Best individual seasons in Key West history

10 best seasons by a Rambler hitter:

1. 2010 Chris Briggs:

Briggs basically rewrote the Key West record book in 2010. He set team single-season records for home runs (7), RBI (35), slugging percentage (.542) and total bases (78). He also batted .326 with a .385 on base percentage. His powerful bat was a huge reason for Key West's strong 2010 campaign.

2. 2010 Jared Munson:

In his first season with Key West, Munson nearly broke Dan Spain's team single-season batting average record of .411. Munson hit .404 and set a new Ramblers record with an incredible .507 on base percentage. He played in 31 games, providing stellar defense at several positions, including leftfield, centerfield and even catcher.

3. 2009 Dan Spain:

Spain continued his improvement in his third season as a Rambler. In 2007, he batted just .260 and struck out 37 times. Spain's average skyrocketed to a team record .411 in 2009. He also posted a team record of 15 doubles to go along with a solid 24 RBI, 17 stolen bases and a .453 on base, while playing a great shortstop.

4. 2010 Spain:

It's tough to distinguish between Spain's seasons in 2010 and 2008--both were terrific seasons. But in 2010, Spain set a team record with 18 stolen bases. He also recorded the second best batting average of his semi-pro career with a .381 mark and added two homers, 28 RBI and 10 doubles.

5. 2008 Spain:

2008 was Spain's first breakthrough campaign with Key West. His average went from .260 in 2007 to .369 in 2008. Factor in his three homers, 29 RBI, 12 stolen bases, 10 doubles, .448 on base percentage and 66 total bases, and you've got quite a season. This was the year Spain arrived as a star.

6. 2009 Tim Carty:

While Carty doesn't make the top five all-time best Key West seasons, he's been a model of consistency as one of only four players that have stayed with the team since its rebirth in 2004. In 2009, Carty batted .337 with two homers, 26 RBI, 10 doubles and a .448 on base percentage. It was his best season as a fixture in the middle of the Key West lineup.

7. 2010 Carty:

2010 was Carty's best season in terms of hitting for power. He slugged a career-high .520 and clubbed a personal best five home runs. He also batted .314 with a healthy .449 on base percentage in 32 games.

8. 2006 Tyler Sincock:

Sincock has served as a force at the top of Key West's lineup and centerfielder for the past seven seasons. His breakout year came in 2006 when he batted .345 with a .455 on base percentage in 33 games. He led the team that season in batting average, on base percentage, slugging percentage (.412), stolen bases (7), doubles (5), runs (26), hits (41) and total bases (49).

9. 2008 Carty:

Carty's 2008 on base percentage of .467 set a team record until broken by Munson in 2010. Carty also registered his second best single season average at .324. He tied for the team lead with eight hit by pitches and cracked seven doubles in 37 games.

10. 2007 Sincock:

Sincock followed up 2006 with an almost equally impressive season. He hit .336 with a career-high two home runs. He led the team in batting average, home runs, stolen bases (10), runs (37), walks (22) and total bases (58).

5 best seasons (plus one) by a Rambler pitcher:

1. 2007 Ned Schauff:

Schauff burst onto the semi-pro scene with an outstanding first season with Key West. While he posted just a .500 record (5-5), his numbers suggested he deserved much better. His 2.29 ERA and seven complete games are still team records. His dominance was also evident in his 100 strikeouts and 1.03 WHIP in 74.2 innings pitched.

2. 2008 Schauff:

Schauff did not disappoint after a stellar 2007. In 2008, he hit triple-digits in strikeouts again with a team record 108 whiffs. He also won a team record 10 games (four losses) and registered a 3.00 ERA and 1.23 WHIP in 81 innings of work.

3. 2010 Ben Cottrell:

Cottrell filled the void after Schauff's departure with an all-star season in 2010. He tied Schauff's team record of 10 wins, while recording a 3.07 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 69 strikeouts in a team-leading 73.1 innings pitched. He held opposing hitters to a .221 batting average.

4. 2009 Schauff:

Schauff's third and final season as a Rambler saw similar results, although he struggled with command at times. Schauff still managed a 6-5 record with a 2.98 ERA and 91 strikeouts in 63.1 innings. His five complete games led the team.

5. 2009 Cole Boge:

Boge has been a reliable and durable pitcher in four seasons with Key West. 2009 marked his best season on the mound. Boge went 7-5 with a 3.04 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and 69 strikeouts in 80 innings and was selected as an all-star. Schauff and Boge were tough at the top of the Rambler rotation.

