Jewish Baseball News

JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS –The best performances of Sat., July 30, 2010:

• “AAA” Toledo Mud Hens OF Ben Guez went 1-for-2 with a home run, walk, two RBIs and two runs scored in a 9-6 loss to the Gwinnett Braves. Although he’s in a mild slump — batting .194 in his past 10 games — Guez is batting .272 overall at Toledo, and with a lot of power. In just 114 at-bats, he has six home runs, 15 extra-base hits in all, 20 RBIs and a .526 slugging percentage, second highest among Mud Hens starters. Thus continues an improbable season in which Guez batted .207 for the “A+” Lakeland Flying Tigers, was surprisingly promoted to the “AA” Erie SeaWolves, and then, nine games later, sent to Toledo.
  
• “A+” Winston-Salem Dash SP Dylan Axelrod pitched well but got little run support in a 2-1 loss to the Myrtle Beach Pelicans. Axelrod gave up five hits and one run in seven innings, walking none and striking out three. Since being promoted to the Dash, he’s put together a 5-2 record with a 2.43 ERA, 55 strikeouts and only 10 walks in 66-and-a-third innings.
• “AAA” Nashville Sounds LF Adam Stern went 2-for-4 with a home run, two RBIs and one run scored in a 7-4 loss to the Round Rock Express. Stern — a 30-year-old veteran who went 0-for-8 during several brief stints with the Milwaukee Brewers this season — is batting .297 for the Sounds, with four home runs and 22 RBIs in 195 at-bats.
  

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JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS –The best performance of Fri., July 30, 2010:

• Andrew Berger, an undrafted pitcher out of Lehigh University, earned his second victory for the Yakima Bears, a Class A-short season affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks. Berger gave up three hits and four earned runs over six innings in a 7-4 win over the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes. Berger, 22, primarily throws strikes. In 28 innings pitched this season, he has struck out 31 and walked just three. By the same token, he has given up 29 hits and 19 earned runs, which accounts for his 6.11 ERA.

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JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS –The best performances of Thurs., July 29, 2010:

• New York Mets 1B Ike Davis smashed a three-run home run in a 4-0 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals (see video). Davis, a rookie, is tied for the team lead in home runs (15) and ranked second in RBIs (52).
  
• “AAA” Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees SP Jason Hirsh pitched six scoreless innings in a 7-1 victory over the Norfolk Tides. The 28-year-old right-hander gave up just two hits and three walks while striking out six, improving his record to 6-7 with a 4.22 ERA.

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Danny Valencia had his second straight four-hit game on 7/27/2010, the first Twin to do so since 1936." />
JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — Minnesota Twins 3B Danny Valencia has been eating his Wheaties. 

The 25-year-old rookie went 4-for-5 with three RBIs in an 11-2 rout of the Kansas City Royals on Tuesday (7/27/2010), a day after going 4-for-4 with a grand slam. Valencia’s deluge boosted his batting average to a sublime .400. In his past four games, he has gone 14-for-19 with eight RBIs.

The last player to have back-to-back four-hit games in franchise history was Buddy Lewis, who did it for the Washington Senators (a Twins predecessor) in…1936

The Twins play Kansas City again this afternoon (7/28/2010).

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It’s been a while since we’ve seen anything like Minnesota Twins 3B Danny Valencia‘s day at the plate Monday (7/26/2010).

The 25-year-old rookie hit his first MLB home run, and it was a doozy: a first-inning grand slam against the Kansas City Royals. Valencia then went on to post a rare 4-4-4-4, getting four hits in four at-bats, scoring four runs, and driving in four more.

The performance capped a remarkable two-month run for the Florida native. Since being promoted from AAA in June, Valencia has assembled a .376 batting average, with nine RBIs and 10 runs scored in 85 at-bats.

Valencia, who has been sharing 3B duties, will need 130 plate appearances by Sept. 1 in order to qualify for the AL Rookie of the Year award.

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Danny Valencia of the Minnesota Twins went 4-for-4 and hit a grand slam on July 26, 2010." />
JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — It’s been a while since we’ve seen anything like Minnesota Twins 3B Danny Valencia‘s day at the plate Monday (7/26/2010).

