CORNBELTERS 6, BEES 4: Just One Of Those Prospect League Nights

By JOHN BOHNENKAMP

A balk that brought in the go-ahead run.

A dropped third strike that ended a game on a play when no one quite knew what happened.

Oh, and there was the 5-3-2 double play on a sacrifice bunt.

There will be nights in the Prospect League when games can get a little strange, and the Normal CornBelters’ 6-4 win over the Burlington Bees on Wednesday at Community Field was one of those.

An eighth-inning balk called on Bees reliever Jaden Siemer brought in Scott Newman with the go-ahead run, then J.D. Bogart’s single drove in Daniel Young with a second run as Normal (5-2) held on for the win and ended the three-game home winning streak for the Bees (3-4).

“It’s a little frustrating, for sure,” Bees manager Owen Oreskovich said.

The Bees had tied the game in the bottom of the seventh inning on Cedric Dunnwald’s two-run single with one out, but two strikeouts sandwiched around a Kooper Schulte walk that loaded the bases ended the inning.

“We still had a chance to fight and score some runs earlier, to make (the balk) not a problem,” Oreskovich said.

The CornBelters had runners on first and third in the eighth when base umpire Louis Galligan called the balk on Siemer.

“He said (Siemer) didn’t come set,” Oreskovich said. “But I thought he was doing the same thing he had been doing the whole time.”

Bogart, hitting No. 8 in the lineup, then singled to left field to score Young.

“It kind of gave them a little momentum there, and then they get a base hit out of the ‘8’ hole,” Oreskovich said.

The Bees were retired in order over the last two innings, although there was some confusion on the final out. A 2-2 pitch to Dunnwald went over the glove of Bogart, the CornBelters’ catcher. The pitch was called a strike, but Dunnwald stood at home plate before realizing the call. Bogart was able to track the ball down and throw Dunnwald out at first.

Oreskovich argued the call with plate umpire Brian Ingram, but the game was over.

Four Bees pitchers combined for five walks and 11 strikeouts, but three of the runs in the game were unearned.

“I thought our pitchers did a great job, all around,” Oreskovich said. “They did their job for us to win the game. They just had hits with runners in scoring position when they got them there, and they took advantage of some mistakes, too.”

Bees starter Jacob Zahner walked one and struck out five in five innings.

Dylan Haslett, who relieved Zahner, walked Young to lead off the sixth. Camden Ruby followed with a bunt up the third-base line. Third baseman Jaden Hackbarth fielded the ball and threw Ruby out at first, but Young started to head to third since no one was covering the base. Catcher Ian Wolski raced to cover the base, making the tag on Young for the second out.

Drake Downing (1-0) was the winning pitcher.

ON DECK: The Bees are on the road to play the Springfield Lucky Horseshoes on Thursday in a game that won’t count in the standings for either team. The two teams will play a similar game at Community Field on June 29.

NOTES: Schulte went 2-for-4 with a double and a run. He has six hits in his first nine at-bats since joining the team on Sunday. … Hackbarth had two hits and scored twice.

Box score

Photo: Bees catcher Ian Wolski tags out Normal’s Daniel Young at third base in the sixth inning. (Steve Cirinna/Burlington Bees)

BEES 12, GEMS 2: Maxwell, And The Bats, Deliver A Home Win

By JOHN BOHNENKAMP

The difference between Rem Maxwell’s first start of the season and the second start was every pitch was working.

And, by the way, he didn’t have food poisoning.

Maxwell gave up one run in six innings, and the Burlington Bees backed him with 11 hits in a 12-2 win over the Quincy Gems in Tuesday’s Prospect League game at Community Field.

The Bees (3-3), who moved into a first-place tie with Clinton in the Great River Division, snapped a three-game losing streak and stayed undefeated at home in a game that was stopped in the seventh inning because of the league’s 10-run rule.

Maxwell allowed just four hits while striking out eight. He threw 96 pitches, 59 for strikes, but it was his command that impressed Bees manager Owen Oreskovich.

Maxwell, who got the Opening Night start against the Gems last Wednesday, threw just three innings in that game, walking four and striking out two.

“I’ve got to give that kid credit,” Oreskovich said. “He had three pitches tonight, instead of one and a half in the opener. He kind of had his breaking ball (in the opener), but he didn’t have his change-up. He had all three tonight, and that was the big difference.”

