2011 Season in Review

The Key West Ramblers enjoyed a banner season in 2011 as they became more than just a quality team. They rose to become one of the truly elite teams on the Eastern Iowa semi-pro circuit this season. The team's 35-13 record set a new franchise mark since re-joining the area baseball scene in 2004.

Key West took Eastern Iowa baseball by storm when it won 14 of its first 15 games of the season - the best 15-game run the team has seen under the guidance of coaches John Knabel and Paul Carty. The Ramblers grabbed championships in two the of season's first three tournaments, including wins at the EIHL preseason tournament and at Farley. The early-season success spurred the club on to playoff appearances in both the EIHL and the Prairie League for the fifth-consecutive season.

Ben Cottrell made sure Key West ended the season just as it started when he clubbed a dramatic walk-off grand slam to lift the Ramblers to a Prairie League championship over Farley on Aug. 26. Cottrell's blast is almost certainly the biggest hit in eight years of Ramblers baseball. His hit set off a joyous celebration around home plate as Cottrell crossed it for the game-winning run.

In between the red-hot start and amazing Prairie League title finish were a lot of one-run ballgames. The Ramblers played in 18 games decided by just one run, winning 12 of them. Seven of Key West's eight wins between June 28 and July 19 came by a single run.

The Ramblers found ways to win thanks to a great roster of old and new faces. The addition of pitcher Sean O'Connor proved especially important as he went on to lead the pitching staff in every major statistical category. O'Connor threw 80 innings, posted a 2.36 ERA, struck out 71 and won 10 games, tying a franchise record also held by Cottrell and Ned Schauff.

At the plate, some familiar faces wrecked havoc on opposing pitchers. Star shortstop Dan Spain missed only one game and batted .355 and led the team with 23 stolen bases. Spain also took on a much larger role on the mound, tossing 57 innings while putting up a 2.84 ERA.

Chris Briggs had another monster season after breaking numerous team records in 2010. He paced the team with a .372 batting average and 30 RBIs. Fellow All-Star Cory Davidson (.354, 4 HR, 27 RBIs) came through with his best season, tying for the team lead in homers. Tim Carty, a consistent force every year for Key West, notched a .319 batting average with four homers and 19 RBIs. Jared Munson, who joined Briggs and Davidson at the All-Star game, batted .298 with 19 RBIs and 19 stolen bases.

These standouts allowed the Ramblers to state their case as one of the prominent teams in the league. Key West more than held its own against some of the other elite teams, going 7-1 against Farley and 4-1 against Cascade. Key West, Dubuque and Bellevue won all but one of the season's semi-pro tournaments.

While the Ramblers had their best season in the program's history, in-season losses to the pitching staff likely held the team back from winning even more tournaments. Cottrell, O'Connor and Andrew Redman all missed time due to injury or other reasons. Redman had dominated in 20.2 innings before shutting it down for the season.

Nonetheless, 2011 provided many memorable moments. Cottrell's walk-off smash in the Prairie League title ended the season in the most satisfying way possible. The Ramblers hope that momentum carries over in what promises to be a great 2012 season when Key West will aim to stay among the area's heavyweights.

2011 Statistical Leaders

Take a look at the Key West Ramblers' 2011 statistical leaders. Rate statistics for hitters require at least 100 plate appearances to qualify for the team lead. Rate statistics for pitchers require at least 40 innings pitched to qualify for the team lead. An asterisk (*) denotes a team record.

Hitting:

AVG: Chris Briggs - .372

OBP: Briggs - .453

SLG: Briggs - .526

HR: Tim Carty/Cory Davidson - 4

RBI: Briggs - 30

Hits: Dan Spain - 61*

Doubles: Briggs - 11

Walks: Briggs - 20

SB: Spain - 23*

Runs: Spain - 39*

PA: Spain - 190*

Games: Spain - 45*

Pitching:

ERA: Sean O'Connor - 2.36

Wins: O'Connor - 10*

Strikeouts: O'Connor - 71

WHIP: Cottrell/O'Connor - 1.24

IP: O'Connor - 80

CG: O'Connor - 8*

BAA: Cottrell - .186

Games: O'Connor/Spain - 15

GS: O'Connor - 11

Photo Finish

Above: The Ramblers pose after defeating Farley 6-5 in Friday's Prairie League Championship game at Farley Park.

