Despite the topsy turvy summer that Titan Baseball endured with Rick Vanderhook retiring and Jason Deitrich‘s hiring all in the month of June, the players remained focused on baseball before coming to campus last week. Many returning Titans, incoming freshmen and Junior College transfers stayed busy over the summer playing in wood bat summer ball leagues to help sharpen their skills and arrive on campus a better player than when they left.
Let’s take a look at the players that played summer ball along with an update on which players graduated, were drafted by the MLB, transferred out of the program or graduated all in this Titan Baseball Summer Ball Recap.
Cape Cod League
Zach Lew – Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox
Continuing the tradition of sending at least one Titan to the prestigious Cape Cod League, Zach Lew played 28 games for the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox this past summer. Lew played in roughly 70% of the Y-D Red Sox’s games and his stats may not tell the whole story. Many times players use summer ball to work on a specific part of their game and and we are hoping that was the case with Zach.
Lew’s stats from this summer:
G: 28 – AVG: .150 – AB: 80 – R: 12 – H: 12 – HR: 0 – RBI: 7 – BB: 11 – Ks: 29 – SB: 1
California Collegiate League
Brendan Bobo – Conejo Oaks
Brendan Bobo must have found something up in Thousand Oaks at the end of the summer and ended up slugging 10 home runs in the 40 game California Collegiate League. Playing for the Conejo Oaks, Bobo started off well, cooled off in the middle of the season but they something clicked and the guy started cranking bombs to close out the season.
Bobo’s 10 home runs led the CCL and helped earn him All-League honors at the First Baseman’s spot. Bobo was also selected to play in the CCL’s Showcase Game which served as the CCL’s mid-season all-star game. If Bobo can bring that power back to Goodwin Field this spring, the Titans may have a power hitter they have been lacking the past few years.
Bobo’s stats from this summer:
G: 39 – AVG: .285 – AB: 144 – R: 30 – H: 41 – HR: 10 – RBI: 34 – BB: 14 – Ks: 39 – SB: 2
Jason Brandow – Lincoln Potters
Another California Collegiate League player from Fullerton, Jason Brandow also played in the CCL Showcase game. Brandow is no stranger to the CCL, having played for the Healdsburg Prune Packers in 2020, Brandow had quite a good season for the Potters. Hitting more for average than power, Brandow was a mainstay in the Potters line-up playing in the Lion’s Share of games all the way through the CCL playoffs.
Brandow’s stats from this summer:
G: 36 – AVG: .341 – AB:129 – R: 25 – H: 44 – HR: 3 – RBI: 35 – BB: 14 – Ks: 33 – SB: 18
JT Navyac – Conejo Oaks
Joining Brendan Bobo on the Conejo Oaks, JT Navyac had himself a decent summer hitting almost .300 in 75% of the Oaks games this summer. Playing primarily shortstop, Navyac got over 100 at-bats and even flashed some power with two going over the wall. Navyac could challenge for regular time at shortstop with his performance over the summer.
Navyac’s stats from this summer:
G: 35 – AVG: .280 – AB: 118 – R: 18 – H: 33 – HR: 2 – RBI: 14 – BB: 12 – Ks: 24 – SB: 2
Austin Schell – San Luis Obispo Blues
Austin Schell went to the California Central Coast to play for the California Collegiate League’s San Luis Obispo Blues and turned his time into being named to the CCL’s All-League squad. Schell took over 100 at-bats which in summer ball translates to a decent amount of at-bats and means the player got plenty of playing time. Batting .303 over the summer, Schell could make a play for increased playing time in his final year of college baseball in 2022.
Schell’s stats from this summer:
G: 35 – AVG: .303 – AB: 122 – R: 18 – H: 37 – HR: 2 RBI: 22 – BB:11 – Ks: 30 – SB: 1
West Coast League
Caden Connor – Ridgefield Raptors
The 2021 Cal State Omaha Batter of the Year didn’t miss a beat transitioning to summer ball and hitting with a wood bat. Connor hit above .300 and took nearly 250 at-bats in 55 games for the Ridgefield Raptors. The one knock on Connor in 2021 included his lack of over the wall power. He may have found some power up in Washington, blasting three homers and also stealing nine bases. Connor got quite a lot of playing time this past spring at First Base and in the Outfield and his performance this summer further cements he place as an expected everyday player in the 2022 line-up.