The 25-year-old rookie hit his first MLB home run, and it was a doozy: a first-inning grand slam against the Kansas City Royals. Valencia then went on to post a rare 4-4-4-4, getting four hits in four at-bats, scoring four runs, and driving in four more.

The performance capped a remarkable two-month run for the Florida native. Since being promoted from AAA in June, Valencia has assembled a .376 batting average, with nine RBIs and 10 runs scored in 85 at-bats.

Valencia, who has been sharing 3B duties, will need 130 plate appearances by Sept. 1 in order to qualify for the AL Rookie of the Year award.

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JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — Former 3B Elliott Maddox, an African-American man who converted to Judaism midway through his MLB career, will become a Bar Mitzvah on August 9.

Maddox, 52, will read from the Torah before roughly 300 campers and former teammate (and fellow Jew) Ron Blomberg at the NJY Camps in Milford, Penn., according to an NJY news release. Blomberg will speak at the ceremony.

Maddox played for six teams in a career that spanned from 1970 to 1980, finishing with a lifetime batting average of .261 and a .358 on-base percentage. While in college at the University of Michigan, he took Judaic Studies courses and formally converted in 1974 or 1975, depending on who’s telling the story.

Mazel tov, Elliott.

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JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — The best major- or minor-league performances of Sunday, July 25:

• Jake Lemmerman, “Rookie Pioneer League” Ogden Raptors (Los Angeles Dodgers). The 21-year-old shortstop went 2-for-2 on Sunday with a home run and two walks. The top Jewish pick in the June 2010 amateur draft — 5th round, 172nd overall — Lemmerman ranks among Rookie Pioneer League leaders in multiple categories, including runs scored (32, 1st), batting average (.371, tied for 2nd), on-base percentage (.430, 2nd), OPS (1.018, tied for 2nd), and slugging percentage (.589, 5th). The Raptors have the best record in their league.
  
• Charlie Cutler, “A+” Palm Beach Cardinals (St. Louis Cardinals). The 23-year-old catcher hit a double and triple Sunday and had one RBI in a 6-4 victory over the Tampa Yankees. Since his demotion from the “AA” Springfield Cardinals, Lavarnway is batting .281 with a .348 on-base percentage. The Cardinals share the division lead with the Bradenton Maurauders.
  
• Richard Bleier, “AA” Frisco RoughRiders (Texas Rangers). The 23-year-old starting pitcher threw his second complete-game shutout of the season Sunday in a 4-0 victory over the Corpus Christi Hooks. Bleier tossed just 90 pitches, allowing just six hits and one walk while striking out three. The RoughRiders are tied for the best record in the Texas League.

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JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — Los Angeles Dodgers C Brad Ausmus, who played just one game this season before succumbing to a back injury that required surgery, returned to the team’s roster Tuesday (7/20/2010) after a brief minor-league rehab stint.

Ausmus, 41, went 6-for 12 with the “A+” Inland Empire 66ers and 1-for-8 with the “AAA” Albuquerque Isotopes before being recalled by the Dodgers. His trip to the disabled list was his first since entering the majors in 1993.

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JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — The best major- or minor-league performances of Thurs., July 22:

• Ryan Lavarnway, “AA” Portland Sea Dogs (Boston Red Sox). The 22-year-old catcher continued his hot streak, going 3-for-5 on Thursday with three RBIs. Since his promotion from the “A+” Salem Red Sox, Lavarnway is 12-for-27 with a remarkable 14 RBIs and 1.087 OPS (on-base percentage plus slugging percentage).
• Jake Lemmerman, “Rookie Pioneer League” Ogden Raptors (Los Angeles Dodgers). The 21-year-old shortstop continued his hot streak Thursday, going 2-for-4 with a home run, one RBI and four runs scored. The top Jewish pick in the June 2010 amateur draft — 5th round, 172nd overall — Lemmerman is batting .372 with 16 extra-base hits in 113 at-bats.
• Kevin Youkilis, Boston Red Sox. The first baseman went 3-for-6 and scored the go-ahead run in an 8-6, extra-inning victory over the Seattle Mariners. Youkilis is ranked third in the AL in on-base percentage (.407) and fourth both in slugging percentage (.569) and OPS (.976).

