Demel and Walker earn summer honors
8/19/2006 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Aug. 19, 2006
FORT WORTH, Texas - Playing in the prestigious Cape Cod Baseball League this summer, two Horned Frogs earned postseason accolades from the league. Junior catcher, Andrew Walker was honored with the Manny Robello 10th Player Award, while junior right-handed pitcher Sam Demel was named to the all-league team.Demel, who spent the summer as a member of the Falmouth Commodores, was one of two relief pitchers named to the Cape Cod's All-League squad. He finished the summer season with 12 saves in 26 games. He was 1-2 with a 1.73 ERA in 26 innings pitched. In those innings, the righty fanned 38 batters and limited them to just 14 hits over the course of the season. Demel was selected to the Cape Cod League's All-Star team back in July.
The 2006 Manny Robello 10th Player Award was presented to Andrew Walker (Texas Christian) of the Falmouth Commodores for his untiring determination - even when injuries looked like they would set him back.
A catcher is often defined as one of the most essential position players. Dan Dunn, the assistant GM of the Falmouth Commodores, described Walker as just that. "[Walker] was the backbone of our team," Dunn said. "He battled some injuries throughout the season but never let them hamper his playing ability. His grinding work ethic was an inspiration to the team. He often had clutch hits or would make a play when the team needed a boost." Dunn compared his style of play to Cliff Pennington, the 2004 10th Player Award winner Pennington who also played for Falmouth.
Walker faced lost time due two injuries during the summer, but he came back quickly enough to appear in 37 games. This summer for Falmouth, Walker put up a .271 average with 16 runs, two homers, and 19 RBIs. He broke a bat against his forearm against Brewster early in the year, and then he dislocated his middle finger against Hyannis. For this second injury, he was told he would be out ten days, but through hard work he came back after three. With recovering so quickly from these injuries Walker was also given the Iron Man Award by the Commodores.
Courtesy of Cape Cod Baseball League
