NECBL Stars Update: Missouri duo shine and Kirby excels

Graves (Missouri Baseball)

Graves dazzles in pitcher's duel
Brett Graves (Newport) pitched seven shutout innings on Saturday but was handed a no-descion as Missouri couldn't get onto the board and fell to Wake Forest, 1-0 on a walkoff single. Graves went seven strong, allowing just three hits and striking out six. It was the junior's longest outing since March 2012. Missouri dropped to 3-3.

Miles has excellent run support in win
John Miles (Vermont) threw five solid innings and was backed by 15 runs as Missouri beat Radford 15-3 on Friday. Miles earned his first win of the season and went five innings, allowing seven hits, two runs with three strikeouts and no walks.

Kirby leads top-ranked Virginia to victory
Nathan Kirby (Keene) threw six and a third innings and allowed two earned runs on three hits as the Cavaliers downed Eastern Carolina, 3-2 on Friday. Kirby struck out three and improved to 2-0 with an impressive 1.46 ERA on the season.

Shaw continues tear for BC

Michael Gerber (Photo by Creighton)

Chris Shaw (New Bedford) has been a machine for Boston College as he's hitting .370 over seven games with a team-highs with seven RBIs, five doubles and 10 hits. The 4-3 Eagles recently beat Stetson 8-0 with Shaw knocking in three runs while going 2-4.

Gerber grand slam leads Creighton to win
Michael Gerber (Ocean State) hit a grand slam in the ninth inning to ice a 8-0 win over Minnesota. Gerber leads Creighton with 8 season RBIs and is hitting .231 with a .462 slugging percentage and 12 total bases.

NECBL Stars Update: Kirby has solid start, Shaw hits well over weekend

Nathan Kirby (Keene) went six strong in a win against VMI.
Photo by Mark Gormus/Times-Dispatch

Miles earns no decision in Missouri win

John Miles (Mountaineers) went four and two-thirds innings in a 4-2 Missouri win over Southern Miss. Miles earned a no decision and allowed two runs on four hits while striking out four and walking just one in his first start since May 26th in 2012 against Kansas. He allowed his two runs in the first frame but then worked his way out of several jams.  

Kirby leads Virginia to win

Nathan Kirby (Swamp Bats) had a flawless start in a 12-0 win over Virginia Military Institute (VMI). Kirby went six strong innings and fanned seven while walking just one and allowing four hits. The Cavaliers pitched flawlessly as he let just two balls out of the infield and Virginia bounced back from a season-opening loss to Kentucky.

Brett Graves (Newport)

Graves takes loss after allowing unearned run in fifth

Brett Graves (Gulls) was dealt a loss in his season debut after allowing an unearned run in the fifth inning. He went 4.2 innings on Saturday afternoon in a 3-2 defeat to McNeese State. Graves allowed four hits and two walks and allowed three runs, two earned. He struck out three.

Shaw excels over weekend, leads BC to 3-1 record

Chris Shaw (Bay Sox) had five RBIs, including a 2-4 outing against Santa Clara that included a home run, double and three RBIs. He added individual RBIs in the Eagles other two wins, over Nevada and Santa Clara again.

Roberts and Tam Sing battle top ranked Fullerton

Washington State and Newport Gulls teammates Ben Roberts and Trace Tam Sing took on top-ranked Cal State Fullerton in a three-game weekend series. Tam Sing had one of three hits in the 12-0 season opening loss to the Titans and added a sacrifice fly and a run in the 9-7 win. Roberts went 2-4 in the Cougars win over Fullerton and scored.

Gerber has three RBIs but Creighton is swept

Arkansas Little-Rock swept Creighton with three straight wins, and Mike Gerber (Waves)didn't pick up any hits in the bookends of the series. He did have a strong middle game in a 7-4 loss. He went 1-5 but had a three-run blast to right center to cap a four-run sixth.

Ocello named Patriot League Preseason Player of the Year

Evan Ocello (Waves) was selected as the Patriot League Baseball Preseason PLayer of the Year, which was voted by the conference's head coaches and sports information directors. 

