Summer league baseball is a place where collegiate players can hone their skills and play against some of the best amateur players in the country.
Ryan Mathews, a rising redshirt senior, has done just that during his time roaming the outfield for the Wilson Tobs of the Coastal Plain League. The Orlando, Fla. native played well enough so far to be named a starter for the All-Star game.
“The experience has been awesome thus far,” Mathews said. “I was chosen as a starter for the All-Star game, which shows that I’ve had a good summer, I guess.”
Mathews summer has been a stellar one as he has compiled a .300 batting average, 27 RBIs, eight steals and his 11 home runs led the league before the All-Star game. Mathews also had a 13-game hitting streak at the beginning of the season that helped him earn a starting role after hitting a .408 average.
After being named an All-Star starter for the National team, Mathews was also given a chance to participate in the home run derby. Unlike the normal format of the MLB home run derby, the CPL home run derby consisted of 16 participants who went through three rounds in which every home run hit rolled over to the next round. Mathews finished in 3rd, coming just one home run short of making it to the finals.
While the experience for him is valuable, Mathews said he hopes that his numbers in the summer league will continue during the regular season in the Spring with the Wolfpack .
“I really hope that my numbers here translate a lot,” Mathews said. “I’ve been glad to get a lot of at-bats during my time here and really hope that I get that opportunity in school as well. Hopefully I can come back and really help the Pack get where we want to be next year.”
Mathews said that his time spent in the Coastal Plain League has helped him to gain confidence that he hopes will earn him a starting role this upcoming season. Chris Overman , a junior reliever, on the other hand has been attempting to move to a different position this year.
The junior earned the role of a late-inning reliever or shut down closer this past season, but says he hopes that he will be able to earn a spot as a starter during the 2012 season.
“When I came down here I really wanted to command a fourth pitch,” Overman said. “I really wanted to get command of a changeup and try to get a feel for that. I started a couple of games in my freshman year and I guess, well, I hope that’s what they want me to do this year.
“So there is definitely a lot of potential there. I think they are going to want to gear the fall towards me stepping into a starting role.”
Overman has compiled a staggering 0.52 ERA through 21 1/3 innings over the course of 14 appearances and has allowed just six hits while striking out 20 batters for the Harwich Mariners of the Cape Cod League.
The Cape Cod League is often referred to as the highest level of collegiate summer baseball because of the level of players that are invited to play in the league. While the players might be some of the best in the nation, Overman said the fields are nothing special compared to the stadiums he plays at in the ACC.
“Where we play at in the ACC is a stadium that can be filled with 4,000-plus fans on any given weekend,” Overman said. “Here in the Cape League it’s typically a lot of families and scouts that come out to watch you play. It’s a really cool atmosphere and it kind of puts me in a relaxed mood and lets me think about just the game of baseball.”
Overman got the chance to face another State player while playing in the Cape Cod League when he pitched to senior outfielder John Gianis this past week.
Gianis was chosen in the 26th round of the MLB June Amateur Draft by the Los Angeles of Anaheim and has chosen to participate in the league to continue progressing while working out a contract and making the decision about whether he will return to the Pack or play for the Angels.
For now, Gianis plays in the outfield for the Chatham Anglers. Overman said getting the chance to face players like Gianis has really made the experience much easier.
“I got to face Gianis the other night,” Overman said. “That was really fun. I get to face those guys during batting practice and stuff like that, but facing him during a game was completely different. It’s things like that which make this a completely different experience than what I’m going to get anywhere else.”
