On May 31, 13 days after the Wesleyan baseball team’s historic season came to an end, Nick Cooney ’15, Gavin Pittore ’16, and 78 other collegiate baseball players arrived at Spillane Field in Wareham, Mass. to fight for roster spots on one of the ten teams that make up the prestigious Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL). The CCBL, in its 130-year history, has had over one thousand players go on to have Major League Baseball careers. In the 2013 baseball season, there were 256 former CCBL players playing on major-league teams.
“The tryout was in the form of a simulated game, with a different pitcher throwing every inning,” Cooney said. “Gavin threw before me—and threw extremely well—and as soon as he walked off the field two or three teams approached him about signing a contract, which both excited and motivated me. I pitched about a half hour later and was happy with how I pitched, and when I was changing out of my cleats, a few teams approached me.”
Cooney received an offer from the Falmouth Commodores while Pittore, after initially being brought on as a temporary player (typically in the league until the College World Series concludes) was ultimately given a full-time roster spot with the Harwich Mariners.
“Gavin and I were very excited to come off of the field with contracts, as we were two of just four players signed at the tryout out of 80 players,” Cooney said.
Once Cooney and Pittore were brought on as full-time players for their respective teams, they met their host families, who volunteer to provide room and board for the CCBL players during the summer. The family Cooney stayed with was in their 14th year of hosting CCBL players.
“After being taken on as a full-time guy, I moved into a permanent house with a husband and wife about three minutes from the field,” Pittore said. “I expected to be there for about a week and be released. It had been my dream to just wear a Cape uniform and be a part of a game, so even if I stayed for a day, I would have been content.”
The CCBL season runs from June 11 through August 13, with 44 regular-season games and a postseason that consists of three best-of-three series for the league championship. Cooney and Pittore started their days off by working at baseball camps for kids ranging from ages of five to 14 held at their respective teams’ home facilities. Before lunch, most players would head to the gym or batting cages to lift weights and take batting practice.
Cooney, who set a new single-season strikeout record at Wes by punching out 87 batters last season, went 1-0 in his two starts for the Commodores. In his 12 appearances for the team, Cooney put up the team’s fifth-best batting average against and had an ERA of 4.26. With a regular season record of 26-17-1 and 53 points, the Commodores finished second in the West Division behind the Bourne Braves. After the Commodores dispatched the Hyannis Harbor Hawks in the first round, followed by the Cotuit Kettleers for the West Division, they faced the East Division winners, the Yarmouth-Dennis (Y-D) Red Sox, in the Championship series, which Y-D ultimately won.
“It was a very surreal experience playing with and against some players who will surely be first-round draft picks come the next draft in June, but I was surprised at how grounded they all were,” Cooney said. “Everyone on my team was very outgoing and friendly to every player on the team, which I think is a credit to our coach and a big reason we were so successful.”
Cooney added that when he was on the mound, he made sure not to get distracted by his opponents’ MLB prospects.
“When I was on the mound, I approached every hitter with the same mentality and respected them but never acted star struck,” he said. “[I] attacked them in what I thought was the best way to get them out. All in all, I learned a lot from the players just by sitting and picking their brains and by watching some of the great things that they were able to do on the diamond.”
Pittore, who led the Cardinals last season with seven wins, went 1-1 in 8 appearances for the Mariners and posted an ERA of 6.09.
The Mariners finished the regular season first in the East Division with a record of 26-16-2 giving them 54 points. In the semifinals, the Mariners were also defeated by Y-D, who shut out Harwich 2-0 in the rubber game of the series.
“The level of talent was the best part,” Pittore said. “Facing guys on a daily basis that are going to be first-round picks and occasionally getting to pitch against them was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I had a lot of those guys on my team, who I got to learn from, and I believe it has really helped me grow as a player.”
The two players surely gained exposure to the possibility of one day playing in the MLB alongside fellow CCBL Alumni, such as the New York Yankees center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury, Boston Red Sox MVP-winner Dustin Pedroia, and San Francisco Giants pitcher and two-time Cy Young Award winner Tim Lincecum.
“I would say my current goal is to win a national championship at Wesleyan,” Pittore said. “I’m going to be at Wes for four years and win as many games as possible, and if I get the opportunity to play after school it would be a dream.”
“On a personal level, I was very happy with the exposure that I received and the number of resources that I gained from this summer,” Cooney said. “I have always said that I will play baseball until someone rips the jersey from my back, and I do not know what my future in baseball will be, but I am very excited for this upcoming spring and the baseball program at Wesleyan, as we have a great team of hard-working and selfless players.”
When the Cardinals return to Andrus Field next Spring for the 2015 season, Cooney and Pittore will team up again with players like Guy Davidson ’16 and Donnie Cimino ’15, both of whom also spent some time in the CCBL, to defend their NESCAC title.
“I took a lot away from the day-to-day routines of the guys on my team,” Pittore said. “These guys are future big leaguers, and if a little DIII guy like me can copy some of their routines and get myself better, I’m definitely going to do that.”
Not only did these four athletes represent Wes well; they also represented the NESCAC, since they were the only players from the conference to play in the CCBL.
“I think that playing in the Cape Cod League gave the Wesleyan baseball program great exposure, as we had four players in the league at the beginning of the season, which is more players than even many large DI programs have in the league,” Cooney commented. “It speaks volumes about our program and the type of talent that we have, and that we are able to hold our own against many well-respected top college players.”
Both Cooney and Pittore said they will never forget the opportunities they had this past summer. They didn’t worry about their individual stats and just went out, had fun, and played ball.
“I learned that in any team sport, it is far easier to achieve both individual and collective success if the individual stops worrying about their own performance and instead focuses more on how they can best help the team win games,” Cooney said. “If individuals are putting the team first, the individual achievements will fall into place.”
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