Every summer, college baseball players are placed on teams
all over the country in wood bat leagues that are made up of college players
from schools from every conference.
This past summer, members of the George Mason Baseball team
were placed as far north as Vermont and as far south as Pompano Beach, Florida.
Wood bat leagues allow players to refine and showcase their skills in front of
professional scouts in preparation for the next season.
The prestigious Cape Cod Summer League hosts the elite players
from all over the country, including perennial powerhouses like the University
of South Carolina, UCLA, and the University of Florida. The Cape was the summer
home of junior pitchers Anthony Montefusco and Jake Kalish. Montefusco pitched
for the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox and netted an ERA of 4.32, while amassing nine
strikeouts. Kalish pitched and played outfield for the Brewster Whitecaps,
where he compiled a 2-3 record with 17 strikeouts over 18.1 innings of work. He
also locked down one save in Brewster's 6-4 win over Chatham on June 27th.
Kalish had 10 hits at the plate, including three doubles and two home runs
while driving in five runs.
The Coastal Plains League is comprised of 14 teams located
in Southern Virginia, North and South Carolina. The CPL boasts alums such as Justin
Verlander, Ryan Zimmerman and Kevin Youkilis. Junior 3B/OF Blaise Fernandez
spent his summer playing for the Edenton Steamers in Edenton, N.C. Fernandez
batted .279 with five home runs and 29 RBI's. He started 41 of 42 games and
notched 41 hits and scored 29 runs while helping lead the Steamers to a first-place
finish in the regular season.
The Cal Ripken League is a local league with teams located all
around the Beltway. Junior right-handed
pitcher Michael Bowie and incoming freshman shortstop Brandon Gum played for
the Southern Maryland Nationals, while junior catcher Tucker Tobin played for
the Bethesda Big Train. Bowie compiled a 2-1 record with a 3.92 ERA in eight
starts. He was named a league All Star, and fired an inning of scoreless relief
during the All Star Game. Playing alongside Bowie with the Nationals, incoming
freshman Brandon Gum tallied 10 hits and eight RBI's. Fellow Patriot Tucker
Tobin smacked three home runs and drove in 14 RBI's while handling much of the
catching duties for the Bethesda Big Train. The Big Train lost the championship
game 4-3 to the Baltimore Red Birds, but finished with an impressive 25-16
record.
The Mason baseball program routinely sends players to the
Valley Baseball League in the Shenandoah Valley, and this summer was no
different. Sophomore pitcher John Williams and junior pitcher Neight Hoffa
called the Valley home this summer, as did former outfielder and team leader
Dan Schafferman, who spent the summer as an assistant coach with the Woodstock
River Bandits. Williams enjoyed a very successful summer campaign for the
Haymarket Senators, earning a 3-3 record with a 3.67 ERA and 56 strikeouts. He
was rewarded for his fine summer season by being named to the Valley Baseball
League All-Star Game. Hoffa pitched for the New Market Rebels and was one of
their most reliable bullpen arms. The
junior right-handed pitcher led the team with 18 appearances and rang up 27 strikeouts.
Senior Nick Allen and juniors Josh Leemhuis and Sean Cabrera
spent their summer playing for the Pompano Beach Clippers of the South Florida
Summer Collegiate Baseball League. The Clippers finished with a record of 17-8-2,
good for first place in the regular season, and the three Patriots were key contributors.
Allen hit .328 with three triples, one home run, 13 RBI's and 10 stolen bases. Leemhuis
batted .286 with 16 RBI's and eight stolen bases. Cabrera pitched 21.1 innings
of relief and tallied 28 strikeouts with an efficient 1.66 ERA.
Jordan Hill spent his summer in the Hamptons playing for the
Westhampton Aviators of the Atlantic Collegiate Baseball League. The junior
shortstop hit two home runs and drove in 12 runs in 26 games.
Chris Cook was the northernmost Patriot this summer, playing
for the Vermont Mountaineers. Competing in the highly competitive New England
Collegiate Baseball League, Cook batted .256 with 13 stolen bases.
Sophomore catcher Ray Toto played alongside incoming
freshmen Cory Capaldi and Mark Maksimow on the Philly Bandits, a 20U team who
played their games around the greater Philadelphia area, while sophomore Andrew
Sable spent his summer in the Myrtle Beach Collegiate Summer League playing for
the Myrtle Beach Marauders.
Sophomore Tommy Vitaletti and Junior Nick Kendrick stayed in
their hometowns for the summer and played for local teams. Vitaletti played in
Williamsburg, Va. and Kendrick played in Pittsburgh, Pa.
Chris O'Grady and Brandon Kuter were both selected in the
2012 MLB Draft and have begun their professional careers. O'Grady was selected
in the 10th round by the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, and Kuter
was selected by the Texas Rangers in the 29th round. O'Grady is pitching for Angels' short season
team, the Orem Owlz of the Pioneer League. The left-hander has made seven
relief appearances, throwing 7.2 innings of work. O'Grady has netted a record
of 2-1 for the Owlz while striking out eight.
Kuter is pitching for the Texas Rangers Rookie League team
in the Arizona League. The hard throwing
right-hander has amassed an ERA of 1.46 and 12 strikeouts in 11.1 innings of
work.
