By Dylan Vazzano, TTU Sports Information Coordinator
HYANNIS, Mass. – One of the biggest vacation hot spots in the country is seeing it's share of purple and gold this summer, as Tennessee Tech baseball player Dylan Bosheers has joined the Hyannis Harbor Hawks of the famed Cape Cod Baseball League, becoming the first Golden Eagle to join the league in over 10 years.
The premier amateur baseball league in the nation since 1885, the Cape League welcomes the country’s best collegiate players to the majestic seashores of the Northeast for the summer months of June, July, and August. The wood bat league features a 44-game regular season slate, with 10 teams in two divisions spread throughout the Cape competing for the shot to hoist the Arnold Mycock Trophy, presented to the league’s champion.
Hyannis plays in the West Division along with the Bourne Braves, Cotuit Kettleers, Falmouth Commodores, and Wareham Gatemen. The East Division is home to the Brewster Whitecaps, Chatham Anglers, Harwich Mariners, Orleans Firebirds, and Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox.
With more than 1,000 CCBL alumni performing at all levels of professional baseball in 2013, a record total of 257 former Cape Leaguer’s found themselves on major league rosters and in last year’s First-Year Player Draft, 208 CCBL alumni were drafted, with 15 going in the first round. In fact one in seven current MLB players played in the Cape League and one in three big leaguers who went to college came from Cape Cod, a statistic that helped drive the league’s slogan of “Where the stars of tomorrow shine tonight.”
“Ever since I’ve been a freshman at Tennessee Tech, it’s been a dream of mine to be up here playing alongside so many players from big time programs,” Bosheers commented on being on the Cape. “I’ve heard about the league for so long, so it’s definitely a thrill to be up here.”
The list of current and former major league stars to come through Cape Cod is a lengthy one that includes the likes of former NL MVP Buster Posey, Tampa Bay Rays’ third baseman Evan Longoria, New York Yankee centerfield Jacoby Ellsbury, former NL CY Young award winner Tim Lincecum, former AL batting champion Nomar Garciaparra, Hall of Famer Frank Thomas, member of the 3,000 hit club, Craig Biggio, and countless others.
“It’s pretty neat to be in this league, every day you come out and face a top notch pitcher that’s an ace of his collegiate team, so it’s an experience,” the junior shortstop claimed. “I definitely think being up here is going to help my hitting heading into next season at Tennessee Tech, and there’s no doubt that my fielding is going to benefit as well.”
Bosheers is coming off a remarkable junior campaign at Tennessee Tech in which the Lawrenceburg, Tenn., native hit an impressive .368 with 11 home runs and 56 RBI. The staggering numbers led Bosheers to a spot on the Louisville Slugger All-American Second Team as well as a finalist for the Brooks Wallace Award which honors the nation’s top shortstop.
“We are excited to have Dylan up here, he’s a good player and plays a big role in solidifying our middle infield,” Hyannis Manager Chad Gassman said on having Bosheers in the Harbor Hawk mix. “He’s already made some real nice plays for us this season and you can tell he has a real good baseball IQ. It’s also always great to have a junior on the team as Dylan brings us experience and leadership, and I believe he is also going to play a role offensively for us as well.”
Bosheers was one of three Golden Eagles originally slated to play for Hyannis alongside junior starting pitcher David Hess and junior closer Seth Lucio, but Hess became the highest drafted Golden Eagle since 1969, going to the Baltimore Orioles in the fifth round with the 151st overall selection in June’s 2014 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft, and Lucio was taken in the 12th round by the San Diego Padres.
For more information on the Cape Cod Baseball League visit the league’s official website at http://capecodbaseball.org/
