Another big week at the plate has landed another honor for Burlington Bees shortstop Kooper Schulte.
Schulte was named the Prospect League’s hitter of the week for the second time this season on Tuesday after a week in which he posted a 1.854 OPS.
Schulte hit .600 for the week of July 15-21, with 12 hits, 12 runs, three doubles, two home runs and eight runs batted in.
Schulte, who plays at Iowa, is sixth in the league in hitting at .347. He is second in the league with 19 extra-base hits and is tied for second in hits with 51 and RBIs with 40.
Illinois Valley’s Caleb Okada was named the pitcher of the week, going 1-0 while striking out 12 in seven innings.
Photo: Burlington Bees shortstop Kooper Schulte watches one of his four home runs this season. (Steve Cirinna/Burlington Bees)
The crowds were the first thing Caleb Seibers noticed in his first season of playing summer league baseball.
The Burlington Bees are drawing an average of 778 fans, and for Seibers, who just finished his freshman season at Olney Central (Ill.) College, that’s a high number.
“I was not expecting this many people,” said Seibers, an infielder for the Bees. “So I come from a juco. Maybe we get 30 fans. We don’t get a lot of people.”
Seibers has found a way to put on a show for the crowd. He’s one of the Prospect League’s top hitters, and was one of five Bees selected for the All-Star Game this season.
“I mean, it’s been a pretty cool experience,” Seibers said. “You get to come out here, play for these fans in a great atmosphere. It’s been fun.”
Seibers’ numbers are comparable to what he did at Olney Central, when he hit .328 with five home runs and 39 runs batted in. He is hitting .327 for the Bees, which ranks 13th in the Prospect League. He is tied for fourth in the league with seven home runs, and tied for sixth in runs batted in with 36.
The consistency in numbers is impressive considering this is his first season in a wood bat league.
“It was a big adjustment for the first couple of weeks,” Seibers said. “I had a couple of balls that I hit hard that just weren’t going out, so I just started hitting off my back foot a little more.”
Seibers had hits in seven of his first eight games this season. He is in a four-game stretch where he’s batting .429 with a .550 on-base percentage. He wasn’t credited with an at-bat in Saturday’s 15-4 win over the Springfield Lucky Horseshoes, but he reached base in all five plate appearances — he walked three times and was hit by a pitch twice.
Seibers said playing for the Bees has helped him as a player.
“Everybody should do this,” he said. “If you’re in college, you’re going to get better playing in a league like this. And if you didn’t get many reps in college, this is the place to come. There’s 50, 60 games. Everyone’s going to play. It’s a lot of baseball. It’s a lot of good baseball, good competition.”
Seibers said he has learned from some of the veteran Bees who play at the NCAA Division I level.
“It shows how you rank as a player,” Seibers said. “You play in my (junior college) conference, you’re playing against some pretty good guys. And then playing with (Iowa’s Kooper) Schulte and (Iowa’s Miles) Risley, it’s awesome being surrounded by guys like that. They teach you a lot of stuff, and you’ve got to take that in as a player.”
Seibers is taking in the full experience. He said he has done infield work with Schulte and his father, Justin, who is the head coach at Southeastern Community College.
“I’ve been getting in some reps in the outfield, catching bullpens, just trying to get multiple positions down to play at the next level,” he said.
This summer is about baseball only for Seibers, an experience he said he needed.
“It’s a blast,” he said. “Work out, then come here and play baseball. It’s a dream. It’s what the pros do every day. I remember when I first got here, I was like, ‘Geez, this is like pro ball.’ I’m not ready to go back to school yet.”
The Bees head into the final two weeks of the season in the playoff chase, leading the Northwest Division second-half standings by percentage points over the Illinois Valley Pistol Shrimp.
Seibers wants to savor every moment he can.
“Let’s hope it’s a slow two weeks, and that we can get in a few playoff games after that,” he said.
Photo: Caleb Seibers watches one of his home runs for the Burlington Bees this season. (Steve Cirinna/Burlington Bees)
It was another 10-run rule walkoff for the Burlington Bees, only this one didn’t end the night of insanity like the last one did.
