In 2014, the Rochester Honkers finished the season nine games out of first in the North Division, and fell well short of the playoffs. At the midway point of the 2014 season, the Honkers were already five games out of first place and had dug themselves a deep hole for the second half of the season.

This summer's Honkers team has come out of the gates flying. We are very near the half way point of this season and the Honkers are very much in the playoff race. Rochester is currently 16-11 and just a game out of first in the North Division.

A trio of starting pitchers for the Honkers have been getting the job done well through the first half of the season. Tyler Feyereisen has been a reliable starter for the Honkers this season. Feyereisen is the co-leader in innings pitched with 26.1 in four starts and has an ERA of 2.73. Feyereisen has done a solid job keeping runners off the base paths, allowing a batting average of just .220 and has a WHIP of 1.19.

Starting pitcher, Jason Yano has also had a terrific season, thus far. Yano has also pitched 26.1 innings over four starts and owns an ERA of just 2.39. He has allowed just 7 runs all year on 19 hits and just four walks. Yano has been extremely difficult to hit, with opponents hitting just .207 against him. Not only has he been hard to hit, but he has hardly allowed base runners what-so-ever, with a WHIP of just .88.

The final starting pitcher in the Honkers tremendous trio on the mound is Barton County CC Sophomore Alex Evans. Evans has maybe had the best year out of the three, as he has yet to lose a start, sitting at 2-0. Though he has allowed more base runners than Yano and Feyereisen, he has done a great job of damage control, allowing just seven earned runs thus far which gives him an outstanding 1.98 ERA.

On the offensive side, its been a group effort for the Honkers this season. UCONN infielder, Joe DeRoche-Duffin has brought the most power to the Honkers line-up this summer. DeRoche-Duffin has played in 20 games and has hit just .237, and has struck out 22 times in 59 at-bats. Where he has struggled contact-wise he has made up for with his power. DeRoche-Duffin leads the Honkers with four homers and 11 RBI's.

Nebraska-Omaha outfielder Alex Schultz has showcased his speed through the first half of the year. Schultz has swiped eight bases in 25 games, more than any other Honker. Schultz has also done a great job of getting on base and coming around to score. He is hitting .282 on the year and has been walked a team-high, 21 times. He also leads the team in hits, with 24, and runs, with 20.

Compared to a year ago, the Honkers should be happy with where they are in the standings. There is still a lot of baseball left to be played, however, and the Honkers need to keep their foot on the pedal for the second half of the year. Sitting just a game out of first, the Honkers, with their starting pitching and timely offense, are more than capable of getting to the NWL playoffs in August.

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