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2011 Bourne Braves Season Recap
Aug 7, 2011
By: Zac Vierra

Halfway through the 2011 Cape League season the lights at Doran Park were knocked out much like in the film, “The Natural.” Except in this script, it was not a homerun that shutdown power at the ballpark, instead a lightning strike did the deed. And unlike in “The Natural,” there was no storybook ending for the 2011 Bourne Braves.

For the second straight year the Braves were swept in the first round of the Cape League Playoffs by the Wareham Gatemen.

Although the season ended on a disappointing note, the ride was thrilling and included a successful regular season with many positives.

There were 41 players who suited up for the Braves during the summer, leading the team to a 22-20-2 record, good enough for third place in the Western Division.

It was a streaky season for Bourne. The Braves had a rough start to the season losing four of their first five games. They also ended the year dropping 10 of their last 13 games, including playoffs. In the middle of the season a streak of greatness occurred from July 7th to July 17th where the Braves went 9-1, the only loss a 5-3 rain-shortened defeat.

At the time nothing could go wrong for the Braves said infielder Garrett Cannizaro (Tulane).

"It seems like we can't lose right now," said Cannizaro after a 6-4 victory against Orleans on July 17th. "We are just going out and doing the same thing we have done all year, playing good defense, pitching great and getting timely hits. You do that in this league and it is going to be tough to lose."

The Braves were never able to recapture that magic as they would only win four more games the rest of the season.

“We were never really a great hitting team but we played defense and we pitched well,” said Braves head coach Harvey Shapiro. “We didn’t do well down the stretch.”

Although the team did not end up making a deep playoff run, several of the players had terrific individual seasons.

Center fielder Travis Jankowski (Stony Brook) had an amazing summer and was rightfully awarded the Pat Sorenti Award for the league’s most valuable player.

“I can’t even describe what that was like,” said Jankowski. “You come up here and this is supposed to the best league for college players and you are named MVP…that was pretty cool.”

Jankowski started all 44 games for Bourne and hit .329 with 22 RBI and 15 steals while leading the Cape League in hits (57), runs (31), and triples (7).

But as great as Jankowski was with his bat, he might have been even more impressive in the field. He did not commit an error all season and his diving catch over his shoulder in straight away center field on the fourth of July, might have been the highlight of the season for the Braves and a play Jankowski described as his favorite.

Shapiro said Jankowski was the catalyst for the team.

“When he didn’t hit or get on we had trouble scoring and had trouble winning,” said Shapiro. “He was the most exciting player in the league.”

Bourne was lucky to have Jankowski’s Stony Brook teammate, Pat Cantwell, as the starting catcher. Cantwell, who started the season as a temporary player, ended up being the vocal leader and field general for the team. And he did it the right way. Cantwell was awarded the Daniel J. Silva Award for sportsmanship which was voted on by league umpires.

Cantwell said sportsmanship has always been important to him since his mom taught him that at a young age.

“I’m always going to thank an umpire when he gives me a ball. I just feel like it’s the right thing to do,” said Cantwell. “I’m not about being snobby or snatching a ball. I’ve always been polite.”

Ryan Eades (LSU) was the starting ace for Bourne all season. Eades went 3-0 in six starts with a 0.84 ERA. He only allowed three earned runs in 32.1 innings pitched and struck out 23 batters. Eades was given the honor of starting the Cape League All-Star Game at Fenway Park and a week later won the BFC Whitehouse Award for the league’s outstanding pitcher.

“The league is filled with great pitchers and a lot of people could have been chosen. For them to pick me was pretty special,” Eades said after being picked as the starting pitcher for the Western All-Stars.

Eades had to leave the team right before the playoffs due to an injury and Shapiro said his absence played a giant role in the early playoff exit.

Along with Eades there were some other great pitching performances.

Chris Pickering (URI) led the team in starts with seven and innings pitched with 38. Kevin Brandt (ECU) had the most strikeouts among starting pitchers with 30 and Ryan Connolly (Coastal Carolina) led the bullpen in K’s with 29. RJ Alvarez (FAU) spent most of the season as the closer and had seven saves with a 2.70 ERA. John Farrell (William & Mary) did not allow a run in his first 11 appearances out of the bullpen and was named a Cape League All-Star.

A pair of UNC Tar Heels, Tommy Coyle and Colin Moran, had a big impact on the team hitting .315 and .289 respectively once joining the Braves after the College World Series. Kyle Farmer (Georgia) played in 41 games and led the team in doubles with 11. Most of the power was provided by DJ Hicks (UCF) who led the league in homeruns with seven.

Two players even had double duty, pitching and playing in the field. Josh Conway (Coastal Carolina) went 2-0 with a 1.88 ERA in five starts and played left field on July 3rd and had two hits. He also scored the winning run on a wild pitch in a wacky walk-off win against Cotuit on July 11th. After struggling at the plate in 28 games, Johnny Bladel (JMU) was sent to the bullpen where he did not allow a run in three appearances.

Although the season did not end with a championship, it was a wild ride and an experience that the players will never forget.

“It’s always tough to go out on [a loss] like this but I made some friends that will probably last forever and you can’t complain about a great summer,” said Cantwell.