Summer Virginia Baseball Update

July 19, 2016

Cavaliers in the Pros | Current Cavaliers in Summer Baseball Leagues

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With the days in July quickly winding down, so too are the games in collegiate summer leagues across the nation. Most leagues are down to their final two weeks of the regular season, with the playoffs to follow. The professional season also is coming to the end of its fourth month of regular-season play.

Here is the latest update on Virginia’s current student-athletes in summer ball as well former players now competing in professional baseball. For a full listing a UVA’s players in professional baseball, click HERE.

Summer All-Stars
Seven returning Cavaliers have been named all-stars in their respective summer leagues:
Ernie Clement (Harwich Mariners) — Cape Cod League
Adam Haseley (Orleans Firebirds) — Cape Cod League
Pavin Smith (Harwich Mariners) – Cape Cod League
Chesdin Harrington (Alexandria Aces) — Cal Ripken League
Cameron Simmons (Baltimore Redbirds) — Cal Ripken League
Tommy Doyle (Keene Swamp Bats) — New England Collegiate Baseball League
Nate Eikhoff (Anchorage Glacier Pilots) — Alaska Baseball League

That accounts for exactly half of the 14 Cavaliers who are currently competing in summer-league action.

Cavalier Trio Makes Up a Third of CCBL’s East Lineup
Clement, Haseley and Smith each will start for the East Division team in the Cape Cod League All-Star Game, which will be played Saturday (July 23) in Chatham, Mass. Clement will start at second base, Haseley in right field and Smith at DH.

The three each rank among the top 25 in batting average in the league, highlighted by Clement, who stands second in the CCBL with a .361 average. He leads the league with 44 hits and also is second with 14 stolen bases. Smith is tied for 10th in the CCBL with 33 hits.

CBS19 in Charlottesville recently visited with the three during their stay at the Cape. Click HERE to watch the video.

Doyle Starts NECBL All-Star Game
UVA right-hander Tommy Doyle earned the starting nod on the mound for the North team in the NECBL All-Star Game, held Sunday in Newport, R.I. Doyle fired a perfect inning on 10 pitches.

In six games (five starts) for the Keene Swamp Bats this summer, Doyle is 1-1 with a 1.62 ERA. Batters have had a tough time against Doyle as he has allowed just 14 hits and seven walks while striking out 40 in 33 1/3 innings.

Weber Continues Great Summer
Playing in Ontario for the Thunder Bay Border Cats of the Northwoods League, infielder Andy Weber has put together a terrific summer thus far. In 33 games, Weber is batting .324 with 10 RBI and ranks among the top 25 in the league with 45 hits.

Harrington and Simmons Named to Ripken All-Star Teams
Rising sophomores Chesdin Harrington (Alexandria Aces) and Cameron Simmons (Baltimore Redbirds) competed on the South and North teams, respectively, in the Cal Ripken League All-Star Game, which was contested last week.

Simmons currently ranks fourth in the league in batting at .356 and has stolen 13 bases. Harrington is 3-1 with a 1.50 ERA (fourth in the league). He also is tied for 10th in the league with 30 strikeouts in 30 innings. He has walked only four batters.

Eikhoff Earns Spot on ABL All-Star Team
Virginia infielder Nate Eikhoff earned a spot on the Alaska Baseball League All-Star Team. Playing with the Anchorage Glacier Pilots, Eikhoff raised his batting average to an even .300 with a pair of hits Saturday. He is joined in Anchorage this summer by UVA teammate Jack Gerstenmaier.

Weiller Joins Tom Sox
After missing much of the latter portion of the spring season with an injury, Jack Weiller has returned to action, joining the Charlottesville Tom Sox of the Valley League. In five games, Weiller is 6-for-14 (.429) with three RBI. Weiller’s UVA teammate Justin Novak also is playing with the Tom Sox this summer.

Crockett Called Up by Indians
Former Virginia pitcher Kyle Crockett was recalled Monday from triple-A Columbus by the Cleveland Indians. Crockett is back for his second stint this season with the Indians, who have cycled through an assortment of left-handed relievers this season. At Columbus, Crockett posted a 3.62 ERA in 26 appearances, including a 2.45 ERA since June 15.

With Crockett’s promotion to Cleveland, Virginia has nine former players who are currently on active rosters in Major League Baseball. The program record is 10, set during the 2015 season. A total of 10 former Cavaliers have played in MLB this season, matching the program record set in 2015.

More Cavaliers in the Pros Notes
– Chris Taylor had a career night last Friday against the Arizona Diamondbacks (and former UVA teammate Phil Gosselin), going 3-for-5 and falling a single shy of the cycle. He hit his first MLB home run — a grand slam — and drove in a career-high six runs. Taylor followed up that performance with a two-hit game Sunday. Click HERE to see more from Taylor’s big day.
– Two-time UVA All-American Matt Thaiss was promoted to single-A Burlington on July 9 and has continued his solid rookie season by batting .306 in nine games with the Bees. In 101 professional at bats, Thaiss has struck out only seven times.
– In 22 games since being promoted to the high-A Charlotte Stone Crabs, Joe McCarthy is batting .329 with a .405 on base percentage.
– Playing for double-A Akron, Mike Papi went 1-for-3 Monday for the RubberDucks in their game at Richmond. The teams also play Tuesday night and Wednesday afternoon at The Diamond in Richmond. The Altoona Curve, featuring former UVA starter Brandon Waddell, come to Richmond Sept. 2-5.