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JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — The best major- or minor-league performances of Wed., July 21:

• Ryan Lavarnway, “AA” Portland Sea Dogs (Boston Red Sox). The 22-year-old catcher out of Yale University continues to tear up AA pitching, going 2-for-4 on Wednesday with two RBIs. In just six games since being promoted from the “A+” Salem Red Sox, Lavarnway is batting .409 with a phenomenal 11 RBIs in 22 at-bats.

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JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — Los Angeles Dodgers C Brad Ausmus and Washington Nationals SP Jason Marquis have spent much of the 2010 season on the disabled list. But both made decent showings in minor-league rehab games the past week and may be nearing a return to the Show.

Ausmus, 41, went 6-for-12 in four games for the “A+” Inland Empire 66ers before moving up to the Dodgers’ “AAA” squad, the Albuquerque Isotopes. He’s batting a less impressive 1-for-8 with the Isotopes.

Marquis, a 31-year-old right hander,  pitched three innings of scoreless ball for the Nats’ rookie-league squad on Sunday, giving up just two hits while striking out four batters and walking none.

In other news:

• The Boston Red Sox promoted C Ryan Lavarnway to the franchise’s “AA” team, the Portland Sea Dogs. Through the All-Star break, Lavarnway — then with the Salem Red Sox — led all minor-league Jews with 14 home runs, 63 RBIs, 44 walks, a .487 slugging percentage, and an OPS of .879. Since arriving in Portland, Lavarnway has gone 4-for-11 with two walks and two RBIs.
• The Philadelphia Phillies promoted RP Michael Schwimer to the “AAA” Lehigh Valley IronPigs. While playing for the “AA” Reading Phillies, the 6’8″ right-hander assembled a 5-3 record with an ERA of 3.60 and an impressive 58 strikeouts in 40 innings, while walking only 14.
• SP Michael Schlact wasted no time making an impact on the “AA” Frisco RoughRiders after the Texas Rangers promoted him. On Sunday, the 6’7″ right-hander gave up just one hit and one walk in six innings of play while striking out four.

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JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — Midway through the 2010 season, Jewish minor leaguers are performing well. The 20 Jewish pitchers have a collective won-loss record of 59-52, a 3.85 ERA and a 2.17 strikeout-to-walk ratio through games played July 14. The 28 position players have a combined batting average of .274 and a walk-to-strikeout ratio of .503, according to Jewish Baseball News calculations.

A list of category leaders and laggards is shown below. But first, a few clarifications:

• Players marked with an asterisk have played in two or more leagues this season, and the statistics shown reflect their collective performance across all leagues. The team shown is the players’ current one.
• Calling David Kopp the winningest pitcher is slightly misleading. Kopp assembled an 8-1 record and 3.08 ERA with the “AA” Springfield Cardinals before being called up to the “AAA” Memphis Redbirds. In his first four games in Memphis, Kopp went 0-4 with a 7.53 ERA.
• Jake Lemmerman, a shortstop from Duke University and the top Jewish pick in the 2010 amateur draft, is tearing up the Rookie Pioneer League. Through 20 games with the Ogden Raptors, Lemmerman was batting .358 and had a .506 slugging percentage.

Now, your category leaders.

Position players

• Highest batting average(100+ at-bats) : Casey Haerther, “A” Cedar Rapids Kernels (.319)
• Lowest batting average (100+ at-bats) : Jake Wald, “AA”  Mobile BayBears (.175)
• Most home runs: Ryan Lavarnway, “A+” Salem Red Sox (14)
• Most triples: Sam Fuld, “AAA” Iowa Cubs (4)
• Most doubles: Nathan Freiman, “A” Fort Wayne TinCaps (29)
• Most RBIs: Ryan Lavarnway, “A+” Salem Red Sox (63)
• Most walks: Ryan Lavarnway, “A+” Salem Red Sox (44)
• Most strikeouts: Nathan Frieman, “A” Fort Wayne TinCaps (76)
• Best walk/strikeout ratio: Sam Fuld, “AAA” Iowa Cubs (1.25)
• Worst walk/strikeout ratio: David Rubinstein, “A” West Virginia Power (.31)
• Highest on-base percentage: Joshua Satin, “AA” Binghamton Mets (.403)
• Highest slugging percentage: Ryan Lavarnway, “A+” Salem Red Sox (.487)
• Highest OPS (OBP+slugging): Ryan Lavarnway, “A+” Salem Red Sox (.879)
• Most stolen bases: David Rubinstein, “A” West Virginia Power (13)

