By JOHN BOHNENKAMP

Keanu Spenser’s college baseball season wasn’t quite what he wanted, thanks to a bout with appendicitis.

But before that happened, Spenser had already made up his mind where he wanted to play his summer baseball this year.

Spenser is back with the Burlington Bees, playing the second half in the Prospect League.

Why he came back, he said, was simple.

“Honestly, last year’s experience here was something I had never experienced before with baseball, and I just wanted to come back and be a part of it again,” Spenser said.

Spenser hit .304 with the Bees last season, with a team-high 10 home runs to go with 42 runs batted in. He was second on the team with 52 hits, and posted a .978 OPS.

But his appreciation of playing in Burlington had nothing to do with his statistics.

“The No. 1 thing is just the fan base here,” he said. “It’s a raw baseball experience. The host families — they don’t even know us, but they open their homes to us. People come out to the games. They enjoy the Bees, they enjoy baseball. They’re true fans of the game.

“It was the most fun I had ever had playing baseball. It meant the world to me.”

It’s why, around Christmas break, Spenser reached out to Bees manager Owen Oreskovich and said he wanted to play with the team again this season, but only for a half of the season.

“He said the second half was going to be open, so I just jumped right on it,” Spenser said.

A few weeks later, as Spenser was getting ready for his season at Queens University in Charlotte, N.C., an NCAA Division I program in the ASUN Conference, he woke up one morning with a deep pain in his stomach.

“I knew it wasn’t right,” Spenser said. “I went to class, to see if maybe it would feel better, but by the end of class it wasn’t. I called our trainer, he checked me out, and he was like, ‘Yeah, you should probably go to the ER.’

“When I got there, they did an MRI, injected me with some dye to check it out. The lady was like, ‘Yeah, your appendix needs to come out now before it blows.’”

Spenser knew such a surgery would likely end his season before it started, but a doctor presented him with an alternative.

“He said I could take some antibiotics, see if I could clear up the infection so the inflammation would go down,” Spenser said. “He said there would be an 85 percent chance of it working. So I called my parents, talked with them, and I said I was going to take the antibiotics, because it would be my only shot at playing this season.

“Everything worked out. I took the antibiotics, the inflammation went down. That way I didn’t have to have surgery.”

But it was enough of a setback that Spenser didn’t get a lot of playing time. He played in just 13 games, hitting .222 with three home runs and five RBIs.

“I understood it,” Spenser said. “The coaches, it’s their job. Our other first baseman was playing better, so I played some at designated hitter and I did some pinch-hitting.”

Spenser headed back to his home in Scottsdale, Arizona after the season, putting on some weight while playing in the Copper State League to get some work in before coming to Burlington.

Spenser has played in four games with the Bees, hitting .364.

“I think having those few weeks of playing in Arizona was good, getting regular at-bats,” Spenser said. “It’s definitely been a good confidence booster coming in here and doing well.”

Spenser is back in a clubhouse with some familiar faces from last season, but he is also getting to know some new players, including three players from Hawaii Pacific — outfielder Cooper Donlin, pitcher Shea Blanchard and infielder Skyler Agnew — where Spenser will be transferring to play next season.

“I just wanted to be able to go play baseball in Hawaii, if I had the opportunity to do that,” Spenser said. “And knowing in the last few seasons they’ve played amazing, I knew it would be a good place. It was kind of a no-brainer.

“Shea, Cooper, and Skyler are great guys. It’s been fun getting to know them.”

Spenser said he wants to spend this month with the Bees refining his swing.

If anything, he said, it’s good to be back in a place where he’s enjoyed playing.

“I really like being here,” Spenser said.

Photo: Keanu Spenser looks on from the third-base dugout at Community Field in his second season with the Burlington Bees. (Steve Cirinna/Burlington Bees)

By JOHN BOHNENKAMP

The second half of the Prospect League season is usually a time for roster changes.

Pitchers who arrived in the first half have reached their innings limit, or position players have had enough at-bats.

It’s become that way for the Burlington Bees in the last week, with the arrival of some old faces and some new ones, and the departures of players who have been around since the beginning.

Some of the new faces made some noise in Friday’s game against the Clinton LumberKings at Community Field, but it wasn’t enough to keep the Bees from falling, 11-3.

Shortstop Bryce Brown, playing in his second game with the Bees, hit a two-run home run in the first inning. Designated hitter Keanu Spenser, who was with the team last season, had two hits and scored a run.

The Bees won just six games in the first half, so getting help to make a second-half run was going to be necessary.

“It’s a little more fun in (batting practice), because you’ve got some fresh guys out there, showing what they are able to do,” Bees manager Owen Oreskovich said. “And it’s a little bit of a challenge to the other guys.

