SANFORD —The month of July has been, in previous years, a good month for the Mainers. They think this year will be no different.

Through the halfway point in the 2017 summer season, the Moose hold a 7-16 overall record. Just four games out of a playoff spot, there is still a lot of wiggle room for Sanford’s boys of summer to make a run for the NECBL crown in August. With the majority of their losses (12, to be exact) coming by a deficit of three runs or less, it’s safe to say that this team could very easily be 16-7. 

 “The first half of the season hasn’t garnered the win total we are used to here in Sanford, but I am fully confident that (Chris) Morris and his coaching staff will continue to develop this athletic group of young men into contenders through the month of July,” said Mainers General Manager Aaron Izaryk. 

In 2016, the Moose held a 17-9 record through the month of July. The way things are looking statistically, there’s no reason for them not to do so again.

Offensively, the Mainers have been right in every game, and have stuck with their opponents in hits per game. Their biggest issue has been RBIs, and hitting the ball in the gaps when there are runners in scoring position. A .203 batting average with runners on is tough, especially when the team has a 4.4-1 hit to strikeout ratio. 

The last 10 games for the Mainers have seen a significant mark-up on batting averages as well. As the team is hitting an even .250 in the last 10 contests, six different players are hitting above .300. While Riley Pittman (Arkansas-Little Rock) is on a seven-game hitting streak, the top of the order is getting on base, and the Moose have finally started piecing together timely hits. Shaine Hughes (Monmouth) and Pittman combine for seven RBI in the last 11 runs scored by Colby Maiola (UMas Lowell). Jimmy Kerr (Michigan) is 9-for-20 in his last ten games, hitting just under .500 in the first week of July, and his Michigan teammate Brock Keener is batting .313 with three runs scored and three RBI. 

Defensively, the Mainers have really come on in the latter half of June. Brock Keener has been the stand-out defensive attribute behind the plate, as he leads all catchers in assists (17) and runners caught stealing (nine), While the team holds a .953 fielding percentage, players are starting to mold into the positions they are expected to play in the second half of the season. 

“I really believe that this team’s best baseball is ahead of them,” said head coach Chris Morris. “This group has come to the field focused on getting better and competing at a high level every day, and we are working to play our best baseball in the month of July.”

As the team ERA is right in the middle of the pack amongst other NECBL teams (4.66), the bullpen for the Mainers has kept them alive in a plethora of games and situations this season. Jake Dexter (Southern Maine) leads the bullpen in both innings pitched (19.1) and ERA (1.83). Perez Knowles (Columbus St.) has given up just one run in just under six innings pitched, and Dalton Brown (TCU) already has a win and a save under his belt without giving up a run through four innings. David Hoar III (UMass Lowell) has the best record amongst pitchers, going 2-0 while sporting an ERA just under five. 

“The boys come to the park hungry, excited and ready to compete-that’s all you can ask for in summer baseball,” said Izaryk. We are very fortunate to have some of the very best programs in the country represented on our roster again, and bringing in talent while building a culture of development is something that coach Morris is very adept at. The Moose haven’t played their best baseball of the summer yet.”

Sanford currently sits 8 1/2 games out of first place in the northern division, but just four games out of a playoff spot. With the second half of the season starting now, a lot can happen over the next 20 games.