Connor’s stats this summer:
G: 55 – AVG: .303 – AB: 244 – R: 37 – H: 74 – HR: 3 – RBI: 54 – BB: 15 – Ks: 28 – SB: 9
Cole Urman – Ridgefield Raptors
Joining Caden Connor on the Raptors this summer, Cole Urman played in a handful of games only in the month of June. Despite the limited number of games and at-bats, Urman looks to have taken advantage of that time, hitting .333 in 63 at-bats. Based on the amount of of playing time Urman saw in 2021, he could potentially take that experience behind the plate for more opportunities in 2022.
Urman’s stats this summer:
G: 15 – AVG: .333 – AB: 63 – R: 15 – H: 21 – HR: 0 – RBI: 8 – BB: 8 – Ks: 13 – SB: 0
Omar Veloz – Bend Elks
Speaking of catchers, Omar Veloz headed north this summer to play for the Bend Elks in the WCL. Getting the exact number of at-bats as his catching counter-part Urman, Veloz hit around .250 with one home run in four more games than Urman.
Veloz’s stats this summer:
G: 19 – AVG: .254 – AB: 63 – R:9 – H:16 – HR: 1 – RBI: 14 – BB: 4 – Ks: 14 – SB: 1
Nate Nankil – Corvalis Knights
The Corvalis Knights played a total of 48 games this summer and Nate Nankil saw time in 44 of them. Hitting .270 in the very competitive WCL is nothing to sneeze at and Nankil could use his time in Oregon as a spring board for bigger things to come this spring.
Nankil’s stats this summer:
G: 44 – AVG: .270 – AB: 159 – R: 23 – H: 43 – HR: 2 – RBI: 27 – BB: 9 – Ks: 32 – SB: 3
Jake Harvey – Corvalis Knights
Jake Harvey and Nankil joined forces in Corvalis as teammates with Harvey playing in a handful of games. Harvey left the Knights in late July and thrived in WCL play, batting .261 vs. WCL opponents coimpared to .143 vs. Non-WCL teams. No homeruns for Jake Harvey but he did manage to steal four bases this summer.
Harvey’s stats this summer:
G: 19 – AVG: .233 – AB: 60 – R: 9 – H: 14 – HR: 0 – HR: 7 – BB: 7 – Ks: 24 – SB: 4
Jake Vargas – Corvalis Knights
The third Titan to play for the Corvalis Knights in 2021 included pitcher, Jake Vargas. Vargas appeared in 18 games, all in relief, and piled up a 5-1 record with two Saves. Vargas led all Knights relivers in strikeouts, punching out 48 opponents. Adding to that, Vargas had nearly a 3:1 K/BB ratio for the summer and a 1.44 WHIP in WCL Play. Look for Vargas to compete for innings in 2022 and a potential weekend starter position.
Vargas’ stats this summer:
G: 18 – W: 5 – L: 1 – S: 2 – ERA: 5.20 – IP: 36.1 – Ks: 48 – BB: 17 – H: 32
Tristan Gomes – Portland Pickles & Waterloo Bucks
It’s not uncommon for players to start the summer with one team in one league and then leave to play for another team elsewhere. That’s exactly what happened with Tristan Gomes who started the summer with the Portland Pickles of the WCL, playing in 18 games from June 16th – July 11th. He then joined the Waterloo Bucks of the Northwoods League July 23rd and played through August 12th. Gomes had better stats in the WCL for Portland but did have relatively the same number of games and at-bats in both leagues.
