Well as per usual, the weather in June was absolutely brutal. I guess that’s why we call it June Monsoon. In total we saw 15 games postponed due to rain, with our schedule now stretching into mid August with makeup dates.

The standings have tightened up a bit, as we now see the Giants and White Sox in a race for first with the Giants having a couple games in hand. On the other end of the standings it is going to be a dog fight for the last playoff spot. Someone is going to get their heart broken, every single remaining game is important so stay tuned in July. The Cardinals are the only team who have been eliminated, but looks for them to play spoiler late.

And now for your Studs of the Month. Our sponsors Papi Sunglasses, and Calgary Septic and Water continue to get a big shoutout. Special thanks to Tim Wiebe who organizes all the prizes. The biggest offensive and pitching “studs” will receive a pair of shades  to show off.

Ben Swennumson played only four games in June for the first place Giants due to a number of rainouts, but boy did he cash in. He hit .800 for the month going 12-15, leading the league in 2Bs (5), SBs (4) and OPS (1.975). He also didn’t strike out at all – so in summary, it was a good month for Ben. His biggest game was on June 23 going 4-5 with 2 2Bs and 4RBI vs the first place White Sox, a 12-0 Giants win.

Will Howard helped right the ship for the Diamondbacks after a tough May as they went 6-1 in June, as he hit .588 going 10-17. He had at least 1 in each of the 6 games he played, leading all hitters in the month in total bases (18) and finishing 2nd in HRs (1) and RBIs (10). His signature game was a 15-4 stomping over the Longhorns on June 18 where he went 3-3 with a grand slam and 6 RBIs.

Nailing down the final player was really tough this month, there are about 3-4 guys who I could have put here. But we are going to stick with the Diamondbacks and SS Jake Markowski who had a fantastic month, leading the league in hits (14), Runs (12) & SBs (4) while hitting .609 going 14-23. His key game was an 18-5 boatrace over the Guns on June 13 where he went 4-5 with 3R and 3 RBI.

Don’t look now but the Dukes have another strong pitcher on their staff. While the team had an underwhelming month going 3-4, Noah Scimgeour did his part on the mound putting together a solid month. He lead all pitchers with 20.1IP, striking out out a ridiculous 46 hitters, good for a 16.02 K/7 ratio. He finished the month strong with a 7IP, 15K CG gem on June 30, helping the Dukes give the Diamondbacks their lone loss on the month in a 7-3 win.

Speaking of the Diamondbacks, Tom Gayef pitched twice in June, and to the surprise of no one both were CG wins. He threw 14IP, allowing only 2ER, while strikeout 25 batters, with ZERO walks, yes a 25-0 K/BB ratio. He in fact has yet to walk a batter all season. Kids, take notes. His highlight game was a 15K CG win over the Guns on June 13.

Last but not least is Giant rookie Owen Swennumson, who joins an already solid pitching staff. In June he allowed 0 runs across two starts, both Giant victories. Both of his starts were equally impressive but on June 6, he shutout the Cardinals in 5IP allowing only 2H and striking out 6.

Congrats to all the June “Studs”, we will likely combine the July / August awards depending how the weather cooperates.