Season Wrap-up

The Winter League season came to a close for me Wednesday as we won our last game and I finished the season with a .348 AVG, league leading .704 OBP and 13 HBP, .962 fielding pct, with 10 runs, 3 doubles, and 13 walks. Unfortunately that seemed to not be enough to earn a contract to play Independent League this upcoming season. I am hoping that sometime in the near future there will be a team interested in a player of my caliber. 

This trip was a great experience for me. I met so many great people down here and am very grateful for the new friendships I have made. I congratulate all the guys who were offered a contract and wish them the best. I will be playing again sometime soon, it is just a matter of time. The month went by much faster than any of us could have anticipated. The month had its ups and downs but I'm willing to bet the majority of the players here enjoyed the experience as much as I did. Thank you guys again for a great time down here and as far as I'm concerned you are all family. 

To be continued...

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Last Week in Yuma

Today was our second to last game down here in Yuma. We beat Team Canada 7-4 knocking them out of playoff contention. With one game left to play, the playoffs are set. The American Division will be San Luis vs Yuma while the Canadian Division will be Saskatchewan vs Calgary. In today's game, I went 1-2 with a double, run, and HBP, moving my average to .364 and my OBP to .708 with our final game tomorrow. It has been a really great season and I am going to remember this month for as long as I live. Season ending updates to come tomorrow.

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Final Week of the Season

Yesterday marked the final day of week 4 as there are only 2 games remaining this upcoming week. We lost our last 2 games which put us out of playoff contention. I went a combined 1-3 with a double and 3 walks in the last 2 games. I hope that my consistent play this winter will earn me a shot with another club after this league finishes, but only time will tell. We practice tomorrow with games Wed and Thurs, with the playoffs following on Fri and Sat. There is a banquet on Sat morning where the season will be recapped and concluded before the championship game. Entering this last week, I hope to finish the season with my strong play. Until then...

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Playoff Push

Tonight the Surfdawgs beat Yuma 3-2 to move us into 3rd place, only a half game out of the playoffs, with 4 games left. Tomorrow we play 1st place San Luis in San Luis at 6:30. Today I came into the game in the 5th inning and only got 1 AB, where I got hit by pitch for the 12th time this season, moving my OBP to .718. With a strong showing in the last 4 games, we should be able to make the playoffs starting up next week. More to come.

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Week 4

Yesterday started week 4 down here and we got ourselves a win in a sloppy game. Today we gave away the game in the late innings, losing 11-8. I went 1-5 with 2 runs, 1 RBI, and 1 SB in those 2 games, making my average .353 with an OBP of .711. These last 2 games moved us to 7-7-1, still 2 games out of the division lead. Tomorrow night we have a big night game vs Yuma, where a win would help out drastically.

With the season winding down, it is weird that it has already almost been a month down here. The days flew by but the memories and friendships will always remain. With 5 games left, I keep reminding myself how important it is to take in all the memories I can. With that note, I will be leaving. Updates to follow after tomorrow's game.

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End of Week 3

Today we lost to the Yuma Scorpions 5-4 on a walk-off single. We played very well today but it just wasn't in the cards to win. I started at 2nd and went 1-1 with a double, hit by pitch, and walk. With only 7 games left on the season, time is running thin. Tomorrow is a much needed day off with practice on Tuesday and games starting back up Wednesday. With today's loss, the Surf Dawgs dropped into last place in a very tight American division. We will need to win almost all the rest of the games to make the playoffs, but stranger things have happened. More updates will come next week.

Happy Birthday Papa

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Back in the win column

Today we defeated the Saskatchewan Silver Sox 6-2 to put an end to our losing streak. The win brought us to 6-5-1 and knocking the Canadian first place team to 6-5. Today I played 3rd base and had a productive day. I went 1-2 with a walk and made 4 plays at 3rd. As a team, we started to hit the ball a lot better which is a good sign as we face off with first place Yuma tomorrow afternoon. Each day, the weather seems to be getting warmer and warmer which is great to be playing ball in. The rest of today looks to be low key as I plan on resting up the body to make sure I keep going strong through the remainder of the month. More updates to come tomorrow.

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Losing Streak

The Surf Dawgs have hit a bump in the road, losing our last 3 games, falling to 5-5-1. Fortunately many of the other teams have been playing up and down and we aren't out of the playoff hunt. The last 2 games only was at bat 3 times going 0-1 with a walk and yet another hit by pitch, making it 10 HBP and 7 walks on the season. These next two games are going to be important as we play 2 of the top teams. Two wins to finish the week will lessen the pain of the 3 game losing streak. I am anticipating a lot of good at bats the next couple days so hopefully there will lots to talk about on here. I'll be talking

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Rain in Yuma

First off, yesterday started off week 3 as we beat San Luis 5-2. I had another productive day as I went 0-0 with a walk and another hit by pitch, making it 9 on the season so far. On defense, turned a couple double plays and had some other plays mixed in there as well. Today the rains came into Yuma and cooled things off a bit here. We were able to get our game in this morning but unfortunately lost 2-1 to Blythe. I didn't start today but came into the game in the 5th and got a hit in my only at bat. So on the season to date, I am hitting .375 with an on-base percentage of .762 with 9 HBP and 4 walks. Defensively I am fielding .957 with only 1 error. As the halfway point is just about here, this is about the time I want to make sure I am playing my best ball. Another morning game tomorrow as the warm weather will make its way back to Yuma.

Surf Dawgs 5-3-1

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Week 2 Complete

So Week 2 is officially in the books. We are 4-2-1, which sort of bugs me because I didn't think you can tie in baseball, but apparently you can. So I am continuing to play well down here, but I feel that I need to start turning things up a bit. This week we play 6 games which gives me a lot of chances to show my stuff. Tomorrow is my last off day before the week starts up so I will plan on taking advantage of it to make sure I am good to go for the week. Details from this week to come.

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Another Win for the Dawgs

Today we improved to 3-1 on the season with a 5-0 win over the West Canada Miners. I played well today as I went 1-2 and got hit by pitch 2 more times. That is 6 times in 3 games played for me. Any way to get on base. Played good defense as well. Tomorrow we have the early game starting at 11 against the San Luis Atleticos. Hopefully we can continue our strong play throughout the rest of the week.

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Beginning of Week 2

It's been a few days since I last wrote. Not much has happened since. In my last game last week, I came into the game in the 3rd inning at 3rd base. I went 0-0 with yet another hit by pitch and a walk. So a little stat update after Week 1: 2 Games, 0-1 with 4 HBP, 1 BB, and 2 RBI, OBP .883. Defensively I am 11-11 in fielding opportunities. Yesterday was our day off so I was able to get my lifting and running in easier. Then went and saw Edge of Darkness last night with a few of the guys. Today was an instruction day where we worked on hitting, rundowns, cuts/relays, and PFP's. Week 2's games start tomorrow with us facing off against the Western Canada Miners at 2:00 PM. Need to do some laundry tonight and enjoy the Yuma night.

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