BEES 15, ROCKABILLYS 14: A Wild Night Ends On A Wild Pitch

By JOHN BOHNENKAMP

Four hours and 14 minutes into the night, Jace Figuereo knew how it was going to end.

“He told me, ‘If the ball’s in the dirt, I’m going no matter what,’” Burlington Bees manager Owen Oreskovich said.

And when the pitch from Jackson’s Story Kimura hit in front of home plate and ricocheted toward the Rockabillys’ dugout, Figuereo raced home with the game-winning run in the Bees’ 15-14 victory in 10 innings in Saturday’s Prospect League game at Community Field.

The Bees (3-6) snapped a three-game losing streak on a wild night in which they trailed 4-0 after the top of the first inning, fought back to lead 10-4 after three innings, surrendered five runs in an inning twice, and then had to tie the game in the ninth inning.

“Winning’s fun,” Oreskovich said. “That’s awesome. It can turn some things around.”

“It means a whole lot,” said Figuereo, who played his first game on Friday. “I wasn’t here at the beginning of the losing streak, but I know what it’s like. Losing streaks can be a make-or-break for teams. But I think tonight showed this team has a lot of fight in it, that early in the season we’ve still got the fight.”

Oreskovich used 21 players — “I didn’t know how many, but I know it was a lot,” he laughed — including seven pitchers.

“It’s ‘next man up,’” he said. “We pulled out all of the stops, and some of those guys came up huge.”

The Bees let a four-run lead get away when the Rockabillys scored five runs in the eighth inning. But Burlington tied the game in the bottom of the ninth when pinch-hitter Scotty Savege singled to drive in pinch-runner Cedric Dunnwald.

Figuereo had a chance to win the game in the ninth with runners on second and third, but lined out to center field to end the inning. He started at second base in the bottom of the 10th inning under the league’s extra-inning rule, and he knew what he wanted to do.

“I wanted to be the one to put the game on my shoulders,” Figuereo said.

Landon Akers was intentionally walked to open the inning, then Reese Moore grounded into a double play, moving Figuereo to third. Kimura’s first pitch to Cooper Donlin got away, and Figuereo ran home with the winning run, his fifth run of the game.

Figuereo played baseball at West Burlington High School, a couple of miles away from Community Field, and got to play high school games in the ballpark.

Now he’s wearing a Bees uniform, wearing the same number his father Anibal wore in 2002 and 2004 when Burlington was a Midwest League affiliate of the Kansas City Royals.

“It’s great,” Figuereo said. “I always wanted to be like my dad growing up. Being in a Bees uniform, it’s great. It’s been something we’ve been able to bond over the last couple of days.”

The Bees had an ominous beginning to the game when pitcher Nathan Chapman left with an arm injury just five batters in, which meant Oreskovich had to push a lot of pitching buttons the rest of the way.

Bobby Helt pitched 2 ⅔ scoreless innings in relief of Chapman. David Theriot didn’t give up a run in 3 ⅓ innings, and Chase Golden (1-0) picked up the win by striking out three in 2 ⅔ innings.

Zach Leuschen, though, gave up five runs in the fourth inning. Kyle Looper gave up four runs and Jacob Sjuts gave up one in the eighth.

“Some guys had some tough nights tonight, but I know they’re capable of giving us good innings,” Oreskovich said. “Bobby gave us all he could. Dave did a ginormous job. And then Goldie? Come on. That was great. That was the Goldie we saw at the end of the year. I love that for him, because that kid is so appreciative of things.”

The Bees had 11 hits. Akers had three hits. Moore drove in four runs and Merrick Mathews drove in three.

“It’s a win and we’ll take it,” Oreskovich said.

Photo: Jace Figuereo scores the winning run in the Bees’ 15-14 win over Jackson. (Steve Cirinna/Burlington Bees)

ROCKABILLYS 5, BEES 3: Still Searching For The Big Hit

By JOHN BOHNENKAMP

There has to be a big hit somewhere in the bats of the Burlington Bees.

It’s something manager Owen Oreskovich has been wanting to see from his offense, but it hasn’t quite happened yet.

