Outlaws tied atop MINK South Division with 22 games to play

Jun. 29—Gonzalo Gonzalez' first season leading a baseball team has flown by as the Joplin Outlaws have reached the midway point of the MINK League season.

"Everything seems to be going by pretty fast," said Gonzalez, whose team enjoyed a day off on Tuesday following a long road-trip through Iowa. "It's hard to believe we are halfway through already. It's hard to fathom. We have gotten close with this group. I really like this group of kids. They play hard. They play really well together."

It's a season that has seen both ups and downs for Gonzalez. But with an 11-11 record on the summer campaign, Joplin sits in a tie with the Jefferson City Renegades (9-9) atop the MINK South Division standings.

The Outlaws, who have a run differential of +10 (154-144), have 22 more league games on their schedule before the MINK playoffs begin on July 25.

Part of the upcoming stretch includes a game against the Chillicothe Mudcats that was suspended in the northern Missouri area on June 11 due to weather.

The score was 6-6 in the third inning at Chillicothe. It's slated to be completed when the Mudcats come to Joplin for a two-game series from July 12-13.

The Outlaws enter Wednesday night's action at the Nevada Griffons having won two of three and six of their last 10 contests.

"For us, we have been pitching better as of late," Gonzalez said. "Our hitting is there, but our timely hitting has not. Putting together quality at-bats when it matters is going to be the difference maker of whether we win the South or not. Same could be said about our pitching. It's just making sure we are not stepping on our own foot and we are competing on the mound and making other teams beat us."

"Most of the games we've lost, we've given them away. It's been very rare this summer that we have been outright beat. If we can continue to play the game the right way with minimal errors and minimal mental errors, I feel like we are going to be there in the end."

Rangel earns top honor

The anchor to Joplin's rotation this summer, Cal Poly — Pomona's Edrian Rangel continued his pitching brilliance last week.

Rangel's performance was highlighted by racking up 13 strikeouts in a 6-2 victory at the Des Moines Peak Prospects on June 21. The lefty finished with seven shutout frames to earn the win.

On Tuesday, Rangel was recognized as MINK League Pitcher of the Week.

"I don't think people give him enough credit for how good he is," Gonzalez said. "That kid competes. He's only going to be 86-87, but everything he throws, he throws with conviction. He throws it where he wants to."

It was just Sunday that Rangel was solid yet again. He limited Carroll to one earned run and five hits while striking out seven batters in four innings as the Outlaws stormed past the Merchants 14-4 in seven innings.

Gonzalez said Rangel's ability to throw the slider and changeup seemingly at will allows his fastball to play up as hitters struggle to adjust with the velocity differential.

"His (Rangel's) 86-87 becomes like 91 because he's not relying solely on his fastball," Gonzalez said.

Offensive constants

Joplin has received an offensive spark from a number of individuals this summer.

A sophomore from Florida State at Jacksonville, Garrett Chun leads the team with a .394 batting average in nine games. Central Missouri redshirt freshman Michael Long is the top run producer with 12 driven in.

Max Bruff, who plays at Wisconsin — Parkside, has racked up clutch hit after clutch hit for the Outlaws.

"Those three have put together a lot of quality at-bats," Gonzalez said. "They are not afraid to get after it in the box. They do a good job with a two-strike approach. Whenever they get down in the count, they have been taking quality at-bats, more team at-bats and not giving them away.

"(Max) has been out of the lineup the last couple of days. He's been hurt, but he has been making a lot of loud outs. A lot of line outs. The kid has the best two-strike approach on the team. Whenever those three are in the lineup, you really feel like you have a chance to win the game."

'Finishing strong'

Gonzalez and his club are confident about their chances to win the South Division.

The first-year skipper said a few late season additions to the team could boost Joplin in a big way as it looks to finish strong down the stretch.

"We have picked up a couple of pieces here at the end that have been a huge help to us as of late," Gonzalez said. "Matt Campbell has added a spark to our lineup. We are picking up two pitchers in July with Connery O'Donnell from SEMO (Southeast Missouri State) and Justin Schrader from UT Tyler. That's going to continue to bolster our 'pen.

"Historically in the MINK League, it always comes down to pitching. Because we are continuing to add pitchers and retaining our core position guys, I really do feel like we'll be there in the end."