UNC Baseball: Summer at the Cape

You thought college baseball was over when Carolina was knocked out of Omaha? Think again.

Every year, players from all over the country descend on Cape Cod in Massachusetts. For two months, they drop their metal bats in favor of wooden sticks, live with a local family, and work to improve their skills in front of MLB scouts. It gives them the chance to try their skills against the best in the country, and generally is a way to help their ultimate goal of being drafted the following June.

Last summer, thirteen Tar Heels made the trip up to the Cape, and their experience no doubt helped them put last year’s disappointment behind them and better prepared them for the trip to Omaha this year. That number would have been just as high this year had a lot of those same players decided to come back to Carolina for next season. They opted to start their MLB career instead, and so only seven Tar Heels will represent Carolina this year. Those players are: Tyler Buam, Austin Bergner, Michael Busch, Ike Freeman, Joey Lancellotti, Brandon Mortorano, and Ashton McGee.

For those unfamiliar with how the Cape Cod League works, you can get a little refresher here of my visit last summer. The games only cost a suggested donation, and are a step back in time without any of the bells and whistles of modern games. No walk-up music, no electronic sounds between pitches, very affordable concessions, and, all in all, a great way to spend three hours. If your travels bring you into the area, try to find time to go to a game. The main site is capecodbaseball.org and there you’ll find links to all the team sites, schedules, and parks the teams play at.

Let’s see how each player has done to start their season; all stats through games played 7/7:

Tyler Baum, Harwich Mariners

2018 Season: 2 G, 8 IP, 0.00 ERA, 0-0, 0 SV, 8 K, 1 BB, 8 H

Austin Bergner, Chatham Anglers

2018 Season: 1 G, 5 IP, 5.40 ERA, 0-1, 0 SV, 6 K, 1 BB, 6 H

Michael Busch, Chatham Anglers

2018 Season: 4 G, 6-15, .400, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 1 BB, 3 K, 1 SB

Ike Freeman, Brewster Whitecaps

2018 Season: 5 G, 1-16, .063, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 2 BB, 8 K, 0 SB

Joey Lancellotti, Orleans Firebirds

2018 Season: 3 G, 10 IP, 0.90 ERA, 1-0, 0 SV, 14 K, 1 BB, 7 H

Brandon Martorano, Brewster Whitecaps

2018 Season: 5 G, 3-17, .176, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 0 BB, 6 K, 0 SB

Ashton McGee, Chatham Anglers

2018 Season: 6 G, 1-10, .100, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 1 BB, 4 K, 0 SB

We’ll keep track of the players as the season goes on. Tune in next week!