LEXINGTON, Ky. ? Nine members of the Kentucky baseball team are honing their skills in baseball leagues throughout the country this summer.
The summer baseball leagues provide collegiate players the opportunity to play in a minor league setting, traveling from ballpark to ballpark and experience the differences in swinging wood bats as opposed to aluminum.
Among the Kentucky baseball players showcasing their talents across the United States is outfielder Collin Cowgill. Cowgill is one of three Kentucky players participating in the highly-acclaimed Cape Cod Baseball league. Cowgill is batting .227 in 20 games with the Brewster Whitecaps.
Side-winding pitcher Brock Baber is also participating in the Cape Cod League. Baber, who served as the Wildcat?s closer in the past, has seen action in a team-high 11 games, hurling 18.1 innings. Baber has notched two saves and earned a 1-0 record.
Center-fielder Antone DeJesus has also been swinging the lumber in the Cape Cod League, playing for the Harwich Mariners. DeJesus has seen action in 21 games and is batting at a .273 clip. Arguably the best defensive centerfielder in college baseball, DeJesus has scored 12 runs while driving in three.
Infielders Ryan Wilkes, Matt McKinney and Mike Brown are participating in the Northwoods Summer Baseball League. Wilkes is playing for the Wisconsin Woodchucks and has seen action in 26 games, starting 24. Wilkes is batting at a .260 clip and has stolen a team-high seven bases in seven attempts.
McKinney is playing with the LaCrosse Loggers and has participated in nine games, driving in two runs. Second-basemen Mike Brown has been suiting up for the Waterloo Bucks. Brown has played in 13 games, notching six hits.
Left-handed pitcher Tommy Warner is pitching for the Duluth Huskies of the Northwoods League. Warner is 1-2 in 16 innings of action.
Freshman infielder Anthony Ottrando has gotten off to a blistering pace for the Altamonte Springs club in the Florida Collegiate Summer League. Ottrando has started 17 games, batting .354 with a team-high six doubles and one home run while driving in 15 runs. The Ocala, Fla. native has proven to be a clutch hitter for Altamonte, batting six-for-six with runners on third base and two outs.
Freshman right-handed pitcher Duran Ferguson has also been participating in summer ball. Ferguson is playing for the Amsterdam Mohawks in the New York Collegiate Baseball League. Ferguson is pitching wonderfully, hurling a team-high 42.2 innings in seven starts. Ferguson has stuck out a team-best 41. The highlight of Ferguson’s summer thus far has been combining to throw a no-hitter against Saratoga on July 11.
Incoming freshman right-handed pitcher Aaron Lovett has also been keeping busy this summer, playing for the Fayetteville SwampDogs in the Coastal Plain League. Lovett, a 6-foot-5 junior college transfer from Kaskaskia College in Illinois, has compiled a 4-1 record in seven starts. Lovett has struck out 37 batters in 38 innings, while earning a team-best 1.46 ERA.
