Baseball | September 6, 2018

PHILADELPHIA – Seventeen returning members of the La Salle University baseball team competed in collegiate baseball leagues this summer. The Explorers were represented on 12 different summer league teams across the country.
 
Ben Faso and Kevin McGowan helped lead the Wilson Tobs to the Northeast Region Championship game in the Coastal Plain League. Faso tied for the team lead with three home runs, was second on the team in RBIs (23) and runs scored (20), and he was third in hits with 32 over 40 games. McGowan, who was a CPL All-Star, was second on the squad with 36 hits and had 20 RBIs, 14 runs, two homers and four stolen bases over 39 contests.
 
Outfielder Brian Tagoe had a strong summer with the Olean Oilers in New York, scoring 33 runs, driving in 22 and homering twice over 40 contests. Tagoe set the team single season record with 47 walks and finished in the top five in team history with 15 stolen bases and six triples.
 
Catcher Ryan Guckin batted .313 with 14 RBIs, 10 runs scored and a homer over 22 games with the Irish Hills Leprechauns. Infielder Tommy Toal teamed up with Guckin and scored 12 runs while driving in 11 and drawing 17 walks over 25 games.
 
Infielder Peyton Sorrels was impressive over seven games with C Sert, posting a slash line of .458/.593/.667 while adding six runs, five RBIs and a long ball. Outfielder Dylan Evans batted .306 over 22 games with the Freehold Clippers and notched 17 runs, 14 RBIs, 15 walks and six stolen bases.
 
Pitchers Alexarmando Diaz, Sebastian Martinez and Matt Patricio all played together on the Vipers of the Collegiate League of the Palm Beaches. Martinez led the team in both strikeouts (33) and innings pitched (27.1) while posting the second lowest ERA at 3.62. Diaz led the squad with a 2-0 record and struck out 21 over 24 innings of work. Meanwhile, Patricio went 1-1 with 22 strikeouts over 13 innings.
 
After starting the summer with the Tobs, right-handed pitcher Niko Jenkins appeared in five games for the Charlottesville TomSox, going 1-1 with four strikeouts over 7.2 innings on the mound. Right-hander Mike Anthony appeared in 10 games, making five starts and going 1-0 with 25 strikeouts and a 3.52 ERA over 30.2 innings of work.
 
Pitcher Colin Kennedy, outfielder Jack Cucinotta, infielder Manny Garcia and pitchers Erik Janss and Michael Jenkins also played summer ball, with their seasons ending earlier in the summer. Kennedy went 3-0 with a 1.01 ERA and 30 strikeouts to lead the Ambler Brewers to the Perky League title. Cucinotta hit .294 with three homers and 14 runs for the Haysville Aviators and teamed with Garcia, who scored 12 runs and led the team with 20 walks.