North Carolina State University Athletics
Overman, Easley Anchoring Cape League Bullpens
7/8/2011 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
July 8, 2011
(Note: This is the third in a series of weekly reports on NC State players playing in summer collegiate leagues.)
RALEIGH, N.C. — Chris Overman dominated hitters out of the bullpen for NC State in the spring, and he’s doing the same for the Harwich Mariners of the Cape Cod League this summer.
Overman worked 2 2/3 shutout innings Thursday night for the Mariners in a 4-3 loss at Orleans. That makes nine scoreless appearances for Overman this summer. He ranks second on the M’s staff in appearances. He has allowed five hits, struck out 14 and walked just three in 13 1/3 innings. He is 2-0 with a save and a 0.00 ERA as the Mariners hold a four-point lead over the Brewster Whitecaps in the Cape League’s East Division.
Because of occasional ties, the Cape League uses a points system similar to the National Hockey League’s to determine its standings. A win is worth two points, and a tie is worth one. At 14-9, Harwich has 18 points to Brewster’s 14 (11-9-2).
Overman, a rising junior righthander, has been used in the middle and late innings by the Mariners, whose pitching coach is former Wolfpack righthander Jason Blanton. Earlier this week, on July 5, Overman struck out four in 2 1/3 hitless innings to get the win in a 3-2 victory over Hyannis. He also got a win June 26 with 2 2/3 innings in a 7-3 decision over Cotuit. He fanned three in that one.
Overman is tied for the Harwich staff lead with two wins, and is second in strikeouts. He ranks fifth on the staff in innings pitched, and is second among relievers in innings.
“He’s been outstanding for us,” Blanton said. “It’s pretty much been the same with him as it was in the spring.”
Blanton said that Overman’s role with the Mariners has evolved as the team’s personnel has changed.
“Early on we had him working exclusively in the late innings, but we lost a couple of pitchers,” Blanton said. “That meant we had to take some guys out of our bullpen and make them starters, and that left us short in the middle innings. We needed someone out of the back end who could go two or three innings at a time, and I knew he could do that. He’s always had a lot of low-pitch innings, which enables him to stretch out his appearances, and that’s what he’s done for us. He’s done everything we’ve needed him to do.”
After an up-and-down spring, Josh Easley finished the 2011 campaign for NC State on an up note. In his final nine appearances for the Pack, Easley had a 3.15 ERA in 20 innings, allowing 13 hits and striking out 22. He was one of NC State’s main options out of the bullpen in May and June.
Easley has continued that strong relief work this summer with the Falmouth Commodores. Through games of Thursday, he had a 1-0 record with three saves and a 1.23 ERA in six appearances for Falmouth. In 7 1/3 innings, he had 11 strikeouts without allowing a walk and had recorded saves in each of his last three appearances. His last six appearances all were scoreless. Easley’s most recent save came July 3 in a 3-1 victory at Cotuit. He pitched the final 1 1/3 innings, his first four-out save of the summer.
Falmouth is 11-11 for 22 points for second place in the West Division, 10 points behind Hyannis (16-7). Falmouth has won nine of its last 12 games to shoot out of the West Division basement and into the playoff picture.
Healey and Thomas Dominant For CPL’s Owls
If the Forest City Owls manage to win their third consecutive Coastal Plain League championship this summer, the work of NC State pitchers Danny Healey and D.J. Thomas could play a pivotal role.
Forest City and Asheboro finished the first half of the season with identical 16-11 records, but Forest City won the first meeting with Asheboro in the second half, 8-5 on July 4, to officially break the tie and nail down the first-half pennant, which ensures the Owls a spot in the league playoffs. Thomas and Healey have been outstanding for the Owls this summer.
Healey, who tossed a seven-inning complete-game shutout at Asheboro on Thursday, is 2-0 with a 1.12 ERA in three appearances, including two starts. Healey has allowed just two runs on nine hits in 16 innings. He has struck out seven and walked five while limiting opposing hitters to a .170 batting average. A rising junior righthander, Healey made 11 starts in his 14 appearances for NC State in the spring.
Thomas raised his record to 2-0 on Wednesday in a 7-6 win at Thomasville. He allowed the Hi-Toms five runs and four earned runs, both season highs, but also notched a season-best nine strikeouts. A rising sophomore lefthander, Thomas has a 1.96 ERA in four appearances, three of them starts. He has allowed 17 hits and struck out 20 in 23 innings while holding opposing hitters to a .205 average. Thomas made 26 appearances for the Wolfpack in the spring, 24 of them out of the bullpen, but three of his four outings this summer were starts.
Mathews’ Hitting Streak Finally Stopped
Ryan Mathews’ hitting streak reached 13 games before he took an 0-for-3 on July 3 at Fayetteville. Mathews, a rising senior outfielder playing for the Wilson Tobs, batted .408 (20-for-49) with five doubles, nine home runs, 19 runs scored, 20 RBIs and three steals during the 13-game streak.
Despite having his hitting streak snapped, Mathews is having an all-star-caliber season for the Tobs. Through Thursday’s games, he was hitting .309 with seven doubles, 10 home runs and 23 RBIs. He leads the CPL in home runs and is 15th in batting average. He ranks in the league’s top 10 in RBIs.
Alvarez Summering In The Hamptons
Rising sophomore infielder Antonio Alvarez has been the everyday shortstop for the Southampton Breakers of the Atlantic Collegiate Baseball League this summer. Through Thursday’s games, Alvarez was hitting .255 with five doubles in 16 games. He had hit safely in four of his last five games, batting .500 (10-for-20) in that time. He had shown a keen eye at the plate, drawing 16 walks in 67 plate appearances, pushing his on-base percentage to .432.
Alvarez saw limited time with the Wolfpack in the spring, playing in 10 games and starting one. He had just six at-bats.