Front row (left to right): Matt Knabel, Cam Stewart, John Knabel, Tanner Denlinger, Jared Munson.

Back row: Tim Carty, Justin Kuhle, Ben Cottrell, Chad Crabill, Dan Spain, Sean O'Connor, Paul Carty.

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"It was probably the craziest, most unreal way to finish the year. I knew it was gone as soon as I hit it, but I still can't believe it happened."

--Ben Cottrell (from the Telegraph Herald) on his walk-off grand slam in the Prairie League Championship.

Cottrell's epic slam gave the Ramblers a second-straight walk-off win at the Prairie league Championships after having beaten Epworth 2-1 in the semifinals when Dan Spain was hit by a pitch to force in the game-winning run. The Ramblers ended their season at 35-13 overall (.729 win percentage) - the best mark in team history.

Cottrell's dramatic grand slam lifts Ramblers to Prairie League title

With the bases loaded and the Ramblers down 5-2 in the bottom of the seventh and final inning of Friday's 2011 Prairie League championship, Ben Cottrell delivered with the most dramatic hit in the history of the Key West Ramblers' franchise. Cottrell's one-out grand slam broke the hearts of Farley and gave Key West (35-13) its second Prairie League championship in four years.

Cottrell, who came into the game 14-for-24 at the plate on the season, crushed the back-breaking homer off Farley pitcher Brian Miller, who took the loss. Cottrell's blast set off a celebratory mob at home plate. The improbable finish created a frenzied atmosphere that will no doubt live as the lasting image of the 2011 season.

With the Ramblers down 5-2 entering the bottom of the seventh, Dan Spain started the inning with a single. Tim Carty was then hit by a pitch prior to Justin Kuhle grounding into a fielder's choice in which the shortstop made a great play to rob Kuhle. Tanner Denlinger followed by drawing a walk to load the bases with one out. Up to the plate stepped the red-hot Cottrell who smoked a line-drive to left-center that carried over the wall for a walk-off grand slam and a 6-5 championship victory.

Cottrell's heroics awoke a team that had not scored since the first inning when Carty cracked a two-run double. Cottrell's second home run of the season brought one side to a state of jubilation and the other to one of disgust.

Friday's win gave the Ramblers their third tournament championship this season after winning the EIHL preseason tournament and the Farley Tournament. Key West completed the 2011 season with a record of 8-0 at Farley Park and a 12-6 record in games decided by a single run.

Meanwhile, starting pitcher Sean O'Connor threw all seven innings for the Ramblers and notched his 10th win of the season, good enough to tie a franchise record also held by Cottrell and Ned Schauff.

Spain finished the season the way he started it - by spraying hits everywhere. The Ramblers' star shortstop went 4-for-4 to cap another outstanding season. Outfielder Jared Munson went 2-for-4 on the night to bring his season average to just below .300.

Friday's classic marked the final game for the Ramblers in 2011. Check back in the coming weeks for more coverage of the 2011 season.

Key West, Farley set to face off in Prairie League championship

An exciting 2-1 victory over Epworth in Wednesday's Prairie League semifinal game, which ended when Dan Spain was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded in the bottom of the seventh, vaulted the Ramblers (34-13) into Friday's 7 p.m. championship duel with Farley at Farley Park. A win over Farley would give the Ramblers their second Prairie League title in four years.

To reach Friday's championship, the Ramblers relied on a season-long strength - stellar pitching. Ben Cottrell had masterful stuff on Wednesday against Epworth. The right-hander worked around five walks in six innings, giving up just one run and one hit. He baffled Epworth hitters to the tune of 12 strikeouts.

But Epworth starting pitcher Nick Schultz was up to the task. He held Key West scoreless all the way up until the fifth inning. That's when Cory Davidson led off with a double and scored three batters later when an error allowed Cody Leach to reach base. Davidson's run tied the score at 1-1.

The score remained tied until the bottom of the seventh. After Ryan Kelly flied out to begin the inning, Cottrell and Leach both singled and Jared Munson walked to bring up Spain, who was then nailed by a pitch to force home the game-winning run.

The walk-off victory made a winner out of Kelly, who relieved Cottrell in the seventh. Kelly continued his dominant work on the mound by retiring all three hitters he faced.

Munson and Tim Carty each went 2-for-3 with a pair of singles to lead Key West, which is now 11-6 in one-run games.

