2002 S e a s o n

Patch 2002 Season

The Rebels era dawned in 2002, coinciding with the emergence of third baseman Kevin Lowery, and shortstop Brad Jensen. In this trio combined with All-Stars such as outfielders Rick Garza and Nestor Toro to produce 14-6 record in Thursday Night Central League. A rift between GM Rusty Shackleford and Coach Jerry Vasquez was exposed when Coach refused to play Joey Ratliff regularly at shortstop despite Shackleford request to do so. Seeing Jake Reichert starting as a catcher for 10 games was painful, at best. The coach’s struggle was also hastened by the feud between Chris Minor and Joey Ratliff. The Coach implored Ratliff to keep the rift in house, so when Chris Minor erupted to the press it hurt both of their futures. The Rebels stayed in the race until the final week but eventually finished in third place, just three games short of winning the Central league crown.

Summer League Standing

Season 2002 Standing Pic01

Season 2002 Team Pic03

Summer Roster

Pitchers		Catchers		Infielders		Outfielders		Utility Players
Dennis Wuorenma		Jerry Vasquez		Brad Jensen		Jason Palmer		Howard Birdtard
Jeff Wilson				Chris Minor		Louie Torres		Izzy Solis
				Joey Ratliff		Nestor Toro		Jake Reichert
				Jonathan Schumacher		Rick Garza		Matt Merritt
				Kevin Lowery		Steve Guarini		Tommy Hassan

Season 2002 Team Pic04

Season 2002 Standing Pic02

Summer Stats

Player	Poss	G	P.A.	A.B.	Runs	O.B.	Hits	1B	2B	3B	HR	OPS	RBI	BB	AVG	RE
Dennis Wuorenma	P	32	102	98	20	50	44	44	0	0	0	.939	23	4	.449	2
Jeff Wilson	P	39	130	119	38	74	59	48	5	6	0	1.208	33	11	.496	4
Howard Birdtard	C	16	58	55	26	40	34	23	6	2	3	1.654	28	3	.618	3
Jake Reichert	C	30	97	88	30	50	35	29	3	2	1	1.091	21	9	.398	6
Jerry Vasquez	C	36	127	118	44	75	64	53	6	4	1	1.277	41	9	.542	2
Chris Minor	1B	42	157	145	67	84	68	34	11	4	19	1.528	78	12	.469	4
Jon Schumacher	2B	35	122	101	42	78	53	42	8	2	1	1.312	30	21	.525	4
Tommy Hassan	2B	37	125	114	42	68	53	43	8	1	1	1.123	33	11	.465	4
Joey Ratliff	3B	38	137	124	55	74	59	35	12	4	8	1.371	55	13	.476	2
Kevin Lowery	3B	18	64	55	27	38	29	14	9	1	5	1.594	27	9	.527	0
Brad Jensen	SS	12	45	42	16	24	20	16	4	0	0	1.104	15	3	.476	1
Izzy Solis	SS	24	93	93	42	55	51	32	9	8	2	1.473	41	0	.548	4
Rick Garza	LF	32	117	106	52	75	53	31	8	4	10	1.575	50	11	.643	11
Jason Palmer	LC	10	38	37	16	24	23	14	2	0	7	1.875	21	1	.622	0
Nestor Toro	LC	20	87	84	40	54	49	31	8	1	9	1.645	34	3	.583	2
Steve Guarini	RC	39	153	137	52	85	64	45	7	6	6	1.293	47	16	.467	5
Louie Torres	RF	6	23	21	9	12	9	7	1	0	1	1.141	6	2	.429	1
Matt Merritt	RF	5	18	11	9	13	4	4	0	0	0	1.086	4	7	.364	2

Season 2002 Team Pic01

Most Valuable Player

Chris Minor led his Squad with 19 HRs / 78 RBIs / 67 Runs and games played (42) and was second with 11 doubles and 4 triples. He had career-high marks with a 7.6 WAR and .993 slugging percentage showing just how valuable he was for the Rebels. Those numbers are strong on their own, but they look even better when compared to the rest of the league.

Chris Minor ranked seventh on his Squad in average, tenth in on-base percentage, third in slugging percentage, fourth in walks and first in extra base hits. In addition to the traditional numbers, Minor had an impressive 1.528 OPS, ranking among the tops in softball in each category.

Season 2002 Standing Pic03

Season 2002 Team Pic06

Trophy Fall League 2002 Season

The Rebels got a major contribution from their young homegrown players for the 2002 Fall League, and they contributed greatly to the Rebels’ return to Sturtevant, Wi. Sunday Night Fall League. However, it’s safe to say the Rebels wouldn’t have repeated as Sunday Night Champions and sweep the playoffs without outfielder Nestor Toro being Nestor in Rebel Blue. Toro hit an amazing .820 / .897 / 1.443, with 32 RBI / 48 Runs in 17 games in Sturtevant.

With Nestor, the Rebels repeated as Sunday Night Champions by sweeping both Tri-State Morg in Gm 1, – 22 to 2 … in Gm 2, they defeated Supplement Sol – 27 to 0 for the Fall League Championship.

Overall, it’s hard to complain about three playoff appearances in three years, but I think the Rebels could and should have done better than their 38 – 14 overall record. With all the young talent currently in the system, can the Rebels improve upon this record? Yes They Can!

Season 2002 Team Pic02

Rookie of the Year

Nestor Toro need to clear room on his mantles for some new hardware. The Rebel outfielder was named the Lake County Rookie of the Year award winner. Over the course of his first full softball campaign, Toro solidified himself as one of the league’s most impactful leadoff batters. The 19-year-old batted .583 / .621 on-base percentage / 1.024 slugging percentage across 87 plate appearances, with 9 HRs, 34 RBIs, 40 Runs and 18 extra base hits.

Nestor Toro made his team debut on October 16th, 2001 against Hitmen Squad at Belvidere South, going 2 for 3, with a RBI / Run. Collected his home run on Sunday October 28th, 2001 vs. Jack Auto Softball at Sturtevant, Wi.

Team Memorabilia

FanEdgeCardIndividualRick2002

FanEdgeCardIndividualJeff2002

This is an authentic softball card of the Rebels' All-Star rookie first basemen Rick Garza and starting pitcher Jeff Wilson. There is a certificate of authenticity from Blazing Star Sport Cards on the back of the card. Rick Garza 2002 "Gold Glove Winner" Softball Autograph Signatures Card.

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