Caleb Klein’s grand slam in the bottom of the eighth inning ended Saturday’s 15-4 win over the Springfield Lucky Horseshoes at Community Field, a victory that put the Bees into first place in the Prospect League’s Northwest Division.
The Bees (25-20 overall, 13-6 second half), who have won five consecutive games, lead the Illinois Valley Pistol Shrimp by a half-game as they head into a two-day break.
“It’s an amazing way (to go into the break),” said first baseman Keanu Spenser, who hit a solo home run and finished the game with three runs batted in.
The Bees were coming off Friday’s 27-17 win over Quincy, an ugly game that ended up not leaving a hangover with the winners.
The Bees built a 9-1 lead over the first four innings and although they finished the game with only five hits, they converted many of the free bases given to them by Springfield pitchers, who hit six batters and walked 15.
“Guys took care of (at-bats),” Bees manager Owen Oreskovich said. “We didn’t get a lot of hits, but we took care of the ABs. We got hits when we needed to, so it was really good to watch.”
Burlington has scored 79 runs in the winning streak.
“I think right now, we just know our bats are hot, and so our pitchers have a little more confidence pitching, knowing, even if they give up a few (runs), our bats are going to be able to get him back,” Spenser said. “And I think it’s just been easy right now. The chemistry of the team, the energy, as you can see, is always going to be there.”
The Bees scored four runs in the third inning, and single runs in the fifth and sixth innings, without the benefit of a hit. The third inning featured four walks and three batters hit by pitches.
Many of the free bases came from the bottom of the Bees’ lineup. Caleb Seibers, hitting seventh, walked three times and was hit twice. Danny Rollins, hitting eighth, walked four times. Marcus Beatty, batting ninth, walked three times.
Burlington is fifth in the league with 240 walks, but leads the league in hit-by-pitches with 94, 13 ahead of second-place Johnstown in the category.
“It’s just the mentality we have,” Oreskovich said. “We’ve got guys from Southeastern (Community College), McHenry (Community College) that have come in here with the mentality of, ‘Don’t move, you’ll get a free base.’ And that mentality is going through the team. Who wouldn’t want a free base?”
Winning pitcher Kaelen Carlson (2-2) allowed two runs and four hits over five innings.
The Bees led 11-4 going into the bottom of the eighth. Three consecutive walks brought up Klein, whose home run to left field ended the night.
The Bees will have their Community Basket Day exhibition on Sunday, then have Monday off before heading into the final two weeks of the regular season.
Photo: Caleb Klein (left) is doused by water after hitting the grand slam that ended Burlington’s 15-4 win over Springfield on Saturday night. (Steve Cirinna/Burlington Bees)
Cole Yearsley came to the plate in the eighth inning with all of the numbers burning in red on the Community Field scoreboard and had one thought.
“Let’s get this over with,” said Yearsley, the Burlington Bees’ designated hitter.
And he did end the game, his two-run single scoring Lincoln Cardwell and Colin Schmitke to end the game on the 10-run rule as the Bees defeated the Quincy Doggy Paddlers 27-17 in Friday’s Prospect League game.
The win kept the Bees (24-20 overall, 12-6 second half) a half-game behind the Illinois Valley Pistol Shrimp for first place in the Northwest Division, but it wasn’t a win they exactly wanted to celebrate.
The final linescore was an equation of ugliness — the Doggy Paddlers didn’t score in three innings, and the Bees didn’t score in two. The two teams combined for 32 hits and seven errors, and the 10 pitchers combined walked 20.
“I’m glad we won, but that’s just not good baseball,” Bees manager Owen Oreskovich said. “The offense did well, but to give up 17 runs … we’ve got to be better, plain and simple. It’s almost tough to be happy about this game.”
“It’s one of those where it’s good to find a way to win, but it also leaves kind of that sour taste in your mouth,” said Yearsley, who had two hits and drove in five runs.
“This is one of the craziest games I’ve been a part of,” said left fielder Marcus Beatty, who had four hits, drove in four runs, and scored four times.
The Bees were down 7-0 heading into the bottom of the second inning, and 12-3 heading into the bottom of the fourth.
“We came out flat,” Oreskovich said. “We were flat the entire day.”