6. 2008 Boge:

In Boge's first full season with Key West, he posted a 6-6 record with a 3.65 ERA and 66 strikeouts. He led the team with 88.2 innings--second all-time to Matt Farrey's 91 innings in 2006. Boge was instrumental in the Ramblers' successful 31-18 season.

Season in review

Although the 2010 Ramblers failed to reach the team record of 31 wins, set back in 2008, they did break team records for league victories in both the EIHL and the Prairie League. They went 13-3 in the Prairie League and 11-5 in the EIHL.

Those records were good enough to send Key West back to the playoffs in both leagues for a fourth straight season, staking Key West's claim as one of the top semi-pro teams in the area. The Ramblers reached the championship of the EIHL playoffs by beating Cascade 10-6, before losing to Dubuque in the final game. In the Prairie League playoffs, Key West lost a heartbreaker to Bernard, 4-2.

Pitcher Ben Cottrell was a huge reason for Key West's success in 2010. He filled the void left by Ned Schauff, who pitched in only one game in 2010. Cottrell tied Schauff's team single-season wins record with 10. He also posted a 3.07 ERA and 69 strikeouts in 73.1 innings of work. Without Cottrell, the Ramblers may have struggled to get back to the playoffs.

Also providing a big boost were several Ramblers new to the team in 2010. Clarke University players Jared Munson, Chris Briggs, Cory Davidson and Chris Brewer all made significant contributions. Briggs set new team single-season records for home runs (7), RBI (35) and total bases (78). Meanwhile, Munson batted a team best .404 and broke the team single-season on base percentage record with a mark of .507.

In addition, several familiar faces enjoyed solid seasons. Tim Carty, in his seventh season with Key West, hit .314 with a career-high five homers. Dan Spain, a fourth-year Rambler, batted .381 with two home runs, 28 RBI and a team single-season record of 18 stolen bases.

Tyler Sincock registered a .380 on base percentage as Key West's leadoff man. Jeff Bushman caught fire at the end of the season and finished with a .282 batting average.

Loras College pitchers Cole Boge and Greg Farrey combined to throw 113.1 innings. Boge's 4.79 ERA was inflated by a couple of particularly bad outings. Farrey at times struggled with control, but gave the Ramblers many quality outings.

One area Key West improved upon greatly from the previous season, was in its play in tournament games. The Ramblers won six tournament games in 2010, including two at the Rickardsville Tournament (over Epworth and East Dubuque). The victory over Cascade in the EIHL playoffs marked the high-point of the season, as Cascade had been in the midst of three-straight tournament titles.

All in all, Key West had a season to remember in 2010. It renewed its key pipeline with Clarke University by bringing in talented college players. A lack of pitching depth led to defeats in big games down the stretch, such as in the EIHL and Prairie League Playoffs and the Peosta Tournament, and was all that kept the Ramblers from setting a new franchise record for wins.

In 2011, the Ramblers look to be as strong as ever. A full season of Andrew Redman, as well as another addition or two to the current roster, could put Key West on a level playing field with the top teams in Eastern Iowa.

Crusaders stay sharp in summer baseball league

By Jacob Knabel

From clarkecrusaders.com:

The Clarke baseball team wrapped up its 2010 season with a loss to William Penn University on May 7 at the MCC Tournament. But for most Crusaders, Clarke's 41-game schedule simply wasn't enough baseball.

"Some guys need time off," current Clarke assistant coach and former Clarke shortstop Dan Spain said. "If mentally you're drained, you need that. For me, I need to play more."

Numerous summer baseball leagues offer Spain and others this chance. This summer, several Crusaders gravitated to the Key West Ramblers, an eastern Iowa amateur team located just south of Dubuque that plays every year from May until August in wooden bat leagues. Nine current or former Clarke players donned a Key West uniform for at least one game over the summer.

"I definitely want them to play (over the summer)," Clarke head coach Chad Harris said. "They have to get better. They've got to work on things.

"We send some to leagues throughout the country, and some stay local. Key West seems to be a good fit for many of them."

Clarke leadoff man and centerfielder Jared Munson, who last season led the Crusaders in numerous categories, including batting average (.351), hits (54) and total bases (73), played his first season with the Ramblers this summer. He thrived, hitting a team-best .404 with a .507 on base percentage for Key West...

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Final 2010 Statistics

Final Record: 30-19

Hitting:

Chris Briggs: .326 BA, .385 OBP, .542 SLG, 161 PA, 144 AB, 25 R, 7 HR, 35 RBI, 3 SB, 8 2B, 1 3B, 78 TB, 41 GP.

