July 29, 2008
2008 Cape Cod All-Star Game
Cullowhee, N.C. - Western Carolina junior Nick Liles played in the annual Under Armour Cape Cod League All-Star game last weekend, starting at second base for the East squad and playing all nine innings in front of an overflow crowd of 8,629 at Veterans Field in Chatham, Mass.
"We were honored to have a Catamount not only to have played, but to also have started in the prestigious Cape Cod Baseball League All-Star game," said Western Carolina head coach Bobby Moranda, who made the trip to Chatham to watch Liles play. "The atmosphere surrounding the all-star festivities was amazing - it is truly a great experience for the college players to showcase their talents to nearly 9,000 fans and a television audience."
He added, "Nick (Liles) worked extremely hard last year for us and continues to improve against some of the nation's best talent in the Cape, helping to raise the bar for our program."
Liles finished 0-for-3 in the game, but did drive in a run as the East squad rallied in the eight inning. The seven-run rally came after three streakers graced the nearly 9,000 fans with their presence. The East team's comeback established a Cape record as in the All-Star Game's 46-year history, no team had ever overcome a five-run deficit to win
The Cape Cod League All-Star game was broadcast on New England Sports Network (NESN), which is available to four million households throughout a six-state New England region and nationally on DirecTv and Dish Network.
In other Catamount baseball news, former WCU catcher Blake Murphy was promoted over the weekend to the Quad City (Iowa) River Bandits, a Single-A affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals that play in the MidWest League. The Waynesville, N.C., native was promoted from the Short Season Single-A Batavia MuckDogs of the New York-Penn League.
The move was necessitated after Quad City transferred catcher Paul Vazquez to the Cardinals' Advanced-A club in Palm Beach, Fla.
Murphy was hitting .242 (22-of-91) with eight doubles, a triple and three home runs for the MuckDogs. He also had 13 RBI in 24 games played on the season. With Quad City, Murphy is listed on the roster as the back-up catcher.