The Doggy Paddlers (14-28, 5-14), whose losing streak reached 10, have played four doubleheaders since July 5, and the Bees were able to carve away at their tired pitching staff. Quincy used just four pitchers, with reliever Ethan Gamez taking the brunt of the Bees’ comeback, giving up 10 runs in 3 ⅔ innings.
Jeremy Figueroa rounds the bases after his three-run home run in the seventh inning. (Steve Cirinna/Burlington Bees)
“I mean, I never doubted we could win,” Yearsley said. “I don’t think a lot of the guys ever doubted it. We came out flat, just not a lot of energy to come out with. But we knew that Quincy’s been struggling. They don’t have a lot of pitching, a lot of depth, we just stayed on it. Foot on the gas, and just grind it out. And, that’s what we did, just grinded it out.”
“When we were down 9-1, 12-3, whatever, I didn’t think we were ever out of it,” Beatty said.
The Bees scored seven runs in the bottom of the fourth inning on just four hits, then after reliever Morgan Jennings pitched a scoreless fifth inning, added eight more runs in the bottom of the inning.
“That was the biggest thing,” Beatty said. “It wasn’t just getting the seven runs in the fourth, it was putting up a zero in the top of the fifth.”
“(Jennings) looked incredible,” Oreskovich said. “And that helped turn things around, him putting up a zero and then us taking the lead. Awesome job by him.
Jennings (1-0) was one of two Bees pitchers to not allow a run. Zach Leuschen closed out the game with 1 ⅓ scoreless innings, shutting down the Doggy Paddlers in the seventh after they got to within 18-17. Burlington got four runs in the bottom of the seventh, then finished off the game with a five-run eighth inning.
“That’s the thing, we should have put them away in the seventh,” Yearsley said.
It was the fourth consecutive win for the Bees, who have scored 64 runs in the winning streak.
Caleb Klein and Jeremy Figueroa also drove in four runs for Burlington.
The game took 3 hours, 30 minutes, and after it ended the winners were ready to move on to the next day.
“You’re glad you won,” Yearsley said. “There’s something to be said about finding a way to win. But you just have to learn from this one. Just pretend it didn’t happen.”
“Tomorrow’s a new day,” Oreskovich said. “A new day to be better.”
Top photo: Bees designated hitter Cole Yearsley (18) is congratulated by teammates after his eighth-inning single brought in the final runs of the 27-17 win over Quincy. (Steve Cirinna/Burlington Bees)
The Burlington Bees’ offense, playing under a different name on Thursday night, put up the numbers that made their starting pitcher relax.
“Makes my job easier,” said Blake Gaskey after he threw six shutout innings in Thursday’s 10-2 win over the Springfield Lucky Horseshoes at Community Field.
The Bees, who have scored 37 runs in their three wins this week, have scored 314 runs this season, ranking second in the league. They got off to a 6-0 lead after three innings, and were up 8-0 when Gaskey’s night was finished.
Gaskey was the winning pitcher in last Thursday’s game at Springfield, when the Bees won 16-6.
“Oh, it’s awesome,” Gaskey said of the run support. “Last week we played them, same thing. Came out hot, scored some runs. I mean, it’s always easier to go out there and get three outs when it’s 2-0 in the second inning.”
“Guys are just in a rhythm, you know, seeing pitches well, getting into good counts and getting good swings when they need to,” Bees manager Owen Oreskovich said. “There’s clutch hitting as well. Getting hits with runners in scoring position has been a big thing. So guys are just clicking right now, and we need them to click for about another two weeks here.”
Corey Boyette’s two-run home run in the first inning got the offense going for the Bees, who were playing as the Riverboat Rockers as part of a promotion. Caleb Klein, who had a three-hit night, drove in a run with a second-inning single, then Burlington added three runs in the third on a wild pitch, a bases-loaded walk by Noah Company, and a sacrifice fly by Cole Yearsley.
By that time Gaskey had settled into his best start of the season. He threw 80 pitches, allowing six hits and a walk while striking out five.
“Everything was working,” Gaskey said. “A few pitches missed, but if I missed, I came back with a good pitch, and it worked out. Everything was working inside. Got a few ground balls early on, and that helped the confidence.”
