LUMBERKINGS 12, BEES 7: Another Comeback (Almost)

By JOHN BOHNENKAMP

Those who have stayed for the final three games of the season almost pulled off another big comeback for the Burlington Bees.

Thursday’s 12-7 loss to the Clinton LumberKings in a Prospect League game at Community Field came with a lineup for the Bees that had some new names, and some old names in different positions.

And down 10-1 going into the bottom of the seventh, the Bees rallied to have the potential go-ahead run at the plate in the eighth inning.

That, Bees manager Owen Oreskovich said, says something about the character of the remaining roster.

“I’m just proud of these guys for sticking it out,” Oreskovich said. “That’s a big thing to me. I think it shows maturity and the willingness just to stick with something you committed to, I can’t ask too much more from these guys right now — they’re going out there, they’re still competing, they’re fulfilling what they committed to and I’m very appreciative.”

The final couple of weeks of the summer college season usually leads to roster upheaval, as players leave for their next destination or get some time off before going back to school. Oreskovich was down to nine position players, but will get some reinforcements for the final two games on Friday and Saturday with the return of outfielder Lincoln Riley and first baseman Keanu Spenser.

“We’re set pitching-wise, which is usually the biggest problem at this point in the season,” Oreskovich said. “We’ll have some guys back and that will get us through Saturday.”

The Bees (23-32 overall, 13-15 second half), who were officially eliminated from playoff contention on Tuesday, lost their fifth consecutive game, but nearly pulled off a comeback reminiscent of last Friday’s 10-9 win over Alton, when they rallied from an 8-0 deficit to win in extra innings.

They got two runs in the seventh inning in this game, leaving the bases loaded with two outs, then got four runs in the eighth inning on just one hit, taking advantage of five walks and a hit-by-pitch.

Ian Wolski, who has been the Bees’ catcher all season but was working at first base in this game, batted with the bases loaded. He hit a deep fly ball to left field off Clinton reliever Evan Chung, but the ball was caught on the edge of the warning track by Patrick McGinn, and the inning was over.

“I knew he didn’t get enough of it,” Oreskovich said. “I had a pretty good angle.”

That was it for the Bees, who gave up two runs in the top of the ninth and then went 1-2-3 in the bottom of the inning to end it.

Sebastian Parchomenko (1-1) was the winning pitcher in relief. Bees starter Adrian Nery (1-4) took the loss.

Coy Sarsfield reached base four times and had two hits for the Bees. Caleb Wulf had two hits and drove in a run, as did Connor Laeng.

The Bees play host to Clinton on Friday, then close the season with a Saturday home game against Quincy.

“I’m telling the guys, just enjoy these games,” Oreskovich said. “I’d still like to win, obviously. I’m just trying to have these guys enjoy these last few games with their buddies, the friends they made this summer.”

Photo: Burlington’s Coy Sarsfield steals third base in the sixth inning of Thursday’s game. (Steve Cirinna/Burlington Bees)

THE MONDAY HIVE: Consistency In Bees’ Lineup Helps Sarsfield

By JOHN BOHNENKAMP

Coy Sarsfield arrived a little late — there was this little matter of playing in the NCAA baseball tournament — but he’s found a daily home in the Burlington Bees’ lineup.

Getting to play in the Prospect League every day, the outfielder from Iowa said, is important after battling back from a broken leg that cost him most of his senior season in high school and his first season with the Hawkeyes.

“It’s been almost two years of not playing consistently,” Sarsfield said. “Now, playing consistently, I think it’s going to be huge for me, just getting back into everything. The biggest thing is pitching, getting live at-bats. I feel like being here, just for five games, I feel like I’m seeing the ball better, getting better swings.”

Sarsfield is hitting .292 after seven games with the Bees. He had a five-game hitting streak snapped with an 0-for-3 game in Saturday’s loss to the O’Fallon Hoots.

Sarsfield has found a home in the Bees’ outfield, playing mostly in right field. He showed his defensive abilities in last Thursday’s 9-8 win over Illinois Valley, when he made a sliding catch on a sinking line drive from Pistol Shrimp catcher Nick Chavez. Sarsfield threw to first and appeared to get Logan Delgado coming back to the base — Delgado was originally called out, but the call was overruled after base umpire Dan Carriker consulted with plate umpire Jacob Fisher.

“Damn near a double play,” marveled Bees manager Owen Oreskovich. “He made a hell of a catch out there, and came up throwing.

“He’s quick, he’s got some juice, he knows the game, and he can roam around the outfield. So it’s huge for us to have a kid like that.”

**Burlington Bees outfielder Coy Sarsfield comes up throwing after making a diving catch in Thursday’s game against Illinois Valley. (John Lovretta/bees-blog.com)**

What’s huge for Sarsfield is just getting to play consistently. He broke his leg seven games into his senior season in 2021 at Linn-Mar High School in Marion, Iowa and had to have surgery. A second surgery in November of that year led to Sarsfield sitting out his freshman year with the Hawkeyes.

“He’s seeing at-bats on consecutive days, and I think that’s going to benefit that kid a lot,” Oreskovich said. “He loves the game.”

Sarsfield played in just 17 games for Iowa this season, hitting .176, but he was involved with one of the biggest moments for the Hawkeyes in their 6-5 win over North Carolina in an elimination game on June 4 in the NCAA’s Terre Haute Regional.

Sarsfield, pinch-running for Blake Guerin in the 13th inning, scored the go-ahead run, coming around from first base on Michael Seegers’ triple.

“In my head, I know there’s two outs and as soon as there’s contact, I’m going,” Sarsfield said. “Michael Seegers gets a hold of one, I saw it was touched pretty well. I didn’t know where it was going. I just put my head down, got around second, saw (Iowa coach Rick) Heller waving his arms, and I made it home. I was thinking, ‘I’m going to score and we’re going to win this game.’”

The Hawkeyes, though, lost to Indiana State in the next game to end the season.

“It was unreal,” Sarsfield said. “Just the atmosphere, the energy. Playing for something really big, and everything that comes with that, is pretty cool. Obviously, it didn’t end the way we wanted it to turn out. Kind of heartbreaking. But it gives everyone a vision for what we want to do in the future.”

Sarsfield has been envisioning his future since arriving at Iowa. But getting a chance to observe has been helpful, he said.

“A year in college, just watching, it’s crazy how much you can see, and how much you can learn when you get in a game situation,” Sarsfield said. “You don’t realize until you watch people do things how much you need to prepare to be ready. In high school, you know you have to work hard. Then, you get to Iowa, and you see you really need to work harder to get on the field.”

Sarsfield joined the Bees on June 10, and made his first start the following day at Clinton.

“Obviously there’s some nerves going into a new situation,” he said. “But once I got into the clubhouse, everyone was welcoming. It’s baseball, everyone understands at this age what’s going on and has a good understanding of everything.”

Oreskovich has used Sarsfield in the middle of the Bees’ lineup. He went 2-for-5 in Thursday’s win, including a two-run double in Burlington’s five-run fourth inning.

“I hit him in the ‘5’ hole because I know he’s someone who’s going to put the bat on the ball,” Oreskovich said. “And he actually came up with some giant hits.”

“I would say it’s very important,” Sarsfield said of getting to consistently be in the lineup. “This year at Iowa, I didn’t get to play a bunch. Now that I’m back in the swing of things, it’s allowing me to play much better and getting me back in a rhythm.”

Top photo: Burlington Bees outfielder Coy Sarsfield bats in Thursday’s game against Illinois Valley. (John Lovretta/bees-blog.com)

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)

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: