CAPE COD, Mass. -- Rising junior Bradley Baseball player Dan Brewer (Brookfield, Ill./Lyons Township H.S.) will be the starting designated hitter for the West team during the 45th annual Cape Cod Baseball League All-Star Game Saturday at Spillane Field in Wareham, Mass.
Primarily playing in the outfield for the Hyannis Mets (12-18) and swinging a wooden bat, Brewer is leading his team with a .339 batting average, 20 runs batted in, 13 extra-base hits and a .414 on-base percentage. His .339 average is second-best in the league through Sunday, just two points off the league-leading pace (.341) currently set by Iowa's Kevin Hoef (Bourne Braves). In addition Brewer's 38 hits currently lead the league and he is fourth in the league with a .545 slugging percentage.
Brewer is a two-time All-Missouri Valley Conference infielder for the Braves, earning honorable mention notice at second base in 2006 and second-team accolades at shortstop last season. After leading the Braves in batting average (.347), hits (68), runs (42), doubles (20), home runs (5) and stolen bases (8) during his freshman campaign, Brewer became the first player in school history to launch 10 home runs and swipe 20 bases in a season this past spring. In addition to his 20 steals and 10 homers, Brewer hit .313 with 12 doubles and 30 runs batted in for the Braves (32-21), who finished the year with 17 wins in the final 23 games after Brewer was moved into the leadoff position.
Brewer is one of two Missouri Valley Conference players to make the prestigious Cape Cod Baseball League All-Star Game, joining Wichita State third baseman Conor Gillaspie (Falmouth Commodores) on the West team.
The all-star game festivities will begin with the West team signing autographs during the East team's batting practice at 1:45 p.m. (ET) Saturday at Spillane Field. The West squad will hit at 2:30 and the teams will take infield for 15 minutes each, followed by the Home Run Hitting Contest at 4 p.m. and the game at 6 o'clock. The game will be broadcast live on National Public Radio and will be televised on a tape-delay basis on the New England Sports Network (NESN) July 30 at 6 p.m. (CT).
At the professional level, former Bradley star Ryan Curry drove home the go-ahead run for the Jamestown Jammers (Florida Marlins) in the seventh inning of Sunday's 8-6 New York-Penn League victory against the Vermont Lake Monsters (Washington Nationals). Curry finished the game 1-for-4 with the seventh-inning sacrifice fly and two runs scored. The 2007 first-team All-MVC second baseman begins the week with a .274 batting average for his rookie league team.
Brewer and Curry's Bradley teammate, outfielder Justin Carr, continues to swing a hot bat for the Evansville Otters in the independent Frontier League. Although a 1-for-4 performance in Sunday's 5-3 loss at Gateway dropped his average, Carr is batting .326 through his first 24 games with the Otters.
On the mound, former Bradley star Brandon Magee improved to 3-6 on the season for the high Single-A Dunedin Blue Jays (Toronto) by scattering six hits, including a pair of solo home runs, over 8.0 innings in Saturday's 12-2 win against the Clearwater Threshers (Philadelphia Phillies). Although his record does not reflect his improved performance, Magee has bounced back from a slow start in Dunedin by boasting a 3.22 earned run average in his last 10 appearances and a 2.65 ERA in his last five outings.