“I felt comfortable out there,” Maxwell said. “Just throwing strikes.”

He also wasn’t throwing up.

“I think I threw up 15 times (on Wednesday),” Maxwell said. “Came in after I came out of the game, threw up all over the place. It wasn’t the best, I’ll tell you that.”

Maxwell didn’t throw an inning this season at Georgia Southern. Going as long as he did in this game, and almost reaching the league’s 100-pitch limit, felt good, he said.

“I haven’t done that in a while,” Maxwell said.

Maxwell, who had a 1-2-3 first inning, got into trouble in the second inning. The Gems (1-5) put together three singles to start the inning, but Maxwell escaped without allowing a run. Joe Huffman struck out, then Luke Jessen hit a pop fly down the third-base line that Bees’ shortstop Kooper Schulte caught in foul territory. Maxwell then got a called third strike on Harry Oden to end the inning.

“They came in the dugout after that inning, and I said, ‘That’s how you pitch, boys,’” Oreskovich said.

“Very huge to get out of that,” Maxwell said. “I’ll tell you, I couldn’t have done that without the other guys out there. I’ve got a bunch of great guys behind me. It’s just trusting them.”

Maxwell then retired the next nine hitters before allowing a run in the sixth inning to end his night.

“It’s great, knowing where every ball is going,” Maxwell said. “If they hit it, they hit it. If they don’t, they don’t.”

**Keanu Spencer (left) is greeted by Bees manager Owen Oreskovich after his second-inning solo home run. (Steve Cirinna/Burlington Bees)**

The Bees put constant pressure on three Gems pitchers. Mason Schwalbach’s solo home run in the first inning and Keanu Spenser’s sole homer in the second set an early tone. Burlington added three runs in the third, then seven in the fifth inning.

Schulte had three hits and drove in three runs. Spenser had three hits and drove in two. Both were close to a cycle — Schulte needed a home run and Spenser needed a triple, which he could have had a chance at in the sixth inning when his drive into the left-center field gap was chased down by Jessen.

“Keanu would have had a chance if he had burned that kid,” Oreskovich said. “He said he would have went for (the triple).”

UP NEXT: The Bees play host to the Normal CornBelters in Wednesday’s 6:30 p.m. game. Jake Zahner (0-0, 4.50 ERA) will get the start for Burlington.

NOTES: The Bees’ bench is getting deeper. Schulte joined the team on Sunday. Pitcher Aiden McGee has also joined the team, as has outfielder Simon Turner. Pitchers Drew Martin and Jake Jakubowski are expected next week, and outfielder Coy Sarsfield will join the team this weekend. “We’re getting there,” Oreskovich said. “It does feel like we have more options.” … The Bees’ game with Quincy on Sunday is being counted as a complete game, a 7-5 loss, despite the game being stopped in the middle of the fifth inning because of lighting issues. “It’s called a complete game, and that’s all I’m going to say about it,” Oreskovich said, smiling.”

Box score

Top photo: Bees pitcher Rem Maxwell allowed just one run in six innings in Tuesday’s win over Quincy. (Steve Cirinna/Burlington Bees)

THE MONDAY HIVE: Spenser Doesn’t Need To Adjust To Wood Bats

By JOHN BOHNENKAMP

Keanu Spenser walked into the Burlington Bees’ dugout before Thursday’s game against Illinois Valley and started getting his bats ready.

Unlike many of the college players in the Prospect League, playing with wood bats is something Spenser doesn’t need to adjust to this summer.

Spenser, who plays at Scottsdale (Arizona) Community College, plays in the Arizona Community College Athletic Conference, which is one of the few junior college conferences where wood bats are used.

“So I really didn’t have to change anything coming here,” Spenser said. “My conference is all wood-bat. If anything, if I swung a metal bat right now, I’d have to adjust.”

Spenser hit .301 with 12 doubles and three home runs this season at Scottsdale. He has played first base in the Bees’ first five games, hitting .222 with two doubles and four runs batted in.

Spenser, who grew up in Scottsdale, was planning on playing this summer in a league in Palm Springs, California when he found out the Bees were looking for a first baseman.

“I got a call, they offered me a spot (with the Bees), and I said, ‘Yeah,’” Spenser said. “There was no doubt about not coming here.

“I was coming out here experiencing everything new, not knowing a single person. For me, I love that. It’s nothing but opportunity.”

