Orlando, FL (AP): It’s mid May and the Orcas remain atop the LL Frazee. The Orcas haven’t faired so well in May as they have gone 5-7. The Orcas need to regain the momentum now before they allow the other teams in the division to catch up. The Orcas (21-15) sit atop the LL Frazee. The rival New Orleans Voodoo (18-19) sit in 2nd and are 3.5 games out. The Houston Woodland (14-23) sit in 3rd and are 7.5 games out. The Carson City Silver Strikers (13-24) are bringing up the rear and are 8.5 games out. The Orcas still hold the upper hand in the LL Frazee, but need to play with a little more urgency as they have gone 5-5 in their past 10 games. The Orcas are the defending Champions, so expectations are very high for them this season.

Todd ‘Dawg’ McClendon

Orcas Middle Reliever, Todd McClendon was suspended by the CBU for 3 games following an altercation with Nashville Apostles LF Steve Todd. On May 2nd, the Orcas were on the road at SunTrust Field to face the Nashville Apostles. In the 8th inning, McClendon came into the game and gave up a 2 run HR to Apostles SS Jim Hinton while leading 5-4. With one out, the next batter was Apostles LF Steve Todd. McClendon was working a full count when Todd was struck by the ball. Todd immediately threw down his bat and started heading towards McClendon in a full sprint and tackled him. McClendon held his own and the two exchanged a flurry of punches. Both teams immediately took to the field and a mass brawl unfolded on the field. After the umpires regained control, both players were ejected from the game. McClendon had these comments about the incident, “Steve is a big corn fed country boy who thought that he’d come out and make an example of me. Steve must not have realized that I am from New York City and that I had been in many fights growing up there. If you can’t take getting hit by a ball once in awhile, you should go back to work on your farm. This is supposed to be professional baseball and his actions weren’t very professional. Maybe Steve will think twice before losing his cool next time and not come all crazy at me. It wasn’t intentional and I don’t even know that dude, so he best not come at me again or we’ll have to go at it again!” The Orcas organization came out and apologized for the event and said that they spoke to McClendon after he cooled down. Orcas GM, Al Flynn had these comments, “Sometimes players let their emotions get the better of them and this was one of those incidents. These are two players who are very competitive by nature and this was a tense game. I don’t see any reason that this should carry over into the future and I hope Todd has learned from the incident and can put it behind him. 3 games was a fair punishment to both players involved!” The Orcas ended up losing the game by the final score of 6-5 and McClendon got the loss on top of a suspension!

CF Ed Pope

Orcas CF, Ed Pope appears to be a much improved player this season and it has showed in his approach at the plate. On the season, Pope has 42 hits in 125 at bats (.336), with a HR, 14 RBI’s, and 6 stolen bases. Pope is a player that the Orcas expect big things out of this season and so far he hasn’t disappointed. Can he continue to be a very productive player on offense for the Orcas this year? The Orcas are hoping that Pope will become the type of player that they expected when they drafted him in the 3rd round of the 2009 inaugural draft!

P Francisco Pérez

Orcas Starting Pitcher, Francisco Pérez is a veteran player who has stepped up this season and has been performing very well for the Orcas. Pérez leads the Orcas in ERA (2.16). Pérez has started 7 games and has a 4-1 record. In 41.2 innings, Pérez has 23 K’s, 17 BB’s, and an ERA of 2.16. Pérez is on pace to have a much better season in 2010 than he did in 2009. The Orcas need him to continue dominating on the mound this season if they want to have a shot to repeat as Champions!

Orcas fans continue to flood the airwaves raving about the Orcas pitching this season. The Orcas are 1st in the LL in ERA (3.13), Starters’ ERA (2.90), Runs allowed (146), Hits allowed (311), Opponents AVG (.245), BABIP (.273), and BB’s (86). While the pitching has been pretty dominating, their offensive production has been lacking this season. Many fans wonder how far their pitching can take them. Is it enough to win their 2nd Consecutive CBU World Series or will teams eventually find a way to outscore the Orcas? The Orcas offense really needs to start making things happen, because we don’t believe that Pitching alone can get the job done all year. The Orcas have some talented players, so it’s hard to imagine why they’ve not been better at the plate this season! If the Orcas can improve at the plate and maintain their high level of pitching performance; they’ll be nearly unbeatable. This team has a real good shot at making it back to the post-season and have a shot at repeating, but they need to play better as a team! Teamwork is what got them their first Championship and it could be the way to their 2nd Championship, but they need to get in sync as a complete unit to accomplish this!