Pitchers

• Most victories: David Kopp*, “AAA” Memphis Redbirds (8)
• Most losses: Jason Hirsh, “AAA” Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees; Richard Bleier, “AA” Frisco RoughRiders (6)
• Best win-loss record: Michael Schlact*, “A+” Bakersfield Blaze (3-0)
• Best ERA (at least 25 innings): Dylan Axelrod*, “A+” Birmingham Barons (2.367); Daniel Rosenbaum, “A” Hagertown Suns (2.363)
• Worst ERA (at least 25 innings): Scot Drucker, “AAA” Toledo Mud Hens (5.56)
  
• Most strikeouts: Daniel Rosenbaum, “A” Hagertown Suns (85)
• Most walks: Aaron Poreda*, “AAA” Portland Beavers; Eric Berger, “AA” Akron Aeros; David Kopp*, “AAA” Memphis Redbirds (39)
• Best strikeout/walk ratio (20+ innings): Dylan Axelrod*, “A” Birmingham Barons (5.2)
• Worst strikeout/walk ratio (20+ innings): Aaron Poreda*, “AAA” Portland Beavers (0.9)

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JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — Florida International University phenom Garrett Wittels did not win an ESPY award tonight (7/14/2010).

Wittels, 20, was one of five sportsmen nominated as “Best Male College Athlete” by cable station ESPN for its annual awards show. But fans voting at ESPN.com in recent weeks ultimately awarded the honor to John Wall, star point guard for the University of Kentucky basketball team. The remaining nominees were Heisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram of the University of Alabama, University of Wisconsin hockey player Blake Geoffrion, and Ohio State basketball star Evan Turner.

Wittels wowed baseball fans this year by hitting safely in all 56 games, the second-longest hitting streak in NCAA history. He’ll have a chance to beat Robin Ventura’s 58-game record when he returns to the diamond in 2011 for his junior season.

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JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — Many Jewish athletes are proud of their religion but don’t want it to define their career. For them, faith is a subject best kept private.

But not Garrett Wittels. According to a fascinating article in the Jerusalem Post, the college baseball phenom — who hit safely in all 56 games this season at Florida International University — is a practicing Jew who has found a way to integrate Judaism into his athletic routine:

(B)aseball is a game of superstitions, and it’s there that Wittels’ Jewish background emerges. While his slate of of good luck rituals has been noted repeatedly in the mounting media coverage of the streak, the mainstream media has missed this one: Before each game, Wittels kneels in the outfield and recites the Shema, the Jewish prayer declaring the unity of God. Wittels also carries a travel mezuzah, which contains the Shema prayer, and on road trips he brings a copy of the Jewish Wayfarer’s Prayer, according to his mother, Lishka, a member of Miami’s “Jewban,” or Cuban-Jewish, community. And, she added, when FIU traveled this spring, he kept as kosher for Passover as he could.

Added Wittels’ mother:

‘He has said he would marry a Jewish girl and talks about how important it is to carry on the Judaism with his life,’ his mother said. ‘My son is the most spiritual, non-traditional young athlete you will ever meet. He carries his religion in his heart.’

This summer, Wittels is carrying a disappointing .203 average while playing for the Peninsula Oilers of the Alaska Baseball League, a far cry from his .413 average spring as an FIU sophomore. But the 20-year-old’s followers know that he hit just .246 freshman year at FIU, and thus may be a slow adapter.

Tonight (7/14/2010) at 9:00pm ET  on ESPN, Wittels will find out if he is the winner of the 2010 “ESPY” award for Best Male College Athlete. He is one of five finalists for the honor.

My thanks to Jeff Zaremsky for pointing out the Jerusalem Post article.

— Scott Barancik

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JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — The running count of Jews chosen in last month’s MLB amateur draft has reached 11.

Jewish Baseball News last reported that at least six of the 1,500 players selected in the three-day draft were Jewish. Since then, our friends at Jewish Sports Review have identified another five Jews, shown below in red. Where possible, we list the signing status of each player, and which minor-league squad they have been assigned to, if any:

JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — So who are the 2010 Jewish category leaders in the MLB as of today (July 12)?