Not that it’s easy to get to Burlington from Arizona.

“Flew in on the little 8-seater plane,” Spenser said, laughing. “We were walking out on the tarmac and I was like, ‘Oh, all right. I see what we’re flying in.’”

Spenser’s biggest adjustment in baseball was learning how to play first base.

“All the way up to my senior year of high school, I was a catcher,” he said. “Two weeks before the season, I was told I had arthritis in my knee. So basically I needed to stop catching.

“It was a big change, but I was willing to do anything to play baseball.”

**Keanu Spenser singles in the Burlington Bees’ season opener against the Quincy Gems. (Steve Cirinna/Burlington Bees)**

What Spenser is hoping for the summer with the Bees — he is planning on playing the full season — is catching the attention of four-year colleges as he gets ready for his sophomore season at Scottsdale.

“It’s just more exposure,” he said. “Maybe some coaches haven’t seen me. Because I’m still trying to find somewhere to go, and hopefully this gets me more exposure.”

Spenser is adjusting to the Midwest summer — “This isn’t much different than Arizona,” he said. “Maybe more bugs and it’s a little more humid.” — but he’s willing to look at any future college opportunity.

“I would love to play in warm weather,” Spenser said. “But I’ll play anywhere if I can keep playing baseball and keep getting better.”

A DEEPER ROSTER

The Bees’ roster will grow as teams are eliminated from postseason tournaments.

Kooper Schulte joined the team for Sunday’s game at Quincy. Schulte, an infielder from New London who plays at Central Arizona College, was in Oklahoma watching the Southeastern Community College team coached by his father, Justin, play in the NJCAA Division II World Series.

Three players from that tournament — pitchers Drew Martin and Jake Jakubowski from champion Heartland Community College, and infielder Caleb Wulf from runner-up Southeastern Community College — also are expected to join the Bees this week.

Iowa outfielder Coy Sarsfield is available after the Hawkeyes were eliminated from the NCAA tournament on Sunday night. Sarsfield scored the go-ahead run in Iowa’s 6-5 win over North Carolina in an elimination game. Outfielder Will Mulflur, another Hawkeye, is expected to join the team the second half of the season.

BEES BY THE NUMBERS

Tanner Holland opened the season with three two-hit games as part of a four-game hitting streak. Holland is hitting .389 with seven hits and five runs. … Mason Schwalbach has eight runs batted in through the first five games. Schwalbach is hitting .313. … Ian Wolski is batting .375 and Cedric Dunnwald is hitting .357.

AROUND THE PROSPECT LEAGUE

Chris Hall of the Cape Catfish is one of the hottest hitters in the league after the first week. Hall is batting .667 with 10 runs scored, 11 RBIs, and five stolen bases. Teammate Justin Carinci is hitting .556. … The Catfish were the only undefeated team after the first week, going 4-0. … Normal and Lafayette lead their respective divisions with 4-1 records. … Clinton leads the Great River Division with a 3-2 record.

Top photo: Keanu Spenser looks to make the play at first base for the Burlington Bees in last Wednesday’s season opener. (Steve Cirinna/Burlington Bees)

BEES 7, PISTOL SHRIMP 6: An Error, Then Another One, Then A Win

By JOHN BOHNENKAMP

Jaden Hackbarth was almost the final out twice.

But when he saw what was happening as he raced toward first base as part of a basepath carousel of Burlington Bees, Hackbarth knew what was it meant.

“I thought, ‘Oh, that’s game,’” Hackbarth said.

And so it was.

Two errors on back-to-back swings by Hackbarth in the bottom of the ninth inning finished the Bees’ 7-6 comeback win over the Illinois Valley Pistol Shrimp in Thursday’s Prospect League game at Community Field.

The Bees (2-0), who had two hits and no runs through the first innings, scored four runs in the eighth inning and three runs in a wild ninth, finally taking advantage of all the Pistol Shrimp gave them throughout the night.

“It wasn’t pretty,” Bees manager Owen Oreskovich said, smiling. “Wasn’t pretty.”

No, but it was a lot of fun, Hackbarth said over the celebratory cacophony in the Bees’ clubhouse.

“We were kind of dead in those first seven innings without any runs,” the third baseman said. “I think the team showed a lot of grit and it showed us we can compete with one of the better teams in the league, and that we can come from behind.”

The Bees were down to their last out, down 6-4 in the ninth, after Illinois Valley reliever Bret Baldus struck out Jackson Fisher and Tanner Holland to start the inning. But Baldus walked Cedric Dunnwald on a 3-2 pitch and then walked Drew Gaskins on five pitches.

Juju Thompson (0-1) replaced Baldus and walked Connor Laeng on a 3-2 pitch to load the bases. With Hackbarth at the plate, Thompson threw a wild pitch, allowing Dunnwald to score and advancing Gaskins and Laeng.

Hackbarth worked a 3-2 count, then hit a foul ball in front of the Pistol Shrimp dugout that first baseman Emanuel Andujar seemed to have a play on, but the ball dropped behind Andujar for an error.

“I was hoping he couldn’t see it when it got up in the lights,” Oreskovich said. “That’s another one of those things when it happens, things have to go your way.”

“I was really hoping he was going to drop it and give me another chance,” Hackbarth said. “I didn’t think I put my best swing on it, and when it fell, a big sigh of relief.”

Hackbarth did get a good swing on the next pitch, hitting a hard grounder up the middle that shortstop Jake Ferguson fielded. Ferguson whirled and threw to first, but the ball was high and sailed off the glove of a leaping Andujar. Gaskins and Laeng scored, and the rally was complete.

“I knew he was going to come at me with a strike,” Hackbarth said. “I wanted to make sure I was on time — I didn’t want him to beat me with his best stuff. I hit it well, and just tried to run as quick as I could to first.”

“The shortstop made a great play,” Oreskovich said. “But that ball was smoked.”

Burlington Bees third baseman Jaden Hackbarth watches his ninth-inning grounder that led to the winning runs. (Steve Cirinna/Burlington Bees)

It was a night when the Bees made plenty of contact, it just seemed like everything found a Pistol Shrimp glove.

Hackbarth hit two balls to center field that were tracked down. Brandon Bickford lined out to left field with runners on second and third to end the Bees’ four-run eighth inning.

Burlington left 11 baserunners in the first seven innings.

“I don’t think the box score is going to show what was happening,” Oreskovich said.

“It was definitely frustrating,” Hackbarth said. “But they kept putting guys on (the Pistol Shrimp gave up 13 walks) and we were bound to get some runs going with those opportunities.”

The Bees got strong pitching from starter Jacob Zahner and relievers Luke Fredrick and Ryan Donley (1-0).

Zahner, making his first pitching appearance of the year after not throwing at all for Southeastern Community College, gave up just two earned runs in four innings, allowing eight hits while striking out two. Fredrick gave up one run over three innings, then Donley allowed one unearned run in two innings.

“I’ve got to give credit to our pitching staff,” Oreskovich said. “They had 11 hits, or whatever it was. But our guys were throwing weak contact, they were doing their job.

“Zahner pitched a hell of a game out there, I really like what I saw in him. Fredrick going out there and throwing up zeroes was huge. (Donley) came in and was great. Those guys kept us in the game, gave us the chance at the end.”

Two games into the season, two wins for the Bees.

“Give credit to these guys,” Oreskovich said. “They believed. I like this team a lot. They’ve got a confidence about them. They want to compete every time, and they want to win. They’re having fun.”

ON DECK: The Bees begin a two-game series at Illinois Valley with Friday’s 7:05 p.m. game. Cauy Massner will be the starting pitcher for Burlington.

Box score

Top photo: The Burlington Bees celebrate after Thursday’s 7-6 win over Illinois Valley. (Steve Cirinna/Burlington Bees)

BEES 10, GEMS 8: A Big Opening Night For Wolski, Bees

By JOHN BOHNENKAMP

Ian Wolski traveled a long way to make an impact in his first game with the Burlington Bees.

The catcher from Hawaii Pacific was involved in plenty of key moments, and certainly one quirky moment, in the Bees’ 10-8 win over the Quincy Gems in Wednesday’s Prospect League season opener at Community Field.

Wolski had a three-run home run in the Bees’ five-run first inning and threw out two baserunners on inning-ending plays.

“It was amazing,” Wolski said. “All I can ask for — home run, throwing guys out. I did my job and I’m proud of that.”

Wolski’s first game impressed Bees manager Owen Oreskovich.

“He’s a competitive kid,” Oreskovich said. “He worked his tail off the whole game today, and I greatly appreciate that from him. I’m excited for the summer with that kid, absolutely.”

