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Des Moines Hit Men expect prosperous 2008 season
The Des Moines Hit Men have lots of reason for hope entering the 2008 Mid-Iowa Baseball Senior Men’s Baseball League season. In spite of a one-win 2007 campaign, the team showed lots of promise late in the year. The Hit Men nearly pulled off an incredible upset in the first round of the MSBL playoffs, dropped a 5-4 heartbreaker to the Red Sox.
While the team struggled a bit with defense and pitching throughout the season, there is much to look forward to in both areas this season. The team returns much of its pitching core from last year and has made several key off season additions. Much of the focus for the off-season was to increase pitching depth and defense.
Offensively, the Hit Men hope to continue some of the success they experienced last season. Team MVP Adam Crooks returns with his .413 batting average, 2 home runs, and 12 RBI from last season. He was also a starting pitcher for the team. Eddie Ballesteros lead the team in batting last season with an incredible .500 average.
Brian Bialas (.355 career BA), Art Kern (.354), and Kyle Collins (.338) hope to continue their consistent hitting in their third season with the Hit Men team, a team that entered the league in 2006. Kern has also served as the team’s coach. Another third year player, James Beltran (.298) brings his solid all around play back to the field. Eric Abbey is tied with Bialas for the team’s career RBI lead, with 19. He has a career batting average of .260. Charlie Formaro, with a .281 career on base percentage, developed into a solid relief pitcher during the second half of last year’s campaign.
Several Hit Men return for their second season with the team. Neil Kokemuller, who along with Crooks, participated in the 25 and over all star game last season, was named Defensive Player of the Year. He also batted .340 for the team. Dorlan Joshway was a .333 hitter last year and tied with Beltran for the team lead with 8 stolen bases. Josh Graham led the team with 3 home runs, while batting .310. He is also one of the team’s most reliable pitchers.
Josh Thompson, Jerod Schenimann, and Bryan Gill are newcomers to the team for the 2008 season. They are expected to help improve the team’s pitching and provide greater defensive and offensive depth. Mark Finley will provide some pitching support to the team as well, as he has been a reliable two-year starter for the team. It looks to be an interesting season for the Hit Men, who expect to see more consistent play translate into a better record and a deep playoff run.
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