Teter a solid anchor for Gatemen
Jacob Teter lists the Red Sox as his favorite team, and
Dustin Pedroia as his favorite player. He’s a 6-foot-6 lefty swinging first baseman with a deft glove hand and adept feet around the bag.
Teter is currently holding down his position for the Wareham Gatemen of the Cape Cod Baseball League and hitting .298 (31-of-104) with 16 runs scored, four doubles, two home runs, 17 RBI and a pair of stolen bases. In the field, the durable Teter has posted a .991 percentage in 220 innings played, making 195 putouts and 18 assists and just two errors.
Let’s hope the Fenway Park hierarchy are paying close attention.
“It’s not too much different from college baseball. It’s still baseball,” Teter said. “But it’s incredible competition here and it’s a great opportunity. It’s not what I expected. The atmosphere is great. The host family is great. The fans are really supportive and the (organization) has put together a great team and I can’t say enough about all the friends I’ve made.
“Truthfully, I’ve just been trying to showcase my tools and try to improve each day and that’s really been what I’m trying to do. They’ve put together a great group of guys. It’s fun and I’m excited.”
Teter played high school volleyball, which arguably accounts for his adroitness in the field.
“My mom (Lisa) coached volleyball at Melbourne High up until my younger brother was born and so I played the game from an early age and I really love the game. It’s such a refined game and it helps you with your footwork,” the ever courteous Teter said.
Teter received the Random Acts of Kindness Scholarship during graduation ceremonies from his Eau Gallie High School in Melbourne, Fla.
“I didn’t know that I was even nominated for the award until the principal called me up on stage. It was a $500 scholarship that helped toward college tuition,” said Teter, who said it wasn’t for any one particular act.
Teter spent his initial college season toiling for Florida Southern, where he was the Sunshine State Conference Freshman of the Year.
Teter, who bears an uncanny likeness to former major leaguer Mark “The
Bird” Fidrych, said his love for the Sox came at an early age.
“I think I was in second or third grade and they were like the team to beat. They were coming into their own and at the top of the game with players like Manny
Ramirez ,( David) Ortiz , and Pedroia. They were on television and the highlights all the time,” said Teter, who will be MLB Draft-eligible next year and would love to get a call from the BoSox. “That would be cool.”
Yawkey on top
Much of the other local amateur baseball action was on hold as four leagues took part in Saturday’s eighth annual Eastern Mass. Amateur Baseball Classic (EMABC) at Lexington High. The bragging rights went to the Yawkey Baseball League, which ousted the walks-plagued (five) Cranberry League, 7-4, in the opener, before edging the Boston Park League, 5-4, to claim its third title.
Liam Moreno of the Brighton Braves took home MVP honors after doubling to drive home Colin Rooney (Al Thomas A’s) with the goahead run in Game 1 before belting a tournament-record two home runs – a three-run shot in the second and a two-run round-tripper in the sixth – to spark the title win.
A new low
The Boston Park League’s 2-1 win over Intercity League in its opening-round victory marked the lowest scoring game in EMABC history. The two hits compiled by Intercity batsmen also were the fewest ever. The win was BPL’s first in the eight-year-old competition as righty Garrett Siegell (Boston Athletics) picked up a win that was secured when right-hander Bobby Tramondozzi of ADSL and UMassBoston threw a 1-2-3 seventh inning for the save.
Meanwhile, in the Cranberry League’s aforementioned loss to YBL, Mitch
Lundholm of the Plymouth Brewers knocked in a pair of runs. Lundholm, who plays for Fisher College, paces the Cranberry loop in hitting with a .508 (31-of-61) average on the season.