LARAMIE, Wyo. – While the season ended a few weeks back for the Lincoln University baseball team, sophomore Chris Pfau and junior Brian Patrick will continue playing this summer for the Laramie Colts in the Mountain Collegiate Baseball League (MCBL).
The MCBL is comprised of four teams including the Cheyenne Grizzlies, Fort Collins Foxes, Greeley Grays and the Colts.
Laramie has players from all over the NCAA ranks, including several Division I athletes, as the team alone had 18 Division I players on the team last season and over the past five seasons, 15 players have entered major league baseball.
“This will be the first time that we have had players go play in this league,” Lincoln head baseball coach Jim Dapkus said. “I have recruited players that have gone there before, but this will be the first to have a Blue Tiger play there.”
Pfau finished the season being named to the All-Heartland second-team as a starting pitcher, while also compiling several top marks on the Blue Tiger pitching staff.
Pfau’s 3.86 ERA ranked 10th in the Heartland Conference, while he led the Blue Tigers in wins (5), innings pitched (77), complete games (5) and strikeouts (67). His .338 batting average and 10 stolen bases also led the team on the offensive side. Pfau took a no-hitter into the sixth inning in the final game of the season against Oklahoma Panhandle State and finally surrendered his first hit of the game with two outs in the inning. Pfau ended up pitching a complete game, going all nine innings, giving up one unearned run, while allowing five hits, two walks and four strikeouts.
Pfau was also honored as HC Pitcher of the Week three times throughout the season, as he was the only three-time winner of the award in the conference this season.
Patrick played in all 48 games this season, starting 46, with most coming behind the plate, while he also started a few games at third base. He posted a .276 batting average, to go along with 25 runs scored, 11 doubles, two home runs, 25 RBI and a .966 fielding percentage.
“You can always tell the difference in a kid after they have played in a good league and come back,” Dapkus said. “The confidence level is good and it helps out for the upcoming years playing here. This will be a good opportunity for both of them and it is also a unique situation in being able to play in a part of the country that they never have before.”
Laramie opens the season on the road this Friday, May 28 against Fort Collins and will continue with the season into the first part of August with the league playoffs. Follow along throughout the season on the Colts’ home page below.
http://www.laramiecolts.com/