July 19, 2004
ORLANDO - The summer collegiate baseball season is in full swing as several UCF players are in action in NCAA sanctioned wooden bat leagues around the nation. The Golden Knights have five players in the Cape Cod League, the premier collegiate baseball summer league in the nation.
Topping the list in the Cape is rising junior right-handed pitcher Kyle Bono. The Lake Mary native was an eighth round draft pick of the Boston Red Sox in the 2004 Major League Baseball Draft and Bono is still in contract talks with the Red Sox. Over the last two weeks, Boston general manager Theo Epstein visited the Cape to watch Bono pitch for the Chatham A's.
Bono was named to the West All-Star Team for the 2004 Cape Cod League All-Star Game.
Bono is expected to decide on professional baseball or returning to UCF by early August. During his time on the Cape, Bono has been the league's top closer. Although he was used as a starting pitcher in 2004 for UCF, Bono has limited his innings this summer as a closer.
In 12 games, Bono is 1-0 with seven saves and a perfect 0.00 ERA. In 15.2 innings, Bono has yielded just five hits with 22 strikeouts and five walks. He has yet to allow a run during the season. Bono is also tied for the league lead with seven saves.
His twin brother Ryan has joined Kyle on the Cape with the A's. In 18 games including 13 starts at first base and five at catcher, Ryan is batting .240 with one home run and eight RBI. Ryan leads the A's in batting and ranks second in RBI.
Rising junior pitcher Mike Billek has joined the Bono twins on the A's roster and has pitched extremely well for Chatham. Billek is 0-1 with a 2.79 ERA in four appearances. In 9.2 innings of work, Billek has yielded eight hits, three runs with one walk and 14 strikeouts.
Drew Butera has appeared in 24 games for the Orleans Cardinals in the Cape. The rising junior is batting .155 with five RBI for Orleans.
Rising sophomore Matt Ray is the final UCF player active in the Cape. Ray is playing with Yarmouth-Dennis and is batting .188 in 10 games.
In the Valley League in Virginia, eight Golden Knights are currently active. Rising senior Dee Brown joined Luray in mid-June and went on to win the Home Run Derby at the Valley League All-Star Game, belting 14 homers to win the title. In 15 games for Luray, Brown is batting .259 with three home runs and six RBI.
Drake Wade garnered All-Star honors with the Staunton Braves as the rising senior has hit .262 with a team-best five home runs in 26 games.
Joining Wade on the Staunton roster are rising senior right-handed pitcher Darren Newlin and rising sophomore right-hander Derek Abriola. Newlin is 1-0 with a 3.32 ERA in 19 innings with 20 strikeouts and just six walks. Opponents are batting .230 off the right-hander. Abriola is 3-0 with a 4.50 ERA in six games for the Braves.
Elsewhere around the Valley League, Matt LaFleur and Kevin Richmond are playing for Loudoun. LaFleur is batting .177 with one home run in 19 games while Richmond is hitting .158 in 11 games for the Rangers.
Rising senior third baseman Marshall Bernhard and rising senior left-hander Mike Mercadante are with the Covington Lumberjacks in the Valley League. Bernhard is fifth on the team with a .257 batting average in 27 games while Mercadante is 0-2 with a 4.63 ERA in eight games.
Brian Brooks and Dave Lambert are both in the Central Illinois Collegiate League. Brooks is 0-2 with an 8.05 ERA for the Springfield Rifles.
Four other Golden Knights are currently active in the Florida Collegiate League. Rising senior Tim Ford is batting .417 with Winter Park. Joining Ford on the Winter Park club include rising sophomores Matt McClung and Barry Baxter. McClung is batting .233 while Baxter is hitting .182 with one home run for Winter Park.
Rising senior right-handed pitcher Matt Rhodes is pitching for Sanford in the Florida Collegiate League. Rhodes is 0-1 with a 4.50 ERA.