Sure, there was the walk-off home run by Merrick Mathews in last Sunday’s win over Illinois Valley, and the Bees did score seven runs in Wednesday’s loss at Illinois Valley.

But the 5-3 loss to the Jackson Rockabillys in Friday’s Prospect League game at Community Field was another source of frustration for Oreskovich.

“Our pitching right now is good enough to win,” Oreskovich said. “They’re giving us a chance. We’re not doing anything with any of our opportunities. We’re cold at the plate right now. We just need someone to step up with a big hit. Hitting is contagious, and once I think we get that I think it starts rolling. I’ve seen that plenty of times.”

The Bees (2-6) had just five hits and left seven runners on base. They had runners in scoring position in four innings and couldn’t get them in.

“The balls we’re hitting hard seem to be right at someone,” Oreskovich said. “It just seems like the ball is not falling our way right now.”

If there was something positive, the Bees were putting the ball in play, a night after they had 14 strikeouts in a 6-3 loss to Illinois Valley.

“I truly think once we get that big pop, something will start rolling.”

The Bees trailed 4-0 heading into the bottom of the third inning, then slowly carved out some runs.

Mathews’ RBI single in the third was Burlington’s first hit of the game. Cooper Donlin’s run-scoring single in the fifth inning cut the lead to 4-2, then Skyler Agnew’s triple in the eighth scored Donlin to get the Bees within 4-3.

Jackson (7-2) got an unearned run in the ninth inning for the final margin.

Oreskovich liked what he got out of relievers Joe Evans and Chase Golden. Evans allowed just one unearned run over 4 ⅓ innings, and Golden struck out two of the three hitters he faced in the ninth.

“Joe has just been really good for us, and Chase looked like he did from the middle of last season through the end of the year,” Oreskovich said. “The pitching is there. We’re just not giving them any help.”

Jace Figuereo, batting in the leadoff spot in his first game this season, had two hits for the Bees.

“I really like him at the top of the order,” Oreskovich said.

Matt Maloney (2-0) was the winning pitcher.

Photo: Jace Figuereo had two hits in the leadoff spot for the Bees. (Steve Cirinna/Burlington Bees)

PISTOL SHRIMP 6, BEES 3: Duncan Gets A Solid Beginning To The Summer

By JOHN BOHNENKAMP

It’s been a while since Jack Duncan has thrown a pitch in a game.

His first two innings in the Prospect League with the Burlington Bees were a good start.

Duncan, a pitcher from Western Illinois University, threw two shutout innings and struck out four in the Bees’ 6-3 loss to the Illinois Valley Pistol Shrimp on Thursday night at Community Field.

Duncan threw just 2 ⅓ innings for the Leathernecks this season and hadn’t pitched since March 13 after injuring his knee. But his command was strong — two of his strikeouts were on called third strikes — and he helped keep the Bees in position to battle back in the late innings.

“It was good to get back in the swing of things,” said Duncan, a Macomb, Illinois native who is making the 50-mile drive to Burlington every day.

It’s not the easiest drive — “A lot of back roads,” Duncan said — but it’s something he wants to do as he prepares for next season.

Duncan came to Burlington on the advice of WIU teammate Chase Golden, who is in his second season with the Bees.

“You know, I heard a lot of good stuff,” Duncan said. “Chase, he really enjoyed it, really enjoyed playing for (Bees manager Owen Oreskovich). And it’s close to home. It’s Prospect League baseball, too. So, there were a lot of things I liked about it, too.”

Oreskovich liked what he saw from Duncan.

“He got ahead, and he threw strikes,” he said. “That’s something I like as a coach, especially in summer ball. Made pitches when he had to, got his outs. That’s all you can ask from a guy.”

Duncan threw 36 pitches, 23 for strikes.

“It felt good to be in the zone,” he said. “Just getting ahead of the counts, getting that first strike. I was able to flip my curveball in there, just to keep guys off balance. And just trusting my defense, too.”

It was an otherwise frustrating night for the Bees, who committed three errors and allowed just one earned run.

The 14 strikeouts from Burlington hitters didn’t help, either.