Wolski, who hit .357 in his freshman season at Hawaii Pacific, delivered one of the first big hits of the season for the Bees, who took advantage of early wildness from Quincy starting pitcher Peyton Clampitt.

Clampitt walked Connor Laeng to open the inning, then hit Jaden Hackbarth with a pitch. Mason Schwalbach’s double scored Laeng, then Keanu Spenser was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Brandon Bickford’s sacrifice fly gave the Bees a 2-0 lead with Wolski coming up.

Wolski got a 2-2 fastball from Clampitt, and sent it out over the left-field wall.

“With that count, I was just looking to put something in play,” Wolski said. “It made an impact on the crowd, which was what we wanted to do.”

That inning had the Bees in control for the rest of the game.

“I think it set the tone very well for the guys, especially the guys who didn’t get to play a lot this year,” Oreskovich said. “The nerves with some of the guys, you could see it in their face at the beginning of the game. After that, it was basically like, ‘OK, I can breathe. I’m good to go.’”

The Gems had runners in scoring position in all but one inning, and the Bees always seemed a way to stop the traffic.

Wolski was involved in ending two of those innings, throwing out Quincy’s Jimmy Koza trying to steal second base in the fourth inning, and throwing out Lucas Loos on a steal attempt of third in the eighth.

“He’s got a hose on him back there,” Oreskovich said.

Wolski, who grew up in Rancho Cucamonga, California, was a teammate this season of pitcher Steven Escarcega, who played for the Bees last season.

“Our coach knew it was a good program here,” Wolski said. “So here I am.”

Wolski was also involved in one of the night’s strangest plays, when his bat came apart when he struck out swinging in the fourth inning. Wolski was left holding the knob of the bat, and walked back to the dugout looking at it, trying to figure out what happened.

“That’s never happened to me,” he said, laughing. “I don’t know if there was something broken inside of it, but I didn’t see a crack or anything.”

Jaden Siemer was the winning pitcher and Adrian Nery got the save in a game in which the Bees used five pitchers.

Starting pitcher Rem Maxwell gave up three hits and four walks in three innings. Siemer and Nery each threw two innings. Ryan Donley and Nick Tampa each threw one.

“That wasn’t actually the plan, but it turned out that way,” Oreskovich said, noting the Bees gave up 12 walks and hit two batters. “We’re going to have to limit the free bases.”

It was a good way to start the season, Wolski said.

“It’s all up from here,” he said.

NOTES: The Gems didn’t arrive at the ballpark until 45 minutes before the first pitch. The team bus left Quincy at 2:30 p.m., but during the 70-mile trip the bus twice had to stop for mechanical issues. … The Bees had just eight hits. Tanner Holland was the only Burlington hitter with two hits. … Attendance was 1,801.

UP NEXT: The Bees play host to the Illinois Valley Pistol Shrimp at 6:30 p.m. Thursday. Jacob Zahner, a Burlington High School graduate, will be the starting pitcher for the Bees.

Box score

Photo: Bees catcher Ian Wolski watches his first-inning home run. (Steve Cirinna/Burlington Bees)

Oreskovich Had More Time To Build Bees’ Roster

By JOHN BOHNENKAMP

Owen Oreskovich got earlier work in on constructing the 2023 Burlington Bees’ roster.

Oreskovich, in his second year of managing the Prospect League team, started working in late September to put together his 30-player team.

And by the end, he even got to be more selective on filling the final few spots.

Now, Oreskovich wants to see what his team can do, beginning with Wednesday’s season opener against the Quincy Gems at Community Field.

Oreskovich had a late start putting together the 2022 team — he wasn’t named manager until the fall of 2021 — but knowing he was coming back for a second season, he had a little more time to prepare.

“I would never say it’s easy,” Oreskovich said Tuesday. “You know, it was a little different this year. I got a little bit more of a head start. And, I was a little bit more picky with it.”

Putting together a roster is all about competition and contacts. There are 17 Prospect League teams, and countless more around the nation in other leagues, so finding college players willing to spend some time in the summer in a wood-bat league isn’t the easiest.

Oreskovich said players who were coming back from last season, like infielder Jaden Hackbarth and outfielder/pitcher Nick Tampa, helped recruit players. He also talked to coaches he met at the American Baseball Coaches Association convention in January.

Oreskovich knew what he was looking for when offering players.

