2009 Baseball

INAUGURAL GENE BENNETT BASEBALL CLASSIC
press release written by Gene Beckett & Classic committee representatives
     Gene Bennett announced today that plans are underway for the inaugural Gene Bennett Baseball Classic that will be held in the greater Portsmouth area June 10th thru 13th, 2010.  The tournament will be held at the historic Branch Rickey Park and other local fields including the new Portsmouth Trojans High School Baseball Complex.
     Bennett has been with the Cincinnati Reds organization for 57 years and presently serves as Senior Special Assistant to the General Manager.  While serving as scout for the organization, Bennett signed some of the top ML players in the game such as Don Gullett, Barry Larkin, Chris Sabo, Paul O'Neil, Dave Tomlin, Charley Lebrandt, and Jeff Russell and many more.  Bennett states, "My goal with this tournament is to let the youth of Portsmouth and other towns along the Ohio River see the future stars of Major League Baseball, and to let the little guys know that they have a baseball past, present and future." 
     Co-hosting the tournament will be former Cincinnati Reds star Don Gullett and former Pittsburgh Pirates star Al Oliver.  Jeff Brown will serve as the tournament director.  Brown is a Wheelersburg resident and has been involved with amateur baseball for a number of years.  Former Portsmouth resident Ron Slusher of the Ohio Warhawks, will be in charge of bringing some of the top 18-year old and under Amateur Baseball teams.
     A tournament of this type has a rich history.  Two national power teams that have committed to the tournament include the Ohio Warhawks from Dayton and the Cincinnati Midland Redskins.  These teams have combined for over 17 National Championships, have had over 400 players drafted in Major League Baseball's Amateur Draft, and have had an astonishing 100 players who have either played in or are currently playing on Major League rosters.  These players include Brandon Phillips, Ken Griffey, Jr., Barry Larkin, Brian Roberts, Pat Burrell and Chris Carpenter.  Another team joining the tournament will be the Ontario Blue Jays, bringing the finest baseball talent in Ontario, Canada.  Other teams include the Nevada Scout team featuring the class of 2010 top high school players, the Bartlett, TN All-Stars coached by Coach Phil Clark, who took the Gold Medal with U.S.A. Baseball Junior National Team in 1999, the Florida All-American Prospects who were the 2008 Mickey Mantle Champions, and the Portsmouth Legion Post 23.  The Post 23 team is the local host team and will feature top players from Scioto County.
     Bennett concluded, "In my 57 years of baseball, I believe this will be the most high profile amateur baseball event to ever be held in the tri-state area."  There will be no admission charged for these games to allow everyone who wants to attend a change to see good baseball.   

SSU PICKS UP FOUR ON ALL-AMC TEAMS
Drew Howard has been named 1^st Team All-American Mideast Conference for his position in outfield, while 1^st baseman Brian Ramey, 3^rd baseman Logan Crabtree and starting pitcher Andrew Carter each earned 2^nd Team All-AMC recognition.

Howard, a senior from Portsmouth, Ohio, leads the AMC in homeruns with 11 on the season.  On the season Drew compiled a batting average of .341 with 52 hits, 46 runs scored, a team-high 13 doubles, four triples, and 46 RBI’s.

Ramey, a junior from Franklin Furnace, Ohio, leads the team with a .349 batting average.  He accumulated 50 hits, 28 runs, six homeruns, and 35 RBI’s on the season.

Crabtree, a senior from Lucasville, Ohio, leads the team with 13 doubles and 58 RBI’s on the season.  He compiled a batting average of .333 with 61 hits, 32 runs scored, 10 homeruns, and one triple. 

Carter, a sophomore from New Kingsville, Ohio compiled a record of 5-2 on the mound. Carter has made nine starts in 13 appearances with three complete games.  On the season, he struck out 54 batters in 54 innings pitched against 29 walks. 

 

2009 All-AMC Teams

 

2009 AMC Rawlings Gold Glove Team

BLUE & GRAY SERIES: GAME 4
The Gray team took the 4^th and final game of the Blue & Gray Series by a score of 7-3 in front of a huge crowd made up of parents and family members Saturday afternoon at Branch Rickey Park.  The win evened the series at 2 game a piece which means the Blue team won by run differential.

Freshman Clay Dennewitz (Londonderry, OH) picked up the win for Team Gray.  Offensively, Gray was paced by Senior Logan Crabtree (Lucasville, OH) who tallied a pair of hits to go along with 2 RBI’s, 2 SB, and 2 runs scored.  Sophomore David Bentley (South Portsmouth, KY) and Senior Drew Howard (Portsmouth, OH) added 2 hits a piece.