Gaskey (2-1) got some help from his defense as well — Springfield had two runners on with one out in the fifth inning, but Kaden Griffetts’ line drive was caught by first baseman Keanu Spenser, who raced to first to double off Jonny Marquez to end the inning.
Gaskey’s last three outs were on ground balls.
“If I can get ground balls, it makes it easier for me to pitch,” he said.
“He was really good,” Oreskovich said. “That’s kind of what I expect out of him every single time. He did his job, went out there, filled up the strike zone, made pitches, got his outs, and that’s what you want to see out of him. It’s huge every time he can come out and pitch like that for us.”
Kooper Schulte also had a three-hit night for the Bees, who had 10 hits.
The Bees (23-20 overall, 11-6 second half) stayed a half-game behind Illinois Valley for the Northwest Division lead. This was the start of a six-game stretch in which the Bees play at home five times.
“That’s huge for us,” Oreskovich said. “So we’re in a race right now to get to the playoffs. And, we want to win it. So, being at home, it helps that guys can sleep in the beds that they’re used to and get on their routine they’re used to as well.”
Photo: Bees starting pitcher Blake Gaskey threw six shutout innings in Thursday’s win over Springfield. (Steve Cirinna/Burlington Bees)
The last thing Burlington Bees manager Owen Oreskovich wanted was another big deficit.
His team had another resounding answer.
The 15-7 win over the Clinton LumberKings in Thursday’s Prospect League game at Community Field was built by the Bees’ first-inning response.
The Bees had been outscored 33-12 in their previous two games, and fell behind in this one when Clinton’s Colin Coonradt hit a three-run home run in the top of the first inning off Bees starter Jackson Rodgers.
Burlington answered with five runs in the bottom of the inning, the last three coming on Caleb Seibers home run, and the Bees wouldn’t trail again. Rodgers was able to give the Bees five innings of work, allowing one run over the last four.
“Seibs stepped up with a big homer there to take the lead, and that let J-Rod go out there with a little less pressure and pitch with a lead,” Oreskovich said.
The Bees then took advantage of the opportunities the LumberKings gave them the rest of the game.
Their three runs in the fourth inning came on an error, a wild pitch, and a groundout. An error in the sixth inning brought in one of the two runs. Two more errors in the seventh inning led to two runs.
The Bees finished with 10 hits.
We took advantage of all their mistakes as well,” Oreskovich said. “Which is something we haven’t been doing too much of lately. We played the game, we played the game well.”
Rodgers (3-0) struck out seven and allowed eight hits. Nick Baffa (0-1), who lasted just ⅔ of an inning, took the loss.
Burlington plays at Clinton Friday and Alton on Saturday and Sunday before getting two days off for the Prospect League’s All-Star Game in Springfield, Ill., on Tuesday. Five Bees were selected to represent the team — Seibers, infielder Kooper Schulte, catcher Mason Schwalbach, and pitchers Braeden Sunken and Kaelen Clarkson. Burlington and Clinton had the most players selected.
“Those guys, they worked their tail off to get that opportunity,” Oreskovich said. “They’re good baseball players, and it’s exciting they get a chance. So, you know, they’re good baseball players, and it’s exciting. I don’t know if we would have had five in years past. That’s a really cool thing for us.”
The score may not look like it, but there was a point late in the game when the Burlington Bees put themselves in position to win in Wednesday’s 15-4 loss to the Clinton LumberKings at Community Field.
The Bees, who trailed 4-0 after 4 1/2 innings, got to within 5-3 heading into the seventh inning.
The bullpen, though, couldn’t keep Clinton in check. The LumberKings scored three runs in the seventh inning, one in the eighth, then tacked on six more runs in the ninth.
Colten Clarahan gave up the three seventh-inning runs. Nate Frese was charged with four earned runs on just two hits in one inning. Erick McKendry was charged with three runs in 2/3 of an inning.
The defeat was the second consecutive for the Bees, who dropped to 2-2 in the second-half and into a three-way tie for the Northwest Division’s second-half playoff berth. They have been outscored 33-12 in the two losses.
