Athlete of the Week
Bryan Wacker

The Dolphins have been on a roll in 2010. With high expectations entering the season Cape Henry suffered two early losses. Those losses did little to dent the Dolphins confidence as the team picked up its collective play to finish the regular season with a 12-4 record, and that successful run happened thanks to players like this week’s Athlete of the Week, Bryan Wacker.

“Bryan has been a huge boost to our club’s offensive surge,” head coach Ryan Morris said of Wacker. “He has done so by being one of the hardest working players in a CHCS uniform. It’s not out of the ordinary to see Bryan working extra after everyone has headed home for the day. Whether it’s extra swings in the cage, extra fly balls, or simply extra conditioning, Bryan puts the time in it takes to excel as a player.”

That extra time has produced results for Wacker, and as a result the Dolphins received another player they could lean on in crunch time. Through the course of the regular season Wacker has batted .422 to go with an on base percentage of .520. The junior has hit 11 singles, six doubles, two home runs and he has driven in 19 runs to go with 15 runs scored of his own.

“Prior to the beginning of the 2010 season Bryan was eager to make strides as a hitter, and was confident he could be more productive for the club,” Morris continued. “He did not look for a shortcut to success, and put in the time and effort to improve.”

And improve he did. But Wacker’s success is not just from the plate, he has been a key member of the pitching staff throughout the course of the season.

Over the course of a three game stretch against Lake Taylor, Walsingham Academy and Hampton Roads Academy, Wacker excelled, and so did the Dolphins. Against Lake Taylor, Bryan went 3 for 3 with two singles, one home run, six RBIs and two runs in a Cape Henry win. He followed that effort in a win against Walsingham with a walk, two singles and two runs. Against HRA, an extra innings victory for the Dolphins, Wacker had a double, two runs scored and was hit by a pitch, but he provided big relief on the mound as well.

Wacker entered the HRA game in the 7th inning with one out and the bases loaded. He allowed no hits and struck out both batters he faced to keep the game tied heading into the bottom of the inning. In the 8th inning he left HRA hitless and gave the Dolphins a chance to win the contest in extra innings.

“Bryan has made a commitment to remain aggressive and trust his stuff, which has made the biggest difference in the results,” Coach Morris finished.

The Dolphins have been getting those results all season thanks to efforts like Wacker’s, and they hope to get more of the same in their postseason run.