Week 6 Power Rankings

Our latest set of rankings see the Expos stay in the top spot and are the only undefeated team in the CCWA.  The Orioles drop a few spots due to some recent time off and most other teams stayed put or only moved one spot.  The Brewers are charging up the chart after a slow start and look to be the team to beat in the Northern.

1.  Eastside Expos (1) - The Expos have yet to drop a game with Dan Sefner and Omar Steinberg dominating the competition from the hill.  Look for the Spos to defend their championship this fall when the playoffs start.

2.  Lexington Brewers (3) - The Brewers are looking like the juggernaut they were the last two seasons.  Kyle Godinho hasn't allowed a run in the last 66 innings and has the Brew Crew poised to make a deep postseason run.

3.  Jackmove Giants (5) - The Giants are statistically the best team in the CCWA right now.  They've lost a few close matchups but nobody is hitting the ball better then them right now.  Look for Scott Coleman to compete for the Cy Young this season.

4.  Buckman Blue Jays (4) - The Jays have established themselves as the de facto number two team in the Southern League.  Last year's Cy Young Mike Benkoski has been absolutely filthy from the mound.

5.  Ridgefield Orioles (2) - The Orioles drop a couple of spots but should be right in the mix when the playoffs start.  Eric Dorland has been lights out this season and should keep the Orioles at the top of the division standings.

6.  Bridgetown Black Barons (6) - The expansion Black Barons have surprised everybody in the league with their play to start off the season.  Brian Jolly is making a run at Rookie of the Year with his lights out pitching.

7.  Longview Lumberjacks (7) - The Jacks pitching has been lights out behind Josh Burckhardt and Mike Wilson but they will need to score some more runs to get some wins.  Burckhardt's batting has started to come around and the Jacks will need him to hit to go far in the playoffs.

8.  Rose City Royals (9) - The Royals have had their best start ever this year behind Joey Bock's and Eddie Francis's pitching.  Look for them to challenge for their first postseason appearance as the season winds down.

9.  Bridge City Dodgers (8) - The Dodgers came out of the gates smoking but have dropped a few games as of late.  Look for team captain Andy Kushner to get this team back on track and ready to challenge for the Wild Card.

10.  Mid-Town Mariners (10) - The Mariners have just had some bad luck to start the season.  When team captain Ryan Oxford went down with an injury they lost one of the top fielders in the league.  Look for Justin Ellis's pitching to keep them in contention.

11.  Portland Gothams (11) - The Gothams have been improving slowly but surely after an extremely slow start.  If they can win their upcoming series with the Orioles they should be able to turn the page and compete.

12.  Clark County Colt .45's (13) - The Colt .45's have had a rough time transitioning from the Northern League to the South.  Look for them to turn things around in the second half of the season.

13.  Columbia Hgts. Cardinals (12) - The Cardinals desperately need a good #2 starter to pair with Andy "Red" Huntington.  Rookie Casey Robinson has shown some promise and if he can continue to improve the Cards could challenge.

14.  Cowlitz Black Bears (14) - The Black Bears are having a rough start to their inaugural season.  Their lone win was against the Orioles and hopefully the can capitalize on that and get a win streak going.

15.  Beaver State Biscuits (15) - The Biscuits bats have been almost non-existent so far this season and they need to start hitting the ball to compete.  Look for them to heat up as we approach All-Star weekend.

Week 5 Southern League Player of the Week

Bento

Mike "Bento" Benkoski of the Buckman Blue Jays has been named the Southern League Player of the Week for week five.

Facing the Longview Lumberjacks, Benkoski dominated from the mound tossing a no-hit gem.  He was flat-out brilliant allowing only four walks while striking out fifteen. 

Benkoski was also the hero at the plate going 3-7 in the game.  In the fifth inning he hit a triple that would become the game-winner.

Bento's all around play led the Blue Jays over the Lumberjacks for a 1-0 victory.

Week 5 Northern League Player of the Week

Burck

Josh Burckhardt of the Longview Lumberjacks has been named the U-Dub Pub & Grub Week 5 Player of the Week.

Burckhardt got off the schneid and earned his first pitching victory of the season against the Buckman Blue Jays.  He pitched a complete game shutout and struck out fourteen batters in six innings.  Burck lowered his ERA to 1.50 on the season.

Burck also had a big day at the plate as he hit for the cycle in game two and drove in all four of his teams runs.  His homerun was the 75th of his career.