The Bees got their first run of the game with Colin Schmitke’s RBI single in the fifth inning. They scored two more in the sixth inning — Kooper Schulte and Caleb Siebers each drove in a run with singles — but after having runners on first and third with one out couldn’t cut any more out of the LumberKings’ margin.
Owen Nowak’s RBI groundout in the eighth inning provided the final Bees run.
Jaqsen Tejada (4-1) was the winning pitcher. Kaelen Clarkson (0-2) took the loss.
Photo: Burlington Bees second baseman Colin Schmitke tags out Clinton’s Drew Terpins, who was trying to steal second base in the second inning. (Steve Cirinna/Burlington Bees)
Five Burlington Bees players have been selected to play in next week’s Prospect League All-Star Game.
Catcher Mason Schwalbach, infielders Kooper Schulte and Caleb Seibers, and pitchers Braeden Sunken and Kaelen Clarkson were selected to the Western Conference team for the July 8 game in Springfield, Ill.
Schulte, a shortstop who plays for Iowa, is batting .325 with two home runs and 22 runs batted in. He leads the team with four triples and is tied for the team lead with six doubles. He has a .944 OPS.
Schwalbach, who plays at Southern Illinois, is batting .383 and has driven in 15 runs in 17 games.
Caleb Seibers celebrates a single. Seibers is one of five Burlington Bees selected to play in the Prospect League All-Star Game. (Steve Cirinna/Burlington Bees)
Seibers, a sophomore third baseman from Olney Central College, is batting .293. He is second on the Bees with four home runs.
Sunken, from Maryville University, is 2-1 with a 3.11 earned run average. He has a team-high five saves in 11 appearances, with 14 strikeouts in 14 1/3 innings.
Clarkson, from SUNY-Plattsburgh, has made four starts for the Bees. He is 0-1 with a 3.00 ERA, allowing 13 hits in 15 innings. He has walked three while striking out 12.
Schulte will also participate in the Home Run Derby on July 7, competing against Caleb Clealand (Alton River Dragons), Baden Hackworth (O’Fallon Hoots). Wally Diaz (REX Baseball), Brady Lester (Champion City Kings), Hunter Snow (Lafayette Aviators), Louie Barletti (Springfield Lucky Horseshoes) and Cole Nathan (Dubois County Bombers).
It is the first All-Star Game for the Prospect League since 2019. The Illinois Valley Pistol Shrimp coaching staff, led by manager John Jakiemiec, will coach the West. The REX Baseball coaching staff, led by Manager Tony Rosselli, will coach the East.
Top photo: Shortstop Kooper Schulte is one of five Burlington Bees named to the Western Conference team for next Tuesday’s All-Star Game in Springfield, Ill. (Steve Cirinna/Burlington Bees)
Danny Rollins was a little late getting to the Burlington Bees for the Prospect League season.
There was this matter of going to the Men’s College World Series with his Murray State team.
Rollins was a second-year catcher on the Racers, whose surprising run through the NCAA baseball tournament got them to Omaha as one of the eight qualifiers to play for the national championship.
“That was one of the most fun teams I’ve ever been a part of,” Rollins said. “Everybody there, we all loved each other. And that experience of going to Omaha, you think it’s cool before you get there, and then you get there and it’s like, ‘Oh, my God.’ It was just an unbelievable experience.”
Murray State, which won the Missouri Valley Conference tournament and the league’s automatic bid into the field, was the fourth seed in the Oxford (Miss.) Regional, but got out of there and advanced to the Super Regionals against Duke. The Racers won the best-of-3 series 2-1 to advance to the World Series.
Murray State’s run ended with losses to UCLA and Arkansas, but getting to Omaha gave the program plenty of visibility.
“(Head coach Dan) Skirka is one of the best coaches in the nation,” Rollins said. “He had us prepared from day one. We were getting hot at the right time, and he made sure our hitters were prepared, and we took care of business.”
“I think it was huge for the program, just to prove that we’re worth something, and that Racer baseball has a winning culture under Coach Skirka. He’s really taken the program to the next level.”
Rollins didn’t play in the postseason — he had just four at-bats in two games. That is what makes this summer with the Bees important for him.
