With a final overall record of 34-14 (.708), the 2014 Key West Ramblers finished the season with the third highest win percentage in team history. The only Key West teams to produce better win percentages were the 2012 (40-12, .769) and 2011 (35-13, .729) Rambler squads.While its 34 wins fell six short of the team record, the 2014 Ramblers accomplished something that had not been done in their history - they won the EIHL postseason championship. And they did it in dominant fashion. Behind a monster day from all-star second baseman Andrew Redman, Key West won 8-0 over Dubuque in the semifinals and 10-2 over Farley in the title game (both on Aug. 10).
Redman went a combined 6-for-7 with three home runs, a double and seven RBIs on that championship Sunday as part of one of the best seasons ever for a Rambler hitter. The Clarke University standout fell just short of a single-season team record with his batting average of .414 over 42 games. However, he did break a team record with his 50 runs scored. He also recorded a 1.167 OPS, seven home runs, 39 RBIs, 10 doubles and 14 stolen bases.
His efforts also helped pave the way for the Ramblers to claim the Farley Tournament title. During the annual event at Farley, Key West defeated Dubuque, Peosta, Dyersville and then host Farley. The championship game with Farley will go down as a classic as it took 12 innings to decide a winner. Rambler starting pitcher Jordan Hohensee covered all 12 innings and first baseman Chris Briggs delivered a walk-off RBI single for a 5-4 win.
Hohensee served as Key West's horse all season, breaking a team single-season record with 96.1 innings pitched. The Clarke graduate started the all-star game on the mound for the EIHL and finished his season with a record of 9-5 to go along with a 1.87 ERA, .211 opponent batting average and 83 strikeouts.
Shortstop Dan Spain came through with another great season and was the third Rambler to represent the team as an all-star game starter. Spain hit .333 with three home runs, 30 RBIs, 12 stolen bases and a team high 16 doubles while playing his usual stellar defense at shortstop.
After a slow start, Briggs got hot and produced solid numbers. Typically the team's No. 4 hitter in the lineup, Briggs batted .323 with a .411 on-base percentage, five home runs, 38 RBIs and seven stolen bases while playing in all 47 games (team record). His 28 career home runs are the most in team history.
One of the season's biggest surprises was right-handed pitcher Kenny Capesius, who carried an unblemished 8-0 record until being tagged with his first loss in the final game of the season. Capesius routinely frustrated hitters despite his lack of an overpowering fastball. He turned in a sparkling 1.84 ERA in large part because of his impeccable control - just nine walks in 63.2 innings of work.
The Ramblers played their best baseball during the period of May 20 through June 24 when they went 13-1, won the Farley Tournament and outscored their opponents by a combined total of 116-27. Included in that stretch was a 10-game winning streak - the longest in team history, surpassing the nine-game win streak of the 40-victory 2012 team.
In 2014, the Ramblers bounced back from the disappointment of a 20-20 record in 2013. From a statistical standpoint, the 2014 Key West squad was even better than the 2012 edition that holds the record for wins in a season. In 2014, the Ramblers set new team hitting records for batting average (.309), on-base percentage (.395) and runs (303). In addition, a dominant pitching staff broke team marks for ERA (2.17) and opponent batting average (.195).
While familiar stars like Briggs, Redman and Spain again shined, the emergence of regulars like Anthony Ruden, Brett LaMere and Ben Oglesby and pitchers such as Capesius and Austin Bradley proved just as important. Key West needed such contributions considering veterans Tim Carty and Justin Kuhle both registered career lows for games played in 2014.
With a record of 211-117 since the start of the 2008 campaign, the Ramblers will be expected to be one of the heavyweights on the Eastern Iowa semi-pro baseball circuit once again in 2015. While the Ramblers may have won 'only' two tournaments in 2014, they dominated league play with a combined EIHL and Prairie League record of 24-6. Further, they had an overall run differential of plus-188. Key West's place among the elite area teams has been well established.
