By Jacob Russell

Since no other sport has embraced numbers quite like baseball (and our players’ college coaches will certainly be hitting the spreadsheets), here are some of the best statistics Steam players put up this regular season. 

Individual hitting leaders (minimum 10 regular-season games played):

Leadoff: Center fielder Gephry Pena (Central Florida) led WAY more than just the Steam lineup this summer. Pena led the team in batting average with .343 (eighth in GLSCL), runs with 33, walks with 24, OBP with .486 (led GLSCL), OPS with 1.015 (third in GLSCL), and stolen bases with 18 (sixth in GLSCL). He may have gotten snubbed from the GLSCL All-Star Game, but he was recognized at the end of the year as the league’s best utility player. 

Steady Eddie: Infielder Eddie Rivero (Xavier), who led Cincinnati with 36 regular-season games played, stayed healthy as the rest of the infield went to the injured list. When in the lineup, Rivero showed solid infield range and outperformed your average bottom-of-the-order hitter.

Reliable Runion: Third baseman Braydon Runion (Dyersburg State CC) may not have been as steady as Eddie, but he was consistently in the lineup enough to lead the Steam with 114 at-bats and 38 hits. Like Pena, Runion was named his position’s best player at the end of the year despite missing the GLSCL All-Star Game. 

Extra-base triplets: Seven doubles and two triples were good enough to lead the Steam this summer. Our three starting outfielders, Pena, Jake Silverstein (Dayton), and Grant Richardson (Indiana), each had seven doubles. The three hitters with a pair of three-baggers were Pena, Silverstein, and Eddie Pursinger (Dayton). 

Pursinger Power: Pursinger didn’t return to the Steam after starting at first base for the GLSCL South, but his power stats still earned him an honorable mention at the end of the season. He led his summer ball team with eight home runs and a .619 slugging percentage. 

R(ichardson)BI: There’s nothing more frustrating than leaving runners on base, which is why Richardson’s team-leading 33 runs batted in is so important. Richardson’s .400 batting average with runners on base helped him collect those RBIs. He started in the outfield for the GLSCL South and made the first-team. 

Flawless Fielding: Although this isn’t a hitting statistic, outfielder Ethan Stringer (now at North Greenville) and catcher Cameron Rountree (Wright State) deserve to be recognized for their perfect fielding percentage in 100 over innings played. 

Individual pitching leaders (minimum 10 regular-season innings pitched): 

Flipping those Ks: GLSCL South All-Star and second-team starting pitcher Jake Schrand (Wright State) had no issues getting strike three this summer. His 42 regular-season strikeouts (55 total) led the team and finished just outside the top 10 in the GLSCL. In just over 28 innings, Schrand had 13.024 K/9. 

A Better Byrnes: In his third summer with Cincinnati, southpaw reliever Nick Byrnes (Ohio) may be remembered most for his pinch-hitting honor. When you look at the numbers, it’s clear Byrnes had some clean appearances heading into his senior season. His 1.24 WHIP and 1.157 BB/9 led the Steam and showed improvement from previous summers. 

Flying Closer: The Steam’s final game of the summer may not have ended the way reliever Jonathan Brus (Dayton) wanted, but he still led his team in a few categories on the mound and filled in the outfield when needed upon his return. Brus earned a GLSCL honorable mention by leading the team in pitching appearances with 15, saves with four (fourth in the GLSCL), and opposing batting average with .174. 

Nobody like Noelker: Last but certainly not least is Andrew Noelker (Cincinnati), who started on the mound for the GLSCL South and made the first-team. The Bearcat led his other Cincinnati baseball team in innings pitched with 33, wins with four (second in GLSCL), and ERA with 1.72. 

Thank you for supporting the Steam this summer! Follow us at @CincinnatiSteam on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram to keep up with the 2020 squad.