Cutters Show Marked Improvement in 2013
An old cliché in sports is, "numbers don't lie" and a quick look at the numbers clearly shows that the 2013 Williamsport Crosscutters season was an improvement over the 2012 version.
The 2013 squad finished the Crosscutters 15th Anniversary Season with a record of 37-38 good for 4th place in the always tough Pinckney Division. That mark was 7 wins better than 2012 when the Cutters finished with a record of 30-46.
The 2013 staff ERA of 3.50 was almost a full run lower than the previous year when the pitching staff set a Crosscutters record for highest ERA at 4.42. Opposing batters hit .249 against Cutters pitching in 2013 a reduction of 20 points from 2012.
Offensively, the 2013 Cutters numbers were very close to 2012 in every category except home runs. Case in point; the Cutters team batting average in 2013 was .247 which was actually lower than 2012 (.249). While this year's squad had slightly more total bases (942 vs. 900) it had less total hits (616 vs. 650) and scored less runs (324 vs. 337).
While the 2013 squad led the NYPL with 50 home runs, setting a new Crosscutters team record, it was the improvement in pitching which seemingly made the difference in the win-loss column, or was it?
While most of the team's offensive numbers were comparable in the two seasons, the 2013 Crosscutters ranked in the top 5 in the NYPL in most hitting categories, including ranking 3rd in runs scored and 2nd in total bases while leading the loop in long balls.
So why, you may ask did the team rank only 9th overall in the league with 37 wins? One could point to the fact that this team simply played .500 ball most of the year and just could not put together a long winning streak. The longest winning streak was four games which the team accomplished twice during the season. They also had two four game losing streaks along with one five game losing streak.
As with many baseball seasons, putting together a long winning streak or two can make all the difference between contending for a playoff position and just being in the middle of the pack.
End of Year Awards
The following team awards were presented prior to the final 2013 home game;
Crosscutters Most Valuable Player (voted by fellow players & coaches) - 3B Zach Green
The Rankin Johnson Pitcher of the Year (voted by fellow players & coaches) - RHP Drew Anderson
Max & Alta Border Good Guy Award for Community Service (voted by Crosscutters front office staff)-
2B Andrew Pullin
Richard Bittner Most Popular Player Award (voted on by Crosscutters Booster Club)- 3B Zach Green
The Gold Star Game Day Employee of the Year Award (voted on by Crosscutters front office staff) - Boomer/Mascot
The Lycoming County United Way Home Run Team Player of the Year Award (presented to the Crosscutters HR leader by the United Way) - 3B Zach Green
2013 Crosscutters by the Numbers
37 - 2013 wins by the Crosscutters
37 -Players who wore a Cutters
9 - Crosscutters players promoted to Lakewood
1,783 - Average per game attendance at Bowman Field
2 - 2013 rain outs at Historic Bowman Field
27 - Home runs hit by the Cutters at home
5 - Home runs hit by the Cutters at home in 2012
13 - Home runs hit by Zach Green to tie a Cutters single season record set by Walter (Jr.) Young in 2001
11 - Longest hitting streak by a Cutters player (Gabriel Lino).
20 - Longest on-base streak by a Cutters player (Andrew Knapp).
62 - Double plays recorded by the Cutters (8th in league)
20 - Home wins
7 - Wins recorded in the last 10 games of the season