bvbombers.com

The last game of the Brazos Valley Bombers season was played nearly one month ago, yet the Bombers keep winning.

The latest victory came last week, when Baseball America named Brazos Valley pitcher Casey Whitmer the Texas Collegiate League’s top prospect during the 2007 season.

The honor comes as no surprise to Bombers fans, who watched Whitmer dazzle crowds and baffle hitters throughout the summer. Brazos Valley’s ace finished the season 2-2 with a miniscule 1.54 ERA, holding opposing hitters to a paltry .163 average. He led the TCL with 51 strikeouts, finished fifth in the league in ERA and sixth in innings pitched (46.2). Whitmer also led the Bombers staff in ERA, opponents’ average, innings pitched, strikeouts, and games started (seven).

Whitmer was named the TCL Freshman of the Year at the conclusion of the season, one of the three prestigious end-of-season player awards. He garnered Pitcher of the Week honors in the last week of June after coming one strikeout short of tying the league record for whiffs in a game, fanning 14 batters in seven innings against the Coppell Copperheads on June 26. Two weeks later, he pitched seven innings of one-hit baseball against the Weatherford Wranglers.

The Kilgore High School grad was not only one of six Bombers selected to participate in the TCL All-Star Game, but he was tabbed as the starting pitcher for the Speaker Division squad. He justified his selection by pitching a scoreless opening frame, striking out two.

Whitmer came to the Bombers after a freshman season with the Florida State Seminoles, but over the summer he elected to transfer to Texas and the powerhouse Longhorns program.

Baseball America, the industry’s top insider publication, annually evaluates every summer collegiate and minor league and speaks to league officials, coaches, and scouts. From this information, publishers release their highly-regarded list of each league’s top ten prospects based on their potential to reach and succeed in the Major Leagues.