Gomes stats this summer:
Portland – G: 18 – AVG: .270 – AB: 37 – R: 7 – H: 10 – HR: 0 – RBI: 4 – BB: 8 – Ks: 10 – SB: 3
Waterloo – G: 11 – AVG: .176 – AB: 34 – R: 6 – H: 6 – HR: 0 – RBI: 4 – BB: 9 – Ks: 9 – SB: 1
Northwoods League
Jackson Lyon – Waterloo Bucks
Although Jackson Lyon and Cameron Repetti played for the same team this summer, their paths never crossed in Iowa. Lyon joined the Bucks late, his first game on July 14th while Repetti’s last game for Waterloo came on July 8th. Despite arriving late and getting less than 100 at-bats, Lyon made a big impression this summer. His .280 batting average for the season was good but paled in comparison to batting .500 in the Northwoods playoffs. Five homeruns and 20 RBI is not bad esspecially knowing Jackson was using a wood bat to rack up those stats.
Lyon’s stats this summer:
G: 20 – AVG: .280 – AB: 75 – R: 16 – H: 21 – HR: 5 – RBI: 20 – BB: 8 – Ks: 16 – SB: 1
Get ready to watch this on repeat!@RepettiCameron tees off on our first grand slam of 2021 on the Fourth of July!
🎤 – @TheBreachReport pic.twitter.com/M3uqSJYVfF
— Waterloo Bucks (@waterloobucks) July 5, 2021
Cameron Repetti – Waterloo Bucks
Two-Way Cam took his talents out to Waterloo, Iowa and played both infield and pitched for the Bucks this summer. Repetti made the most of his time out in Waterloo batting nearly .300 and picking up a home run while earning a 3-2 record with 2 Saves on the mound. His 5.5:1 K/BB ratio was rather impressive with a 1.41 WHIP.
Repetti’s stats this summer:
Batting – G: 21 – AVG: .288 – AB: 66 – R: 13 – H: 19 – HR: 1 – RBI: 11 – BB: 8 – Ks: 14 – SB: 4
Pitching – G: 6 – W: 3 – L: 2 – S: 1 – ERA: 3.49 – IP: 28.1 – H: 34 – BB: 6 – Ks: 22 – WHIP: 1.41
Miguel Ortiz – Rochester Honkers
Miggy was out in Rochester and hit well, averaging .250 in 64 at-bats in 19 games. Ortiz is expected to compete for one of the outfield spots in 2022.
Ortiz’s stats this summer:
G: 19 – AVG: .250 – AB: 64 – R: 12 – H: 16 – HR: 1 – RBI: 9 – BB: 5 – Ks: 17 – SB: 0
JJ Cruz – Rochester Honkers
Staying in the Northwoods League, JJ Cruz played in a handful of games for the Rochester Honkers, primarily playing second base.
Cruz’s stats this summer:
G: 26 – AVG: .213 – AB: 80 – R: 16 – H: 17 – HR: 2 – RBI: 10 – BB:12 – K: 25 – SB:3
Samuel Gomez – Rochester Honkers
Gomez played sparingly this summer, appearing in two games and a total of 7 innings pitched. Both appearances were in relief going five innings on June 23rd. We’re not sure if Gomez had an innings limit placed on him or if he left the Honkers earl;y due to an injury or possibly needed to come home for personal or family reasons. Despite the short stint out in Northwoods, it’s promising to see a guy with a 0.00 ERA after the summer.
Gomez’s stats this summer:
G: 2 – W: 0 – L: 0 – S: 0 – ERA: 0.00 – IP: 7.0 – H: 1 – BB: 1 – Ks: 5 – WHIP: 0.29
Sunset Baseball League
Wyatt Johnson – Inland Valley Pirates
Over the summer, Johnson appeared in one more game than he did for all of the 2021 season with the Titans. The extra work Johnson put in over the summer looks to have paid dividends in that he struck out 36 opposing batters and exited summer with a low ERA of 1.27 and a WHIP below one. If Johnson can replicate those types of performances on Fullerton’s campus, he will be on the coaching staff’s radar screen to be a potential weekend starter.
Johnson’s stats this summer:
G: 8 – W: 1 – L: 0 – S: 2 – AVG: 1.27 – IP: 21.1 – H: 14 – BB: 6 – Ks: 36 – WHIP: 0.94
Deylan Pigford – Inland Valley Pirates
A New Mexico native, Pigford originally planned to stay in Orange County to work out and work on his body. He did join the IV Pirates mid-way through the summer. Hard to tell if Pigford was working on a certain aspect of his game while with the Pirates to attribute the .053 batting average. Pigford batted .277 for the Titans in 2021 so it appears that the low batting average may be due to experimenting with something in his swing.
