COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ohio State junior pitcher Eric Best is having a terrific summer pitching in relief for the Alaska Glacier Pilots of the Alaskan League. So good, in fact, that Best has been named the team’s outstanding pitcher for the season and was awarded with its Lefty Van Brunt pitching award.
Best has made 14 appearances for the 29-11 Pilots, who are ranked as the No. 2 team nationally among all summer league teams by PGCrosschecker. In those 14 appearances Best has recorded 10 saves and a 1.59 earned run average. He is limiting opposing batters to a batting average of .200 and he has 20 strikeouts and only six walks.
A recent article on PGCrosschecker’s web site noted this about Best and his team, which was ranked No. 1 nationally at the time: “The Pilots have relied primarily on a pitching staff that has posted a collective 2.28 ERA, and has gotten big summers from University of San Diego red-shirt freshman righthander Darrin Campbell and Ohio State junior lefthander Eric Best.”
Best isn’t the only Buckeye having a sparkling summer on the diamond. Here are a few more Buckeye summer “gems”:
Zach Hurley – Cincinnati Steam
Hurley continues to lead the Great Lakes Summer Collegiate League’s Cincinnati Steam with a .396 average. The Buckeye junior, who is second in the league overall in hitting, has started 32 times for the GLSCL leaders (27-9) and he has 26 runs scored, 22 RBI and a .550 slugging percentage with four doubles, two triples and three home runs. Hurley is also 9-for-14 in stolen bases.
Justin “Gus” Miller – Luray Wranglers
Senior Justin “Gus” Miller, back in his home state playing for Luray of the Valley Baseball League after starting the summer in Cape Cod, is hitting .321 in his 16 starts for the Wranglers. He is slugging at a .429 clip and has driven in 12 RBI.
Rucinski, Wimmers & Armstrong – Luray Wranglers
A trio of sophomore pitchers – Drew Rucinski, Alex Wimmers and Andrew Armstrong – have combined for an 11-1 record for Luray.
- Rucinski is 3-0 with a 0.85 ERA in 42.1 innings pitched. He has made six starts and struck out 48 while walking just nine.
- Wimmers is 4-1 with a 2.11 ERA and three saves. He has made five starts and has struck out 50 batters in 38.1 innings with just 16 walks. Opponents are hitting just .177 off him.
- Armstrong is 4-0 with a 4.05 ERA. The left-hander has made six starts, pitched 33.1 innings and has 33 strikeouts as opposed to 10 walks.
And in the Pros (New York-Penn League)...
J.B. Shuck is hitting .285 in 36 games for Tri-City in the New York-Penn League. He leads the team with 32 runs scored and with four triples. On the mound, Dan DeLucia is 2-1 with a 1.29 ERA in seven appearances for Oneonta.
And a few more summer notes:
- While the Alaska Glacier Pilots are ranked No. 2 nationally in the PGCrosschecker poll, the Luray Wranglers and the Cincinnati Steam are ranked Nos. 3 and 7, respectively.
- Luray finished second in the VBL with a 30-14 record. The league’s playoffs begin Tuesday, July 29. Luray is taking on Harrisonburg in the first round of the best-of-three playoffs.
- Sophomore Dean Wolosiansky leads Haymarket of the VBL with a 2.77 earned run average. He is 3-3 on the season with 48.2 innings pitched and 32 strikeouts. His team meets No. 1 seed Waynesboro in the first round of the playoffs.
- Junior Cory Rupert is hitting .282 with 26 starts for the GLSCL Columbus All-Americans.
- Junior Ryan Dew has four home runs, 20 RBI and a .250 average for Columbus.
- Sophomore Ryan Meade is hitting .284 for Delaware of the GLSCL.
- Junior Cory Kovanda has 22 starts for Delaware.
- Junior Josh Edgin pitched 48.2 innings this summer for Forest City of the Coastal Plain League. He made 13 appearances with eight starts and posted a 4.44 ERA.
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