“I was just ready to play with the guys, get acclimated with the team, and have fun, play some baseball and win some ballgames,” said Rollins, who is from Roselle, Illinois. “I think it’s really important to get as many at-bats as I can. If I can get out there, get 80, 100 at-bats, that’s a pretty good number.”
“He’s just a grinder, just a competitor,” Bees manager Owen Oreskovich said of Rollins. “When he goes up to the plate, he wants to compete, he wants to beat you. He’s just a guy who’s going to go out there and give you everything he has.”
Danny Rollins is hitting .333 in five games with the Burlington Bees. (Steve Cirinna/Burlington Bees)
Rollins has gotten 18 plate appearances in five games with the Bees, hitting .333. He has had a hit in every game so far, and after catching the first four games played third base in Sunday’s 6-2 win over Clinton.
“I saw a picture the other day, and he had an infield mitt on throwing the ball across the field,” Oreskovich said. “And then he came up to me today and he said, ‘Yeah, I can play infield. I played there in high school and at Murray State.’ And I was like, ‘OK.’”
Rollins had four assists and two putouts at third.
“He made some good plays there,” Oreskovich said.
Community Field is going to be a home for Rollins for the next college season as well — he entered the transfer portal after Murray State’s season ended and he’ll be playing for Southeastern Community College in West Burlington after committing to the Blackhawks on Saturday.
“Coach (Justin) Schulte, he’s the dude,” Rollins said. “He’s got over a thousand wins, and he puts guys to work. It’s not going to be easy, I’ve learned that from the guys here who have played for him, but it seems 100 percent worth it to play here. I’ve met with Coach Schulte, I’ve talked with him a couple of times. I like him. I like what he’s about.
“I know they have a winning culture, so I’m excited to go there, keep that culture alive, keep winning ballgames, and then develop as a player and see where it takes me after that.”
Top photo: Burlington Bees catcher Danny Rollins was part of the Murray State team that made a run to the Men’s College World Series earlier this month. (Steve Cirinna/Burlington Bees)
“Anything we can do to save our bullpen, the better,” Ellison said. “And that’s what we’re doing so far here to start the second half. We want to keep that rolling.”
“If you’ve got to go to your bullpen early, and ask a guy that maybe isn’t entirely comfortable to go two innings, that’s a tough ask, but sometimes you’ve got to do it,” Oreskovich said. “If our starters can go deep into games, and we can go one (inning), one, one, with our relievers, that’s the best-case scenario.”
Ellison threw 74 pitches, allowing just five hits while walking one and striking out four. He had three-up, three-down innings in the first, fourth and fifth innings.
“Excellent defense,” Ellison said. “Every pitch was working for me. I was throwing it in the (strike) zone, they were hitting ground balls, fly balls, and the defense made plays.”
“He was very good,” Oreskovich said. “He had three pitches where he wanted to throw them, throwing strikes when he had to. Even when he got behind, he came back, threw strikes. I love what I see out of him when he’s out there.”
Burlington’s Corey Boyette celebrates his third-inning home run (Photo by John Lovretta)
Corey Boyette’s three-run home run in the third inning started the Bees’ offense and helped Ellison as well.
“I was getting curveballs over for first strikes, getting them to swing at my changeup,” Ellison said. “When Corey hit that homer, I had all the confidence in the world after that.”
The Bees added two runs in the fourth inning. Danny Rollins scored on a throwing error, then Caleb Klein’s single drove in Jace Figuereo.
Clinton got single runs in the fifth and sixth innings, then the Bees’ bullpen took over. Morgan Jennings pitched 1 1/3 innings, Zane Frese got out of a bases-loaded situation in the eighth, then Braeden Sunken pitched a scoreless ninth, striking out Sam Wiese to end the game with runners at first and second.
Burlington’s final run came in the eighth when Klein’s single scored Rollins.
“That was a key hit there by Kleiner,” Oreskovich said. “That’s huge. Any breathing room you can get helps.”
The Bees had four hits. Figuereo was 4-for-5 out of the leadoff spot, while Mason Schwalbach had three hits.
Top photo: Burlington Bees starting pitcher Reese Ellison allowed five hits over six innings. (Photo by John Lovretta)
Baseball at The Hive 