2020 in Review

By: Patrick Foster

Edenton, NC- Following 22 years as a member of the Coastal Plain League, having one three championships including their most recent in 2015, the Edenton Steamers sought new and unknown pastures and joined the newly developed Tidewater Summer League in 2020. While Edenton fell short of their ultimate goal of a championship in their inaugural year in the Tidewater Summer League, the season was stuffed with lively moments as well as a bevy of individual and team success.

 2019 saw the Steamers finish with a 26-26 overall record and miss the CPL postseason for the second straight summer. The clams responded this summer by running the table in the TSL for nearly the entire regular season.

The Steamers completed the 2020 regular season with an astounding league record of 21-5 which secured them the top seed in the TSL playoffs.

Edenton began league play with four straight dominant wins over each TSL team. The Steamers then slid into their longest losing streak of the season dropping three straight contests.

After their fourth loss of the season to Old Dominion on July 5, the clams rattled off seven wins in a row. However, that would only be their second longest win streak of 2020 as they went on to win nine straight contests in league play to close out the regular season.

Edenton played just one TSL game on the road this summer. The clams came away with the win over the Greenbrier Knights 12-4 at Lakewood Park in Norfolk, VA.

The Steamers struggled the most in exhibition contests this year. They finished with an exhibition record of 1-3 splitting two games against the Tarboro River Bandits and dropping two to the former CPL rival Peninsula Pilots at War Memorial Stadium in Hampton, VA.

The offensive firepower of the Steamers was on display throughout the entire season. The clams completed 2020 with four wins in which they scored 20 runs or more along with nine wins with double digit score differentials.

As a team Edenton finished the summer with 61 team home runs, 263 RBIs and 305 runs scored in 27 TSL contests.

Despite coming in as the one seed, Edenton faced off against the hungry and talented Tidewater Drillersin the semi-final round of the playoffs. Edenton lost the contest at Historic Hicks 5-4 in what was arguably the most exciting game of the summer.

The individual success for Edenton may have outshone that of the entire team.

In their first ever season in the TSL, Edenton sent 11 players to the 2020 TSL All-Star contest including Houston Wright, Alan Alonso, Shane Easter, Josiah Sightler, Casey Haire, Allen Brown, Jake Rice, Colin Kriminger, Josiah Sightler, Daly Marcano and Alex Shirazi.

Houston Wright was nothing short of an all-around stud for the Steamers in 2020.

Wright led the way for the TSL in nearly every offensive statistical category and set a single season Steamers franchise record with 51 RBIs. Wright took home the TSL MVP award with a .473 batting average, 14 home runs, 51 RBIs, 43 runs and 70 quality at-bats in 110 plate appearances.

Alan Alonso from the University of Mount Olive ranked alongside Wright in each offensive category. Alonso ranked second in the league in batting average at .398, RBIs with 34, runs scored with 33 and quality at-bats with 58. Alonso led the TSL in on-base plus slugging at 1.347 and slugging percentage at .819.

Alonso also finished 2020 with a .964 FLD% with just one error in 64 total opportunities making 51 put-outs and 12 assists.

Shane Easter led the way for Edenton in walks with 22 as he finished the regular season with a .338 batting average. Easter played all nine positions throughout the season and even played all nine in just one game in Edenton’s last regular season competition against Greenbrier.

Casey Haire posted the third best average at the plate for Edenton at .345 with five doubles, two home runs and 11 RBIs. Jared Kauffman finished fourth in batting average at .341 with three homers, 22 RBIs and 29 runs scored.

Brody Rubenstein led the way in steals for the Edenton Steamers. Rubenstein swiped 14 bags in 23 games played.

Josiah Sightler and Aaron Copeland were standout two-ways for Edenton this summer.

In 19 games as a hitter Sightler batted .338 with seven home runs and 27 RBIs. Sightler made five appearances on the mound with four starts totaling 19.2 innings pitched and an ERA of 2.29 with 31 strikeouts.

Sightler hit one of three grand slams for the Steamers in a three homer and eight RBI night against Tidewater on July 28. The other two grand slams came from Adam Fine on July 30 against Old Dominion and Jackson Hipp against Greenbrier on July 31.

Although Copeland struggled early on at the plate, he made some important adjustments and wrapped up the summer with a .297 batting average with a double, triple, seven homers and 21 RBIs. In eight games on the mound out of the bullpen Copeland collected 10.1 innings and earned an ERA of 2.61 with a win/loss record of 2-0.

Joe Kemlage completed the summer with the lowest ERA of any Steamer at 1.317 in four TSL appearances, two of them starts. 

Colin Kriminger finished with the second lowest ERA on the squad. In six appearances and five starts Kriminger ended with an ERA of 2.03 with 29 punch outs.

Alex Shirazi and Daniel Willie were the only other pitchers outside of Sightler to collect 30 or more strikeouts on the year. 

Shirazi finished with the most strikeouts for the clams with 41 and earned 18 of his in an eight inning shutout start against the Greenbrier Knights on July 25. The performance set an all-time Steamers record for most strikeouts in a single game.

Edenton had three position players finish with perfect fielding percentages. Adam Fine, Houston Wright and Jackson Hipp each finished errorless in the diamond with at least 15 total chances.

While Edenton may not have reached their goal of a league title in 2020, the high powered and electric offense coupled with elite pitching brought joy and excitement to Historic Hicks in a time when uncertainty and fear seem to loom everywhere.

The clams expect to return in full force in 2021 for their second season in the Tidewater Summer League in pursuit of their first ever league championship.