Baseball Continues To Hone Skills During The Summer

MIAMI SHORES, Fla.—Though the collegiate season is over, members of the Barry University baseball team will spend the summer playing in college summer baseball leagues. In all, nine current and former Buccaneers will play in six leagues on eight different teams this summer.

 

There are currently 50 collegiate leagues in operation. Players involved are either still in college or have recently graduated. Unlike collegiate ball, the players use wooden bats. The season generally runs from June to August.

 

Sophomore James Young is playing in the Valley League in Virginia for the Front Royal Cardinals. The sophomore played and started in 54 games and produced 10 doubles, eight home runs and 33 RBIs while batting .303 during one of the best seasons in Barry baseball history in 2011.

 

Sophomore catcher Luis Arrizurieta joins Young in Staunton, Va. and also received the nod from the Front Royal Cardinals in the Valley League. Arrizurieta played in 25 games with 20 starts. The sophomore batted .216 with three doubles and 13 RBIs in a backup role behind senior Chris Leon.

 

Outfielder Sam Hapern will spend his summer with the Winter Haven Loggerheads of the Florida Collegiate League. Halpern took a red shirt for the 2011 season but saw action in nine games during his freshman campaign. 
 

Junior transfer Lyndon Coleman rounds out the final current Buccaneer in summer ball. Coleman also landed in the Valley League but with the Covington Lumberjacks. The junior batted .294 last season with seven doubles, three home runs and 32 RBIs.  

In addition to the four current Buccaneers, five former Barry stars continue with their pursuit of the majors. 

 

Recent draftees, Dean Green and Manny Rodriguez just started rookie ball while Nick Shaw, Yudelmis Hernandez and Yan Gomes have at least one year under their belts.

 

After being drafted by the Washington Nationals as the highest Buccaneer taken in the MLB draft, Rodriguez has pitched in five game with three starts with a 6.10 ERA.

 

Green was tabbed by the Detroit Tigers and currently is playing for the Connecticut Tigers. He leads the team in batting average at .317 with five doubles, one home run and eight RBIs through 12 games.

 

Shaw finished his Barry baseball career in 2010 as the NCAA DII career walk leader. After being drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers, Shaw plays for the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers. He is batting .255 and in typical Nick Shaw fashion he leads the league in walks with 52 in 76 games.

 

Hernandez played for the Bucs in 2009 and was tabbed by the Blue Jays in the 38th round. Hernandez is currently batting .250 with eight RBIs for the Bluefield Blue Jays.

 

Gomes was drafted in the 10th round by the Blue Jays as a catcher and currently playing in the Triple-A Pacific Coast League for the Las Vegas 51s. Gomes is batting .222 with two games played.

 

Follow all the current and former Buccaneers on the summer endeavors with the links listed below.