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Without a doubt, the most exciting individual performance in recent RCBL history has come from the hands of Chase DeLauter. The James Madison freshman All-American has been this league’s Mike Trout, he can simply do it all. In the field, on the mound, and especially at the plate Chase has excelled and then some. The lefty leads the RCBL in almost statistical batting categories: batting average (.545), hits (36), runs (36), home runs (13), extra base hits (25), RBIs (39), on-base percentage (.656) and more. At the mound, he had the seventh best ERA in the league at 3.60 and struckout 19 while only allowing eight hits in his four appearances for Broadway. He is, without a doubt, the most valuable player on the Bruins’ roster and in the entirety of the league — and this is his rookie season. Who knows if DeLauter will be back in the county league next year, he has the capability and skills to move on to bigger things, but for those who had the opportunity to watch Chase this season it really was a sight to see. DeLauter, if he sees that many pitches at all in the playoffs (he’s been intentionally walked almost a dozen times now) will be the player to watch as the Bruins make a push for their third championship title and first since 1938.
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On opening night of this season, I was fortunate enough to join an online broadcast with Matthew Atkins covering the reigning champion Clover Hill Bucks and Broadway Bruins at Buck Bowman Park. Late in the game, a Bruins pitcher comes in from the bullpen that neither one of us knew of — it was Riggleman. The right hander had no expectations, but surprised everyone in his short stint with his arsenal of pitches that for once seemed to fool the Bucks at the plate that night. The Beverly, West Virginia native and Glenville State Pioneer went on to dominate on the mound this year. With plenty of high profile arms around the league, Riggleman flew under the radar of most and surprised them with his skill. The Broadway starter was undefeated on the season with three wins. He pitched a total of 23 innings in six appearances with a league-leading 0.78 ERA. In those 23 innings, Riggleman had a strikeout-to-walk ratio of almost five, finishing the regular season with 24 strikeouts and 5 walks. Riggleman is just one of the many talented arms on the Bruins roster and will definitely be a big proponent in their championship run.
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From what I’ve witnessed in my first year covering the RCBL, the Clover Hill Bucks have the most passionate organization by far. Buck baseball runs deep in Dayton, the hundreds of fans that congregate to Buck Bowman Park every home game have an expectation for their team — championship or bust. Kevin Chandler certainly knew this and knew that he had big shoes to fill following in the footsteps of his former manager and beloved Buck Chris Cofer. The former player occasionally stepped on the mound with “the highest leg kick on this side of the Mississippi,” but had the biggest impact at the wheel of the Buck Train. In his first year as manager, Kevin has shown that he has the knowledge and skill set to continue the legacy of the many Bucks that came before him. While many teams this season scurried to pick up free agents left and right after the cancellations of many leagues in the area, Kevin Chandler was confident that his core group of veterans could get the job done. While they may have not had the regular season they hoped for, finishing in fourth, Clover Hill is still the reigning champions and still has the respect that comes with it. KC had a big time opportunity when he was offered the manager position and he took that to the fullest this season.
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