Seven Florida Gators are headed to Massachusetts for the summer to play in the Cape Cod Baseball League, according to On3’s Nick de la Torre.
The CCBL is considered the top wood-bat summer league in baseball. It’s loaded with SEC talent and regularly develops top-level players. Ty Evans and Fisher Jameson are two recent examples of Gators who found success after spending the summer in the Cape.
Here’s where this year’s group is headed:
The Brewster Whitecaps are getting the battery of [autotag]Jake Clemente[/autotag] and [autotag]Brody Donay[/autotag]. There’s starter potential with Clemente, who broke out as a redshirt freshman, and it’s good to have a familiar catcher. Donay will be in the heart of Florida’s lineup next season after belting 14 homers in 2023, and he showed promise behind the plate whenever [autotag]Luke Heyman[/autotag] shifted over to first.
Speaking of Heyman, he’s off to Harwich with second baseman [autotag]Cade Kurland[/autotag] to play for the Mariners. This will be Heyman’s second year in the Cape after playing for the Falmouth Commodores in 2023.
Heyman and Kurland came into the program at the same time and had similar slumps this year, so it’s smart to keep them together over the summer as they approach what should be their final year at Florida.
Outfielder [autotag]Blake Brookins[/autotag] and left-hander [autotag]Frank Menendez[/autotag] are with the Charlottesville Tom Sox. Both played high school ball in Miami, so there should be some common ground there. Brookins was a name that appeared in transfer portal reports, but he’s expected to return to Florida.
The final rostered Gator headed up north is rising junior [autotag]Cade Fisher[/autotag], who will play with the Cotuit Kettleers. Fisher struggled significantly as a sophomore after a strong Year 1 in college. The shift to the weekend rotation ultimately hurt the left-hander, who began the year as the Friday-night starter. More comfortable out of the bullpen, Fisher still struggled as a reliever this year.
Liam Peterson is also getting some work in over the summer, but he’ll be with the USA Collegiate National Team.
Incoming infielder [autotag]Landon Stripling[/autotag] is also playing in the CCBL this summer. He’ll be with the Chatham Anglers.
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