Pigford’s stats this summer:
G: 6 – AVG: .053 – AB: 19 – R: 0 – H: 1 – HR: 0 – BB: 1 – RBI: 0 – Ks: 8 – SB: 0
Christian Rodriguez – Inland Valley Pirates
C-Rod was used as a reliever for the Pirates and racked up a couple of saves this summer. After spending the majority of the 2021 Titan Baseball season injured, it was nice to Rodriguez striking guys out to help build that confidence going into the 2022 season. Although the ERA was higher than you would like, C-Rod gained some valuable time and experience facing college batters.
Rodriguez’s stats this summer:
G: 8 – W: 2 – L: 1 – S: 1 – ERA: 4.26 – IP: 25.1 – H: 28 – BB: 10 – Ks: 29 – WHIP: 1.50
RJ Vanderhook – Inland Valley Bucs
The son of newly retired Head Coach Rick Vanderhook looks to have played decently in summer ball playing for the IV Bucs. After only appearing in 10 games in 2021 for the Titans, RJ more than doubled that, playing 22 games for the Bucs and batting .267.
Vanderhook’s stats this summer:
G: 22 – AVG: .267 – AB: 45 – R: 7 – H: 12 – HR: 0 – RBI: 3 – BB: 3 – Ks: 10 – SB: 3
Gavin Kennedy – Summer ball unknown
Josh Urps – Summer ball unknown
Landon Anderson – Summer ball unknown
Michael Weisberg – Summer ball unknown
Peyton Jones – Summer ball unknown
Max Miller – Summer ball unknown
Jake Gentry – Summer ball unknown
Carter White – Did not play summer ball
James Wambold – Did not play summer ball
Timothy Josten – Did not play summer ball
Players and recruits lost to the MLB Draft
Tanner Bibee – Drafted 5th round by Cleveland Indians – Signing Bonus: $259,400
Johnny Cuevas – Drafted 12th round by Tampa Bay Rays – Signing Bonus: $197,500
(Cuevas was a draft eligible Junior College player for College of Southern Nevada)
Players from 2021 Titan Baseball team that transferred
Evan Adolphus – Transferred to Cypress College
Michael Knorr – Transferred to Coastal Carolina
Titus Groeneweg – Transferred to University of Northwestern Ohio
Kameron Guangorena – Transferred to Coastal Carolina
Kyle Luckham – Transferred to Arizona State
Players from 2021 Titan Baseball team that graduated or exhausted eligibility
Ryan Hare
Isaiah Garcia
Matthew Sanchez
Andrew Scheinert
Recruits that signed a National Letter of Intent or are JC transfers
Caleb Anderson – Summer ball unknown – Stats unavailable – Unconfirmed he is on campus
Charlie Fick – Inland Valley Bucs – Made it to Campus
G: 2 – AVG: .400 – AB: 5 – R: 0 – H: 2 – HR: 0 – BB: 0 – RBI: 0 – Ks: 1 – SB: 0
Anthony Joya – MFG Marshalls – Stats unavailable – Unconfirmed he is on campus
Grant Kelly – Summer ball unknown – Stats unavailable – Unconfirmed he is on campus
Cole Koniarsky – Decommited – Going to University of San Diego
Damone Hale – Williamsport Crosscutters – MLB Draft League – Made it to Campus
G: 11- AVG: .163 – AB: 43 – R: 5 – H: 7 – HR: 1 – BB: 3 – RBI: 6 – Ks: 22 – SB: N/A
Gavin Meyer – MFG Marshalls – Stats unavailable – Made it to Campus
Izeah Muniz – Did not play summer ball – Made it to Campus
Braydon Rogers – AZ Sandlot – Stats unavailable – Made it to Campus
Jakob Schardt – Did not play summer ball – Made it to Campus
Colton Sundloff – Decommited – Going to Oklahoma
Evan Yates – MFG Marshalls – Stats unavailable – Made it to Campus
Nik Kamages – Tommy John Surgery – Not on campus this year