FULLERTON, Calif. – Cal State Fullerton right-hander Phil Bickford capped off an impressive summer by recording his third save of the playoffs as he helped the Y-D Red Sox clinch the Cape Cod League championship on Friday afternoon.
Bickford, the 2014 Big West Freshman Pitcher of the Year, threw three innings in relief as the Red Sox topped the Falmouth Commodores 10-4 to complete the sweep in the championship series. It was the fourth Cape Cod Baseball League title for the Red Sox and first since 2007. Bickford was perfect in the postseason as he made three appearances and notched a 0.00 ERA in seven and 1/3 innings pitched, fanning 10 batters to go along with his three saves.
It was a culmination of an excellent summer at the Cape for Bickford, who earned the Robert A. McNeese Award, given to the Most Outstanding Pro Prospect as well as nabbing a share of the Russ Ford Outstanding Relief Pitcher Award, given to the top reliever at the Cape.
Bickford appeared in 14 games, making one start before settling in as the closer for the Y-D Red Sox. He led the Cape League with eight saves and posted a 1-1 record with a 2.25 ERA, notching 33 strikeouts and issuing just five walks in 20 innings pitched. He had a 1.10 WHIP and allowed opponents to hit just .224 against him during the regular season.
He was also named to the Cape Cod League All-Star Game for the East squad, where he struck out the only batter he faced.
Other Titans Standouts This Summer
Collegiate National Team
Thomas Eshelman and Justin Garza each had stellar summers as they pitched for Team USA. Read more about their summer here.
Alaskan Baseball League (ABL)
Tanner Pinkston, Miles Chambers and incoming freshman Scottie Hurst helped the Alaska Goldpanners win the ABL championship, with Hurst and Chambers being named to the All-ABL Team.
Hurst made quite the first impression, leading the ABL with a .429 batting average and began the season with a 21-game hitting streak. He scored 30 runs in 29 regular season games and had 15 RBI with one home run and 18 stolen bases.
Chambers led the team with a 2.49 ERA in 11 appearances out of the bullpen. He recorded two saves and struck out 20 batters in 21 and 2/3 innings pitched.
As for Pinkston, the Dublin, Calif. native finished 12th in the ABL with a .307 batting average. He had 47 hits in 42 games with the Goldpanners, 12 of them for extra bases. He blasted four home runs to go along with 31 RBI and walked 18 times compared to just 12 strikeouts. He also scored 35 runs, which ranked second on the team.
Northwoods League
Titans' infielder Jake Jefferies had a solid summer with the Wisconsin Woodchucks, batting .331 in 30 games. He hit two home runs with 14 RBI and added 11 stolen bases. He also had seven doubles and scored 19 runs.
Relief pitcher Tyler Peitzmeier also had a good summer in the Northwoods League, leading the St. Cloud Rox with a 1.34 ERA out of the bullpen. He also made one appearance at the plate, notching a single on July 16 against Waterloo. He also pitched three innings scoreless innings in that game, allowing just two hits and striking out four in what turned into an 11-4 loss for the Rox.
On the season, Peitzmeier went 4-0 to go along with his 1.34 ERA in 18 appearances. He had 42 strikeouts in 47 innings pitched and issued just four walks while recording three saves. He allowed 38 hits on the season and allowed opponents to hit just .216 while posting a 0.89 WHIP.
California Collegiate Baseball League (CCL)
Titans' catcher A.J. Kennedy was named to the CCL All-League Team as well as the CCL Central All-Division Team after playing with the Santa Barbara Foresters during the summer.
Outfielder Marcus Vidales was named to the CCL North All-Division Team after batting .305 in 39 games with the Neptune Beach Pearl, a team that advanced to the CCL championship game before falling to the L.A. Brewers. Vidales had 46 hits including six doubles and also had 19 RBI. He was second on the team with 30 runs scored and also stole 26 bases.