Xavier University Athletics
Xavier Baseball Summer Wrap-Up
09.18.18 | Baseball
Warkentin, Grammes among league leaders in homers in respective summer leagues
CINCINNATI - With the end of Minor League Baseball last week, the baseball season officially ended in 2018 for XU players past and present.
Below is a full list of Musketeers and their 2018 summer leagues along with some summer highlights, both professional and amateur.
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• Rylan Bannon advanced to AA ball in his first full professional season and was part of a July megadeal, going from the Los Angeles Dodgers organization to the Baltimore Orioles in the Manny Machado trade.Â
• The 2017 BIG EAST Player of the Year, Bannon hit .296 with 20 homers and 61 RBI for the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes (A Advanced) and was named a California League All-Star before the trade. He is listed as the Orioles No. 22 prospect by MLB Pipeline.
• After the trade, Bannon was promoted to AA with the Bowie Baysox and slashed .204/.344/.327 with two homers and 11 RBI in 32 games.
• Zac Lowther was named the Baltimore Orioles Jim Palmer Minor League Pitcher of the Year following the season. Across two levels, Lowther posted a 2.18 ERA to go with an 8-4 record in his first full season.
• Lowther put up a 2.53 ERA in 17 games (16 starts) for the Frederick Keys in advanced-A ball, striking out 100 in 92.2 innings and allowing just 74 hits. That followed a blistering start for the Delmarva Shorebirds, where Lowther recorded a 1.16 ERA with 51 strikeouts in 31 innings. He held opponents to a .115 batting average with the Shorebirds.
• Overall, Lowther struck out 151 in just 123.2 innings and allowed just 86 hits for a .220 opponent batting average.
• Lowther is listed as the Orioles No. 18 prospect by MLB Pipeline.
• Garrett Schilling had a rock solid first full season in advanced-A ball with the Asheville Tourists in the Colorado Rockies organization. The righty posted a 3.87 ERA in 26 games (25 starts), logging 144.1 innings and striking out 135 while putting together an 8-5 record.
• Dan Rizzie hit .254 with two homers and 22 RBI across two levels in the New York Mets organization, finishing his year  in advanced-A ball with the St. Lucie Mets.
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• Conor Grammes led the Brewster Whitecaps and tied for the league lead in the Cape Cod League with seven home runs, while hitting .253 with 16 RBI. Grammes also struck out 13 in 9.1 innings of relief, posting a 5.31 ERA.
• Ryan Fournier hit .275 with five homers in 41 games for the Cincinnati Steam, helping his team to a 30-12 record and a GLSCL playoff berth.
• Matt Warkentin led the Bismark Larks to a playoff berth and a 37-34 overall record with 14 homers while hitting .309 with 54 RBI in 71 games in the Northwoods. Warkentin was tied for second in the league in homers and earned the Rawlings 'Finest in the Field' Award for leading the league with a .992 fielding percentage at first base.
• Natale Monastra hit .305 with 18 RBI in 33 games for the Fayetteville Swampdogs.
• Sam Czabala struck out 20 in 15.2 innings to go with a 4.59 ERA in eight games for the Glens Falls Dragons.
• Evan Miller struck out 12 in 7.2 innings, pitching in seven games for the Bismarck Larks and recording a 2.34 ERA.
• Incoming transfer Jake Shepski hit .291 with four homers and 26 RBI for the Mankato MoonDogs in the Northwoods League, helping his team to a 46-26 record and a playoff berth. He also struck out nine in six appearances on the mound, totaling 5.1 scoreless innings.
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RETURNING PLAYERSÂ
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INCOMING PLAYERS
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2017 MLB DRAFT
2016 MLB DRAFT
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Below is a full list of Musketeers and their 2018 summer leagues along with some summer highlights, both professional and amateur.
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 PROFESSIONAL HIGHLIGHTS |
• Rylan Bannon advanced to AA ball in his first full professional season and was part of a July megadeal, going from the Los Angeles Dodgers organization to the Baltimore Orioles in the Manny Machado trade.Â
• The 2017 BIG EAST Player of the Year, Bannon hit .296 with 20 homers and 61 RBI for the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes (A Advanced) and was named a California League All-Star before the trade. He is listed as the Orioles No. 22 prospect by MLB Pipeline.
• After the trade, Bannon was promoted to AA with the Bowie Baysox and slashed .204/.344/.327 with two homers and 11 RBI in 32 games.
• Zac Lowther was named the Baltimore Orioles Jim Palmer Minor League Pitcher of the Year following the season. Across two levels, Lowther posted a 2.18 ERA to go with an 8-4 record in his first full season.
