Where the Stars of Tomorrow Shine Tonight!

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COTUIT, Mass. -- Sweet-swinging Patrick Biondi (Michigan) of Cotuit made his mark in the Cape Cod Baseball League with a memorable summer that earned him multiple honors and recognition, including the coveted Thurman Munson League Batting Championship.

            The hard-hitting Biondi received the Munson Batting Championship Trophy before the Kettleers’ CCBL first-round 12-7 playoff loss to visiting Bourne Thursday at Lowell Park.

            The batting championship is named after Munson, who caught for the Chatham A’s during 1967 when he led the league in batting with a lusty .420 average before signing with the New York Yankees the following summer and led the Bronx Bombers to three American league pennants and two World Series titles.

            Other notable past CCBL batting champions include Bobby Kielty (.384), Lance Berkman (.352), Josh Paul (.364), Jason Varitek (.371), Lou Merloni (.321), Mark Smith (.408), Chuck Knoblauch (.361), Terry Steinbach (.431), Buck Showalter (.434), Dave Bergman (.341), Tom Weir (.420) and Ken Voges (.505).

            The 5’9”, 163-pound Kettleer placed himself far ahead of the competition, flirting with the .400 mark and finishing the season with a league-leading .388 batting average. In addition Biondi finished second with 37 runs scored and compiled six doubles and 19 RBI. He helped the team maintain its top spot in the Western Division with 30 wins.

            Biondi’s performances this season earned him a starting spot on the West Division All-Star Team and Coca Cola’s Player of the Week #4 July 8. That week he shined with one of his best outings when he notched two RBI and a double to help the Kettleers with a 12-11 victory versus Bourne.

            Earlier this week, he set the table for an outing vs. Falmouth by cracking a single at the top of the second and working a four-pitch walk to lead off the fifth inning.

            Originally from Woodhaven Mich., Biondi is a junior for the Michigan Wolverines. He was named All-Big Ten Second Team in 2012 and 2011 and ended ‘12 with a seven-game hitting streak and a .303 batting average.