Season summary: Ramblers produce record-breaking results in 2015

The 2015 season started and ended with championships as the Ramblers won bookend EIHL preseason and postseason crowns. In between, Key West spent much of the season making a case for the title of best team in the area. The Ramblers won three tournament titles (Rickardsville included), were the Prairie League runner up, reached the semifinals of two other brackets and won more tournament games than any other area semi-pro team.

Led by its fearsome two-through-four hitters - Dan Spain, Andrew Redman and Chris Briggs - Key West broke the team record for wins in a single season by going 44-14-1 overall. It posted marks of 15-2 in Prairie League action, 9-5 in EIHL play and 20-7-1 in tournament contests.

Just how dominant were the 2015 Ramblers? They outscored their foes by a combined total of 321-151 and batted .298 as a team compared to a measly .187 by their opponents. Key West began the year by winning its first five games and proceeded to have two additional win streaks of six games each.

On the mound, Clarke University product Nick Woltkamp took over the roles of ace and staff workhorse. He broke numerous team pitching records while going 12-4 with a 2.16 ERA and 84 strikeouts. He logged 108.1 innings, becoming the first Rambler to ever eclipse the 100-inning mark. Woltkamp shined in his final outing of the season, tossing a seven-inning complete game to beat Cascade, 7-1, in the EIHL championship game.

Once again, Spain, Redman and Briggs supplied plenty of offense. Redman batted .373 with three homers and 24 RBIs and was an on-base machine (.500 OBP). After a slow start, Briggs punished the ball over the second half of the season. He ended up hitting five home runs and driving in a team high 36 runs. He had an impressive slash line of .323/.454/.508. Spain, who appeared in the all-star game along with Briggs and Redman, batted .317 and slugged a career best six home runs while playing in a team single-season record 50 games.

There were plenty of other key contributors in 2015. Anthony Ruden was a mainstay in the lineup and on the mound, finishing with a sterling 1.56 ERA. Chad Crabill (.297 BA, .394 OBP, 3 HR) enjoyed his best season as a Rambler. Ben Oglesby (.311 BA) got white hot down the stretch and Brett LaMere (4 HR, 25 RBI) delivered a walk-off home run to lift the Ramblers to victory despite a 23-strikeout game by opposing pitcher Andy Seabrooke of Farley. When he wasn't pitching, Woltkamp provided a steady bat (.325 BA) and plenty of stolen bases (team record 28).

Spain, the MVP of the Rickardsville Tournament, burned host Rickardsville with a 3-for-5 effort in the tournament title game as the Ramblers topped Rickardsville, 8-0. The victory marked win No. 300 for the Ramblers since rejoining the semi-pro circuit in 2004. Over 12 seasons (2004-2015), John Knabel has led the team to an overall record of 318-203-1 (.610). Since the beginning of 2010, Key West is 203-93-1 (.685).

In another key game with Rickardsville, Briggs pummeled a pair of home runs and eight RBIs to fuel a 14-5 victory in the EIHL semifinals. Briggs also drilled a homer to help Key West top Dyersville, 6-2, in the EIHL preseason title game.

The Ramblers have now won 11 tournament championships over the past five seasons (see below). They are back-to-back EIHL postseason champions. They captured Prairie League titles in 2008, 2011 and 2012.

Tournament Titles since 2011
2015: EIHL Postseason, EIHL Preseason, Rickardsville
2014: EIHL Postseason, Farley
2012: Dyersville, Prairie League, Worthington
2011: EIHL Preseason, Farley, Prairie League

Records broken in 2015

A record-breaking season in which Key West set a new standard for wins also included another seven individual and nine team records claimed by the 2015 Ramblers. Below is a summary of the new records for Key West, which finished 2015 as the EIHL champion and with an overall mark of 44-14-1.

INDIVIDUAL

Games

New record: Ben Oglesby / Dan Spain, 50

Previous record: Chris Briggs (2014), 47

Plate Appearances

New record: Dan Spain, 206

Previous record: Chris Briggs (2014) / Dan Spain (2011), 190

Stolen Bases

New record: Nick Woltkamp, 28

Previous record: Dan Spain (2011), 23

Wins

New record: Nick Woltkamp, 12

Previous record: Sean O'Connor (2011) / Ben Cottrell (2010) / Ned Schauff (2008), 10

