North Carolina State University Athletics
Overman Pitches Harwich To CCBL Finals
8/11/2011 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Aug. 11, 2011
(Note: This is the seventh in a series of weekly reports on NC State players playing in summer collegiate leagues.)
RALEIGH, N.C. — There’s not much left to say about Chris Overman’s summer with the Harwich Mariners. One of the best relievers in the Cape Cod League during the regular season, Overman has been lights out in the postseason as well.
Overman, a rising junior righthander for NC State, was about as good as good can be in the regular season. He made a team-high 19 appearances and pitched 28 1/3 innings without allowing an earned run. He surrendered just 11 hits and struck out 25 while walking seven. Opposing hitters dinged him for a miniscule .124 batting average and a 0.635 WHIP (walks and hits per inning).
"He's the best," said Harwich manager Steve Englert, who is an assistant coach at Boston College. "He has done a great job for us. Every time we've used him, he's shut the other team down. All the praise that's come his way this summer he's earned it. You like to see good things happen to good people, and he's a great kid."
Because of a need on the Harwich pitching staff, Overman moved to middle relief early in the season, and middle relievers seldom make headlines. Overman beat those odds by earning a spot in the Cape Cod League All-Star Game and pitching a 1-2-3 sixth inning for the victorious East squad. Harwich gave him its 10th Player Award.
That’s a pretty strong regular season, and he’s been pretty close to perfect in three playoff appearances, allowing just one hit in 3 1/3 shutout innings. He’s only notched one strikeout, but he hasn’t issued a walk and he earned saves in two of his three appearances as Harwich defeated Brewster and Yarmouth-Dennis to advance to the league’s championship series, which starts this weekend. Harwich’s only playoff loss came in the opening series against Brewster. The M’s, the second seed in the East Division, have won three straight since then and four of five playoff games overall. Overman’s two saves came in the two series-clinching games.
"He's done everything we've asked him to do, whether it's close games of pitch two or three innings of middle relief," Englert said. "He's got big league makeup right now. I mean, nothing fazes that kid. It's almost like he's pitching in a Sunday softball league. No pressure whatsoever. No matter the situation, he just doesn't care. He just wants the ball."
Easley And Falmouth Still Alive In CCBL Playoffs
The Cape League finals could feature two of NC State’s primary relievers from the 2011 stretch run. The Falmouth Commodores, the four seed in the West Division, defeated Hyannis in the opening round of the playoffs and won the first game of the rain-delayed best-of-3 division finals against Wareham, with that series to resume Thursday.
Making a big contribution for Falmouth this season has been rising junior righthander Josh Easley, who was 1-1 with three saves and a 1.26 ERA in 11 regular-season appearances. Easley worked 14 1/3 innings and struck out 16 while walking one. Opponents batted just .204 against Easley and his WHIP was a paltry 0.837.
Easley has made just one playoff appearance for the Commodores, working 1 1/3 scoreless innings in a 6-4 loss to Hyannis in the opening series.
No Threepeat: Forest City Ousted In CPL Playoffs
NC State’s pipeline to the Forest City Owls of the Coastal Plain League helped the Owls win the CPL’s Petit Cup the last two years. Despite four Wolfpack players on the Forest City roster this season, the CPL will crown a new champion this weekend.
Forest City rolled past its first-round opponent in the 2011 Petit Cup playoffs, ousting Asheboro in consecutive games, then took the first game of the semifinals by shutting out Gastonia 5-0 on Monday. The Grizzlies tied the series with a 3-2 victory at Forest City on Tuesday, then unceremoniously ended the Owls’ season with a 15-2 thumping Wednesday at Forest City’s McNair Field.
Gastonia will face Edenton in the best-of-3 CPL finals beginning Friday in Gastonia.
Two years ago, Pratt Maynard and Andrew Ciencin led Forest City to Perfect Game USA’s Summer League national championship, and Ciencin, Danny Canela and Tarran Senay led the Owls to the CPL title and a top 10 national ranking a year ago.
This 2011 season will not produce any championships or national rankings, but Forest City has gotten solid contributions from NC State. Canela a rising junior catcher, returned this summer and batted .283 with six doubles, three home runs and 19 RBIs. Rising junior outfielder Cameron Conner batted .267 with six doubles, four home runs and 13 RBIs in part-time duty. On the mound, rising junior Danny Healey went 3-0 with a 2.36 ERA in five appearances, four of them starts. Rising sophomore lefty D.J. Thomas was 3-1 with a 3.19 ERA in six appearances, four of them starts.
Mathews Rewrites Tobs Record Book
The Wilson Tobs failed to make the Coastal Plain League playoffs, but you can’t blame NC State rising senior outfielder Ryan Mathews. All Mathews did this summer for the Tobs was bat .283 with 13 doubles, 15 home runs, 41 RBIs and 11 steals in 13 attempts.
Mathews set Wilson franchise records for home runs, RBIs and total bases (111). He led the league in homers, was second in slugging percentage (.617), third in total bases and fourth in RBIs.
