FIRST HALF CHAMPIONSHIP GOES TO THE KEYS

After a 10-11 month of April, the Keys turned things around in May and June as they won the first half Northern Division Championship for the second straight season. For just third time in franchise history, Frederick won 40 games in the first half of the season and come September, the Keys will return to the postseason for the fifth time in seven years.

The Keys went 19-11 in May but seemed to hit their stride on Memorial Day weekend. Following a heartbreaking loss in Wilmington on May 25th, Frederick headed to Salem, VA for the holiday weekend. The Keys swept a doubleheader from the Red Sox on Friday night and then followed up with two more victories to close out the weekend. The four-game road sweep was the Keys' first since August of 1998. The momentum continued as Frederick returned to Harry Grove Stadium and took three-of-four from the eventual first half Southern Division champion, the Myrtle Beach Pelicans. Frederick seemed unstoppable as they won their first eight games in June and clinched the pennant on Monday, June 13th in Winston-Salem, NC.

Frederick's roster did not have a clear cut superstar in the first half. Despite posting the top record in the Carolina League, only two Keys were placed on the Carolina League All-Star team (1B Tyler Townsend & P Bobby Bundy).

Townsend picked up in 2011 where he left off in 2010. The Lewes, DE native was named Carolina League Player of the Week in consecutive to close out the 2010 campaign. Halfway home in 2011, Townsend led the Keys in most offensive categories including batting average, home runs, doubles, RBI, and slugging percentage.

3B Dale Mollenhauer, OF Steve Bumbry, and INF Bobby Stevens proved to integral parts of the Keys lineup throughout the first half. Bumbry and Stevens emerged as an impressive 1-2 combo atop the Frederick batting order down the stretch in the first half.

Delmarva standouts, OF Kipp Schutz and INF Jonathan Schoop joined the Keys in the final month of the first half and added some serious pop to the middle of the lineup.

Behind the plate, C Brian Ward was remarkable at controlling the opponent's running game. Ward threw out 50% of runner's who attempted to swipe second or third.

As for the pitching, the Keys staff, from top to bottom, was stellar through May and June. The rotation was led by Bobby Bundy. Bundy was named the Orioles' Organizational Pitcher of the Month for May after he went 3-1 with an ERA of 2.93 ERA in five starts. Oliver Drake, Nathan Moreau, Nick Haughian, and Ryohei Tanaka all made multiple quality starts for the Keys down the stretch in the first half.

Out of the bullpen, Sean Gleason closed out the first half as Carolina League leader in saves, appearances, and games finished. Chris Petrini and Justin Moore were each solid editions to the pen after opening day. The duo combined to appear in over 30 games and each posted an ERA below 3.00.

With playoffs already in the forecast for September, the Keys will try to bring the Mills Cup back to Frederick for the first time since 2007.