Wednesday's playoff game marked the fifth-straight year the Ramblers have advanced to the the Prairie League playoffs. Key West is the only team to have gone to the playoffs in both the Prairie League and the EIHL in each of the last five seasons.

Key West is 6-1 against Farley this season and 2-0 versus Farley in games played at Farley Park. Overall, The Ramblers are 7-0 at Farley Park in 2011, including the Farley Tournament, which the Ramblers won by trumping Epworth in the tournament title game.

Saeugling no-hits Ramblers at Peosta Tournament

After having an incredible run of success in one-run games in the first two weeks of July, the Ramblers' luck has run dry. Key West (33-13) has dropped three-straight one-run decisions, including Saturday's 1-0 loss to Dubuque in the first round of the Peosta Tournament. Dubuque standout Aaron Saeugling fired a eight-inning no-hitter and blasted a solo homer in the top of the eighth to lift the Blues.

After Key West starter Ryan Kelly delivered seven and two-thirds innings of shut out ball, Saeugling stepped up in extra innings and delivered the game-winning longball as he helped himself to a win on the mound. It was Dubuque's third-consecutive win over the Ramblers.

Key West managed only one baserunner the entire night. Cory Davidson reached first after being hit by Saeugling's pitch to lead off the bottom of the second. Saeugling struck out 14 hitters in perhaps the most impressive pitching display of the Eastern Iowa semi-pro baseball season.

Kelly threw a great game in defeat. The right-hander had given up only one hit until Saeugling's eighth-inning bomb. Kelly struck out seven in an eight-inning complete game of his own.

Saturday's loss came on the heels of an extra-inning loss to Bellevue in a road Prairie League game on Wednesday. The Ramblers blew a 4-2 sixth-inning lead before defensive gaffes allowed Chet Knake to score the walk-off run in the eighth. Chris Briggs (3-for-4), Tanner Denlinger (2-for-3), Cody Leach (2-for-4) and Kelly (2-for-5) all collected multiple hits in defeat.

The Ramblers will have their last chance to get back to their winning ways when the Prairie League playoffs begin Tuesday. Key West will take on Epworth at 8:30 p.m. at Farley in one semifinal match-up. The other semifinal game pits Dubuque against Farley at 7 p.m., also on Tuesday. The two winners will meet on Wednesday in the championship game.

Ramblers finish runner-up in EIHL for second-straight year

The Ramblers looked to avenge 2010's blowout loss to Dubuque in the EIHL championship game by reversing the outcome at the 2011 EIHL Championship on Sunday. Things looked good for Key West (33-11) when it jumped out to a 2-0 lead after two-and-a-half innings, but Dubuque battled back to grab the EIHL crown by a 3-2 score.

Dan Spain threw all six innings for Key West, turning in another solid performance on the mound. He allowed only one earned run to a hot-hitting Dubuque team which took advantage of a fourth-inning error that led off the inning. In that same inning, Brian Putnam delivered the game-winning bloop two-run single to cap all scoring.

Cam Stewart put the Ramblers in front, 1-0, in the top of the second with an RBI single to score Tanner Denlinger, who is set to play baseball at Clarke University. Key West made it 2-0 in the third after Tim Carty drove in Ryan Kelly with a sacrifice fly to center field. Jeff Hoerner cut Dubuque's deficit to a single run with an RBI single in the bottom of the third.

Dubuque starting pitcher Nick Kirk went five innings to pick up the win. Kirk and reliever Ryan Doty gave up only two hits combined.

The Ramblers advanced to the championship game with Dubuque by defeating Cascade in the semifinal game earlier on Sunday at Petrakis. Ryan Kelly starred for the Ramblers, tossing a seven-inning complete-game to notch the victory. Kelly struck out nine and limited Cascade to three hits on the afternoon. At the plate, Kelly was a perfect 3-for-3 with two runs scored.

Stewart went 2-for-3, knocked in all three runs and stole a pair of bases. Carty also went 2-for-3 as the Ramblers returned to the EIHL championship for the second year in a row.

The Ramblers have completed play in the EIHL, but return to action Wednesday night for a 7:30 p.m. contest at Bellevue in what will be the team's final Prairie League regular season game of 2011. The Ramblers will get another shot at Dubuque on Saturday at 7 p.m. in the first round of the Peosta Tournament.