Outlaws' Topple 33 Franchise Records in 2010

Published on September 4, 2010 under Golden Baseball League (GBL)
Chico Outlaws News Release


Chico, CA - The 2010 edition of the Chico Outlaws was impressive even before stepping out onto the field at Butte College the first week of May for spring training. Boasting six players with previous major league experience and a host of others with Double-A and Triple-A time, the team had all the potential to win a Golden Baseball League title in 2010 and smash almost every major record in batting and pitching department.

With former big leaguers Bobby Hill and Mark McLemore on the team from start to finish, along with minor league veterans JJ Sherrill, Blake Gailen and Mikael Jova, there was no doubt that the team put together by Outlaws manager Garry Templeton and general manager Mike Marshall would be successful.

Throw in an 18-year old female pitching sensation from Japan and the individual storylines of the 2010 Chico Outlaws were hard to ignore.

Templeton, a 16-year major league infielder with San Diego, St Louis and the New York Mets, and Marshall, who won two World Series rings playing with the Los Angeles Dodgers, knew they wanted a team that could hit at Nettleton Stadium and have the big guns in the pitching rotation to battle the teams in the talent-laden GBL North.

With an 85-game regular season in the books and a playoff date with perennial powerhouse Calgary awaiting next week, there is some unfinished business on the field.

What is finished and can be counted up is the number of Outlaws' single season franchise records that were broken. All told, 33 different records were either tied or broken this year, including major categories like team record, batting average, homeruns and runs batted in.

Finishing 55-30 for the season (breaking the old mark of 49 wins set in 2005 in the inaugural season of the GBL), the Outlaws were decent at home at 25-19. Chico was simply outstanding on the road, posting a 30-11 mark away from the comforts of Nettleton Stadium, including an eight-game win streak to start the season.

Averaging almost seven runs a game and with a .311 batting average overall, the team smashed the 2009 Outlaws' average of .283, which had been the best hitting team in franchise history. Add in 89 homeruns and 517 RBI's and this year's squad was the most prodigious hitting team in the six years of the franchise.

A host of individual records were also achieved, including batting average, homeruns and RBIs.

Left fielder JJ Sherrill, a former Cleveland Indians farmhand, cranked 16 homers and drove in 67 runs, establishing new highs in both categories. Sherrill also established new standards for total bases (166), sacrifice flies (6) and runs (78).

Center fielder Blake Gailen, despite missing 29 games due to injury, finished the year with a .382 batting average, topping former Outlaw and current Boston Red Sox Daniel Nava's 2007 number. Hill, who spent four years in the majors with Chicago and Pittsburgh, was clearly a leader from the start who brought his experience to the table every night, mentoring his double-play partner and rookie Pascual Del Real.

John Urick, whose grandfather Whitey Herzoz was inducted into the Hall of Fame with the Class of 2010, hit 10 homers for the sixth time in his eight pro seasons. Catcher Robby Alcombrack moved into the starting job mid-July and matched his 2009 total with 10 homeruns as well.

Jova tied Desi Wilson's 2006 mark of 32 multi-hit games while also leading the team in multi-RBI games, while outfielder Mitch Einertson hit .325 with nine homeruns despite not playing everyday. Pitching wise, it was clear from the beginning of the year the bullpen would be a strength. With former big leaguer Matt Perisho mentoring the likes of Justin Segal, Josh Dew, Rusty Jones and David Dinelli, the relief corps had a combined 3.05 ERA in 253.1 innings pitched. Overall, the Outlaws pitching staff posted a 3.84 ERA, which was good for second in the league behind Maui.

Segal, who played collegiately at UC-Santa Barbara and for the Yankees minor league system, finished with a 0.96 ERA in 40 appearances, striking out 48 batters in 49 innings . He also held opponents to a .198 average. Dew, who finished 4-1, 2.68 ERA in 36 games, was spectacular and his devastating slider buckled knees at every turn. Chico's starting rotation was every bit as formidable as the bullpen. Anchored by former Houston Astro Mark McLemore, who spent the 2007 season in the majors, the starters garnered 38 wins, a new season high. Joining McLemore was Kris Honel, a former first round draft pick (16th overall) of the Chicago White Sox in 2001. McLemore went 7-5 on the year, while Honel started out hot with six consecutive wins to open the season and finished 8-3.

Garret Holleran, a third-year pro coming into 2010 and who spent the last two years pitching for Gary in the Northern League, fell one win shy of 10 with a 9-2 record and 3.86 ERA in 15 starts. Holleran threw his first career complete game and registered a career-high 11 strikeouts in a game in late August against St. George. Leftie Demetrius Banks, who appeared in 44 games out of the bullpen in 2009 for Florence in the Frontier League, moved into the Outlaws starting rotation and ended up as the lone starting pitcher with 10 wins (10-3, 3.52 ERA in 14 starts).

The "Knuckle Princess" Eri Yoshida caused quite the stir both here in the United States and in her native Japan when she became the first woman to pitch professionally in two countries in her debut on May 29th in Chico against the Tijuana Cimarrones. Her jersey and a bat from her inaugural game were donated to the National Baseball Hall of Fame for an exhibit on women in baseball. Where her career goes from here in unknown, but it always be Chico where she got her start.

Despite losing some key players in catcher Mike Rose, third baseman Ismael Castro and pitchers Matt Perisho, Wayne Franklin, the team found capable replacements. Third baseman Santo DeLeon and first baseman Mark Samuelson stepped right into the lineup after separate trades brought them to the Outlaws from Yuma.

Skipper Garry Templeton summed it up best. "Anything short of a championship would be a disappointment...," said Templeton. "But in all my years of independent baseball, this is by far the best team I've ever seen!"

The Outlaws host the Calgary Vipers in games one and two of the best-of-five first round playoff matchup between the two top teams in the GBL North starting on Tuesday night. Chico, which won the first half crown, will send Kris Honel (8-3) to the hill for the opening salvo between the Outlaws and Snakes. First pitch is set for 7:05.

Game two of the playoffs will be on Wednesday at the Nett, another 7:05 pm start.

Thursday September 9th will be a travel day for both teams and game three of the playoff series will be played on Friday September 10th in Calgary. Games four and five (if necessary) will be played September 11th-12th in Calgary as needed.

Fans who have purchased tickets for the previously announced weekend playoff dates can exchange their tickets at the Outlaws main office located at 313 Walnut Street, Suite 110 in Chico or at the box office on the day of a game. Fans can exchange their tickets for either of the two home playoff dates and can also exchange tickets during the GBL Championship Series if the Outlaws advance. You can also purchase tickets by calling the office at 345-3210 or going online at www.chicooutlaws.com.

The games will be broadcast live on the Outlaws Baseball Network and fans can catch all the action with Dan Hawkins starting at 6:50 pm. Watch live on www.justin.tv.com/chicooutlawsbaseball or audio only at www.chicooutlaws.com.

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



Golden Baseball League Stories from September 4, 2010


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central