“Strikeouts, booting two balls that led to four runs … yeah, those things happen, but it’s tough,” Oreskovich said. “Our pitchers gave up a few hits (14), but they worked their tails off to not give up more runs.

“That’s a disappointing game right there.”

The Bees were down 6-2 after Joseph Stagowski’s three-run home run in the fifth inning, but got a run in the eighth when Luke Bragga scored on a throwing error and had the tying run at the plate with one out. But Illinois Valley reliever Jackson Peeler struck out Scotty Savage and Kinnick Pusteoska to end the inning, then struck out the side in the ninth for his first save of the year.

“That was a momentum killer there in the eighth,” Oreskovich said. “You’re so close, everyone’s excited. And then nothing happens.

“They got their hits to fall, so tip the cap to them. But we never let anything happen to get something to fall. We’ve got to be better early in the count, ready to hit. If you hit balls at guys, and those are outs, that happens. But you’ve got to make them make a play. That many strikeouts, you’re not even making them make a play.”

Anthony Solis (1-1) was the winning pitcher. Jacob Zahner (0-2) took the loss.

Duncan hopes his first work was the beginning of a good summer.

“I want to get innings,” he said. “Just bettering my off-speed pitches, working on my command, be ready for next season.”

Photo: Burlington Bees pitcher Jack Duncan threw two shutout innings in the 6-3 loss to Illinois Valley on Thursday night. (Steve Cirinna/Burlington Bees)

THE MONDAY HIVE: Dunnwald Wants To Add To Championship Feeling

By JOHN BOHNENKAMP

Cedric Dunnwald is back for his second full season with the Burlington Bees, but this summer he brought a championship feeling with him.

Dunnwald was part of the Mount Mercy team that won the program’s first Heart of America conference tournament championship and the first team to make it to the NAIA national tournament.

It’s a feeling that Dunnwald isn’t about to forget, and it’s one he wants to build on for next season.

“It’s a step I think a lot of people dream of, for sure,” Dunnwald said. “I don’t think I ever thought I would have a conference championship, holding a trophy in my hands. Winning the entire thing, dog-piling after winning the championship, tt’s something very few get to experience. And I think it’s awesome. You want to play more, you want that feeling again. That’s the determination, what you strive for. It was awesome, but I want to do that again. It’s such a good feeling.”

Dunnwald went just 3-of-14 this season for the Mustangs, but he has started the Prospect League season strong for the Bees, leading the team with a .333 batting average after the first week of the season.

It’s Dunnwald’s third season overall with the Bees — he played three games on a temporary deal at the end of the 2022 season — but it’s an opportunity he appreciates.

“My coach always said playing is how you get better,” said Dunnwald, a redshirt junior outfielder from Iowa City. “Whether you hit .500 or .100, seeing pitches is what you need. I think you can only get better. You see top arms from top schools, really good competition overall. Whether you’re playing or not, you get to witness 60 days of baseball. And I think it carries over to the fall. It slows the game down.

“Being able to play every day makes you enjoy it, makes you embrace it. Not a lot of people get to do that. So it definitely is a big plus.”

“That kid works harder than 95, 99 percent of the people I’ve been around,” said Bees manager Owen Oreskovich, who is also one of Dunnwald’s coaches at Mount Mercy. “He lives for the weight room, he lives for eating right, working hard.

“He’s an incredibly hard worker, and he wants to do good, just give his best at anything he does. I couldn’t be more excited to have him here. He only got a few at-bats this year, so I think it will be huge for him.”

Dunnwald hit .239 in 35 games with the Bees last season, but a full summer schedule helped him mature as a player.

“It’s just the summer-ball atmosphere that Coach O puts on,” Dunnwald said. “He lets the guys play. It’s a good atmosphere. When you’re playing 60 games, when you’re giving up your whole summer as a college athlete, you want to make sure it’s fun. We want to win, of course, but you also want to enjoy it. I think he does a really good job with that.”

“It brings a different sort of confidence to them when they get back in the fall,” Oreskovich said. “You can see it’s different than kids who didn’t play in the summer, or play in a league like this. It’s a tough league, and there’s good players all over. It’s good for him to bring that confidence up, and that brings the best out of everyone.”

Dunnwald also knows the relationships he has made are important.

