Virginia was unranked in Baseball America’s preseason poll. Thirty wins in 34 games later, and the Cavaliers are ranked fifth. They’ll get a test this weekend when they head to Atlanta to take on No. 19 Georgia Tech, a team that’s full of former Cape Leaguers.
Schedule
Friday, 7 p.m.
Saturday, 1 p.m.
Sunday, 1 p.m.
*Games will be broadcast on ESPN3
2013 Cape Leaguers
Virginia
Branden Cogswell – INF – Harwich
Nick Howard – INF – Harwich
Derek Fisher – OF – Harwich
Brandon Downes – C/OF – Y-D
Georgia Tech
Matt Gonzalez – INF – Bourne
Notable
Cape League Nucleus
The four Virginia players that are slated to play in the Cape League this summer also happen to be four of the team’s top five hitters. Branden Cogswell (Harwich) leads the way with a .367 batting average, while Brandon Downes (Y-D) has been the team’s most productive hitter, with a .311 average and team bests in home runs (five) and RBI (35). Interestingly, only one of the four – Derek Fisher (Harwich) – was a full-time starter last year, which might have something to do with the lack of preseason love for Virginia.
Gone Fishin’
The aforementioned Fisher might be the best prospect of the bunch. He was named the top prospect in the Northwoods League by Baseball America last summer. Outside of being the Cape’s top prospect, that’s about as well as you can do in summer collegiate baseball. Fisher is hitting .306 with three homers this year.
Tech Vets
Georgia Tech’s starting lineup is dominated by juniors and seniors, which is why the program won’t have a big Cape League presence in 2013. Most of Tech’s standouts have already played on the Cape. That list includes CCBL stalwarts Brandon Thomas, who’s hitting .429, and Daniel Palka, who’s at .372 with eight homers. Then there’s Zane Evans. He hit .128 for Harwich last summer. This spring, he’s hitting .347 and is tied for sixth in the nation with 10 home runs.
Gonzo
The one freshman regular in the Tech lineup – and the one 2013 Cape Leaguer – is second baseman Matt Gonzalez, and he has more than held his own among the veterans. His .371 batting average is good for fourth on the team. Gonzalez was an 11th round pick in the MLB draft last year.