On There Way to Laconia

The New England Collegiate Baseball League's All-Star game is coming up,  and will be taking place in Laconia, New Hampshire. A packed slate is set up, as it starts with photo ops and concludes with a game at 5:30. Mixed in between is batting practice, the 60-yard dash and the home run derby.

Last year, Vermont's Johnny Mishu won the All-Star Game MVP with a 2-2 performance with four RBIs. Earlier in the day, Laconia's Danny Collins won the home run derby with a total of 12 home runs, including five in the championship round.

This season, my local NECBL franchise, the Vermont Mountaineers are sending five members to the game. The list includes the Western Division starter pitcher John Miles (Missouri) and their homerun derby representative Kyle Smith (Vanderbilt).

Miles has warranted the starting role, as he holds a 3-0 record over six appearances and four starts, numbering 29 innings pitched. He's also only given up one earned run, boasting a .031 ERA with 23 strikeouts and just eight walks.

He's going to get the opportunity to showcase his talent, as last season, over 40 scouts were in attendance.

"It's an honor to do it, it's pretty cool. I'm really excited to start the game and even just to be in the game. I'm also excited to see fellow teammates that play in the other division," Miles said in a recent interview, "I'm just excited for the game, it's going to be a great time."

Miles also has some friendly competition on the opposition, the Eastern Division Roster. Newport Gull's Brett Graves will be pitching for the East out of the pen as the number two, as Graves is also the college teammate of Miles at the University of Missouri.

When asked about Graves, Miles responded, "That would've been really cool if we toed the rubber against each other, but we will. He'll get the second inning and I'll get the first, so its pretty cool that I'll get to see him. Every time we've been supposed to play in Newport this year, we've been rained out, so I haven't been able to see him. It will be nice to finally see him because he's one of my closest friends."

The other Mountaineer I got the chance to discuss with is the University of Vanderbilt product Kyle Smith. Smith is the Mountaineers rep at the 2013 Home Run Derby, and already has a derby under his belt.

"I was in one in high school- it was the International Power Showcase, the one that Bryce Harper did. I did that in high school, in Phoenix, Arizona."

Not only did he compete in that, he finished in the top five finalists with six home runs in the metal bat round, including a 453 foot bomb. In the wood bat round, he hit one a massive 429 feet, which would clear the Montpelier Recreation Field deep center field fence by ten feet.

And we have video, courtesy of the folks at the Power Showcase:


He also added two in the championship round. He won the Babe Ruth Underclassmen Wood Bat Award for the longest wood bat home run.

Smith will be taking on some of the NECBL most powerful hitters on Sunday in the Derby.

"Don't swing to hard and be selective on the pitches that I'm swinging at. If you swing at bad pitches, you're not going to be able to lift the ball and hit it out of the park," Smith said on his strategy.

He won't only be dealing with ten other derby participants, but the Muskrat Monster in left field. Measuring an imposing 18 feet tall and 88 feet wide, the replica Green Monster will be an difficult feature of Robbie Mills Field that will have to be dealt with.

Now, with the All-Star festivities just five days away- baseball is still being squeezed in, but once Sunday comes around, all of the NECBL's attentions (and the scouts as well) will be looking at the All-Star game in Laconia. Both the audio and video broadcasts will be avaliable on NECBL.com for free. Tune in at 2:00 PM for the HR Derby and the first pitch at 5:30 PM.

Meticoulous Miles Shuts Down Opposition

By Bradley Smart

Miles while pitching at the University of Missouri

The Vermont Mountaineers are 15-7 and are sitting 2.5 games up of the closest team and holding the best record in the NECBL.

And making a huge contribution is the 6’0 John Miles, a pitcher who’s given up just one earned run over 24 innings. This ridiculous 0.38 ERA is nothing new for Miles, as the sophomore out of the University of Missouri lead the team this past spring with a 2.35 ERA over 23 innings of work.