“Our teammates can also be our coaches, so you can get different perspectives,” he said. “Different players from different schools, how they view things. It’s interesting to hear other viewpoints.

“Last two years, I’ve met so many guys that I stay in contact with almost every day. Which is awesome, because you can never have too many friends, too many connections around baseball. And that’s what makes it fun. Hearing their stories, their experiences, why they came here. It’s why we’re in the same spot.”

The confidence that Dunnwald has, though, increased with getting a chance to make a postseason run at Mount Mercy.

“It was amazing,” he said. “We wanted to focus on one thing at a time. It was first making the conference tournament, then winning it. We were able to do both. Our whole thing was, ‘Leave a legacy behind.’ So we wanted to keep pushing and accomplish one goal at a time. Once we made the national tournament, it really felt like we were leaving a legacy.

“We all had a blast. We were super thankful to be there, and I do think it meant a lot to our program. We never had a conference championship, we had never made it to a regional. We did a lot of things that had never been done there. It was really fun to be able to accomplish that. It’s awesome that I’m so young, that I have more years to play there. My plan is to keep that legacy going.”

Photo: Cedric Dunnwald is back for another full season with the Burlington Bees. (Steve Cirinna/Burlington Bees)

BEES 11, PISTOL SHRIMP 9: Walk-Off Win Starts A New Week

By JOHN BOHNENKAMP

Joe Evans got the Burlington Bees to a spot where they could win the game.

Merrick Mathews finished the victory.

Mathews’ two-out two-run home run in the 10th inning gave the Bees an 11-9 win over the Illinois Valley Pistol Shrimp in Sunday’s Prospect League game at Community Field.

The Bees (2-3) snapped a three-game losing streak, coming off a road trip in which they were outscored 19-4 in two losses to the O’Fallon Hoots. They took a wild ride in this one — they rallied from an early 5-1 deficit to take the lead, let that lead get away, tied the game in the eighth inning, squandered a bases-loaded opportunity in the ninth inning, then finally finished the win with three runs in the 10th.

“After that road trip, we needed that one pretty bad here,” Oreskovich said. “We got it done.”

The Bees trailed 9-8 in the 10th, but tied the game when Landon Akers’ ground out scored Scotty Savage, who opened the inning at second base under the league’s extra-inning rule.

Cooper Donlin followed with a double, and then advanced to third on a passed ball. But Illinois Valley reliever Anthony Solis (0-1) struck out Cedric Dunnwald for the second out.

Mathews, a junior infielder at Iowa this season, was 0-for-9 with the Bees, 0-for-3 on the day, when he came to the plate.

“I know no one is going to believe this, but I had a feeling he was going to come up with a big hit,” Oreskovich said. “It was just something I had in my head throughout the game. He was on some good pitches earlier in the game.”

Solis missed with a slider to Mathews to open the at-bat. Mathews then pounded a fastball over the left-field fence.

“I was watching the guys in front of me,” Mathews said. “I knew he wasn’t really hitting with his off-speed. He threw me a first-pitch slider that he missed, so I was pretty much dead-red heater after that. I got what I was looking for.”

Mathews was mobbed at home plate as he scored.

“It was pretty cool,” he said. “It was my first walk-off home run, so it was pretty cool.”

“That was huge for him,” Oreskovich said. “It was good to see him come up and get a big hit in a big spot.”

Evans (2-0) has become a reliable reliever for Oreskovich. The left-hander, who was a starter at Morton (Ill.) College this season, has thrown seven innings in two appearances, striking out six and allowing just one earned run.

Evans entered this game in the seventh after Illinois Valley scored three runs to take an 8-7 lead. He allowed just three hits in four innings, striking out three.

“Obviously, when you first get in there, the jitters are there a little bit,” Evans said. “Once I throw that first pitch and get it over with, it’s smooth sailing from there.

“Coming from a junior college, the competition isn’t as great over there. Coming here, going out and throwing strikes and getting ahead, it’s huge. It gave me confidence.”

“That kid is a competitor if I’ve ever seen one,” Oreskovich said. “Phenomenal competitor. He just goes out there and does his thing. That’s what we talked about earlier in the year — being who you are. And that’s who he is. That was huge. That was just as big as everything else.”