“I was trying to get guys that, when I would talk to them, that it seemed like they really love baseball, want to play baseball,” Oreskovich said. “Play the game, enjoy the summer and a great atmosphere with some great fans. When talking to the guys that understood that, it made it easy for me to say yes to them.

“Everybody that I’ve met so far with this team, everybody that I’ve talked to, they seem like genuine human beings and I’m excited for them, because I think they’re good baseball players.”

Oreskovich doesn’t have his full roster yet. Outfielders Will Mulflur and Coy Sarsfield will be with Iowa in the NCAA tournament this weekend in Terre Haute, Indiana — Mulflur already was planning to not be with the team until early July as he recovers from a lower back injury earlier this season. Others are playing in different postseason tournaments.

Oreskovich expects to have at least 23 players in uniform for Wednesday’s game.

“It’s definitely workable,” Oreskovich said. “It should be for this first week, we’ll have at least 23 players, maybe 24. Sometimes it’s what you’ve got to do in the summer. We should be able to work through it just fine, and it’s going to give guys a lot of experience early on.”

Putting together a roster also means planning ahead. Most players don’t play a full season in the Prospect League, so there’s also the Plan B of what to do to fill spots later in the season.

“There are some who pitch the first half of the summer and shut down in the second half, or the other way around,” Oreskovich said. “Every-day guys might sit out the first half and want to play in the second half. So, when talking to guys, there were some who said they’re interested in the second half and so we’ll look to them when we have to fill some spots.”

The main selling point, Oreskovich said, is he wants the players to enjoy their time while getting to play.

“That’s the big thing,” he said. “I’m not an uptight guy, by any means. I told them if there’s something they want to talk about, my door is always open. I’m all about them having fun, because it’s supposed to be fun.

“Now, if I need to get on them, I’ll get on them. But I’m not here to make anyone’s summer hell. I want to win, but I want them to enjoy it, too.”

PITCHERS (14)

Ryan Donley (LHP, Oakland University) — Hasn’t pitched this season

Jeremy Fox (RHP, Morton College) — 6-5, 3.04 ERA in 14 appearances. 78 strikeouts in 63 innings.

Luke Fredrick (LHP, Clarke University) — 0-0, 3.00 ERA in 3 appearances

Chase Golden (RHP, Western Illinois) — 0-1, 12.54 ERA in 23 appearances, 13 strikeouts in 18 2/3 innings.

Dylan Haslett (RHP, Oakland University) — 0-0, 13.03 ERA. Opponents hit .212.

Jake Jakubowski (RHP, Heartland Community College) — 1-0, 4.57 ERA in 17 appearances. 24 strikeouts in 21 ⅔ innings.

Preston Kaufman (RHP, Benedictine University) — Hasn’t pitched this season.

Drew Martin (RHP, Heartland Community College) — 0-0, 5.23 ERA in 11 appearances, with 16 strikeouts in 10 ⅓ innings.

Cauy Massner (RHP, Iowa Wesleyan) — 0-4, 9.07 ERA with Bees last season.

Rem Maxwell (RHP, Georgia Southern) — Hasn’t pitched this season.

Aiden McGee (RHP, Minnesota State-Mankato) — 2-0, 5.33 ERA, 31 strikeouts in 25 1/3 innings

Adrian Nery (RHP, Union College) — 1-3, 8.76 ERA with Bees last season.

Jaden Siemer (RHP, Hanover College) — 0-4, 11.81 ERA, 23 strikeouts in 21 ⅓ innings.

Nick Tampa (LHP, Morton College) — 9.28 ERA in 4 appearances. Also plays the outfield, and is hitting .284 with 6 HRs. Hit .205 with the Bees last season, and pitched in 14 games.

Jacob Zahner (RHP, Southeastern Community College) — Hasn’t pitched this season.

CATCHERS (3)

Jackson Fisher (Illinois-Chicago) — .083 in 14 games

Mason Schwalbach (McHenry County College) — .412, 22 HRs, 88 RBIs

Ian Wolski (Hawaii Pacific) — .357, 1 HR, 16 RBIs

INFIELDERS (7)

Brandon Bickford (Mount Mercy) — .250 with 2 HRs. Hit .250 with the Bees last season.

Drew Gaskins (Oakland University) — Incoming freshman

Jaden Hackbarth (McHenry County College) — .370, 4 HRs, 48 RBIs. Hit .247 with the Bees last season.