Justin Kuhle: .246 BA, .296 OBP, .268 SLG, 153 PA, 138 AB, 21 R, 0 HR, 26 RBI, 4 SB, 3 2B, 37 TB, 39 GP.

Dan Spain: .381 BA, .459 OBP, .540 SLG, 146 PA, 126 AB, 34 R, 2 HR, 28 RBI, 18 SB, 10 2B, 2 3B, 68 TB, 35 GP.

Jared Munson: .404 BA, .507 OBP, .505 SLG, 134 PA, 109 AB, 31 R, 0 HR, 18 RBI, 15 SB, 7 2B, 2 3B, 55 TB, 31 GP.

Tim Carty: .314 BA, .449 OBP, .520 SLG, 129 PA, 102 AB, 19 R, 5 HR, 16 RBI, 2 SB, 6 2B, 53 TB, 32 GP.

Tyler Sincock: .244 BA, .380 OBP, .278 SLG, 108 PA, 90 AB, 23 R, 0 HR, 12 RBI, 3 SB, 3 2B, 25 TB, 25 GP.

Cole Boge: .244 BA, .360 OBP, .317 SLG, 101 PA, 82 AB, 10 R, 1 HR, 9 RBI, 1 SB, 3 2B, 26 TB, 35 GP.

Jeff Bushman: .282 BA, .388 OBP, .324 SLG, 89 PA, 71 AB, 15 R, 0 HR, 11 RBI, 6 SB, 3 2B, 23 TB, 26 GP.

Matt Knabel: .272 BA, .315 OBP, .321 SLG, 89 PA, 81 AB, 11 R, 0 HR, 13 RBI, 1 SB, 4 2B, 24 GP.

Cam Stewart: .236 BA, .364 OBP, .264 SLG, 88 PA, 72 AB, 12 R, 0 HR, 4 RBI, 11 SB, 2 2B, 19 TB, 27 GP.

Cory Davidson: .296 BA, .424 OBP, .370 SLG, 66 PA, 54 AB, 11 R, 1 HR, 8 RBI, 3 SB, 1 2B, 20 TB, 22 GP.

Brandon Bauer: .167 BA, .250 OBP, .185 SLG, 64 PA, 54 AB, 5 R, 0 HR, 3 RBI, 1 SB, 1 2B, 10 TB, 22 GP.

Chris Brewer: .242 BA, .395 OBP, .273 SLG, 43 PA, 33 AB, 8 R, 0 HR, 4 RBI, 0 SB, 1 2B, 16 GP.

Roberto Rivera: .318 BA, .423 OBP, .364 SLG, 26 PA, 22 AB, 5 R, 0 HR, 2 RBI, 5 SB, 1 2B, 8 TB, 8 GP.

Andrew Redman: .300 BA, .417 OBP, .400 SLG, 12 PA, 10 AB, 4 R, 0 HR, 5 RBI, 0 SB, 1 2B, 4 TB, 4 GP.

TEAM: .286 BA, .381 OBP, .378 SLG, 1543 PA, 1303 AB, 249 R, 16 HR, 207 RBI, 79 SB, 60 2B, 6 3B, 493 TB, 49 GP.

Pitching:

Ben Cottrell: 10-2 W-L, 3.07 ERA, 73.1 IP, 1.16 WHIP, 69 K, 58 H, 27 BB, 3 CG, .221 BAA.

Greg Farrey: 3-4 W-L, 4.56 ERA, 55.2 IP, 1.58 WHIP, 42 K, 61 H, 27 BB, 2 CG, 2 SV, .274 BAA.

Cole Boge: 4-5 W-L, 4.79 ERA, 67.2 IP, 1.55 WHIP, 54 K, 82 H, 23 BB, 4 CG, 3 SV, .288 BAA.

Dan Spain: 3-2 W-L, 2.79 ERA, 38.2 IP, 1.40 WHIP, 40 K, 25 H, 29 BB, 2 CG, 1 SV, .184 BAA.

Chris Brewer: 2-2 W-L, 5.24 ERA, 22.1 IP, 1.16 WHIP, 25 K, 13 H, 13 BB, 1 SV, .167 BAA.

Cory Davidson: 3-1 W-L, 1.78 ERA, 25.1 IP, 1.22 WHIP, 20 K, 19 H, 12 BB, 1 CG, .207 BAA.

