Amburgey becoming an elite hitter

Amburgey wearing #15. (Crowley Photo)

Trey Amburgey hit the ball extremely well at St. Petersburg College this spring, hitting .304/.364/.411 in 43 games. Somehow, he's improved on that line this summer and is arguably the hottest hitter in the NECBL right now.

Amburgey opened the Vermont season 2-12, a miserable .167 batting average. However, he's turned it around quickly as he's picked up three games with more then three hits and was recently named the NECBL player of the week after a .588 line that featured a five-hit, three-run, four-RBI game against Laconia.

"Just staying relaxed has been key," Amburgey said. "I pressed too much at the beginning of the season. I just told myself to breath, see the ball and swing at strikes."

He's steadily becoming one of the league's elite hitters as he now holds a .444 batting average with 16 hits in his first 11 games. Clearly, the first five games didn't unnerve him. If anything, it made him work harder to prove that he was the still the same guy that the Mountaineers management saw hitting the ball well down in the Suncoast Conference.

However, Amburgey felt out of place when he arrived in the NECBL coming from a junior college.

"Being a Juco guy, I'm playing with a huge chip on my shoulder," Amburgey said. "I'm proving many people wrong just playing in this league and I just want to continue to have fun, play hard and get better every day."

The heightened level of competition has served the 6-2 outfielder well, as he's improved in all aspects of his game at the plate. His strikeout rate has gone down from 15% to 11% while his on-base percentage and slugging percentage are drastically higher.

"I think I'm seeing the ball a lot better this summer," Amburgey continued. "In spring, I could never find a rhythm and I would swing at bad pitches. I've made some adjustments to my swing to where I could see the ball better and not jump at pitches."

The adjustments have paid off for Amburgey, who's scouting report describes him as having strength, physical tools and quick hands as well as arm strength and accurate throws from the outfield. His skills were on display against Plymouth on Tuesday as he went 4-6 at the plate in a 13-inning loss.

But Amburgey knows he can only keep improving.

"I try too," Amburgey said when asked if he picked the brains of those around him, specifically manager Joe Brown. "If something isn't right with my swing, they will point it out so I can make the adjustment. Coach Brown will tell me what I did or what I should've done in a certain situation. It's a blessing to have people around with many years of experience."

For now, the Mountaineers and him have their sights set on the first championship in franchise history since 2007.