Pysh picks up victory against Winthrop

Radford University righthander Shane Pysh turned in a solid start Saturday to lead the Highlanders to a 7-5 victory over Winthrop.

Pysh pitched 6.1 innings to pick up the victory. He allowed seven hits and three runs, two earned, while striking out seven and walking just two.

Pysh, now 2-1 on the season, is slated to play for the Staunton Braves this summer.

Polizzano earns Sun Belt honor

Florida International pitcher Corey Polizzano was named the Sun Belt Conference Pitcher of the Week after a dominating performance in a 13-2 victory over conference foe Arkansas-Little Rock.

Polizzano pitched a seven-inning complete game and allowed just five hits and one earned run. The lefty struck out 11 and walked just three.

For the season, Polizzano is 1-1 with a 2.65 ERA. He has 18 strikeouts in 17 innings pitched.

Huffer has big series against Fairmont State

Concord University junior shortstop had a big series in a three-game set against Fairmont State. The Mountain Lions won two of the three games with Huffer going 8-for-14 with a pair of doubles and six RBIs.

For the seaosn, Huffer is batting .428.

Clinton steals four bases in one game

Eckerd College sophomore outfielder Chris Clinton stole four bases in a game Wednesday against Purdue-North Central. Clinton was 2-for-4 in the 10-3 victory for Eckerd and was also hit by a pitch. He stole third base three times in the game.

For the season, Clinton is hitting .352 and leads the team in doubles with 10 and stolen bases with 13.

Porter plays well in JMU series

Youngstown State junior catcher Anthony Porter had a solid showing it a two-game series this week at James Madision. Porter was 3-for-5 in the two games and drew a pair of walks.

After a slow start, Porter has raised his average to .257 on the seaon.

Clinton having solid season at Eckerd

After getting off to a slow start, Eckerd College outfielder Chris Clinton is now batting .354 in 20 game. Clinton leads the team in doubles with seven and stolen bases with eight

This past weekend in a three-game series with St. Leo, Clinton was 6-for-11 with five runs scored and four RBIs. He had two doubles and a homer in the series.

The Eckerd College sophomore is scheduled to play for the Staunton Braves this summer.

Branca makes first start of season

Central Florida infielder Stephen Branca missed the first 10 games of the college season with an injury, but he made the most of his first start of the season.

Branca, who played with the Staunton Braves last summer and is scheduled to come back this year, started at second base and hit in the leadoff spot for UCF this past weekend against Monmouth. He went 3-for-5 with two runs scored and three RBIs. He had one double and his first college homer in UCF's victory.

UCF teammate Chris Duffy, who also is set to play for the Braves in 2009, also homered in the game.

UCF's Duffy off to fast start

Central Florida junior outfielder Chris Duffy has his seven-game hitting streak to start the season stopped in Wednesday's loss at Florida International.

Duffy is hitting .323 to start the season with one homer and five RBIs for the Golden Knights. UCF is 2-6 with three of the losses coming on the road at No. 1 ranked LSU.

Ferguson, McCracken pitch well in win

Tennessee Wesleyan teammates Jason Ferguson (right) and Matt McCracken pitched well in Tuesday's 3-2 victory over Trevecca Nazarene.

McCracken got the start and worked 4.2 innings. He allowed just two hits and two runs, both unearned. He struck out three and walked four.

Ferguson pitched the final two innings to pick up the save, allowing no runs and just one hit.

For the season, McCracken is 0-1 with a 5.12 ERA in seven appearances. The lefty has struck out 16 in 19.1 innings and opponents are hitting just .281.

Ferguson has a 3.12 ERA in eight appearances with three saves. Opponents are hitting a miniscule .111 against Feguson's submarine deliveries.

Both pitchers have commited to pitch for the Braves in 2009.

Huffer named conference pitcher of the week

Concord University junior Donovan Huffer was named the WVIAC Pitcher of the Week following the opening week of play in the conference.

Huffer, who also plays shortstop at Concord, pitched a complete game in a 3-1 victory over Mansfield. He worked seven innings and allowed six hits, all singles, and no earned runs. He struck out three and did not walk a batter.

At the plate this season Huffer is batting .400 (6-for-15) with four doubles.

Huffer ,who played shortstop for the Staunton Braves last year, has signed a contract to return to the Braves in 2009.

Mahoney leads High Point past Duke

Sophomore Kyle Mahoney belted his first homer of the season Thursday to help lead High Point to a 10-2 victory over ACC foe Duke.

Mahoney, a C/1B who will play for the Braves in 2009, was 2-for-4 with four RBIs in the victory over Duke. For the season, he is second on the team in both batting average (.385) and RBIs (nine).

Former Braves on 40-man rosters

Spring training is in full swing and several former Staunton Braves are on MLB clubs' 40-man rosters.

Luke Scott and Aubrey Huff are back with the Orioles and pitcher Shawn Camp recently signed a one-year deal with the Blue Jays.

Veteran Chad Tracy is back with the Diamondbacks and Jason Michaels has signed with the Astros.

Trying to make MLB rosters when spring training breaks are Joe Koshansky with the Rockies, Gaby Sanchez with the Marlins and Chris Perez with the Cards. Perez has the best chance and could be the Cards' closer when the season opens.

McDade Off To Fast Start

Middle Tennessee State junior Blake McDade is off to a sizzling start this season. Through the first six games, McDade is batting .556 (15-for-27) with two doubles, one homer and a team-leading 10 RBIs. MTSU is off to a 5-1 start.

McDade played with the Braves in 2008 and has signed a contract to return in 2009.

Welcome

Welcome to the Staunton Braves Baseball blog.
During the offseason, you can check here for the latest updates about roster moves, player accomplishments, team news and past players.
During the season, we will post about Braves games and Valley Baseball League matters.
Hope you enjoy.