“It’s kind of a fresh feeling for everybody.”

Oreskovich has gotten a spark from two players he had last season. Spenser is hitting .444 with a three-game hitting streak to start his season. Corey Boyette is hitting .297 in his first nine games.

“I enjoy having them, because I know what they’re capable of doing,” Oreskovich said. “It’s kind of a little bit of a bonus for me, getting to see some guys I’ve seen play before. I know they’re capable of doing incredible things.”

There are departures, too. Pitcher Bobby Helt, who had reached his innings limit for the summer, gave Oreskovich six innings of strong pitching in Thursday’s 4-1 win at Clinton, allowing just one run.

“I’ve had him for three years here, and he’s one of the best,” Oreskovich said. “It’s tough to see him go, but I totally understand it.”

Brown gave the Bees a 2-0 lead in the first inning with his home run to left field for his first hit with the team. But what could have been an early spark didn’t lead to anything else in the inning.

Cooper Donlin followed with a double, extending his hitting streak to 17 games and on-base streak to 21, but was picked off second base for the first out of the inning. Skyler Agnew singled with two outs, but he was picked off at first.

Clinton took a 4-2 lead in the second inning, then broke open the game with six runs in the sixth.

The Bees could have gotten out of the inning with no runs had they been able to turn a double play. Clinton had the bases loaded with one out when Byron Blaise hit a grounder to third baseman Carson Bittner. Bittner, who had to reach to his left to field the ball, came back to get the force out at third, but his throw to first base was late and a run scored.

Blake Timmons followed with an RBI double, James Hackett singled in two runs, Gage Franck had a double to drive in a run, then Jesse Contreras singled in a run.

“You take care of the little things, and big things fall into place,” Oreskovich said. “Little things like not getting a double play, or getting picked off in an inning where we could have gotten more runs, they hurt.”

Jack Surdey (2-1) was the winning pitcher. Jacob Zahner took the loss.

Photo: Burlington’s Bryce Brown (left) is greeted at home plate by Cooper Donlin (center) and Jace Figuereo after his two-run home run in the first inning. (Steve Cirinna/Burlington Bees)

By JOHN BOHNENKAMP

It didn’t take long for Burlington Bees manager Owen Oreskovich to gain confidence in pitcher Joe Evans.

And even when Evans struggled a bit, Oreskovich’s confidence hadn’t wavered when the Bees set out on a six-game road trip last week.

“He’s still going to pitch in big spots moving forward,” Oreskovich said.

So it was Evans on the mound to get the save in Sunday’s 2-0 win at Springfield, a victory that broke the Bees’ 12-game losing streak.

Evans allowed a hit and a walk, but struck out two, including Kyle Tyler to end the game as Burlington closed the first half of the Prospect League season with a victory after two weeks of struggles.

Evans, a left-hander, is 2-2 with one save in nine appearances this summer. He had a 4.50 earned run average, with 23 strikeouts in 24 innings.

Evans opened the season by allowing just two earned runs in 13 ⅔ innings over four appearances. He then allowed 10 earned runs in 9 ⅓ innings over his next four appearances before closing Sunday’s game.

“He’s still doing his job, and that’s what I like about him,” Oreskovich said. “He’s a competitor. He’ll go out there and give you his best every single night.”

The summer has provided some lessons for Evans, a Chicago native who was a starting pitcher at Morton College this season, going 3-1 with a 5.73 ERA in nine appearances, with 35 strikeouts in 37 ⅔ innings.

“I’ve been somewhat successful,” Evans said. “My last couple of outings have been rough, but it’s been very fun, for sure. For the most part, I’m having a good time. I’ve been getting ahead of guys and getting outs.”

Evans, who is headed to t St. Ambrose University in the fall, has gained experience with the Bees from facing players from different college levels.

“I’ve definitely learned a lot, seeing (NCAA) Division I guys, seeing guys from different schools at a higher level than I played at this spring,” he said. “I’ve definitely learned how to attack hitters at a higher level, rather than guys I can just attack with fastballs all of the time. I’ve definitely learned how to pitch a little bit more, and it’s prepared me to play at a higher level next year.”

Evans is a fast worker on the mound, something that has been a characteristic of his career, he said.

“I’ve always been a guy who’s not going to be overpowering, so I have to find any way to take advantage of a hitter, get him uncomfortable,” he said. “Usually batters like to take their time getting in the box, so I give them as little time as possible.

“I feel like even at a young age, I just got back up there and threw the ball. I noticed it started to make guys uncomfortable.”

“He works quickly,” Oreskovich said. “And that makes hitters uncomfortable. That’s something I enjoy seeing, seeing him work quickly.”