Innings Pitched

New record: Nick Woltkamp, 108.1

Previous record: Jordan Hohensee, 96.1

Games Pitched

Record: Nick Woltkamp (2015) / Matt Farrey (2006), 20

Games Started

New record: Nick Woltkamp, 15

Previous record: Jordan Hohensee (2014) / Matt Farrey (2006), 13

TEAM

Wins

New record: 44

Previous record: 40 (2012)

Runs

New record: 321

Previous record: 303 (2014)

Walks

New record: 200

Previous record: 178 (2014)

Total Bases

New record: 654

Previous record: 618 (2012)

Stolen Bases

New record: 107

Previous record: 101 (2011)

Hits

New record: 480

Previous record: 440 (2012)

Triples

New record: 14

Previous record: 10 (2011)

Innings Pitched

New record: 397.2

Previous record: 360.2

Strikeouts

New record: 396

Previous record: 387 (2012)

Opponent Batting Average

New record: .187

Previous record: .195 (2014)

Ramblers seize second-straight EIHL postseason title

For the second-straight season, Key West has captured the EIHL postseason title. On Monday night the Ramblers celebrated a 7-1 victory over host Cascade in the latest championship game. The win concludes the 2015 season for Key West, which finishes with an overall record of 44-14-1.

Nick Woltkamp earned the victory on the mound and the trio of Chris Briggs (2-for-4), Ben Oglesby (2-for-2) and Andrew Redman (2-for-4) collected two hits apiece.

Woltkamp allowed just three hits to the Reds. He told the Telegraph Herald, "The biggest thing was I just kept the ball down; changeups, curveballs, and the defense backed me up the whole night. I was getting groundballs all night and they made every play."

The 44 victories were a team record, breaking the previous mark of 40 wins put up by the 2012 Ramblers.

Key West falls in Prairie League title

In search of its fourth Prairie League title, the Ramblers fell 5-2 to Andy Seabrooke and his Farley teammates on Sunday in the league championship game. Farley never trailed, using a three-run third to grab a 4-0 lead. Key West, set to take on Cascade at 7:45 p.m. on Monday (Aug. 24) in the EIHL championship, dropped to 43-14-1 overall.

Earlier in the day, the top-seeded Ramblers knocked off Bernard, 5-4, in the semifinals of the Prairie League playoffs. Dan Spain and Andrew Redman collected two hits apiece to help fuel the team's 43rd victory of the season. Nick Woltkamp fired five innings in relief and earned the win.

Seabrooke limited Key West to five hits in the championship game. Redman notched a pair of singles and a walk, but was stranded all three times. Redman drove in the Ramblers' first run with an RBI single in the third. Woltkamp doubled and scored in the sixth.

Three days earlier, Key West broke the team record for wins in a season by toppling Bellevue, 7-2, in the quarterfinals of the Peosta Tournament. First baseman Chris Briggs delivered three hits and an RBI to propel the Ramblers to their first win over Bellevue this season. After a 2-0 loss to Cascade in the semifinals at Peosta, Key West responded with a 10-0, run-rule shortened win over Peosta in the consolation game. Chad Crabill, Ryan Siems and Nick Woltkamp each went 3-for-3.

Monday's contest will mark the conclusion of the 2015 season.

Briggs drives in eight, Ramblers powder Rickardsville in EIHL playoffs

Fourth-seeded Key West used a career game from first baseman Chris Briggs to punish top-seeded Rickardsville in the semifinals of the EIHL postseason in Rickardsville on Monday. Briggs homered twice and drove in eight runs to fuel the 14-5 win over host Rickardsville. Key West improved to 40-12-1 overall, tying a team record for the most wins in one season. The 2012 Ramblers finished 40-12 overall.

Key West will vie for its second-straight EIHL title on a date and time to be determined. The game was originally scheduled for Wednesday night, but has been postponed because of rain outs at the Peosta Tournament. Briggs and company will have to go through Cascade, which defeated Dubuque in the other semifinal, to claim the title.

The Ramblers overcame starting pitcher Anthony Ruden's wildness by clobbering Rickardsville hurlers. Shortstop Dan Spain continued his power surge, extending his career high home run total to six with a solo blast to lead off the top of the third. That long ball tied the score at 2-2.

The Key West offense really got going in the fourth when Andrew Redman delivered a two-run double and Briggs followed with an RBI single. Two innings later, the Chris Briggs show continued with a three-run homer. Then in the seventh, Briggs connected on a grand slam that put Rickardsville well out of reach.

