09/07/2010 6:32 AM Article By:
Wareham Gatemen 2010 Season Review
Injuries, roster changes made for difficult summer in Wareham
By KENDRA BUTTERS
CCBL INTERN
WAREHAM ---- Entering the 2010 summer, Wareham field manager Cooper Farris was looking for a pitcher to stop a losing streak or keep the Gatemen on a winning streak. It wasn’t easy.
With the College World Series, the MLB draft, and Team USA stripping Wareham’s roster before players could make it to Spillane Field, the Gatemen were forced to sign nine players in two days. Those signings produced a league All-Star in Tony Caldwell (Auburn), along with Jonathan Smith(Tennessee-Wesleyan), who laid claim to the Sylvia Bigelow Award ---- given out to Wareham’s top positional player.
Wareham fans also saw the return of familiar faces. Max Perlman (Harvard), who played for the Gatemen in 2008, but had to sit out the 2009 summer after undergoing Tommy John surgery, was named to the All-League team and claimed the Albert Sylvia Trophy reserved for the team’s top pitcher. Perlman finished the summer with a 1.92 ERA.
The Gatemen also boasted Jed Bradley (Georgia Tech), who tied the league lead in strikeouts with 44. Jack Armstrong (Vanderbilt) was also a force, finishing with 41 Ks and four wins.
Zach Wilson (Arizona) was another Gateman worth talking about. Also named to the All-League Team, he was the West MVP in the All-Star game at Fenway Park.
In addition to losing UConn teammates Matt Barnes and George Springer and outfielder Alex Dickerson (Indiana) to Team USA, the Gatemen suffered several injuries that forced players to shift positions. Included in the shuffle was Tyler Bream (Liberty), who played a number of infield positions. Beam was presented the Francis Tripp Award for having the most positive impact on the team.
The Gatemen made the West Division finals for the first time since 2006 before being swept by eventual champion Cotuit.
“I thought our guys fought hard and they always competed,” Farris said. “The injuries hurt us a lot, but looking back I love the way the guys competed. They played hard the whole time. One thing they never did was quit.”
The Gatemen finished the summer 19-24-1, and although they were eliminated by Cotuit for the second summer in a row, they swept the defending champion Bourne Braves in the first round.