The Bees trailed 5-1 going into the bottom of the sixth inning, but scored six runs to take the lead. Ty Plummer, another player from Iowa, singled to drive in the go-ahead run.

It’s only the beginning of the second week of the season, but everyone understood the importance of the win.

“It was huge, for sure,” Evans said. “We had a few ballgames where our pitchers struggled a little bit. It was really huge for us to get in the win column.”

“Hopefully we can get some things rolling,” Mathews said. “Hopefully it kick-starts us into a new week, and we can get on a roll.”

Box score

Photo: Merrick Mathews watches his game-winning home run in the 10th inning. (Steve Cirinna/Burlington Bees)

HOOTS 7, BEES 2: Walks, Stolen Bases Aren’t A Good Recipe

By JOHN BOHNENKAMP

There is always a get-acquainted period with a pitching staff at the beginning of the season, and Burlington Bees manager Owen Oreskovich knows that.

What he wanted his pitchers to know after Thursday’s 8-2 loss to the O’Fallon Hoots in a Prospect League game at Community Field was that walks and stolen bases are unacceptable.

The eight walks and nine stolen bases the Hoots had were not a recipe for success.

“I’d say it’s a good lesson,” Oreskovich said. “Some of these pitchers, they’ve got some things to learn. Be a little bit quicker to the plate. Commanding the strike zone, especially early in the count — it’s easy to hit when it’s 3-0, 2-1, all the time. You’ve got to get strike one, get ahead early.

“(The stolen bases) were absolute killers. We’ve got to be quick to the plate, work guys more on (pickoffs). Yeah, we’ve got some work to do.”

Oreskovich hasn’t had much time to get to know the pitching staff he put together. Players arrived in Burlington on Sunday and only had a couple of workouts before Tuesday’s season opener at Clinton.

“A lot of these guys, I’ve only seen throw once,” he said. “So it’s going to take at least a week, maybe two weeks, for them to get comfortable. They’ve never thrown to some of these catchers before. Yeah, the first couple of weeks it takes time for everyone to get to know each other, get on the same page.

“But you’ve got to work around it. It’s adversity you have to deal with, and you’ve got to keep working.”

O’Fallon (1-2) clogged the bases throughout the night. Bees starting pitcher Jacob Zahner (0-1) had the only 1-2-3 inning of the night in the third inning, and the rest of the time, it seemed, there was always a Hoot somewhere.

Oreskovich liked what he saw out of his first two pitchers. Zahner allowed only one earned run in four innings. Zach Leuschen allowed just one run in two innings.

“After the first inning, (Zahner) kind of settled in there a little bit,” Oreskovich said. “Leuschen did a good job, too.”

Still, O’Fallon didn’t get control of the game until a three-run outburst in the ninth inning. The Bees had runners in scoring position in the seventh and eighth innings and couldn’t score.

“We couldn’t get a timely hit,” Oreskovich said. “We only had a couple of strikeouts through the first seven innings. We were putting the bat on the ball. Late (in the game) is when it matters when you’re down, and we’ve got to do a better job of getting ahead in the count.”

The Bees (1-1) didn’t get their first hit until Christian Dunn’s single in the fifth inning. Scotty Savage’s solo home run in the sixth inning was Burlington’s only extra-base hit.

“We were aggressive early in the count in the first six innings, they were just at-’em balls,” Oreskovich said. “Couldn’t find a hole.”

The Bees play at O’Fallon on Friday and Saturday before coming home to face Illinois Valley on Sunday.

“It’s still early,” Oreskovich said. “We’ve just got to keep working.”

BOX SCORE

Photo: Scotty Savage (right) is greeted at home plate by teammate Merrick Mathews after hitting a solo home run in the sixth inning of Thursday’s game. (Steve Cirinna/Burlington Bees)

BEES 8, RIVER DRAGONS 6: Speed Keeps The Traffic Moving

By JOHN BOHNENKAMP

Owen Oreskovich knew he had some speed when he put together the Burlington Bees roster for the Prospect League season.

