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| Jerod Edmondson at bat (photo: www.lohud.com) |
By Connor Durkin
After seven years of shopping around the Can-Am League, Rockland Boulders star Jerod Edmondson had a record-breaking season while he helped the Boulders rally to win their very first Can Am League championship. Edmondson hit a clutch two run RBI in the seventh inning to help secure the Boulders 4-0 game six win over the New Jersey Jackals for the championship.
“It was a perfect game that you could not have planned out any better,” said Edmondson in a post-game interview.
Edmondson had a historic season where he became the all-time hit leader in Can-Am League history while setting a new career mark for runs scored.
On September 8, 2014, at Yogi Berra Stadium in Montclair, New Jersey, the Rockland Boulders shut out the New Jersey Jackals in game six, to win their first Can-Am League championship in franchise history. The Rockland Boulders became the first team in Can-Am League history to win a championship series after being down two games to none. Both Stephen Cardullo and Carlos Guzman hit solo homers, while Bo Budkevics tossed seven scoreless innings in the clinching sixth game. In the seventh inning, Edmondson singled between first and second to score both runners.
“It was a big spot and I was trying to put something out there, it meant a lot to me considering it’s my eighth year,” Edmondson said commenting on the 2-run single hit in the 7th inning.
Jerod Edmondson, who born March 8, 1984, is an outfielder from Johnson City, NY. Edmondson attended Saint Anslem in New Hampshire and followed that up with eight seasons in the Can-Am League. His best year was with the Pittsfield Colonials in 2011, when he hit .315 with 17 home runs and 61 RBIs.
Edmondson came to Rockland via a trade with the Newark Bears before the start of the 2013 season. He was reunited with coach Jamie Keefe, whom he played for in 2011 with the Pittsfield Colonials.
I asked about his relationship with Jamie Keefe and how has it developed over the years.
“Jamie has been one of the best coaches I have ever played for, and what he’s done with this organization in two years is amazing,” Edmondson said.
In his first two years as a head coach, Jamie Keefe has won coach of the year and led the Boulders to their first Can-Am championship after three losing seasons.
Edmondson says one of his best experiences with the Boulders was being able to play on the same team as his younger brother Chris. After making an immediate impact on the field leading in home runs, RBIs and being second in batting average, Chris’s contract was purchased by the Atlanta Braves. Chris became the first player in Boulders franchise history to have his contract purchased by a Major League organization.
“It was awesome for me. We’ve always been just far enough apart in age that we never got to play together. I talked to him and he decided to play here. It was probably one of the most exciting things for me. I couldn’t have been more proud to see him play that way. As a brother and a coach I couldn’t wish him anything better,” Jerod said.
Jerod doubled as the team’s first baseman and hitting coach.
Jerod continues his pursuit for the big leagues after coming off a very historic season for him. In the 2014 season Jerod became the all-time hits leader in Can-Am League history while setting a new career mark for runs scored. Edmondson also broke multiple franchise records, becoming the single season leader in walks with 51 while putting his name at the top of eight career Rockland records including hits with 219, runs batted in with 138, doubles with 50, and stolen bases with 30.
I asked how it felt to break the all time-hit record in the Can-Am League as well as other records.
“Very old,” he jokingly said to me. “It feels amazing to have set those records. We`re all here for the same reason and that is to get to the next level.’
Edmondson, at 30 years old, stills feels confident that another team will take notice of his play and sign him to a professional contract.
“I know if I keep playing good, someone will give me the opportunity to play for their organization,” he said.
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