Most Cape Cod Baseball League teams have certain connections to the collegiate ranks. Maybe it's a particular school pipeline that has proven to pay dividends in the past, maybe it's a history of former players from that university having a strong experience. The Wareham Gatemen, a part of the CCBL’s original four teams back in 1923, have a lot of strong history with college programs that end up becoming “Feeders”. Wareham has connections with Duke, West Virginia, Ole Miss, Arkansas, and are even developing the Sunshine State with Florida and Florida State The nucleus of their collegiate ties start with the Arizona Wildcats–a team with three consecutive conference tournament championships spanning over the Big 12 and the Pac 12 and two conference regular season championships over the last five years.
That Arizona connection, and outfielder Brendan Summerhill’s commitment to the Wildcats, led Gatemen manager Ryan Smyth to hit the Tucson well once again.
“So we've had a really good relationship with Arizona. I think their players enjoy it out here. And that's kind of how we got him. You know, it was just luck of the draw.”
Smythe praised Summerhill as a “Big ticket” addition to Wareham’s 2024 roster. After all, he did slash .324 with eight home runs in an uber-competitive Pac 12 conference the spring leading up to the Cape. That strong statline led to an Pac 12 all-conference nominiation alongside stud youngsters such as Guardians prospect Travis Bazzana and Miami prospect Aiva Arquette.
Summerhill certainly brought his bat to Wareham–a .286 batting average–but he aimed to pick up lessons on and off the diamond. If he was going to play and succeed in professional baseball there comes a point where the high school and college scheduling methodology of twice-weekly games fades away and the daily grind begins.
“That’s kind of been the mentality, because I enjoyed the cape so much that I'm not going to get lost in the grind.” Summerhill said, making sure to savor that fun in baseball that decade-long MLBers consistently preach. “I'm just going to be enjoying it and having fun and making sure it still feels like a game and not a job. And that's kind of been the mentality so far, and it's been great.”
The Cape League presents a different animal than the college season: most weeks have a jam-packed slate of five or six matchups. Each hot streak can provide a massive confidence boost, but each slump can cause a snowball effect. The Cape and summer collegiate baseball present a taste of those everyday challenges similar to professional baseball, working kinks out on the fly.
“Pro ball is about showing up every day, and being so consistent and focused on the process and the routine and giving that to a place where you are ready to compete at seven o'clock every night.” Summerhill, now a member of the Charleston Riverdogs (Single-A, Tampa Bay Rays organization), drew on the similarities between pro ball and cod ball. “I’ve just been really getting that down, finding what works for me.”
College coaching staff sends their youngsters to summer leagues to learn how to become stronger leaders for their upperclassmen years. It was no different for Summerhill, a rising junior with the Wildcats that was destined for a leap to greatness. The then 20-year-old had the standout bat, the trusty glove as manager Chip Hale’s everyday centerfielder.
Now he just needed the voice.
That grind of Cape Cod League games? It didn’t matter to Summerhill. He gave his 100% every night. Smyth praised his constant work ethic from the minute the team arrived at the ballpark. There were no lazy efforts on flyballs or jogs to first base on ground balls. Every at-bat, every catch, every individual game meant something to him. Cape Cod’s best players usually let their talent do the talking and give hard work the summer off–-for Summerhill his voice was his work ethic.
“I think the coolest thing too is it didn't matter. I mean, we had some mid major guys on our roster that year, and it didn't matter who it was. You know, he was obviously from a big school, but he was open to everybody.” Manager Smyth said of Summerhill's work as an excellent teammate. “And I think he got a lot of the guys to buy into wanting to win and wanting to go win a championship in the summer.”
That work ethic made Summerhill one of seven Gatemen selected to the Cape Cod Baseball League All-Star Game. He was one of just 28 players in the entire West Division to receive the honor, taking the game as serious as any other baseball game that summer. However, Summerhill’s hard-nosed effort would cost him the rest of the summer with Wareham. He was in centerfield for a fly ball, and gave his everyday all-out sprint despite the circumstances of the all-star fanfare. He caught the ball and captured an out for his team, but paid the price by smashing into the outfield. He left the game and was later told in a decision with both the Wareham and Arizona coaching staff that he would be held out of the back half of the season to ensure a fully healthy year of college baseball.
“It's just an example of how that kid plays baseball, and why he's going to be a big leaguer someday.” Smyth noted the effort in a game that didn't truly count for the standings as his greatest moment of leadership. “He plays extremely hard. It was an all star game where probably some guys would have held up a little bit, but he went out.”
Before Summerhill left Wareham there was one more thing to do: continue one of Smyth’s traditions. At the end of each summer, he asks one particular player to sign a baseball. These asks are usually of players Smyth thinks will make it big in the major leagues. He’s had a strong track record dating back to when he was an assistant. He asked current Angels shortstop Zach Neto, White Sox first baseman Gage Workman, and Yankees top prospect Spencer Jones during his tenure with Brewster. Summerhill becomes one of just 11 signed for Smythe. He joins a small club and a group that Smyth has his eye on down the road.
Summerhill soaked up all that Wareham had to offer. Now he’s on the grind of minor league baseball. There’s a brutal travel schedule, tough at-bats against hot-shot youngsters with the same aspirations, and a fair share of bumps and bruises along the way. But hey, it's just another Tuesday on the Cape.
