With the fall semester at the University of Georgia beginning Wednesday, here’s a summary of how the Bulldogs fared in summer league action.
Alaska League
Infielder Cole Tate, utility player Chaney Rogers and catcher Shane Marshall were part of the Anchorage Bucs that won the regular season crown with a record of 29-14 and then the “Top of the World Series” title in the ABL playoffs. Tate and Rogers were selected to the ABL All-Star team and named to the All-League First Team at third base and designated hitter. Tate ranked third in the league in batting at .302 to go with four doubles, four triples, a home run and 18 RBI in 39 games during the regular season. In 32 games during the regular season, Rogers batted .229 with two doubles, two triples, three home runs and 18 RBI plus he made three relief appearances for a total of two innings. He saw action in all six playoff games and collected four hits with three walks and two RBI. Due to injury, Marshall was limited to eight regular season games and 26 at bats for a .154 average and a pair of RBI.
Great Lakes League
Outfielder Randon Jernigan was named an All-Star while playing for the Lima (Ohio) Locos as they won the Great Lakes League title. They went 26-15 in the regular season and 4-1 in the playoffs. In the regular season, Jernigan batted .343 with three doubles, a triple, a home run, 12 RBI and 14 stolen bases. In the playoffs, he headlined the offense with a .450 average (9-for-20) with two doubles, an RBI, four walks and six stolen bases. For the summer, Jernigan batted .354 with five doubles, 13 RBI and 20 stolen bases.
Cape Cod League
Outfielder/infielder Riley King earned All-Star honors for Yarmouth-Dennis as they advanced to the playoffs. He ranked among the league leaders in batting at .323 to go with four doubles, three home runs, and 10 RBI in 36 games during the regular season. He was even better in the playoffs, hitting .467 (7-for-15) with three doubles, four walks, three stolen bases and an RBI in four games before the Red Sox run ended a round short of the championship series. A 26th round pick of the Atlanta Braves this past June as a draft-eligible sophomore, he will to return to Georgia for the 2020 season.
Coastal Plain League
Georgia newcomer Garrett Blaylock made the All-Star team as an infielder for the Forest City (N.C.) Owls. In 40 games, he batted .353 with 12 doubles, a league-best 14 home runs and 42 RBI as the Owls went 24-24. They advanced to the Petitt Cup Playoffs but fell short of the championship round. Pitcher Jack Gowen went 3-0 with a 9.64 ERA and one save in nine relief appearances with the Savannah Bananas who finished 35-15. In 14 innings, he had 23 strikeouts and 16 walks. He made one relief appearance in the playoffs. Also, pitcher Garrett Brown made one appearance for the Macon Bacon before an injury ended his time with the club.
New England Collegiate League
Outfielder Connor Tate saw action in 36 games for the Sanford (Maine) Mainers. He batted .276 with eight doubles, three home runs, five stolen bases and 13 RBI. The Mainers posted a final mark of 17-27.
Northwoods League
Outfielder Ben Anderson earned All-Star honors while playing for the Madison (Wis.) Mallards as they finished the regular season with a 42-30 record. They advanced to the playoffs that begin this week. However, Anderson is back on campus with the Bulldogs. He batted .276 with nine doubles, six triples, a home run and 27 RBI in 64 games for the Mallards. He had a team-high 51 walks and nine stolen bases too. Anderson spent his freshman year at Furman before sitting out last season at UGA as a transfer. Meanwhile, outfielder Kaden Fowler, who also redshirted in 2019 with the Bulldogs, hit .190 with three doubles, three home runs and 19 RBI in 36 games for the Willmar (Minn.) Stingers who went 40-32.
Sunbelt League
Pitcher Darryn Pasqua earned All-Star honors playing in the Atlanta-based Sunbelt League for the Alpharetta Aviators. He ranked second in the league with 50 innings pitched and went 1-2 with a 3.42 ERA. In seven starts, he tallied 45 strikeouts and just one walk as the Aviators finished 11-17. In June, Riley Crean made seven appearances for the Gwinnett Tides, pitching a total of 10 innings. He posted a 1.80 ERA with one save. He tallied 16 strikeouts and just four walks.
USA Collegiate Baseball National Team
Pitcher Cole Wilcox went 1-0 with a 2.57 ERA as a member of the USA Collegiate National Summer Team. They posted an 8-6 mark, playing in North Carolina, Taiwan and Japan. Wilcox made four appearances for a total of seven innings with four walks and seven strikeouts. His highlights included pitching three scoreless innings with three strikeouts in earning a win over Cuba, and he was part of a combined one-hit shutout of Japan. Wilcox began his summer pitching briefly for Orleans in the Cape Cod League before making the USA Team.
Update on Newest Professional Bulldogs
Meanwhile, seven Bulldogs from last season’s squad have embarked on their professional career. Here’s a brief look at how they are doing in leagues around the country.
Aaron Schunk: 2nd Round pick of Colorado: Currently batting .329 with 12 doubles, two triples, six home runs and 23 RBI in 42 games for the Boise Hawks in the Class A Short-Season Northwest League. At the end of July, he was named a Northwest League All-Star.
Tony Locey: 3rd Round pick of St. Louis: Owns a 1-1 mark and 4.50 ERA in 11 relief appearances covering 16 innings with 28 strikeouts and 12 walks between GCL in Palm Beach and now the Peoria Chiefs in the Class A Midwest League.
Tim Elliott: 4th Round pick of Seattle: Currently 1-3 with a 4.44 ERA in nine starts for the Everett AquaSox in the Class A Short-Season Northwest League. In 24.1 innings, he has 29 strikeouts and 12 walks.
LJ Talley: 7th Round pick of Toronto: Batting .164 with two doubles, three home runs and 13 RBI in 33 games for the Lansing Lugnuts in the Class A Midwest League.
Zac Kristofak: 14th Round pick of the Los Angeles Angels: Owns a 2-3 mark and 8.66 ERA in 13 relief appearances covering 17.2 innings with 15 strikeouts and five walks for the Rookie-level Orem Owlz in the Pioneer League.
Tucker Maxwell: 22nd Round pick of Philadelphia: Currently batting .163 with one double, two home runs and six RBI in 26 games between Williamsport of the Class A Short-Season New York Penn League and the Gulf Coast League.
John Cable: Signed a free agent contract with the Lake Erie Crushers of the Frontier League. Currently hitting .239 with six doubles and nine RBI in 34 games.