Connor Laeng (Concordia-Irvine) — .600 in 6 games.

Kooper Schulte (Central Arizona College) — .242 in 33 games.

Keanu Spencer (Scottsdale Community College) — .301 with 3 home runs and 25 RBIs.

Caleb Wulf (Southeastern Community College) — .386, 52 RBIs in 61 games.

OUTFIELDERS (5)

Cedric Dunnwald (Mount Mercy) — Hit .200 in three games with the Bees last season.

Tanner Holland (Central Arizona College) — Redshirted this season.

Will Mulflur (Iowa) — .167 in 11 games. Battled lower back injury early in the season. Will join the team for the second half of the season.

Trenton Rice (Oakland University) — Incoming freshman.

Coy Sarsfield (Iowa) — .176 in 16 games

Photo: Burlington Bees manager Owen Oreskovich (right) congratulates Spencer Nivens after a home run last season. (Steve Cirinna/Burlington Bees)

Maxwell Looks Forward To Being Opening Day Starter

By JOHN BOHNENKAMP

There is a certain honor that comes with being the Opening Day starting pitcher, and Rem Maxwell gets that.

But he looks at his starting assignment for the Burlington Bees in Wednesday’s season opener against the Quincy Gems as an opportunity.

“It does mean a lot to get this chance,” the 20-year-old right-hander from Georgia said. “I’m very excited for this.”

Maxwell redshirted last season at Georgia Southern as a freshman and didn’t pitch this season. He is in the NCAA transfer portal, looking for a new home, and this summer is a chance to show his talent to prospective schools.

It’s Maxwell’s first time in Iowa, and he arrived here on the recommendation of Eric Alonzo, who played for the Burlington Bees in 2015 and 2016 when they were a Class A Midwest League affiliate of the Los Angeles Angels.

Alonzo, a former Georgia Southern player, is the owner of Full Count Baseball in Georgia and worked with Maxwell.

“I was skeptical about it because it’s so far from home, like, 13 hours away,” Maxwell said. “Then I decided I wanted something different.”

Alonzo recommended Maxwell to Bees manager Owen Oreskovich, who saw one video clip and was convinced he would be a good addition to the pitching staff.

“(Alonzo) had great things to say about him, talked about how he works really hard, and is at a great school,” Oreskovich said. “I’m excited for him to go out there, get his innings in, and show what he can truly do. Then he can go somewhere (in the fall) and compete for a spot there.

“He’s a very respectful person. ‘Yes, sir.’ ‘No, sir.’ I really like him.”

The summer is an opportunity, Maxwell said, to get better as a pitcher.

“There’s a lot of work I want to do here,” Maxwell said. “Holding baserunners, not tipping pitches. Compete, get ahead in counts, stuff like that.”

It’s also a chance to get to know new teammates.

“It’s definitely stepping out of my comfort zone,” Maxwell said. “A lot of the guys are really friendly, easy to talk to. It’s been a little different, but it’s all good.”

Maxwell’s parents made the trip with him to Burlington to see Wednesday’s game. But what could be a night with the pressure that goes with being the first on the mound for a new season doesn’t feel that way to Maxwell.

“There should be (nerves), but there’s not,” he said. “I’ve been throwing lately, and it’s been pretty good. So I’m just looking forward to getting out there.

“I want to win. Everybody goes out there and competes. But I want to win.”

THE MONDAY HIVE: Bees’ Roster Complete As Season Approaches

By JOHN BOHNENKAMP

The Burlington Bees’ roster is complete as the Prospect League season begins next week.

The roster includes three players with local connections — pitcher Jacob Zahner of Burlington (Southeastern Community College), pitcher Cauy Massner of Mediapolis (Iowa Wesleyan) and infielder Kooper Schulte of New London (Central Arizona College).

Zahner and infielder Caleb Wulf are the two SCC players on the team.

Nine NCAA Division I players are on the roster, including Iowa outfielders Will Mulflur and Coy Sarsfield.

Massner is one of six Bees back from last season, joining infielder Brandon Bickford, outfielder Cedric Dunnwald, infielder Jayden Hackbarth, pitcher Adrian Nery, and pitcher/outfielder Nick Tampa.

Owen Oreskovich returns for his second season as the Bees’ manager. Jack Gray and Nathan Robertson are coaches.

The Bees open the season May 31 at home against the Quincy Gems.

A look at the roster: