Five things we have learned from the first half of the 2017 season

Thirteen games into the season, Covenant stands at 12-1 with their recent split of their doubleheader against New Life Blue.

These are the five things we have learned from the first half of the 2017 season:

1.  Covenant is a team full of speed and power.  This is the fifth year that the Covenant team is referred to as Team Speed because they have speed on the base paths.  This year, they have also emphasized power with the addition of Tyler Allen and Corey Sternthal.  They have combined for 11 home runs and 43 runs batted in through 13 games.

2.  Tyler Allen can be counted on when needed on the mound.  Tyler Allen has pitched three games (starting two of them), and being the winning pitcher in all three of them.  He has a 4.20 earned run average over 15 innings pitched.

3.  Corey Sternthal is legit.  Corey Sternthal is one of the rookies on the Covenant team, and he has a .611 batting average with 3 home runs and 19 runs batted in.  Ten of his sixteen hits have been for extra bases.  He is making a case for rookie of the year.

4.  Jacob Albright is going through the dreaded sophomore jinx.  Jacob Albright has only played three of the thirteen games this season and has not hit safely in his three at bats.  He had a strong rookie campaign in 2016, but his sophomore season has started very slowly.

5.  Bobby Mort is proving that his rookie campaign last year was no fluke.  Bobby Mort was the rookie of the year last season, and midway through the 2017 season, he is proving that his exploits last year were no fluke, as he has been batting .643 with 2 home runs and 12 runs batted in.

What will the second half teach us?  We shall find out as the games play out.