August 13th, 2009
(Photo of Tom Hembree, left, by Ron Macklin)
SEGUIN, Texas – Texas Lutheran reliever Tom Hembree (Burnet/Burnet) claimed a spot on the New York Collegiate Baseball League’s All-League Second Team.
Hembree, entering his senior season with the Bulldogs, played in the NYCBL for the summer. He played for the Brockport Riverbats. The team finished second in the NYCBL West Division with a regular-season record of 22-19. Brockport ended its season in the West Division semifinal playoff series.
Hembree tied for the team lead in appearances with 14 and posted a 1-0 record with a 2.41 ERA. He pitched a total of 18-2/3 innings and held opponents to a batting average of .176. Hembree struck out 26 and walked 10.
In the playoff series against Alfred, Hembree pitched 3-2/3 innings and appeared in both playoff games. Hembree did not allow a run and surrendered just one hit. He struck out two and did not walk a batter.
Hembree was joined on the Riverbats squad by TLU second baseman Andrew Femath (El Paso/Montwood/Howard JC), right-fielder Ryan Nokelby (Santa Fe, Texas/Santa Fe), and pitcher Jeremiah Steinert (Sugar Land/Dulles).
Steinert was a NYCBL All-Star and put together a 4-0 summer with an ERA of 2.36. He saw time as a starter and as a reliever. Steinert made 13 total appearances and three starts. He pitched a team-high 49-2/3 innings and recorded 37 strikeouts, 12 walks, and an opponent batting average of .214. Steinert also notched a complete game.
Femath finished fourth on the team in batting average, at .285. He played in 39 games and made 35 starts. Femath tallied five doubles, a triple, a home run, and 19 RBI. He also stole six bases in eight attempts. Femath was second on the team in run scored, with 30.
Nokelby played in 36 games and made 36 starts. He hit .269 with seven doubles, a triple, a home run, and 19 RBI. Nokelby walked 16 times and had four outfield assists. He also stole two bases in two attempts.
Hembree, Steinert, Femath and Nokelby were key members of TLU’s 2009 ASC West Division Championship. All four players will be seniors for the Bulldogs in 2010.
The NYCBL, founded in 1978, is a summer wood bat development league for professional baseball.
Major League Baseball funds a small portion of the league’s annual budget. The league gives college players who have not yet signed a professional contract the opportunity to develop their skills at a higher level of play, gain experience with wood bats, and be evaluated by scouts.
The NYCBL is located in scenic Upstate New York.
Teams play a 44-game regular season schedule with games beginning in June and ending in the last week in July. All games are nine innings, with most doubleheaders scheduled on the weekends. The All-Star game is played in early July, and the League Championship Series concludes in the first week of August.