How Gamecocks are performing as summer baseball league action begins

With the College World Series underway, the end of the college baseball season is near. But for many players, they’ll play on as summer collegiate baseball leagues have started their seasons this month.

Multiple Gamecocks are spending their summer playing with various teams across the country. Most are incoming players, but a few key returnees are playing as well.

Here’s a look at how those players have performed in the early stages of their seasons thus far.

Tyler Bak — Valley Blue Sox, New England Collegiate Baseball League

While the sample size is very small, Bak has been swinging the bat well to open the summer. Hitting in the leadoff spot for the Blue Sox, the Wofford transfer is slashing .600/.739/.867 with nine hits in 15 at-bats, including one homer and three RBI. He’s struck out three times, walked seven and stolen five bases without being caught yet.

Elijah Foster — Brewster Whitecaps, Cape Cod League

Foster made his Cape Cod debut on Sunday, getting the start for the Whitecaps in their second game of the season. The right-hander lasted three innings and gave up two unearned runs on one hit. He struck out one but walked three and plunked one more to finish with four free passes in his outing.

Seth Graham-Pippin — Mahoning Valley Scrappers, Draft League

Graham-Pippin had a rough first outing on June 7, giving up five runs on six hits in two innings of relief. He struck out two and walked three. He was much better in his next and most recent appearance, pitching a scoreless inning with one strikeout and no hits or walks on June 11.

Josh Gunther — Bourne Braves, Cape Cod League

Starting opposite Jake McCoy on Saturday, Gunther got hit around in his brief two-inning start with the Braves. The right-hander allowed six runs (five earned) on two hits and struck out two with three walks. He also hit two more batters to account for five free passes on the day. He took the loss as the Braves suffered a 7-5 defeat to the Mariners.

Dawson Harman — Sanford River Rats, Florida Collegiate Summer League

Coming off a phenomenal JUCO season, Harman has continued to hit well as his summer ball season has gotten underway. In 12 games, he’s slashed .357/.491/.643 with two homers and 13 RBI over 42 at-bats. He’s struck out 15 times with 10 walks and five stolen bases in six tries. He’s mostly played third base with some time at first base.

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Beau Hollins — Lexington County Blowfish, Coastal Plain League

Hollins is slashing .238/.360/.429 with one homer and five RBI in 21 at-bats over six games. On June 4, he hit a walk-off three-run homer to give the Blowfish a run-rule win over the Boone Bigfoots.

Caleb Hoover — Santa Barbara Foresters, California Collegiate League

It’s been a slow start to the summer for Hoover as he’s hitting .190 with four RBI across six games. He’s struck out seven times with seven walks. In his most recent game action on June 15, he went 2-for-2 with an RBI and walked four times. Hoover has made four starts at first base and been the designated hitter in the two other games he’s played in.

Cullen Horowicz — Trenton Thunder, MLB Draft League

Horowicz has made three appearances with the Thunder this summer without allowing a run in 3.1 innings of work. The right-hander has struck out one and walked two. He picked up his first save in a 5-3 win over the Scrappers on June 10.

Jake McCoy — Harwich Mariners, Cape Cod League

McCoy got off to a strong start in his Cape debut on Saturday. The left-hander gave up one unearned run on three hits with 10 strikeouts and no walks in four innings. He notably struck out Alabama’s All-American shortstop Justin Lebron twice in his first two at-bats. McCoy was named the CodBall Pitcher of the Day for his strong performance on Opening Day.

Erik Parker — Wisconsin Rapids Rafters, Northwoods League

In six games, Parker is hitting .250 with no homers and three RBI in 16 at-bats. He’s proven to have a good eye at the plate as he’s walked nine times and scored nine runs while striking out twice.

KJ Scobey — Lexington County Blowfish, Coastal Plain League

Teaming up with Hollins this summer, Scobey made his Blowfish debut on Friday and went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts. That’s been his only action so far. After playing third base for the Gamecocks all season, he started at shortstop in his first game with the Blowfish.

Logan Sutter — Healdsburg Prune Packers, California Collegiate League

A Purdue transfer, Sutter is hitting .286 with two homers and nine RBI in seven games. He’s struck out eight times with three walks. Most of his starts have been at third base, but he’s also played some first base and started two games in left field. He’s hit in the middle of the order, typically in the three-hole with the Prune Packers.

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