Four Pit Spitters Selected for NWL All-Star Game
July 9, 2021 - Northwoods League (Northwoods)
Traverse City Pit Spitters News Release
Traverse City, MI - The first-half Great Lakes East Champion Traverse City Pit Spitters will be represented by four players in the Northwoods League All Star Game on July 20 in Mankato, MN.
The four players selected are 1B/DH Chris Monroe (IL Springfield), SP Jeremy Neff (Richmond), RP John Beuckelaere (Madonna) and Closer Evan Gates (N.C. A&T St.)
Monroe finished the first half hitting .319 thanks to a nine-game hitting streak with multiple hits in his last four. He capped off the first half with a grand slam and five RBI game on July 4 against Kalamazoo. In the Great Lakes East sub-division, Monroe is currently second in RBI's (31), third in hits (41) and slugging (.492) and sixth in average (.320).
Monroe will be pulling double duty as he will also participate in the Home Run Derby presented by the Mayo Clinic Health System & Community Bank on July 19. Monroe's five home runs rank first in the Great Lakes Division and third overall in the Northwoods League.
Neff finished the first half 2-2 with a 1.74 ERA in 31 innings pitched. He didn't allow a run in three of his four starts and gave up multiple runs just twice. He struck out 28 batters and allowed 14 walks. He finished the first half with the least hits allowed in the Great Lakes East sub-division (14), second in BAA (.175), third in ERA (1.74) and fifth in WHIP (1.03).
Beuckelaere finished the first half 1-1 with a 0.00 ERA. He leads all pitchers on his team with a .140 BAA and .78 WHIP, and he leads relievers in strikeouts (21). Beuckelaere is just one of four qualified pitchers in the entire Northwoods League to record a 0.00 ERA, and he's faced the most batters of those four pitchers.
Gates is the Northwoods League leader in saves (8) and has three more saves than any other closer in the Great Lakes Division. Gates recorded a 2.77 ERA and 1.15 WHIP in 13 relief appearances. He has recorded a save in seven consecutive opportunities and had a seven-game span where he did not allow a run.
The four all-stars surpass the three chosen for Traverse City in 2019, the Pit Spitters inaugural season. The Pit Spitters also send the second most members to Mankato, behind the five selections for division rival Kenosha.
Northwoods League Stories from July 9, 2021
- Bombers Drop Slugfest with Rockford 15-8 - Battle Creek Battle Jacks
- Honkers Drop Back and Forth Game in Duluth - Rochester Honkers
- Mallards Complete Sweep of Growlers with 7-4 Win - Kalamazoo Growlers
- Rafters Drop Another Close Game, Swept by Chinooks - Wisconsin Rapids Rafters
- Swarts' Monster Night Sends Rox to Series Split - St. Cloud Rox
- Stingers Shutout to Split Series against Mud Puppies - Willmar Stingers
- Pit Spitters Hand Dock Spiders Win with Costly Error in 8th - Traverse City Pit Spitters
- Booyah Winning Streak Snapped - Green Bay Rockers
- Woodchucks Blank Jackrabbits to Earn Split - Wausau Woodchucks
- Mallards Seal the Deal and Sweep the Growlers - Madison Mallards
- Mallards Send Three to 2021 Northwoods League All-Star Game - Madison Mallards
- Horvath, Alazaus to Represent Rochester in All-Star Game - Rochester Honkers
- Wheaton, Knapp Named 2021 Northwoods League All-Stars - Kalamazoo Growlers
- Booyah Look to Extend Streak to Seven - Green Bay Rockers
- Max Wagner Earns All-Star Bid for Green Bay - Green Bay Rockers
- Northwoods League Announces 2021 All-Star Selections - Wausau Woodchucks
- Shalley, Matulia Named Northwoods League All-Stars - Rockford Rivets
- Four Rox Players & Coaching Staff Make All-Star Team - St. Cloud Rox
- Casper the Only Logger to Make All-Star Roster - La Crosse Loggers
- Three Bucks Named NWL All-Stars - Waterloo Bucks
- Four Pit Spitters Selected for NWL All-Star Game - Traverse City Pit Spitters
- Loggers Chop Down the Rox in 7-4 Win - La Crosse Loggers
- Northwoods League Announces 2021 All-Star Selections - Northwoods
- Kingfish Fall to Green Bay in Series Opener - Kenosha Kingfish
- Larks Get Back on Track, Walk-Off Express - Bismarck Larks
- Huskies Collect Their First Home Shut-Out Victory - Duluth Huskies
- Slow Start Goes by the Wayside, MoonDogs Win Sixth Straight in Slugfest at Waterloo - Mankato MoonDogs
- Thompson Dominates, Rivets Win First Game of 2nd Half - Rockford Rivets
- Bombers Suffer Setback in Loss to Rockford - Battle Creek Battle Jacks
- Honkers Bats Held Down in Opening Loss to Duluth - Rochester Honkers
- Growlers Home Run Barrage Not Enough in Loss to Mallards - Kalamazoo Growlers
- Stingers Defeat Mud Puppies in Series Opener - Willmar Stingers
- Mallards Pull off a Huge Win in Kalamazoo - Madison Mallards
- Chinooks Squeak by Rafters to Open Series in Mequon - Wisconsin Rapids Rafters
- Spiders over Spitters in Game One - Traverse City Pit Spitters
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