He was a key member of the Tigers pitching staff, as he continually pitched out of trouble while striking out 23 against 11 walks. He also tied for the team lead in saves with two, as he got out of a jam against Missouri State as well as a gem against Florida, ranked 36th in the nation.

Miles shut down Florida and threw 2.1 innings, allowing just one run while striking out two.

When he arrived at the Recreation Field in Montpelier, Miles picked up where he left off- blowing by hitters and keeping the damage to a bare minimum.

He recently took time to speak with NECBL.com.

NECBL.com: You’ve pitched 24 innings, starting three games and have given up just one earned run. What’s clicking for you this summer?

I'm pitching good baseball, just getting on the mound and enjoying myself- I'm playing baseball for the sake of baseball, just enjoying myself. I feel like I'm a little league right now- I'm in the sandbox and I'm just having a good time. The biggest thing is you're so high strung out of college and you come here and you’re a little relaxed, you're able to calm down. You're able to play like you're 13 years old and it feels great, playing like a little kid. There's nothing better than that feeling that you're out here, just playing with your teammates and enjoying yourself, enjoying the summer. It's just a great feeling and I wouldn't trade it for anything.

NECBL.com: You didn’t start any games during the Missouri season, which was a lot different from both your freshman year (where you started four) and as a senior in high school where you posted a 6-0 record. Are you more of a reliever now or is it temporary?

I'm a pitcher. I'm a pitcher and I will pitch where ever I get my innings. If my team needs me out of the pen, I'll throw out of the pen, if they need me to start I'll start. It's just one of those things that sometimes, this past year, my sophomore year, had a rough start from the get go and didn't work out great but I battled through it, got more innings in the second half of the year and threw better. I just want to help my team win. And I want to win. Bottom line. And I want to put up the best numbers I can in order for my team to win. And if its out of the pen relieving, closing or starting it's what's going to happen. It doesn't matter, just trying to have fun and pitch.

NECBL.com: You’ve started games for the Mountaineers, and come out of the bullpen for them- which position do you prefer?

They're different. Some days I'm sitting in the bullpen when a teammate starts and I say, jeez, I'd really like to close today, I'm feeling good but then there's days where theres a team you're playing and you want to get out there and prove something, and throw seven shutout innings and have ten k's- you want to prove something.For me, preference is day to day. It really is.

NECBL.com: Last summer, you played for the Sedalia Bombers in the MINK league, which is in the midwest- how does the NECBL compare to that league?

It's a much  better league. The MINK league is a decent league but this is a top tier league, more guys drafted out of this league last year then the Cape, which speaks volumes for this league. I threw a lot of innings my freshman year so I only had a few starts over in the MINK league. It was a fun league, great guys but you know this is a whole new experience. You have towns coming out and supporting the team. It's a lot different how much this town is behind us and how much all the town are behind their teams. It's really cool to see towns backing teams like that.

NECBL.com: How did you land on your major, Business?

I like money and it was one of those things where going in to school it attracted me and I thought it would be a good suit for me and I would be able to enjoy all the courses I was going to take and that they would be beneficial to me later in life and it's very applicable to the real world. It's a good major and it's very very useful in society and our world.

NECBL.com: You play Newport twice on the 23rd, and Brett Graves, a fellow Missouri Tiger is on that team. He’s posted a 3-0 record with a 0.77 era- what’s it going to be like facing off against him?

He's one of my best friends, so I guess I'll go ahead and say no comment, other than the fact that he's a great kid, he's a great teammate, he's a great pitcher and I wish the best for him, no matter what, I wish the best for him.

John Miles Personal File

Favorite Food: “I got a sweet tooth. Oh my god, I love sweets. Cookies, cakes, pies. It is my favorite food, bar down.”

Favorite Movie: “The Prestige. It's a magic movie, a thriller- it's a very good film.”

Favorite Music: “Rock. Big fan of 80's rock.”

Toughest Class at the University of Missouri: “Econ. An Econ course is no fun.”

Favorite MLB player: “Chris Carpenter, hands down. He's the man.”