GREENSBORO, N.C. – Five veteran members of Guilford College’s baseball team stayed sharp on the diamond over the summer by competing for various summer leagues. The five Quakers competed on three different teams that yielded two league titles and one runner-up finish.
Senior Will James (Greenville, N.C./D.H. Conley) and juniors Borja Jones-Berasaluce (Newton, Mass./Newton North) and Casey Mann (Reisterstown, Md./North Carroll) competed for league-champion Murrells Inlet Tide in the Beach Collegiate Baseball League in Myrtle Beach. James posted a 5-3 record with a 2.11 earned run average and 42 strikeouts in 59.2 innings. He pitched a complete game in the Tide’s semifinal victory, which gave Jones-Berasaluce the start in the championship win. Jones-Berasaluce finished the season with a 5-3 record and 3.14 ERA in 57.1 innings. Mann hit .241 with 11 stolen bases and 14 RBI in 83 at bats as an outfielder.
Sophomore Lou Trosch (Charlotte, N.C./East Mecklenburg) earned the start in the Ballantyne Smokies’ championship-game win in the Southern Collegiate Baseball League. The right-hander gave up two runs and two hits in seven innings of the Smokies’ title-clinching win over the Carolina Chaos. He was named the Most Valuable Pitcher of the championship series and went 2-2 on the year with a 3.82 ERA in six appearances.
Junior John Macon Smith (Greensboro, N.C./Western Guilford (Western Carolina)) helped the Kernersville Bulldogs reach the Carolina-Virginia Collegiate League final for the fifth straight season, but Fuquay Varina won the best-of-three series Aug. 5. Smith shared the team lead with seven homers and also ranked among the Bulldogs’ best with 15 doubles, 14 stolen bases and 34 RBI. He hit .331 in 51 games as a first baseman and outfielder.
The five students helped Guilford enjoy its best season since 2006 last spring with a 21-20 overall record (9-9 Old Dominion Athletic Conference). The Quakers set or tied five school standards under coach Nick Black ’02 and could return 24 additional letter winners for the 2013 campaign.