TEAM: 30-19 W-L, 4.34 ERA, 325.2 IP, 1.47 WHIP, 286 K, 318 H, 160 BB, 13 CG, .252 BAA.

Season ends in Prairie League semifinal

With a spot in the Prairie League championship game on the line, Key West could not come up with the big hit in a 4-2, nine-inning loss to Bernard Sunday afternoon in Bellevue.

The Ramblers had a prime opportunity to win it in the bottom of the eighth when Dan Spain led off with a double to right center. Tim Carty's ground out to short moved Spain to third with only one out. But Bernard starting pitcher Max Hoffman wiggled out of the jam by striking out Justin Kuhle and getting Chris Briggs to hit a slow roller back to the mound.

Key West got its runs in the third inning. One out singles by Jeff Bushman and Tyler Sincock put runners at first and second. After a wild pitch moved both runners up a base, Spain grounded a base hit into right field to score both runners and put Key West ahead 2-1.

Hoffman tied the score in the top of the sixth with an RBI bloop single to center. Bernard put up the final tallies of the ballgame in the ninth, keyed by four straight singles. The first two Key West hitters in the ninth reached--Jared Munson doubled and Roberto Rivera reached on an error--but Cory Davidson grounded into a double play and Sincock chopped out to second to end the game.

Davidson went 6.1 innings on the mound for Key West, getting a no decision. He allowed two runs (both unearned), four hits and three walks to go along with five strikeouts. Spain pitched the last 2.2 innings, giving up two earned runs and took the loss.

Bernard advanced to play Farley in the championship of the Prairie League. For Key West, the 2010 season is now over. The Ramblers finished with an overall record of 30-19. They posted league records of 13-3 in the Prairie League and 11-5 in the EIHL, good enough to make the playoffs in each league for the fourth straight season.

Cascade gets revenge

Two days after losing 10-6 to Key West in an EIHL semifinal game, Cascade got revenge in beating the Ramblers 8-1 Friday in the quarterfinals of the Peosta Tournament.

Cascade lefthanded pitcher Luke Franzenburg dazzled on the mound, not cracking until allowing four out of five hitters to reach in the fifth inning before Jeff Bushman was thrown out at the plate to end the game. Cascade won by the seven-run rule after five innings.

Ryan Kelly drove in the Ramblers only run in that fifth inning with an RBI single. Key West could muster only four hits against Franzenburg, who routinely fooled hitters with his nasty changeup. He ended up with eight strikeouts.

Dan Spain needed 93 pitches to get through four innings of work for Key West. He held Cascade scoreless through the first three frames, but Cascade struck for eight runs in the fourth with plenty of help from a shaky defensive effort. Cascade had only three hits in the eight run-inning, but three walks, a hit batter and four errors allowed it to run away with the game.

Spain struck out four and gave up five hits, four walks and eight runs (only three earned) in four innings.

The Ramblers will suit up for the final time this season on Sunday. They play Bernard in a Prairie League semifinal playoff game. The winner will play in the championship, also on Sunday.

Key West rebounds, wins by seven-run rule

After taking a drubbing at the hands of Dubuque in the EIHL championship game Wednesday night, Thursday night's 7-0 victory over Balltown at the Peosta Tournament provided sweet relief. The Ramblers delivered at the plate and Clarke shortstop/pitcher Ryan Kelly threw five shut out innings on the mound.

Key West jumped on top early with two runs in the bottom half of the first. It started with consecutive walks by Tyler Sincock and Roberto Rivera. Dan Spain's ground out moved the runners to second and third before Justin Kuhle followed with an RBI grounder and Chris Briggs singled home a run.

The Ramblers added a run in the third with Rivera's RBI single to make it 3-0. A big fifth inning resulted in a seven-run rule victory. Spain started it with a lead off walk and Kuhle and Briggs both singled to load the bases. Andrew Redman forced home a run with a walk, Alex McKinlay chopped a two-run single over first base and Jeff Bushman lined a single to left center to end the game.

Kelly pitched masterfully on the mound. He got credit for a five-inning complete game, allowing only two hits and three walks while striking out four.

Key West now sits at 30-17 overall, one win shy of the team's single-season record of 31, set in 2008. Thursday's win over Balltown also counted as a Prairie League win. The Ramblers finished 13-3 in the Prairie League.

The Ramblers now advance to the quarterfinals of the Peosta Tournament. They play Friday at 8:30 p.m. versus Cascade, a re-match of Wednesday's 10-6 Key West win in the EIHL semifinal playoff game.