The Bourne Braves will have the same number of players as everybody else in the Cape League this summer, but for now, they’ve got a few more lined up than most. Forty, to be exact.
And while the list includes standouts from powerhouse programs like LSU, Florida, Ole Miss and Arizona State, it’s a two-way player from East Tennessee State that is rising above the rest so far this spring.
Junior Clinton Freeman was tabbed by Baseball America as the preseason player of the year in the Atlantic Sun, and that pick has looked solid from the very beginning. Freeman blasted two home runs and a triple in the season opener and proceeded to go for 8-for-10 with five extra base hits on the first weekend.
Two months later, Freeman is hitting .369 with eight home runs, 24 extra-base hits and 35 RBI. He’s tied for the league lead in homers and is in the top five in batting average, slugging percentage, on-base percentage, RBI, doubles and triples.
And for good measure, he pitches out of the bullpen, where he’s saved five games while striking out 29 in 33 innings.
Freeman isn’t a flash in the pan either. He hit .365 for the Bucs last year, and he’s had summer success, too. He won the Alaska League batting title last year with a .379 mark.
As a junior, Freeman will be eligible for the draft this year, but if he ends up in Bourne, there’s no reason to think he won’t stand out again.