The manager put it to good use in Wednesday’s 8-6 win over the Alton River Dragons in the home season opener at Community Field.

The Bees had six stolen bases, consistently putting pressure on the River Dragons. Alton also had two throwing errors on pickoff throws to first base, which kept traffic moving on the bases.

“Yeah, that helps,” Oreskovich said of the speed. Some guys I knew were going to be running. I like to run, we run at Mount Mercy, too (where Oreskovich is the team’s hitting coach). It puts pressure on the defense, it puts pressure on their pitcher to make pitches. I enjoy that, being an offensive coach.”

“I think everybody tries to stay in their approach,” said center fielder Cooper Donlin, who had one of the stolen bases and scored three runs. “Put the ball in play, put in play hard, use the tools you have.”

The speed was apparent in the first inning, and although it didn’t lead to a run, it set a tone for the rest of the night.

Jackson Rooker led off the game with a walk and then stole second and third. After Jackson Lindquist walked with one out, Oreskovich tried a double steal. Lindquist was safe at second, but Rooker was thrown out at the plate on a close call.

Donlin had an interesting trip around the bases in the Bees’ three-run third inning. He was hit by a pitch, went to second on a wild pitch, advanced to third on a passed ball, then scored on another passed ball.

“I look at myself as someone who’s fast, so I try to use those tools — use my speed, put the ball in play, get on base as much as I can,” Donlin said.

There was a little pop to the Bees’ offense. Kinnick Pusteoska hit a two-run home run off the scoreboard in the second inning, and Cedric Dunnwald and Scotty Savage each had doubles.

“I don’t know if we’re going to be a team that’s going to hit a lot of home runs,” Oreskovich said. “So I think we’re going to be a team that runs a lot.”

Every Burlington hitter got on base at least once.

“I think we’ve got a gritty group of hitters,” Oreskovich said. “I don’t know how many strikeouts we had hitting (the Bees had nine), but it didn’t feel like much.

Oreskovich got quality innings out of the three pitchers he used. Jackson Wohlers allowed just one hit in three innings to start the game. Joe Evans (1-0) allowed three hits in three innings. Bobby Helt pitched the final three innings for the save.

“I thought our pitchers did a good job of pounding the zone,” Oreskovich said. “Wohlers settled in after the first inning. First real game at home, it’s a little nerve-wracking. But I think he’ll be good for us this summer. Joe pitched well after he settled in, and Bobby gave us three really good innings.”

UP NEXT: The Bees play host to the O’Fallon Hoots in a 6:30 p.m. game on Wednesday. Jacob Zahner will be the starting pitcher for Burlington.

Box score

Photo: Burlington’s Cooper Donlin steals second base as Alton shortstop Cooper Howell looks for the call in Wednesday’s game at Community Field. (Steve Cirinna/Burlington Bees)

Bees’ Roster Starting To Fill As Season Approaches

By JOHN BOHNENKAMP

Six NCAA Division I players are among the 23 who have signed so far to play for the Burlington Bees in the Prospect League this season.

The list includes seven players from the state of Iowa, and three players — outfielder Cedric Dunnwald and pitchers Preston Kaufman and Zach Leuschen — who played with the Bees last season.

Prospect League teams can carry as many as 40 players on their roster for the 58-game season. The Bees open their season on May 28 at Clinton.

Owen Oreskovich is back for his third season as the Bees’ manager.

A look at the Bees’ roster, including current statistics:

CATCHERS

Michael Carrano (Parkland College) — Batting .300 with three home runs and 16 RBIs.

Jacob Schindler (McHenry County College) — No stats this season.

INFIELDERS

Skyler Agnew (Hawaii Pacific) — Hitting .298 with two home runs and 26 RBIs.

Landon Akers (Bellarmine) — No stats this season.

Carson Bittner (Phoenix College) — Hitting .317 with 10 RBIs.

Jackson Lindquist (Rock Valley College) — Hitting .416 with six home runs and 45 RBIs.

Merrick Mathews (Iowa) — Hitting .333 in seven games, with one home run and six RBIs.

Ty Plummer (Iowa) — No stats this season.

Kinnick Pusteoska (Tennessee Tech) — No stats this season.

