Cannon Baller Chronicle: Kannapolis Completes Final Road Trip of 2022, Set for Last Homestand of Season

KANNAPOLIS, N.C. – The Kannapolis Cannon Ballers have finished their road trips for the 2022 season, splitting their final away series in Lynchburg against the Hillcats.

With the three wins, the Ballers move to 30-30 in the second half of the season, remaining in third place. Kannapolis has been officially eliminated from playoff contention in the 2022 Carolina League season, remaining seven games back of the Charleston RiverDogs with six games left.

GLASS SHATTERS THE COMPETITION

OF Logan Glass had a week to remember at the plate against Lynchburg. In three games, the 2019 22nd round pick batted a scorching .700, crushing three home runs, six RBI, and walking twice. With the hot week at the dish, Glass raises his season batting average to .188, taking the current team lead in home runs with eight on the year.

‘NOLE TO ROCKER TO BALLER

One of only two Ballers to toss more than 5.0 innings on the week, LHP Jonah Scolaro earned a much-deserved victory on Wednesday, striking out eight in six shutout innings. The former Florida State Seminole allowed just two hits and walked none. In a rotation that has seen much turn-around, Scolaro has already transitioned into a stand-out, dependable arm that can go deeper into ballgames.

NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK

Many of the Chicago White Sox recent draft picks have caught fire in recent outings, including multiple multi-hit games from INFs Tim Elko and Jordan Sprinkle, and OF Jacob Burke. Elko now leads the way in batting average on the active roster, batting .319. Sprinkle has used his speed while earning base hits, swiping nine bases in 17 games, one of the best ratios on the team. Finally, Burke has put together big performances in big moments, adding multi-hit games in both of the games he played in in Lynchburg in which the Ballers came out on top.

ON TO THE NEXT

The GreenJackets, Low-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves, enter their final week of the 2022 season out of the race for the South Division in the second half at 29-30. Augusta arrives after a series split at home against the Salem Red Sox in which they scored as many as 11 runs and gave up as many as 17.

Against Kannapolis, Augusta is 4-2 in 2022, taking the only six-game series between the two sides in early June at SRP Park. This is the first time the GreenJackets travel to Kannapolis since 2019, and the first time that Augusta visits as an affiliate of the Braves.

Augusta holds five of the top 30 prospects in the Braves organization in RHP Owen Murphy (No. 5), RHP JR Ritchie (No. 6), RHP AJ Smith-Shawver (No. 10), C Drake Baldwin (No. 23), and RHP Blake Burkhalter (No. 25).

Atlanta’s 2022 first-round pick in Murphy has appeared just twice with the GreenJackets, allowing six runs in three innings. Ritchie is a 2022 compensation round selection by the Braves who has also appeared in just two games with Augusta. Smith-Shawver, a hard-throwing righty who has been in Augusta all season, is currently listed on the seven-day injured list. Baldwin has impressed in his 16 games with the GreenJackets thus far, walking 14 times and striking out 16 times. The 2022 third round pick is batting .233 with three RBI. Finally, Burkhalter made his Augusta debut on September 4 vs. Salem, tossing 1.1 innings out of the bullpen with one hit and one strikeout.

The Kannapolis Cannon Ballers are back home at Atrium Health Ballpark for their final week of action in the 2022 Carolina League season September 6-11 against the Augusta GreenJackets, Low-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves.

Tickets can be purchased for any upcoming home games at kcballers.com or at the F&M Bank Box Office located at Atrium Health Ballpark. Fans can also keep up with the action on the team’s social media outlets, with live in-game updates being provided on Twitter at @kcannonballers. All Cannon Ballers home games, as well as select road games, will have a free audio broadcast on kcballers.com, with all home games also being broadcasted on MiLB.tv.