Quakertown Blazers Baseball

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Stoudt off to good start in Mariners' system September 20, 2021 Levi Stoudt Photo Courtesy of MILB.com RHP Levi Stoudt (Lehigh, Quakertown Blazers,2017) finally started his pro career after sitting out the 2019 season with Tommy John surgery and missing the 2020 minor league season which was cancelled due to the COVID pandemic. Stoudt, the Top ACBL Prospect in 2017, was drafted in the third round of the 2019 MLB Draft by the Seattle Mariners. Stoudt posted a 6-1 record for the Everett AquaSox, the Mariners High-A affiliate and in August was promoted to the Arkansas Travelers, the Mariners AA affiliate. Overall he posted a 7-3 record in 15 starts with 86Ks in 81.2 innings with a 3.31 ERA. RHP Matt Svanson (Lehigh, Quakertown Blazers,2018) and RHP Jimmy Kingsbury (Villanova, Quakertown Blazers,2018), ACBL All-Stars in 2018 and pitchers on the Blazers’ ACBL championship team, also had success in their first season of pro ball. Svanson was drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 13th round of the 2021 MLB Draft and assigned to their Low-A affiliate, Dunedin. The 6-5, 230 pound RHP posted five saves in 11 relief appearances over 15.2 innings and struck out 23 with a 2.30 ERA and a 1.02 WHIP. Kingsbury was drafted in the 17th round of the 2021 MLB Draft by the Seattle Mariners and assigned to their Low-A affiliate, the Modesto Nuts. On Friday September 17 he participated in a combined no-hitter as Modesto defeated Stockton 7-0. Kingsbury allowed no runs or hits over seven innings with ten strikeouts and one walk. On the season he posted a 2-1 record and 2.20 ERA in 32.2 innings. He struck out 39 and walked eleven with a 0.83 WHIP and opponents hit .138 against him.
Casey Caufield Named ACBL 2021 Slugger of the Year August 15, 2021 2021 Hitter of the Year Casey Caufield, Quakertown Blazers The guy who got things started for manager Jeff Evans’ potent offense is the 2021 ACBL Hitter of the Year. Monmouth University’s Caufield got better and better as the season went on and at .397 finished just one hit shy of .400 for the season. He was that good and that tough of an out. Casey finished with 15 multi-hit games and five three-hit games – four of which came over the final two weeks of the regular season. He went 15-for-29 down the stretch, was a patient leadoff man at the plate (16 walks and a .493 OBP over the entire season), and stole 13 bases in 15 attempts. He finished with 46 hits and 28 runs and Caulfield’s 68 times on base led the entire ACBL. Caufield’s at bats set the tone for the relentless offensive attack that Evans and GM Chris Ray worked hard to build. He finished the month of July with hits in 20 out of 21 games (including the ASG) and left no doubt as far as Hitter of the Year.
Blazer fans honor Tom And George Bonekemper August 4, 2021 Blazer fans held a ceremony on Sunday to honor Tom and George Bonekemper for their 38 years of support to the Quakertown Blazers organization. The Blazers completed the regular season with a 21-17 record and narrowly lost the play-in playoff game with the Pilots 6-5 on a bloop single in the bottom of the ninth inning on Tuesday evening at Drew University. Chris Ray did an excellent job as General Manager as did Jeff Evans as field manager and Mike Bowles as assistant coach. Will Neusidl contributed to the success of the Blazers program with Live Scoring on Pointstreak and announcing the games. Josh Walters, the trainer with St.Lukes Sports Medicine was also helpful as were members of the Blazers advisory board.
Blazers take DH from the Phenoms July 26, 2021 The Quakertown Blazers defeated the New York Phenoms 7-6 and 9-1 on Monday afternoon in Staten Island. Sam Barletta (Chesnut Hill) and Shane Harkins (Wagner) provided the big hits in the opener. Barletta hit a two run triple as the Blazers rallied for three runs in the 6th inning and ended the game with three hits and three RBI. Harkins hit a two run home run in the top of the 8th to give the Blazers the lead. David Owsik (Saint Joseph’s), Cory Barberio (West Chester) and Scott Paulson (Mansfield) pitched for the Blazers with Paulson picking up the win. In the second game the Blazer offense posted nine runs on 13 hits. Joe Gorla (Lehigh) put up six RBI with four hits including a home run and double. Casey Caulfield (Monmouth) added three hits while Brian Nicolas (Coppin State) chipped in with a home run and two RBI. Ben Christian (Lehigh) tossed five scoreless innings for the win and Kevin Small (LIU) allowed one run over two innings of relief. The Blazers (17-17) travel to Trenton on Tuesday for a 7pm game with the Trenton Capitals.
Wolff Division defeats Kaiser Division in All Star game July 23, 2021 Five Quakertown Blazer players participated in the Wolff Division 8-5 win over the Kaiser Division at First Energy Park in Lakewood, New Jersey, home of the Jersey Shore Blue Claws, the Phillies High-A affiliate on Thursday evening. Ben Watson (Elizabethtown) posted two hits including a RBI double while Casey Caulfield (Monmouth) added a single. Mitch Balint (Delaware), Joe Gorla (Lehigh) and Brian Nicolas (Bryant) also participated for the Blazers. The Blazers (14-16) host the New York Phenoms on Saturday July 24 in a noon doubleheader at Memorial Park.
Svanson leads ACBL in draft selections July 13, 2021 Matt Svanson Photo Courtesy of Lisa Stamford RHP Matt Svanson (Lehigh, Quakertown Blazers,2018) was selected in the 13th round of the 2021 MLB Amateur Draft by the Toronto Blue Jays. The 6-5 RHP was pick number 392 and posted a 2.30 ERA for the Mountain Hawks this spring with 65Ks in 70 innings. RHP Jimmy Kingsbury (Villanova, Quakertown Blazers, 2018) was pick number 504 in the 17th round for the Seattle Mariners. Kingsbury posted a 5-4 record with four saves for the Wildcats this spring. In 64.2 innings he struck out 86. LHP Justin Fall (Brookdale CC, Arizona State, Ocean Gulls,2018) was selected in the 17th round, pick #509, by the Miami Marlins. The 6-6 LHP topped ASU with seven wins and in innings pitched with 77. Fall was the top prospect on the 2018 ACBL Prospect list, while Svanson and Kingsbury were ranked 8th and 9th respectively.
Trivino named AL Reliever of the Month July 3, 2021 Lou Trivino (Slippery Rock, Quakertown Blazers, 2011) of the Oakland A’s and Josh Hader of the Milwaukee Brewers were named MLB’s Relievers of the Month for June. Trivino won the American League award after collecting six saves in six save opportunities while posting a 0.71 ERA in 13 appearances. The 6-5 RHP did not allow a run until the final day of the month, putting together a streak of 12 consecutive scoreless appearances before then. On the season Trivino has 13 saves and five holds in 37 appearances with a 2.11 ERA and 1.17 WHIP.