Evans said it wasn’t much of an adjustment going from starter to reliever — he came out of the bullpen in his first college season.

“It’s less of a workload on my arm, for sure,” he said. “Being a starter, you have a bit more of a schedule. You know when you’re going to pitch, so you schedule around that — your lifts, your throwing schedule on the side. Being a reliever, it’s a little bit different because it’s on short notice. Usually I’ve been on every third day or so.”

Evans said he has enjoyed his time being in a smaller town than where he grew up.

“I’m definitely not used to the smaller-town vibes,” Evans said, laughing. “I’m used to traffic, trying to find parking, stuff like that. It’s been a bit of adjustment. It’s very relaxed here, very calm.”

He has become a calming influence out of the Bees’ bullpen.

“Coming here, and being able to show him that I can be put in high-level moments, that I can be trusted, it’s an honor,” Evans said. “It’s something I’ve worked a lot on to get to this point.”

Photo: Joe Evans has two wins and a save coming out of the bullpen for the Burlington Bees this summer. (Steve Cirinna/Burlington Bees)

By JOHN BOHNENKAMP

First base was open and there were two outs when Burlington Bees right fielder Cooper Donlin came to the plate in Saturday’s game against the Alton River Dragons.

Alton manager Noah Suarez stepped from the first-base dugout at Community Field and motioned to plate umpire James Cottrell that he wanted to intentionally walk Donlin.

It was a strategic move — it was a tie game, there was a runner in scoring position, Donlin came into the game as the Prospect League’s leading hitter, and he had already hit a run-scoring triple in the game.

It was also the fourth inning.

“Wasn’t that funny?” Bees manager Owen Oreskovich said. “I didn’t think that was going to happen. That’s something I haven’t seen in a little bit.”

“I mean, it was kind of annoying,” Donlin said, smiling. “It’s summer baseball, everybody is here to get reps. But yeah, I guess they have respect for me as a hitter, and it’s something that makes my confidence grow.

It’s the respect that Donlin has earned in his first month in the summer league.

Donlin is hitting .423, second in the league after Sunday’s games. He is second in the league with a .565 on-base percentage, carries a 1.180 OPS, and takes a nine-game hitting streak with him when the Bees start a six-game road trip on Tuesday.

“I just keep telling myself that every day is an opportunity,” said Donlin, who just finished his junior season at Hawaii Pacific University. “And I’m going to come every day to compete.”

It’s that kind of mentality that has Donlin batting fourth in the Bees’ lineup. He has just one home run this season, but Oreskovich knows why he wants Donlin in that spot in the batting order.

“He has an approach every single time he goes up to the plate,” Oreskovich said. “If we’ve got runners in scoring position, he’s trying to do a job. He’s got a ‘team’ approach, and he’s got that approach every single time in the box.”

Donlin is batting .500 in his current hitting streak, including his 2-for-3 night in Saturday’s 12-7 loss in which he reached base in all five trips to the plate.

“I keep telling myself I’m going to win every at-bat,” Donlin said. “And I’m going to catch every ball, get every hit. It’s a game of failure, so you’ve got to be greedy, take your opportunities, get what you can get.”

Donlin is in his third summer of baseball — he’s played in the Texas Collegiate League and the Hamptons Collegiate Summer League.

“It’s helped me a lot — traveling all around the country, seeing different places, meeting different players,” he said. “It shows you can compete at this level, and it shows you who’s out there and the competition you’re going against.”

Donlin hit .313 in 25 games for Hawaii Pacific this season. Since arriving in Burlington, he has impressed Oreskovich with his work off the field.

“He locks in on everything he does,” Oreskovich said. “When we go in the batting cages, he’s doing different things that maybe a lot of other people aren’t doing.”

Donlin has just eight strikeouts with the Bees this season, and he had six in 48 at bats during the spring at Hawaii Pacific.

“He’s got a great eye, too,” Oreskovich said. “He’ll fall into two-strike counts quite often, and he finds a way to work a walk or get a hit or put the ball in play. Not many times is he going to look stupid up there. Pitch recognition, for him, is a giant thing. And he’s really good at it.”

“I’ve always had a good eye, stuff like that,” Donlin said. “But this last year, I’ve tried to take that to the next level with my approach. Keep telling myself over and over, ‘Battle, battle, battle,’ and ‘I’m going to win this.’”

It’s a consistent battle that Donlin knows he has to bring.

“It’s a long summer,” he said. “If you have a bad day, you show up the next day and try again. You just keep showing up.”

Photo: Burlington’s Cooper Donlin hits a triple in Saturday’s game against Alton. (Steve Cirinna/Burlington Bees)