Among the eight position players:

• Highest batting average: Texas Rangers 2B Ian Kinsler (.310)
• Most home runs: Boston Red Sox 1B Kevin Youkilis (18)
• Most triples: Boston Red Sox 1B Kevin Youkilis (5)
• Most doubles: Milwaukee Brewers LF Ryan Braun (24)
• Most RBIs: Boston Red Sox 1B Kevin Youkilis (57)
• Most walks: Boston Red Sox 1B Kevin Youkilis (51)
• Most strikeouts: New York Mets 1B Ike Davis (71)
• Best walk/strikeout ratio: Boston Red Sox 1B Kevin Youkilis (.93)
• Worst walk/strikeout ratio: New York Mets 1B Ike Davis (.45)
• Highest on-base percentage: Texas Rangers 2B Ian Kinsler (.408)
• Highest slugging percentage: Boston Red Sox 1B Kevin Youkilis (.575)
• Highest OPS (OBP+slugging): Boston Red Sox 1B Kevin Youkilis (.983)
• Most stolen bases: Milwaukee Brewers LF Ryan Braun (12)

Among the five pitchers:

• Most victories: Texas Rangers SP Scott Feldman (5)
• Most losses: Texas Rangers SP Scott Feldman (8)
• Best win-loss record: Oakland Athletics RP Craig Breslow (3-2)
• Best ERA: Oakland Athletics RP Craig Breslow (3.32)
• Most strikeouts: Texas Rangers SP Scott Feldman (63)
• Most walks: Texas Rangers SP Scott Feldman (33)
• Best strikeout/walk ratio: Oakland Athletics RP Craig Breslow (2.56)
• Worst strikeout/walk ratio (25+ innings): Chicago Cubs RP John Grabow (1.54)

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JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — Sunday was a good day for Jewish bats.

All five position players who played yesterday (7/11/2010) had at least one hit, and three powered home runs: Milwaukee Brewers LF Ryan Braun hit his 13th (video), New York Mets 1B Ike Davis smacked his 11th (video), and Texas Rangers 2B Ian Kinsler knocked out his fourth (video).

Ike Davis’ dinger was the most impressive, a 430-foot shot to center field.

Better yet, four of the five teams — Milwaukee, New York, Minnesota (Danny Valencia) and Boston (Kevin Youkilis) — won their Sunday games.

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JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — An update from the world of Jewish baseball players:

• Los Angeles Dodgers C Brad Ausmus is doing well in his rehab stint with the Inland Empire 66ers, a Class A-advanced team. The 41-year-old has six hits in 12 at-bats with two walks and two RBIs. Ausmus had just four at-bats with the Dodgers this season before injuring his back. It was his first and only time on the disabled list in a lengthy career. In Ausmus’ absence, Dodger catchers Russell Martin (.247 average, .351 on-base percentage, .337 slugging percentage) and A.J. Ellis (.214 average, .306 OBP, .238 SLG) have performed adequately, if not exceptionally.
• As a group, MLB’s Jewish pitchers have had a dismal season. Boston Red Sox RP Scott Schoeneweis was released back in May, and their collective ERA only recently dipped below 6.00. Oakland A’s RP Craig Breslow remains an exception, with a 3-2 record, 3.15 ERA, strikeout/walk ratio of 40/16, and opponent batting average of just .175. A’s manager Bob Geren has been lobbying to get Breslow into the 2010 All-Star Game. In his most recent start, Scott Feldman (5-8, 5.32 ERA, 63/33) delivered a seven-inning, 2 ER performance against the Baltimore Orioles. (7/9/2010), Texas Rangers SP
• Since returning from the disabled list, Texas Rangers 2B Ian Kinsler hasn’t displayed the power (31 HRs) and speed (31 stolen bases) that he did in 2009, but he is hitting for average (.311) and is on pace for a career-high on-base percentage of .411.
• New York Mets 1B Ike Davis hit his 10th home run of the season on July 4, making him just the third rookie in Met history to hit 10 HRs before the All-Star break. Rumor has it that the Seattle Mariners wouldn’t consider trading star pitcher Cliff Lee to the Mets unless Davis was part of the deal. Davis’ habit of landing in the dugout after catching a pop foul has been immortalized in a video game.
• Boston Red Sox 1B Kevin Youkilis narrowly lost another chance to join the 2010 All-Star Game. Youkilis was one of five AL players chosen to participate in a “Final Vote” for the last spot on the AL roster, but Youkilis finished second to New York Yankees RF Nick Swisher in the closest contest in the nine-year history of the Final Vote. According to MLB.com, Swisher used his Twitter account — baseball’s biggest at more than 1.2-million followers — to obtain endorsements from Jessica Alba, Ivanka Trump and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
• Philadelphia Phillies prospect Michael Schwimer, a 6’8″ pitcher whom Jewish Baseball News dubbed a “monster of the mound,” was promoted to the Lehigh Valley IronPigs (AAA). The 24-year-old reliever had compiled a 5-3 record with the Reading Phillies (AA), including 58 strikeouts in just 40 innings. If you’re interested in what Schwimer has to say about things, you can catch his blog here.
• Also moving up in the world is St. Louis Cardinals prospect David Kopp. The transition to AAA ball hasn’t been easy for the 24-year-old starting pitcher. Kopp dominated the AA Texas League while with the Springfield Cardinals this season, going 8-1 with a 3.08 ERA. By contrast, he has lost all four of his starts as a Memphis Redbird.
• The Los Angeles Dodgers will celebrate Jewish Community Day on July 25 by giving away Dodgers yarmulkes. Their opponent? Ike Davis and the New York Mets.