Briggs finished 3-for-5 from the cleanup spot. Key West's 2 through 4 hitters (Spain, Redman, Briggs) went a combined 10-for-15 with three homers, three doubles, 21 total bases and 11 RBIs. Spain went 4-for-5 and Redman was a perfect 3-for-3 with a pair of walks.

All three have put up stellar numbers in 2015:
Spain: .325 BA, 6 HR, 31 RBI, 13 SB, 12 2B, .387 OBP, .506 SLG
Redman: .342 BA, 3 HR, 20 RBI, 14 SB, 5 2B, .490 OBP, .523 SLG
Briggs: .303 BA, 5 HR, 31 RBI, 8 2B, .445 OBP, .492 SLG

Ruden went five innings and scattered four hits and seven walks to earn his sixth win of the season. Spain got the final six outs and recorded his first save of 2015.

Key West also got two hits apiece from Chad Crabill (2-for-4) and Ben Oglesby (2-for-5) in the blowout victory.

Ramblers advance in Peosta behind 12 K's from Noel

Sam Noel led the way in Key West's 4-0 blanking of Farley on Sunday in the first round of the Peosta Tournament. Noel allowed just a single hit and one walk over a seven-inning complete game shutout. He struck out 12 Farley hitters as part of the masterful performance.

Once again, the meat of the Rambler order did plenty of damage. Spain homered, Redman went 2-for-3 with a triple and two runs and Briggs went 1-for-2 with two walks and two RBIs. Crabill also continued his hot hitting, going 2-for-4 with a run driven in.

Key West tacked onto its lead with a run apiece in the first, third, fifth and sixth innings. Lefty ace Andy Seabrooke started on the mound for Farley.

The Ramblers are scheduled to return to action at 8:30 p.m. on Wednesday in the quarterfinals of the Peosta Tournament. Key West will meet Bellevue, which defeated Dubuque in the first round.

Ramblers sweep doubleheader from Monticello, clinch playoff spot

By way of Saturday's doubleheader sweep of Monticello, Key West clinched a berth to the EIHL postseason (date to be determined). The Ramblers (37-11-1) defeated Monticello by scores of 6-1 and 13-3 in a pair of six-inning contests. Key West concluded EIHL regular-season play with a league mark of 9-5.

Andrew Redman homered in game 1 and Dan Spain homered in the capper as part of a big offensive day. Nick Woltkamp also collected four hits and earned the win in the second game. Woltkamp doubled, singled, tripled and drove in a pair of runs to fuel the 6-1 victory.

Monticello, which dropped to 4-8 in EIHL action, never led at any point on the day. The Ramblers waited until the fourth and fifth innings of the opening game to break it open. Woltkamp singled and scored a run in the fourth. An inning later, Redman came around on a two-run, inside-the-park home run. Woltkamp delivered an RBI triple to add the contest's final run.

The Ramblers also exploded in the latter stages of game 2. They tallied three runs in the fifth and four in the sixth to provide a comfortable 13-1 margin. Austin Bradley and Ben Oglesby both went 3-for-4 with three RBIs as part of a 17-hit attack.

Anthony Ruden stifled the Monticello bats in game 1. He improved to 5-2 after a masterful one-hit, complete game effort. He struck out six and scattered four walks. Opposing hitters are now batting .136 this season against Ruden.

The Ramblers were back in action on Sunday with a 1 p.m. Prairie League clash at Bernard.

Ramblers reach 30-win mark

For the sixth time in eight seasons, Key West has reached the 30-win plateau. The Ramblers moved to 30-7-1 overall thanks to a pair of home Prairie League wins in Sunday's afternoon action. They defeated Holy Cross, 12-0, and Bernard, 8-5. Key West is 11-1 in Prairie League play.

Since the start of the 2008 season, Key West owns an overall record 241-106-1 (.694). The Ramblers set a team record for wins in a season in 2012 when they went 40-12 overall and won Dyersville Tournament, Worthington Tournament and Prairie League championships.

Key West never trailed in either of Sunday's games. Starting pitchers Brett LaMere (6 IP, 3 H, 0 BB, 0 R, 6 K) and Sam Noel (6 IP, 5 H, BB, 3 R, 2 ER, 5 K) both picked up their first victories of the season. Jake Schaeffer went 2-for-3 in both games for the Ramblers. In the second contest, Anthony Ruden went 2-for-4 with a pair of doubles.

Key West will return to action on Wednesday for round two of the Cascade Tournament. The Ramblers take on the Dubuque Blues at 8:30 p.m.