Spitaels’ five doubles and nine RBIs pace league leaders
DELAWARE, Ohio – Through one week of play in the Great Lakes Summer Collegiate League, Anderson’s Reid Spitaels (Bethel College) has found himself atop the league rankings in batting average, doubles and runs batted in. He, along with Cincinnati’s Ian Kadish (Marshall University), has earned GLSCL Player of the Week honors for their efforts this past week.
Spitaels, who is in his second season with the Servants (1-6), has lined nine hits in 19 at bats through five games this season. His .467 average leads the league, as does his nine RBIs and five doubles. He also ranks second in slugging percentage (.737) and on base percentage (.542).
Zach Dygert, a member of the 2007 team, will have the opportunity of continuing his baseball career with the Washington Nationals. The Ball State catcher was drafted in the 48th round in the 2009 MLB Draft. For more on this story visit http://ballstatesports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=62140&SPID=6783&DB_OEM_ID=14200&ATCLID=3749375 . The Anderson Servants congratulate Dygert on his accomplishment and look forward to watching him excel at the next level.
Last year, the Anderson Servants remained in the playoff race all summer until dropping seven out of the eight final games. These losses created a frustrating ending to a season where the Servants drastically improved upon the previous year’s record of 4-35.
In 2008, the Servants turnaround was largely due to the offensive improvements. Last year’s team saw five guys hit over .300 compared to the 2007 team which had only Jeff Mercer of Wright State hitting .357. The team batting average improved from 2007’s .214 to .258. This year’s team looks to build off that mark by revamping the outfield with the additions of Nick Capparellof Worcester State, William Langford of Emmanuel College, and Terrell Jones of Truet McConnell College.
Nick Capparell had a very strong season far for the Lancers. The junior from North Attleboro, MA hit .377 with 8HR’s and adding 15 SB’s. William Langford of Pendergrass, GA also had a productive year for the Lions hitting .414 with 7 HR’s while earning 2nd team All-Conference. The switch hitting freshman, Terrell Jones was a very key part to the Truett McConnell team that reached the final four in the state playoffs. The Douglasville, GA native hit .307 with 4HR’s and 45 RBI’s in 50 starts for his team.
In addition to these three newcomers in the outfield the Servants will be returning two players from last years team that will be in the mix for playing time in the outfield. Andrew Elkeof Phoenix College had a tremendous OBP of .453 in 118 at bats. The redshirt sophomore from St. Charles, IL hit .286 last summer. Last years 2nd Team All GSCL centerfielder, Reed Spiteals, is returning for his second season with the Servants. The CF paced the Bethel Pilots in hitting .458 avg with 8HR’s and 54 RBI’s. The Servants look for Reed to build off his All Region performance heading into the summer.
Anthony Lymberopoulos, a catcher/outfielder from Houston, TX will continue to be a versatile asset for the Servants for the third summer. Anthony played for Navarro College andthe Servants expect to see him to improve off last years season where he hit .256 with 3 HR’s. Alex Mena of NorthBergen, NJ will also be behind the plate for the Servants. Mena hit .286 this past year for New Jersey City University. Zach Kreegerof Carmel, IN rounds out the catchers for the Servants. Kreeger is finally healthy after a two year abstence from the field. Zach plays for the University of Indianapolis in the Spring.
Gant Elmore a sophomore at Yale University has been playing both 2B and SS this spring for the Bulldogs. The Bloomington, IN native is hit .294 with a .408 OBP. Jimmy Roesingerwill be returning for a secondstint with the Servants. The redshirtsophomore from Indianapolis, IN led the A-10 champs in hitting with a .401 average for the Dayton Flyers. Last year the A-10 first team All Conference Roesinger played primarily 2B for the Servants andwill once again compete to be a mainstay there but will with his athletic ability don’t be suprisedto see him moving around the field as needed.
Keith Haaff and SpikerHelms will roundup the middle of the infield for the Servants. Keith Haaffof Hatfield, IN enjoyed a nice Freshman season. Keithhit .337 with a perfect 9 for 9 in stolen base oppurtinities. Keith will be called to play 2B, SS and 3B throughout the season. Spiker Helms of Wildwood, MO hit .353 for Longview this past season while starting in every game. Spiker like Keith while also be looked at across the infield.
James Harding, a sophomore from Clearwater Christain College will compete for playing time at 2B and 3B.
Riley Diaz will once again provide a powerful left-handed bat in the middle of the line up. The junior from SalvaRegina University is currently hitting .298 with 3 HR’s. Last summer the 1B hit .300 with 3 HR’s. Nate Clem of Pendleton, IN while provide a right handed option at 1b. Nate played his Freshman year at Anderson University.
The new additions along with the strong group of returning players should make Servants’ fans confident in this years offense. Expect to hear “When the Saints Go Marching In” on a regular basis in the 2009 season!
There are only 77 days until the 2009 Anderson Servants take the field, and the roster is certainly beginning to take shape.
Overall, I believe that the players on our 2009 roster will make the best team we’ve ever recruited. If we don’t advance to the playoffs this year, it would be a huge disappointment because I truly have high hopes for this team.
This year, our recruiting has been focused on locating strong, reliable pitchers. The roster now holds 10 pitchers, and I’m feeling confident in the staff we’ve assembled.
Two integral players from last summer’s team will be returning to play for us again—Riley Diaz on first base and Anthony Lymberopoulos behind the plate.
Diaz and Lymberopoulos provided significant backing to last year’s team; together they generated six out of our 8 homeruns. I expect them to make an even bigger contribution this season and look forward to their experience and leadership off the field as well.
New to the Servants is Blake Williams from Emmanuel College, who will be working as our assistant coach. Williams has already proved to be a valuable addition to our coaching staff, signing two players—one from Emmanuel and one from Iowa Western.
Our first game is Friday, June 12 versus the Cincinnati Steam, who ranks sixth in the nation. The Steam will make a challenging first opponent, but with the roster that we are building, I feel that our team will be ready to face this test.
Kyle Lymberopoulos
Assistant GM & Coach