The Blue team was led by red-shirt Freshman Quentin Everman (Galloway, OH) who scored a run to go along with a stolen base.  Freshman Gary Korn (Miamisburg, OH) was handed the loss.

The end of the series puts a cap on the fall practice season for the Bears.  The Bears open the 2009 season on the road February 21-22 at Tennessee Wesleyan College.

BLUE & GRAY SERIES: GAME 3
The Gray team made a move at getting back in the series with an 8-4 victory over the Blue Friday afternoon at Branch Rickey Park.  Freshman, Kyle Compton (Circleville, OH), pitched into the 5^th inning for Team Gray earning the victory.  Senior, Corey Fischer (Cedarville, OH), sparked the offense with his 4-hit performance while also driving in 2 runs.  Sophomore David Bentley (South Portsmouth, KY), Freshman Adam Wamsley (Wheelersburg, OH), and Senior Logan Crabtree (Lucasville, OH) each scored 2 runs for the Gray.

The Blue Team was led by a 3-hit performance from junior Caullan Owens (Warren, OH).  Justin Gregory suffered the loss for the Blue.

The 4^th and final game of the series takes place on Saturday with a Noo start which is all part of Parent’s Day Festivities.

GAME 2:  BLUE & GRAY SERIES
The Blue team continued its dominance in the Blue & Gray Series by the score of 4-0 behind a no-hit performance from freshman; Austin May (Springfield, OH) on Thursday afternoon.  May went the distance giving up only 2 walks through out the contest.  Team Blue was led offensively by red-shirt freshman Quentin Everman’s (Galloway, OH) 2 runs and RBI’s from Senior Kenta Sato (Tokyo, Japan) and junior Brian Ramey (Franklin Furnace, OH). 

Freshman Adam Wamsley (Wheelersburg, OH) suffered the defeat for Team Gray.

Game 3 is set for Friday, October 17^th with first pitch set for 3:30PM at Branch Rickey Park.  The finale of the series, which is part of Parent’s Day, will commence on Saturday, October 18^th @ Noon.

GAME 1:  BLUE & GRAY SERIES
The Blue Team notched a commanding victory by the score of 12-2 in Game 1 of the Blue & Gray Series Tuesday afternoon at Branch Rickey Park.  Red-shirt sophomore Matt Mader (Portsmouth, OH) took the mound for Blue and pitched 4 strong innings earning the victory.  The Blue team was led by junior Brian Ramey’s (Franklin Furnace, OH) 2 doubles and 3 RBI’s.  Junior College transfer Caullan Owens (Warren, OH) hit his 1^st homerun of the fall while scoring 3 runs for the Blue.

Team Gray was led by freshman Adam Wamsley’s (Wheelersburg, OH) 2 hit performance.  Seniors, Drew Howard (Portsmouth, OH) and Logan Crabtree (Lucasville, OH) notched RBI’s for the Gray.  Junior Adam Hatton (Grove City, OH) was handed the loss.

Game 2 is scheduled for Thursday, October 16^th with 1^st pitch slated for 3:30PM at Branch Rickey Park.

ALUMNI GAME 2008
The Shawnee State University Baseball Team welcomed back many of their alumni for the annual Alumni Game that was held on Saturday, October 4 at Branch Rickey Park.  The current edition of the Bears won the nine inning affair going away by the score of 20-8.  The Bears were led by red-shirt sophomore Matt Mader who collected a pair of hits to go along with 3 RBI’s as part of their 7 run 2^nd inning.  David Bentley, Adam Wamsley, Drew Howard, and Corey Fischer, all collected multiple hits for the Bears on the afternoon. 

Highlights of the day for the Alumni were a 1^st inning 2-run homer by Justin Craft (’08) and an eighth inning blast off the bat of Nolan Crabtree (’07).  Craft ended the day 3-5 adding a double to his earlier homerun.  Jon Venters (’08) began the day by winning the homerun derby with his blast off the scoreboard in left field.

The Baseball Bears will put the finishing touches to their fall season with the 2^nd Annual Blue/Gray Footer & Shake Series during the week of Oct. 12-18.  Game 1 will be held Sunday, October 12^th wth 1^st pitch set for 2:30 p.m.  Games 2, 3, and 4 will take place on Tuesday, October 14^th, Thursday, October 16^th, and Friday, October 17^th, respectively with game times set for 3:30 p.m.  Game 5 will be a part of Parents’ Day on Saturday, October 18^th beginning at noon.  All games will take place at Branch Rickey Park.  Check back after the series for a full run down of the games.