2013 Key West Ramblers program

Click the graphic to view the 2013 Rambler program

Redman off to hot start for Crusaders

Right-handed pitcher Andrew Redman has carried over his mound dominance from last summer as a Rambler to this spring as a Clarke University Crusader. Redman has won all four of his starts in 2013 - his first year as a Crusader. He was recently named the Midwest Collegiate Conference Pitcher of the Week.

Through 20 innings of work, Redman has fanned 25 hitters and allowed only five runs on 15 hits and five walks. The junior, a former Iowa Central Community College hurler, sports an ERA of 1.35. His 10.71 strikeouts per nine innings rank 20th among all NAIA pitchers nationally.

Last summer Redman starred as one of the top pitchers on the Eastern Iowa semi-pro circuit. He went 8-1 with a 1.35 ERA in 60 innings pitched. He allowed only 35 hits and 20 walks to go along with 62 punch outs.

Dan Spain, a member of the Ramblers since 2007, is in his first full season as head coach at Clarke. Another Rambler, Sean O'Connor, serves as the Crusader pitching coach.

Rambler steak fundraiser to support 'Ride for Kids'

Not only will the Key West Ramblers' steak dinner fundraiser support team financial needs, it will also raise money for Ride for Kids. The Ride for Kids organization serves to "eliminate the challenges of childhood brain tumors by funding medical research and family support programs."

As part of the April 7 fundraiser at Kalmes Restaurant, Rambler players will tend bar with all tips going to Ride for Kids. The steak dinner fundraiser is set to run from 4-8 p.m. See additional details in the previous blog post.

Rambler steak dinner fundraiser set for April 7

The Key West Ramblers will hold a steak dinner fundraiser on Sunday, April 7 at Kalmes Restaurant in St. Donatus. Tickets cost $16 and can be purchased at several area establishments, including the Airline Inn, Budde's, Happys Place, Kalmes and The Wharf. Tickets can also be purchased by calling John Knabel at 563-543-0781.

The dinner will last from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. and will feature rib-eye steak with a variety of sides.

Team records broken in 2012

As a team, the Key West Ramblers came through with their best season in franchise history in 2012. Their 40 wins and .769 winning percentage both set new single-season records. Check out which other single-season records were broken in 2012. Previous record holders (below) are in parentheses. To see updated career statistics, click HERE.

Individual - Hitting:
Batting Average: Chris Briggs - .417 (Spain - .411 in 2009)
Slugging Percentage: Briggs - .731 (Briggs - .542 in 2010)
Hits: Briggs - 65 (Spain - 61 in 2011)
Home Runs: Briggs - 11 (Briggs - 7 in 2010)
Runs Batted In: Briggs - 49 (Briggs - 35 in 2010)
Doubles: Spencer Kuehn - 19 (Spain - 15 in 2009)
Total Bases: Briggs - 114 (Briggs - 78 in 2010)

Individual - Pitching:
ERA: Andrew Redman - 1.35 (Schauff - 2.29 in 2007)
Opponent Batting Average: Redman - .164 (M. Farrey - .183 in 2005)

Team - Hitting:
Runs Scored: 297
On-Base Percentage: .392
Slugging Percentage: .424
Hits: 440
Home Runs: 26
Doubles: 86
Total Bases: 618
Walks: 173

Team - Pitching:
Wins: 40
ERA: 2.70
Strikeouts: 387
Opponent Batting Average: .208

Back-to-back!

For the second-straight season, and for the third time since 2008, the Key West Ramblers are champions of the Prairie League. The Ramblers captured the title once again by out-slugging Peosta 11-6 on Saturday at A.J. Spiegel Park in Peosta.

Key West (40-12) trailed 6-4 heading to the bottom of the sixth following a four-run fifth for Peosta. But the Ramblers roared back with a seven-run frame in the sixth to seal the team's third championship of the season. No walk-off grand slams would be necessary in this contest.

"It's huge for us to have a 40-win season and end it the right way -- with a championship," Dan Spain told the Telegraph Herald. "And it's even better knowing we did it with the same core group of guys.

"The whole year, we never felt like we were out of games. If one guy didn't get the big hit, the next guy would."

Five different Ramblers tallied at least one hit in the sixth inning, including left fielder Cory Davidson, who cracked a double and a single and scored a run and drove in a run in the outburst. Even starting pitcher Sean O'Connor got in on the scoring barrage with an RBI single. Kenny Capesius, Spencer Kuehn and Spain also added a single apiece in the sixth.

The offensive surge made a winner out of O'Connor, who improved to 3-0 on the season. The right-hander and former Clarke University hurler tossed six innings and allowed six runs (five earned) on six hits and two walks to go along with two punch outs. Spencer Kuehn relieved O'Connor in the seventh and fired a scoreless inning to pick up his first save of 2012.

Key West got on top early when Dan Spain connected for a solo homer, his fourth of the season, in the bottom of the first inning. An O'Connor run-scoring fielder's choice in the second and RBI doubles by Kuehn (third) and Andrew Redman (fifth) provided the offense prior to the game-deciding sixth-inning fireworks.

Peosta mustered a single run each in the third and fourth innings to get within 3-2. Peosta made its push for a championship with the big sixth inning, but left two men on base to end the game in the seventh.

The Rambler offensive attack was anything but rusty after a layoff of 20 days between games. Seven players recorded exactly two hits: Chris Briggs (2-for-4), Capesius (2-for-4), Davidson (2-for-5), Kuehn (2-for-3), O'Connor (2-for-4), Redman (2-for-4) and Spain (2-for-5). Collectively, Key West tallied 15 hits.

The Ramblers conclude the 2012 season with a franchise record 40 victories and championships at the Worthington Tournament, the Dyersville Tournament and the Prairie League finals. In the process, Key West improved to 220-155 since 2004 and now has a total of six championships over the past two seasons. The Ramblers won the 2011 Prairie League title over Farley, thanks to a walk-off grand slam by Ben Cottrell.

To read the Telegraph Herald story, click HERE (subscription required).

Prairie League Championships pairings announced

The Ramblers will look to defend their 2011 Prairie League title when this year's championships get started on Sunday at A.J. Spiegel Park in Peosta. Key West, which finished with a league-best 15-1 record, draws Dubuque (11-5) in the second semifinal game at 2 p.m.

In the other semifinal matchup, Bernard (12-4), winner of the Prairie League's American League division, takes on Peosta (9-7) at 12 p.m. The two semifinal winners will advance to play in the championship at the immediate conclusion of the semifinals.

The Ramblers, who have not played since their Aug. 19 loss to Dyersville in the first round of the Peosta Tournament, captured the 2011 Prairie League championship with a 6-5 victory over Farley in the title game. Ben Cottrell cracked a dramatic, walk-off grand slam to lift Key West over Farley. The Ramblers got by Epworth 2-1 in the semifinals of last year's Prairie League Championships at Farley Park.


Prairie League Championships - A.J. Spiegel Park | Peosta, Iowa
Sunday, Sept. 9

Semifinals
Bernard vs. Peosta, 12 p.m.
Key West vs. Dubuque, 2 p.m.

Championship
4 p.m.