2011: Darn Those Pesky Gnats
Last Thursday was Opening Day for the 2020 MLB season… or at least it would have been, if not for the COVID-19 outbreak that has put our entire world, and basically all sports, on an indefinite hold. However, without the coronavirus, today would have been 9 days until MiLB Opening Day. With 15 seasons in the books for the West Virginia Power, it’s to turn back the calendar and revisit each of the first 15 Opening Days in Power history.
On Thursday, we opened up the first chapter of the West Virginia Power with the 2005 Opening Day game in Hagerstown. Friday, we looked back at the first home opener in team history in 2006. The winning streak continued Saturday with the 2007 opener, and then we dredged through the rain-soaked 2008 debut. We relived the excitement from the 2009 All-Star season, and then moved on to the 2010 campaign. Let’s dive into the 2011 opener!
Following back-to-back losing seasons, the Pirates’ brass swapped out one Gary for another to take the helm in Charleston, as Gary Robinson took over in West Virginia following Gary Green’s departure with a 132–144 record. Robinson only managed to marginally improve the season mark in 2011, posting a 69–69 result that kept the Power out of the playoffs for a third straight year. However, one of the most renowned players in team history took the mound for West Virginia this season, Jameson Taillon, a 2010 first-round selection who debut with the Power in 2011 and finally donned a Pittsburgh uniform in 2016.
Taillon did not start the season opener; however, his first start with West Virginia was not until April 27. Maybe he should’ve got the ball to ignite the year though, as Brandon Cumpton, another Power MLB alumnus from that year took the bump against Savannah April 7, 2011. (By the way, seven players overall from the 2011 squad have made the bigs). Cumpton, unfortunately, got rocked, serving up seven runs on nine hits over four innings of work, as the Sand Gnats walloped the Power 8–0. This blanking would mark the first of two times West Virginia has been shut out in their opening game (3–0 loss vs. Asheville in 2013). The Power was held to two hits, a pair of fourth-inning singles by Matthew Curry and Eric Avila.
There’s not much more to discuss from the 2011 opener, as the Power offense was subdued and the game was well out of hand when Cumpton handed the ball to the bullpen after his four-inning roller coaster outing.
Cumpton, Elias Diaz and Gift Ngoepe were the three future big-leaguers for West Virginia in this opening bout, though none of them performed like it (Diaz and Ngoepe went 0-for-6 with four strikeouts). Darrell Ceciliani and Wilfredo Tovar were the only two players from Savannah’s starting nine to make the show.
Among the others from the 2011 Power squad that eventually found their way to the majors included: Vic Black, Brooks Pounders, Casey Sadler and Taillon.
Several players also etched their names into the record books in 2011:
- Andy Vasquez: 13 triples (tied for most all-time in CWV SAL history)
- Justin Howard: 37 doubles (tied for 4th-most all-time in CWV SAL history)
- Dan Grovatt: 78 walks (2nd-most all-time in Power history)
- Side note: Grovatt was the third Midseason All-Star for West Virginia along with Cumpton and Taillon - Zack Von Rosenberg: 114 strikeouts (8th-most all-time in Power history)
- Jason Townsend: 13 saves (tied for 4th-most all-time in Power history)
The Power also set the record for their longest game in terms of time and innings played in the 2011 season, falling 5–4 to the Greensboro Grasshoppers in 19 innings. The game took 5 hours and 9 minutes to complete, one of two five-hour games in Power history (5:05, 5/27/11 at Delmarva that also ended in a 5–4 loss in 19 innings). The two teams combined for 27 hits in that August duel, used a combined 11 hurlers and struck out 22 batters overall.
We’ll work our way through the 2012 season tomorrow, which carries one of the heaviest MLB classes in Power history!
