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CarL Kannapolis Cannon Ballers

Cannon Baller Chronicle: Ballers on Wrong End of Series Sweep at Home

May 24, 2022 - Carolina League (CarL)
Kannapolis Cannon Ballers News Release


KANNAPOLIS, N.C. - Following one of the most successful weeks of the season, the Kannapolis Cannon Ballers returned home for a six-game set with the Fayetteville Woodpeckers at Atrium Health Ballpark. The Ballers put together nice stretches of offense and tallied good appearances on the mound but could not pick up a victory against Fayetteville. Despite not winning any games over the Woodpeckers, Kannapolis still is within striking distance in the Carolina League South division.

BACK TO THE BASE-ICS

IF Colson Montgomery has not let up on offense in his return to the lineup for Guillermo Quiroz and the Cannon Ballers. The No. 1 prospect in the White Sox system reached base in each of the six matchups against the Woodpeckers, including a solo home run on Wednesday, to extend his on-base streak to nine consecutive games. Montgomery now leads the team in batting average at .287 and on-base-plus-slugging at .844.

KOHL-D BLOODED ACE

RHP Kohl Simas made just his third start at home of 2022 on Saturday night, when Kannapolis rocked a digital camo Armed Forces Day jersey. The righty from Fresno, California lowered his ERA for the fourth straight time on the bump, striking out six Woodpeckers and going a career-long six innings. While Simas may not be on the top 30 prospect lists for the Chicago White Sox, he is making an impact and providing quality starts for the Ballers.

RESULTS MAY VERAS

IF Wilfred Veras has appeared in 15 games in the month of May, tallying a hit in 14 of them. The 19-year-old is on a 12-game hit streak, notching multi-hit games in exactly six of the 12 games. Veras has raised his batting average up to .283 after completing the month of April slashing just .203.

ON TO THE NEXT

The Mudcats, Low-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers, enter the series with Kannapolis coming off a 4-2 series victory over the Down East Wood Ducks. Carolina holds an all-time record of 20-4 vs. the Cannon Ballers, dominating most of 2021 en route to a second-place finish in the Low-A East Central Division. With the shifting of divisions in the Carolina League, the Mudcats now land in the North Division, in which they are currently in second place trailing only the Lynchburg Hillcats.

Carolina is a prime example of a team that has hovered around .500 all season without necessarily excelling in any certain category. The Mudcats are a well-rounded team that sit in the middle of most Carolina League rankings in both offense and pitching.

The Mudcats boast six of the top 30 prospects in the Milwaukee Brewers system in C Jeferson Quero (No. 5), OF Hedbert Perez (No. 8), OF Jackson Chourio (No. 9), INF Eduardo Garcia (No. 12), OF Hendry Mendez (No. 15), INF Jheremy Vargas (No. 30).

Quero has tallied three multi-hit games in the month of May, including one against the Wood Ducks on Tuesday. Perez has struggled to get going on the 2022 season, batting just .176 with 47 strikeouts in 31 games. Chourio is not one of the more active players on the roster for the Mudcats, appearing in just 16 games through a month and a half. Despite the small sample size, the outfielder from Maracaibo, Venezuela is batting a hot .328 with 10 RBI.

Garcia's season has seen its fair share of ups and downs, with the infielder leading the Mudcats in both RBI and strikeouts. Mendez's first season in the United States as an 18-year-old has been a successful one so far, with the Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic native tallying 19 RBI in 32 games. Finally, Vargas started on a tear in the series with Down East with a hit in each of his first three games before going 0-6 with 2 strikeouts in the final two games of the series.

The Kannapolis Cannon Ballers begin two weeks of game action on the road this week, starting in Zebulon for a six-game series with the Carolina Mudcats, Low-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers, May 24-29 at Five County Stadium. Following the set with Carolina, the Ballers will depart for a six-game series in Augusta with the GreenJackets, Low-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves.

Tickets can be purchased for any upcoming home games at kcballers.com or at the F&M Bank Box Office located at Atrium Health Ballpark. Fans can also keep up with the action on the team's social media outlets, with live in-game updates being provided on Twitter at @kcannonballers. All Cannon Ballers home games, as well as select road games, will have a free audio broadcast on kcballers.com, with all home games also being broadcasted on MiLB.tv.

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Carolina League Stories from May 24, 2022


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