Bowling Green State University Athletics
Former Falcons Continue Successful Seasons
August 29, 2011 | Baseball
Smith and Berti named all-stars of respective leagues
While many players struggle through the dog days of August, many former Falcons have turned their level of play up a notch. Andy Tracy is playing a key role in leading the Reno Aces toward the playoffs, while Brennan Smith continues his impressive season with the Connecticut Tigers. Nolan Reimold and Burke Badenhop continue to flourish in the big leagues. Ross Gerdeman has moved into the starting rotation for the Arizona League Diamondbacks, and has been impressive. Jon Berti, who was named the Vancouver Canadians Offensive Player of the Year, and a Northwest League all-star, has possibly been the most impressive Falcon this summer.
Berti, who has made the transition to second base this summer, has not disappointed north of the border. He is hitting .301 in nearly 200 at-bats, while showing impressive power and speed for a second baseman. Berti has knocked four doubles and one home run, while legging out four triples as the Canadians leadoff hitter. He has also stolen 22 bases, which is just three shy of the Northwest League's all-time single season record. Berti continues to show why he was a leader for the Falcons for three years, as he is hitting .341 on the road in tough environments, while also batting .327 with runners in scoring position. He was named the Arnie Hallgren Award winner (Offensive Player of the Year) by Canadians manager John Schneider, along with hitting coach Dave Pano. Recently, Berti, along with two of his teammates, was named a Northwest League's all-star.
Andy Tracy continues to lead the charge for the Reno Aces, who lead the Pacific Northern division of the Pacific Coast League by seven games over the Tacoma Rainiers. Tracy is hitting .298, having been the primary first baseman for the last month. In his 252 at-bats, Tracy has hit 17 home runs, 20 doubles, and two triples. The Bowling Green product has knocked in 50 RBIs, with an on-base percentage of .417, and a slugging percentage of .595. Tracy, who is a member of the Arizona Diamondbacks organization, is leading the charge toward the playoffs for the Reno Aces (AAA), whose magic number is down to two.
Brennan Smith has been dominant since being named an All-Star of the New York-Penn League. Since that time he is 2-0 in three outings, and has not surrendered a run in any of those appearances. He has pitched seven innings in each of the three starts, striking out five in each game as well. Overall on the season, Smith is 3-3 with an ERA of 1.70. He has started all 11 games that he has pitched for the Tigers, while striking out 59 batters. He has pitched 74 innings in those 11 starts, averaging just over 6 2/3 per outing. Connecticut is just 0.5 games behind the Vermont Lake Monsters, and much like the Detroit Tigers, the Connecticut Tigers have an ace in Brennan Smith leading the charge toward the playoffs.
Ross Gerdeman has been excellent since being converted to a starting pitcher for the Diamondbacks of the Arizona League. He has a 4-2 record with an ERA of 3.64. He has struck out 32 in his 59.1 innings pitched, while walking just 13. In his last start, Gerdeman went eight innings, allowing just one run and five hits. In fact, Gerdeman has won his last three starts, surrendering just five earned runs in 20 innings pitched. He has found his niche as a starter in professional baseball, and looks to continue to build off of the successful season he has had in Arizona.
Burke Badenhop has performed well for manager Jack McKeon this season. Badenhop has been used as a middle reliever, while making the occasional appearance in long relief. He is 2-1 on the year with a 3.91 ERA. He has pitched 53 innings in his 42 appearances, while striking out 46. In his last appearance, Badenhop went two innings against Cincinnati, while not allowing a run. The only hit he surrendered was to reigning National League MVP, Joey Votto. He also struck out two. While the Marlins have not been able to win at a pace to keep them in the race with the Philadelphia Phillies, Burke Badenhop has kept them competitive and in games many times this season.
Nolan Reimold has been getting consistent playing time in August for manager Buck Showalter. He has an average of .308 in his last ten games, while driving in eight RBIs. On the season, Reimold is hitting .237 with an on-base percentage of .304. He has hit eight home runs and eight doubles, while also knocking two triples. Even though the Orioles play in the tough American League East with the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, Tampa Bay Rays, and Toronto Blue Jays, Reimold has held his own against some of baseball's better pitchers, and anchored left field for the Baltimore Orioles.
While the former Falcons finish up their seasons at the professional ranks, the current Falcons are back on campus, and ready to get the 2012 season underway. Be sure to check back to BGSUFalcons.com frequently for Falcon baseball updates throughout the season. You can also follow BG Baseball on Twitter, @WEAREBGBaseball.
