02/27/2023 9:26 AM Article By: Michael Lane
Vandy Boys Anchor Down
Vanderbilt University has moved up to #7 in the D1 Baseball rankings, after taking the weekend series against #17 UCLA. All six runs in their Friday afternoon victory were driven in by players connected to the Cape League. Davis Diaz (Brewster ‘22) drove in three, Enrique Bradfield Jr. (Cotuit ‘22) drove in two, and Matthew Polk (Cotuit ‘23) drove in one. Bryce Cunningham (Bourne ‘22) recorded a 10-out save to complete the shutout victory.
Then on Sunday, Davis Diaz delivered again with a two-run home run to lead the Commodores to a 2-1 victory. Bradfield Jr. made program history Sunday, recording his 97th career stolen base. By the time Bradfield Jr. leaves the program for the MLB Draft, that record could easily be over 120 steals.
Jac Caglianone: Learn The Name
The #6 Florida Gators have no shortage of talent and that showed during their weekend sweep of Cincinnati. Jac Caglianone (Falmouth ‘23) is one of the most talented players in college baseball. His dynamic abilities were on full display this weekend.
Caglianone began with a 417-foot home run on Friday night. On Sunday, Caglianone started the game on the mound for the Gators. He was topping out at 97mph, and finished with six strikeouts over 4.2 innings pitched. At the plate Sunday, Caglianone hit three home runs with distances of 375 feet, 462 feet, and 445 feet.
Down Goes #1 LSU
Unranked Iowa delivered the upset of the weekend, taking down #1 ranked LSU in the Karbach Round Rock Classic. Brody Brecht (Chatham ‘23) started the game for Iowa. Despite struggling with command and only going 3.1 innings, Brecht was able to keep the LSU lineup quiet, leaving the game with a 7-0 lead. Brecht touched 101mph with his fastball a few times, to go with a devastating slider scouts love, and a 95mph changeup. Yes, a 95mph changeup.
Moment of the Weekend
For the second weekend in a row, a future Cape Leaguer from West Virginia stole home to give his team the lead. JJ Wetherholt (Harwich ‘23) pulled off a straight steal of home in the 11th inning, leading them to a 6-5 victory.
