college hardware

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

college hardware

College postseason honors are starting to roll in and it's no surprise that former and soon-to-be Cape Leaguers are all over the lists. Here's a look at some of the notable names so far.

Former Cape Leaguers

Six major conferences have announced their awards and in every one of those conferences, the player of the year, the pitcher of the year, or both played on the Cape last summer.

Big East - Louisville's Chris Dominguez (Harwich) and Cincinnati's Josh Harrison (Cotuit), both of whom struggled on the Cape last year, were named co-players of the year.

ACC - Florida State catcher Buster Posey (Y-D) was named player of the year and UNC's Alex White (Chatham) was selected as the pitcher of the year. White is on Chatham's roster again this summer.

SEC - Georgia's Gordon Beckham (Y-D) took home player-of-the-year honors, while '06 Cape Leaguer and Beckham's Georgia teammate Josh Fields (Y-D) was named the pitcher of the year.

Big 10 - Michigan's Zach Putnam (Chatham) was picked as the pitcher of the year.

Big 12 - Missouri's Aaron Crow (Falmouth) was named pitcher of the year.

CUSA - Tulane's Shooter Hunt (Falmouth) was also named pitcher of the year.

Soon-To-Be Cape Leaguers

Not as many guys taking home the big honors, but a lot of guys who will be on the Cape this summer were named all-conference.

Big East - Louisville pitcher Justin Marks (Chatham) and Notre Dame outfielder A.J. Pollock (Falmouth) were first-team picks. Louisville first baseman Andrew Clark (Falmouth) was named to the second team.

ACC - A long list of first-team picks: UNC outfielder Tim Fedroff (Falmouth), Miami pitcher Chris Hernandez (Brewster), Miami shortstop Ryan Jackson (Hyannis) and UNC pitcher Alex White (Chatham). Second team: UNC's Dustin Ackley (Harwich), Georgia Tech shortstop Derek Dietrich (Wareham), Miami pitcher Eric Erickson (Orleans), Florida State pitcher Matt Fairel (Cotuit), Duke outfielder Alex Hassan (Orleans) and UNC second baseman Kyle Seager (Chatham).

SEC - Florida outfielder Matt den Dekker (Brewster) was picked for the first team, while Auburn first baseman Hunter Morris (Falmouth) was selected to the second team.

Big 10 - Indiana catcher Josh Phegley (Wareham) and pitcher Matt Bashore (Wareham) were both named first-team all-conference. Michigan's Adam Abraham (Hyannis) was a third-team pick.

Big 12 - Oklahoma State pitcher Andy Oliver (Wareham) was named to the first team. Missouri catcher Trevor Coleman (Falmouth) earned second-team honors.

CUSA - Rice third baseman Diego Seastrunk (Falmouth) was a first-team selection.

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as the fog settles in

The left-field sunset has faded. It is chilly now. You slip a sweatshirt on. The stat sheet you hold in your hands almost feels wet, the air is so damp. But the ink doesn't run. You can read it. That kid from LSU is still leading the league in home runs. That pitcher who they say throws 95 -- he's way up on the list in strikeouts.
The game is close, 3-2 through seven innings. You're staying till the end.
You look out at the field. Some fog has slipped in. It settles like smoke, just off the grass in front of the right fielder, like a cloud. When he runs through it to catch a fly ball, it looks almost magical, maybe even spiritual, like he's playing baseball in heaven.
Maybe he is.
The baseball is pure here. The players eager. The fans, maybe some of them don't know what they're seeing, maybe they just heard it was a fun night out, good for the family and everything -- but they know. They know somehow that this thing, this Cape League, is special.
Really, there's nothing like it.
I'm going to try and keep up.

Stop waxing poetic

The Cape Cod Baseball League is the top college summer league in the nation. Plenty of other leagues have cropped up of late, and some are having success, but the Cape League is still the model -- and the pinnacle. In 2006, 198 Major Leaguers had spent time in the Cape League.
The rosters are like a who's who of the best college baseball players. All the top prospects want to spend their summers on the Cape. The only better opportunity is Team USA. There are 10 teams in the league, divided into two divisions. Over the course of two months, they play 44 games. Scouts will watch many of them. They come because of the combination of talent and wood. Unlike college baseball, the Cape uses only wooden bats, providing an accurate picture of what players might do at the next level.
What else? Players live with host families. Some have part-time jobs (Jeff Bagwell worked at Friendly's). There's no admission charge at games. The level of baseball has been compared to Single A.
That should sum it up. If you have never experienced Cape League Baseball, you have missed out.

Tuesday, May 20, 2008