July 8, 2016
Every summer following the season, the Commodores scatter all over the country to play summer league with Vandy Boys all the way from Maine to Florida this summer. America’s premier summer league, the Cape Cod League, has 10 Dores on five different teams. Jeren Kendall and Kyle Wright are representing the USA with the Collegiate National Team for the summer to join a long list of Commodores to don the Red, White and Blue. The New England Collegiate Baseball League has the second-most Commodores with five in the league followed by the Valley League with three and the Northwoods League with two. Vanderbilt is also represented in the Florida Collegiate Summer League and the Hamptons Collegiate Summer League.
USA Baseball Collegiate National Team
Jeren Kendall
Kyle Wright
Kendall and Wright became the 15th and 16th Commodores since 2003 to get the honor of playing for Team USA. The duo opened up their summer schedule in southern California before traveling to Taiwan earlier this week for a five-game series with Chinese Taipei. The team heads to Japan next week for a five-game set with the Japanese beginning July 12 before wrapping up their summer tour in Cuba with a five-game series beginning July 23.
Kendall has been impressive at the plate while starring in center field. The rising junior belted a three-run home run, added a double and drove in five in the team’s first game in Taiwan. Wright is 1-0 in two games, including one start.
To follow Team USA over the course of the summer, click here.
Cape Cod League
Patrick Raby – Bourne
Julian Infante – Brewster
Matt Ruppenthal – Cotuit
Alonzo Jones – Cotuit
Jason Delay – Cotuit
Maddux Conger – Harwich
Chandler Day – Orleans
Ethan Paul – Orleans
Will Toffey – Yarmouth-Dennis
Collin Snider – Yarmouth-Dennis
Vandy Boys are almost everywhere in the Cape this summer. On any given night, fans could see 10 Commodores in action. Raby has already made three starts for Bourne and is 1-1 for the Braves. Infante has one home run in four games for the Whitecaps in his first 13 games while playing the hot corner at third. Conger has made four relief outings for the Mariners. Three Cape teams have at least two Commodores with the Kettleers featuring three. In Cotuit, Delay has been solid at the plate going 6-for-18 with a home run in his first seven games. Jones is playing shortstop for the Kettleers with two doubles and two triples. Ruppenthal has made just two appearances with seven strikeouts in 6.2 innings. In Orleans, a pair of rising sophomores have starred for the Firebirds. Paul has hit .302 with three doubles, a homer and seven RBI in his first 14 games. Day has pitched in four games and has not allowed a run over his last three outings. Two rising Vandy juniors are suiting up for the Red Sox with Toffey leading the way. The Cape native is hitting .305 with three doubles, a homer and eight RBI in his first 16 games. Snider has pitched in six games and is 1-0 with a 3.97 ERA.
To follow the Commodores on the Cape, click here.
New England Collegiate Baseball League
Matthew McGarry – Newport
Connor Kaiser – Newport
Stephen Scott – Newport
Tristan Chari – Sanford
Walker Grisanti – Upper Valley
The Newport Gulls’ roster features three Commodores all coming off their freshman seasons on West End. Kaiser hit his first home run of the summer this week, something Scott took care of earlier in the summer with a walk-off grand slam. Scott has since added a second home run and has a team-high 13 RBI. Kaiser’s homer was part of a three-hit night that saw him reach base four times. McGarry has been solid over his five outings for the Gulls with 18 strikeouts in 13 innings. Chari has played in 11 games for the Mainers, reaching base three times in a game last weekend. Grisanti is playing for the new team in the league, the Nighthawks, scoring seven runs and picking up four doubles in 16 games.
To follow the Dores in the NECBL, click here.
Florida Collegiate Summer League
Karl Ellison – Winter Garden
Ellison recently reported to the Squeeze and has played in just four games but already has three RBI. The soon-to-be senior has helped the Squeeze to a 3-1 record in his four games.
Valley League
AJ Franklin – Charlottesville
Tyler Green – Strasburg
Ryan Johnson – Strasburg
Green and Johnson have suited up for the Express this summer with Green playing in 16 games already. Johnson turned in a quality start in his last outing, giving up just one run on on five hits with four strikeouts over six innings for the win. Franklin has pitched in six games, three starts, for the TomSox and turned in 3.1 perfect innings earlier this week.
For updates on Green, Johnson and Franklin in the Valley, click here.
Northwoods League
Joey Abraham – Lakeshore
Liam Sabino – Duluth
Abraham has made a team-high six starts for the Chinooks this summer. Sabino has had a solid start with the Huskies, playing in 20 games already. The rising junior hit two home runs in a game last weekend and has nine RBI over his last seven games.
To follow Abraham and Sabino up north, click here.
Hamptons Collegiate Baseball League
Kiambu Fentress – Riverhead
Fentress has enjoyed a solid summer through 19 games, hitting .271 with 14 runs scored for the Tomcats. He enters the weekend 5-for-13 over his last four games.
To follow Fentress, click here.