays at UCal. Irvine. He’s played against great players on the West Coast but he’s looking forward to the All-Star game.
     “It’ll be a great experience. We’ll get to go to Fenway Park (on Wednesday) which will be fun. I’ll probably throw all my pitches out there,” Nicholl said. “It’ll be an important game.”
     Scouts have had other opportunities to see Nicholl this summer. He was drafted out of high school by the Toronto Blue Jays but opted for college.
      “Everybody has been great up here,” he reflected. “I’m playing ball against tough competition at UC Irvine but this is the best in the nation.”
     Now he’s been classed as one of the best of the best.

     Arizona’s Jordan Brown has been one of the top hitters in the East, batting .338 with three homers and 14 RBIs for the Cardinals in 68 at bats. The Cards as a team are only hitting .185.

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Jordan Brown of Orleans.

Staff photos by Rich Eldred

      “You have to have a good plan, a good approach,” Brown explained. “And not get too down when things don’t go well. That’s my plan at least. For my future it’s important to do well up here. I want to go on to play pro ball. That makes it more stressful but you’re supposed to have fun out there. It’s not a depressing game.”
     Ever the planner, he came knowing what he wanted to do.
     “Shorten my swing a little bit. There are some balls you can get to with metal that you’ve got to lay off with wood,” he said. “There’s an adjustment period.”
     Jordan has been a bit surprised at the intensity of Cape League play.
     “No one likes to lose. This league is competitive,” he said. “The teams really want to win.”
     Brown’s bat has helped the Cards.
     “I’m just glad I’m having fun and playing well. Down the road this will be a big help,” he reflected. “You can take your short swing back to college. If you can do well with wood you’ll be much more effective with a metal bat.”
     He plays at Arizona, one of premier programs in the country. His arrival in Orleans was delayed by Arizona’s appearance in the College World Series. 

     Shortstop Ryan Rohlinger of Y-D is a defensive ace but he’s also batting .262 with 9 RBIs.

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Ryan Rohlinger of Y-D.
Staff photos by Rich Eldred

      “I’m a little surprised. I didn’t think I was having a great season,” he said of his selection. “But I’ll enjoy it and play hard.”
Rohlinger is from West Bend Wisconsin but plays ball at Oklahoma.
     “I want to stay focused and take every at bat like it’s my last at bat,” he said. “Hit the ball hard when it’s in the zone. Here you see everyone’s stud or ace. At school, teams have one or two then there’s a dropoff. The pitchers are outstanding here. They throw hard and hit their spots and don’t make many mistakes.”
     But Rohlinger has put the ball in play and gotten on base. He has 27 hits and nine walks. He’s been sharp with his glove.
     “You’ve got to take pride in your fielding, that’s a big part of the game, making plays in the field,” he said.

By Rich Eldred
reldred@cnc.com