• Lowther put up a 2.53 ERA in 17 games (16 starts) for the Frederick Keys in advanced-A ball, striking out 100 in 92.2 innings and allowing just 74 hits. That followed a blistering start for the Delmarva Shorebirds, where Lowther recorded a 1.16 ERA with 51 strikeouts in 31 innings. He held opponents to a .115 batting average with the Shorebirds.
• Overall, Lowther struck out 151 in just 123.2 innings and allowed just 86 hits for a .220 opponent batting average.
• Lowther is listed as the Orioles No. 18 prospect by MLB Pipeline.
• Garrett Schilling had a rock solid first full season in advanced-A ball with the Asheville Tourists in the Colorado Rockies organization. The righty posted a 3.87 ERA in 26 games (25 starts), logging 144.1 innings and striking out 135 while putting together an 8-5 record.
• Dan Rizzie hit .254 with two homers and 22 RBI across two levels in the New York Mets organization, finishing his year  in advanced-A ball with the St. Lucie Mets.
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 SUMMER LEAGUE HIGHLIGHTS |
• Conor Grammes led the Brewster Whitecaps and tied for the league lead in the Cape Cod League with seven home runs, while hitting .253 with 16 RBI. Grammes also struck out 13 in 9.1 innings of relief, posting a 5.31 ERA.
• Ryan Fournier hit .275 with five homers in 41 games for the Cincinnati Steam, helping his team to a 30-12 record and a GLSCL playoff berth.
• Matt Warkentin led the Bismark Larks to a playoff berth and a 37-34 overall record with 14 homers while hitting .309 with 54 RBI in 71 games in the Northwoods. Warkentin was tied for second in the league in homers and earned the Rawlings 'Finest in the Field' Award for leading the league with a .992 fielding percentage at first base.
• Natale Monastra hit .305 with 18 RBI in 33 games for the Fayetteville Swampdogs.
• Sam Czabala struck out 20 in 15.2 innings to go with a 4.59 ERA in eight games for the Glens Falls Dragons.
• Evan Miller struck out 12 in 7.2 innings, pitching in seven games for the Bismarck Larks and recording a 2.34 ERA.
• Incoming transfer Jake Shepski hit .291 with four homers and 26 RBI for the Mankato MoonDogs in the Northwoods League, helping his team to a 46-26 record and a playoff berth. He also struck out nine in six appearances on the mound, totaling 5.1 scoreless innings.
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 COLLEGE SUMMER LEAGUES |
RETURNING PLAYERSÂ
| Name | Team | League | Team Info |
| Conor Grammes | Brewster Whitecaps | Cape Cod | Link |
| Ryan Fournier | Cincinnati Steam | Great Lakes | Link |
| Andrew Sexton | Central Florida Riptide | CFCL | |
| Matt Warkentin | Bismarck Larks | Northwoods | Link |
| Natale Monastra | Fayetteville Swampdogs | Coastal Plain League | Link |
| Nick Zwack | Saugerties Stallions | Perfect Game | Link |
| Sam Czabala | Glens Falls Dragons | Perfect Game | Link |
| Trevor Olson | Eau Claire Express | Northwoods | Link |
| Matt Kent | Valley Blue Sox | NECBL | Link |
| Roger Danison | Mankato MoonDogs | Northwoods | Link |
| Allbry Major | Brewster Whitecaps | Cape Cod | Link |
| Evan Miller | Bismarck Larks | Northwoods | Link |
INCOMING PLAYERS
| Name | Team | League | Stats |
| Jake Shepski | Mankato MoonDogs | Northwoods | Link |
| Luke Stephenson | Elmira Pioneers | Perfect Game | Link |
| Kody Darcy | Wenatchee AppleSox | West Coast League | Link |
| Blake Murray | Cincinnati Steam | Great Lakes | Link |
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 Minor League Baseball |
2017 MLB DRAFT
| Name | Team | MLB Affiliation (Level) | Stats |
| Rylan Bannon | Rancho Cucamonga Quakes | Los Angeles Dodgers (A-Advanced) |
Link |
| Zac Lowther | Frederick Keys | Baltimore Orioles (A-Advanced) | Link |
| Garrett Schilling | Asheville Tourists | Colorado Rockies (A-Advanced) | Link |
| Greg Jacknewitz | Extended Spring Training | San Francisco Giants | Link |
2016 MLB DRAFT
| Name | Team | MLB Affiliation (Level) | Stats |
| Dan Rizzie | St. Lucie Mets | New York Mets (A-Advanced) | Link |
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 INDEPENDENT LEAGUES |
| Name | Team | Affiliation | Stats |
| Vinny Nittoli | St. Paul Saints | American Association | Link |
| Thomas Shirley | Lancaster Barnstormers | Atlantic League | Link |
Players Mentioned
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