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JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — A new film wending its way through the film-festival circuit explores our love affair with baseball.

Jews and Baseball: An American Love Story features interviews and footage of players from Sandy Koufax to Kevin Youkilis. New York Times sports writer Ira Berkow penned the script, while actor Dustin Hoffman provides the narration. Here’s a recent Jerusalem Post story on it.

I haven’t seen the film yet; Seventh Art Releasing says it’s holding out on distributing review copies until shortly before the movie’s theatrical release in November. But people in several states as well as Israel can see it at upcoming film festivals. Here’s the running list from Jews and Baseball’s web site (future dates only):

• Jerusalem Film Festival – Jul. 15 & 16
• Stony Brook Film Festival, Stonybrook, NY – Jul. 25
• San Francisco Jewish Film Festival, San Francisco, Catro Cinema – Jul. 25
• Berkshires Jewish Film Festival – Jul. 26
• San Francisco Jewish Film Festival, Palo Alto, Cinearts – Jul. 31
• San Francisco Jewish Film Festival, Berkeley, Roda Theatre – Aug. 1
• San Francisco Jewish Film Festival, San Rafael,
Christopher B. Smith Rafael Film Center – Aug. 8
• Iowa Jewish Historical Society, Des Moines, Iowa – Aug. 8
• Rhode Island International Film Festival, Providence – Aug. 10-15
• Yogi Berra Museum and Learning Center, Montclair, New Jersey – Aug. 19
• Greater Phoenix Jewish Film Festival
• Museum of Jewish Heritage, New York – Sept. 26
• The Suffolk Y Jewish Community Center, Commack, New York – Oct. 4
• The JCC in Manhattan, New York – Oct. 5
• Quad Cinema, Manhattan – Nov. 5
• Winnipeg – Nov. 8
• Wilshire Temple, Los Angeles – Nov. 13
• Tucson Jewish Film Festival – Nov. 21

– Scott Barancik

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JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — Florida International University has produced an 8-minute video commemorating sophomore Garrett Wittels‘ 56-game hitting streak.

The video is full of details large and small, from the dimensions of the 20-year-old infielder’s bat (33 inches, 30 ounces) to his many superstitions (such as the Bubblicious watermelon bubble gum his younger brother and sister provide before gametime).

Perhaps most remarkable about Wittels’ streak — besides its unlikeliness, considering his lackluster freshman year — is that he only played in 56 games. That’s right: he got one or more hits in every game he played.

Nor is the streak over. For purposes of chasing the NCAA Division I record of 58 games, reached by Oklahoma State’s Robin Ventura in 1987, Wittels will start the 2011 season with his 56-game tear intact.

Wittels has been nominated for ESPN’s 2010 ‘Best male college athlete’ award. This summer is playing for the Peninsula Oilers of the Alaska Baseball League.

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