By: Ryan Sosic '19

BEREA, Ohio- After a record-breaking 2018 season that included an Ohio Athletic Conference Tournament title and an NCAA Tournament berth, many key Baldwin Wallace University baseball student-athletes are hungry for more success in 2019.

Senior American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA)/Rawlings All-Mideast Region pitcher Danny Cody (Medina/Brecksville-Broadview Hts.) is playing for the Wilson Tobs in the Coastal Plains Collegiate (CPL) Baseball League, one of the highest-ranked summer leagues in the United States. The CPL, which is made up of 16 teams across Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia, plays a 52-game schedule from May to August, in addition to an annual Pro Scout Day and All-Star Game. According to their website, the CPL has produced 1,500 Major League draftees and 113 alums who have made it to the show.

Cody received ABCA/Rawlings All-Region and his first career All-OAC honor after a 7-3 record in the 2018 campaign. The senior led the OAC with a career-high and school-record 100 strikeouts and finished the season with a 3.13 ERA.

Junior ABCA/Rawlings All-American outfielder Dudley Taw (Sheffield Lake/Brookside) also saw action for the Tobs through mid-June. Taw had a career 2018 season, becoming the first Yellow Jacket to receive ABCA/Rawlings NCAA Division III All-America honors since 2016. He was also named All-Region and first team All-OAC in a season where he boasted a career-best .385 batting average, a .467 on-base percentage and a team-high .714 slugging percentage and 14 home runs.

Those aren't the only Yellow Jackets who will be playing in high-level leagues throughout the summer. Junior pitcher Max Adams (Massillon/Massillon Washington) will be spending in his summer in New York playing for Niagara Power in the New York Collegiate Baseball League. Adams made 10 appearances in the 2018 season and complied a career-low 3.31 ERA. Sophomore pitcher Nick Smith (Mentor) made an impact as a freshman in 2018 and looks to improve his skills in the Great Lakes Collegiate Baseball League. Smith, who registered a 3-0 record in his five starts, will be playing for the Galion Graders. Senior pitcher Jack Raines (Akron/Archbishop Hoban) comes off a 2018 season where he appeared in a team and career-high 22 appearances to play for the Chillicothe Paints in the Prospect League.

The hard work isn't going unnoticed. "Guys getting the chance to play in high level summer baseball is an awesome opportunity. It gives them the chance to live like a pro ball player for a summer; living with host families, traveling with teammates, working out during the day, and in some leagues, playing in front of thousands each night" explained assistant coach Tom DeAngelis. "It also goes to show the level of dedication our players have towards the game of baseball; the willingness to go away for an entire summer in order to play top-notch competition and continue to improve as we look to reach our goals in 2019."

In total, 18 players will be dedicating will their summer to the sport of baseball, with their aspirations and goals set even higher for 2019.