Jackson Rooker (Tennessee Tech) — No stats this season.

Ryan Skwarek (McHenry County College) — Hitting .410 with one home run and 29 RBIs. Also has pitched five innings with 10 strikeouts.

OUTFIELDERS

Luke Bragga (Tennessee Tech) — No stats this season.

Cooper Donlin (Hawaii Pacific) — Hitting .313 in 24 games.

Cedric Dunnwald (Mount Mercy) — Hitting .214 in 21 games. Hit .239 for the Bees last season.

Jackson Reid (Chandler Gilbert CC) — Hitting .179 in 12 games.

Scotty Savage (Milwaukee Area Tech) — Hitting .339 with six home runs and 35 RBIs.

PITCHERS

Shea Blanchard (Hawaii Pacific) — 3-0 with a 6.44 ERA in nine appearances with five starts. Has 17 strikeouts in 29 ⅓ innings.

Nathan Chapman (McHenry County College) — 0-1 with one save. Three strikeouts in 3 ⅓ innings

Noah Harbin (Maryville University) — 1-2 with a 4.19 ERA. Has 25 strikeouts in 19 ⅓ innings.

Preston Kaufman (Marian University) — 1-1 with a 4.35 ERA in two appearances this season. Had a 6.63 ERA in 14 appearances with the Bees last season.

Zach Leuschen (Southeastern CC) — 1-0 with a 4.73 ERA in 11 appearances this season. 1-0 with a 7.40 ERA with the Bees last season.

Michael Schaul (Mount Mercy) — No stats this season.

Jackson Wohlers (Rock Valley College) — 2-3 with four saves. Has 27 strikeouts in 18 ⅔ innings.

Photo: Pitcher Preston Kaufman is one of three former Burlington Bees returning to the team for this season. (Steve Cirinna/Burlington Bees)

Brauer Wants More Visibility For Prospect League

By JOHN BOHNENKAMP

David Brauer looked at his first season as the Prospect League’s commissioner as “Year 0.”

“Maybe it’s cliche,” Brauer said. “But your runway is short in the lead-up to the season. You’re trying to evaluate, trying to look at what you can implement quickly, and still have everything moving forward.”

That’s why this year in the college summer league will be the first step in what Brauer plans to be the continued progression of the league.

The league now has 18 teams in seven states with the addition of the Dubois County Bombers of Huntingburg, Ind., and the Full Count Rhythm of Hendersonville, Tenn. The 56-game schedule begins on May 28 and runs through July 31, with the postseason set for August 1-8.

There were 17 teams in the Prospect League, which meant there was at least one team with an off-day every day.

“We’re back to 18, which is good for scheduling,” Brauer said. “It makes sense. Certainly much easier. You don’t have that team that has the rotating off day. It works well for football, but for baseball it’s a little awkward.”

The 56-game season is down four games from last season, but Brauer said it’s a good number.

“That aligns with the college season,” he said. “It’s a good number. You want to be in that middle.”

Brauer noted how the Coastal Plains League plays a 48-game schedule, while the Northwoods League is at 70.

“I don’t think you want to go to either extreme, you want to be more in the middle,” Brauer said.

Brauer noted that in conversations with college coaches, the idea of a shorter season was one that appealed to them.

“They are most adamant about the calendar,” he said. “The game schedule is important, considering how condensed it is. We’re playing 56 (games) in probably 65 days. That was really the focal point for the college coaches, like, ‘Hey, let my kids get back on campus, or give them a little time to decompress.’ You’ve got to remember that these kids are 18 to 21 years old, so give them a little time to relax.”

Brauer pointed out how the league’s season starts within days after the end of the college season.

“When you come to our league, without much of a break, you’re really at game 56, game 57,” he said. “I don’t think people realize that. They think you walk into this league and it’s a whole new season, but it’s really not. It’s really just a continuation.”

The league set an attendance record with 575,294 fans last season. Ten teams in the league had increased average attendance, including the Burlington Bees, who drew an average of 1,026 fans last season, up from 1,011 in 2022 and 896 in 2021.

