Top Tar Heel baseball talent showcased in Cape Cod League

At season’s end, college baseball players leave their schools behind to play in summer leagues scattered all across the map.

There are 19 collegiate summer leagues in the United States, stretching from the Alaska Baseball League to the Florida Collegiate Summer League —and everywhere in between. But none is more prestigious than the Cape Cod League.

Nineteen Tar Heels played in summer leagues this year — nine of whom played at the Cape.

“It was a really good learning experience just with the different pitchers that were out there,” North Carolina third baseman Colin Moran said. “It was pretty similar to the pitching we faced during the year. I think the biggest difference is probably the pitchers that come out of the bullpen, especially later in the game.”

Moran, Baseball America’s 2011 Freshman of the Year, spent his summer with the Bourne Braves along with fellow Tar Heels infielder Tommy Coyle and reliever R.C. Orlan.

Moran hit .289 in 97 at bats while racking up 10 RBI. Coyle had similar success with the wooden bat this summer, posting a .315 average in 108 at bats and tallying 16 RBI.

“It’s a good competition, and that’s what you’re looking for in summer ball. You’re trying to get better,” Coyle said.

Unbeatable experiences

For their strong starts to the summer season, both Coyle and Moran were awarded spots on the CCBL West Division All Stars team and the opportunity to play in Boston’s Fenway Park in front of a crowd of more than 7,000.

“My coach let me know (about making the team) and I was pretty pumped about that because you always want to play in such a cool venue,” Coyle said. “Fenway is one of the most historic parks. That was definitely the highlight of my summer.”

Coyle was also recently named to the postseason Cape Cod League All-Star team.

Pitcher Kent Emanuel didn’t get the chance to play at Fenway, but the 2010 Baseball America All-Freshman team member wasn’t slighted by any means.

Instead, the sophomore pitcher would have to settle for a run to the Cape Cod League championship series.

Emanuel made five starts for the Falmouth Commodores, logging 23.2 innings and recording an ERA of 4.18.

“We were the lowest seed and we ended up making the championship,” Emanuel said. “I’d say those four or five days where we all came together was definitely the best part.”

Emanuel did not make an appearance in the playoffs due to a minor hand injury, but he made the final start of the regular season for Falmouth.

UNC’s Andrew Smith also played with Falmouth and made seven appearances in relief.

Bringing out their best

Even though the league is a wood bat league and the NCAA uses metal bats, both Moran and Coyle believe their hitting improved this summer. The elite pitching talent in the Cape Code League, they said, demands one’s effort at the plate.

“Even if you fail a lot up there, it still prepares you for the next year because you get used to the better pitching,” Moran said. “I think the wood bats prepare you a lot too. It’s the truest part of the game.”

The NCAA switched to the BBCOR bat in 2011, which are more similar to wood bats than the previous ones. Coyle said with a wooden bat in his hands, he changes his approach to compensate for the difference.

“I’m a patient hitter, sometimes a little too patient, so I feel like you have to be a little more aggressive with better pitchers and the wood bat,” Coyle said. “You have to take advantage of when you are ahead in the count.”

As for Emanuel, the left-handed pitcher said he gained some useful experience throwing to some of the best hitters in the country. He likened his summer baseball season to a glimpse of what’s in store for him, and he picked up a few things that will help him prepare for the 2012 North Carolina season.

“I think (my Cape Cod experience) is going to help a lot in being able to focus in on certain things,” Emanuel said. “For me, certain things on the mound. I’m sure Tommy and Colin picked up some things as well.”
Other than Moran and Coyle, catcher Matt Roberts was the only other UNC hitter to play in the Cape Cod League. Roberts, like Moran and Coyle, also launched one home run in the Cape Cod League.

Orlan and Cody Penny both made 10 appearances in relief. Cody Stiles played with the Cotuit Kettleers and didn’t allow a run in 10 innings of work.

“(Summer baseball) is a very important part of their progress and their development,” North Carolina coach Mike Fox said. “The guys that go up in the Cape are playing against the best, and it’s very high-level baseball.”

Now back from their summer ventures, it’s time for the Tar Heels to begin preparation for the fall schedule. But first, Fox knows some of his guys might need a little break.

“I expect them to be tired for one,” Fox said with a laugh. “Some of them haven’t had a whole lot of rest.”

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