“To me, the biggest thing was our attendance record,” Brauer said. “There was tremendous support around the league. We were above 500,000 for the first time. You could easily point to it and say, ‘Well, you had two new teams,’ and doing the math like that. But realistically, the average attendance was up more than 200 fans in each ballpark, on average. That’s really encouraging.”

Brauer wants to build on that with increased marketing within the league.

“Now, it’s how can we tap into that and really engage the fans more, build the brand more, get the visibility out there,” he said. “I think social media engagement is what we want to focus on more this year, get our teams visible, not only in their market, but league-wide and nationally, so people know who the Prospect League is. I think there are a lot of great selling points.”

There are challenges in a league that has such a wide footprint.

“There are some holes out east,” Brauer said, noting travel for some teams is the biggest challenge. “How we fill that in in the future is something under consideration, something our directors talk about frequently. You want to make sure that you have the right markets, the ones that can be successful.”

Brauer knows the lure of the league to players is to get into markets that have been part of professional baseball in the past.

“I think, top to bottom, we’re a good league,” he said. “This league, I think you can get that game-day experience you can’t get at other places.

“We’re a college baseball league, but we’re wrapped up in minor-league packaging. You’ve got the Bees and the Clinton LumberKings with minor league backgrounds. You’ve got cities that were in independent leagues, cities with professional baseball histories. The more we can showcase the fan experience and the ballparks and what you see in the league talent-wise, then the reputation grows. It’s not an overnight fix, but it’s something you can keep stacking over the years.”

Photo: The Burlington Bees celebrate Caleb Wulf’s walk-off hit in a game last July. (Steve Cirinna/Burlington Bees)

Bees Open Season At Clinton

By JOHN BOHNENKAMP

The Burlington Bees won’t have to travel too far in the first two weeks of the 2024 Prospect League season.

Eight of the Bees’ first 13 games will be at Community Field, according to the schedule released by the league on Thursday.

The Bees open the season on the road against the Clinton LumberKings on May 28, then open the home portion of their schedule the following night with a 6:30 p.m. game against the Alton River Dragons.

The Bees play a three-game series against the O’Fallon Hoots — at home on May 30 and then on the road May 31 and June 1 — then play five of their next eight games at home.

Among the games on the schedule:

• The Bees have four Sunday home games — June 2 and June 23 vs. Illinois Valley, June 9 vs. Clinton, and July 7 vs. Normal.

• Five home games during the week around July 4 — July 2 vs. O’Fallon, July 3 and 5 vs. Clinton, July 6 vs. Springfield and July 7 vs. Normal. The Bees play at Clinton on July 4.

• The longest road trip of the season is a six-game trip from June 25-30 that includes two games against the Cape Catfish, three with the Jackson Rockabillys and one with the Springfield Lucky Horseshoes.

• The Community Basket Extravaganza is set for July 21 at 2 p.m.

• The home regular-season finale is July 30 against Clinton. The Bees close the regular season the following night at Clinton.

Eighteen teams will play in the Prospect League this season, the largest number in the league’s 61-year history. Two new teams join the league — the Dubois County Bombers of Huntingburg, Indiana, and the Full Count Rhythm of Hendersonville, Tennessee.

The Bees have 16 players committed for this season:

Pitchers — Noah Harbin (Maryville University), Zach Leuschen (Southeastern CC), and Jackson Wohlers (Rock Valley College).

Catchers — Michael Carrano (Parkland College) and Jacob Schindler (McHenry County College)

Infielders — Skyler Agnew (Hawaii-Pacific), Landon Akers (Bellarmine), Carson Bittner (Phoenix College), Ty Plummer (Iowa), Kinnick Pusteoska (Tennessee Tech), and Ryan Skwarek (McHenry County College)

Outfielders — Luke Bragga (Tennessee Tech), Cooper Donlin (Hawaii-Pacific), Cedric Dunnwald (Mount Mercy), Jackson Reid (Chandler-Gilbert CC), and Scotty Savage (Milwaukee Area Tech).

Photo: Cedric Dunnwald slides into second base during the Burlington Bees’ season opener against Quincy last season. Dunnwald is among the players committed to play for the Bees in the 2024 Prospect League season. (Steve Cirinna/Burlington Bees)